Written Answers of 2 December 1997

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Asylum Seekers
  Mr. Gerrard
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the consultation procedures for the inter-departmental review of asylum; which organisations have been invited to comment; and which organisations or individuals have made submissions. [17418]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  When the Comprehensive Review of asylum was announced, those interested were invited to comment direct to the Study Team. The following individuals and organisations have made submissions:

  London Borough of Merton

  Westminster City Council

  The Progressive League

  The Central London Interfaith Refugee Network

  Praxis

  Michael Symth Esq.

  The Churches Commission for Racial Justice

  The Housing Associations Charitable Trust

  Hackney Community Law center

  UNLEASH (Church Action on Homelessness in London)

  The Disability Alliance

  Newham Council Anti-Poverty and Welfare Rights Unit

  The London Advice Services Alliance

  The Hackney Refugee Training Consortium

  Turkish Speaking People's Culture center

  The Independent Immigration Support Agency

  The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Housing and Social Services Department.

  In addition, the Team has held discussions with:

  Refugee Legal center

  Refugee Council

  Association of London Government

  Refugee Action

  Immigration Appeals Authority

  Hammersmith Social Services Department

  Housing Corporation

  Australian High Commission

  Local Government Association

  Amnesty International

  Justice

  Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture

  Immigration Law Practitioners' Association centerpoint

  Commission for Racial Equality

  Camden Social Services

  Refugee Arrivals Project

  The Churches Interfaith Refugee Network

  The International Organisation on Migration.

  National Stud
  Mr. Paice
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the future ownership of the National Stud. [18141]

  Mr. George Howarth
  The National Stud is the responsibility of the Horserace Betting Levy Board. There are no current plans to change its ownership.

  Smoke Alarms
  Ms Jenny Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will assess the advantages of instigating a publicity campaign to raise public awareness of the benefits of installing smoke alarms in homes. [18483]

  Mr. George Howarth
  I am well aware that publicity campaigns offer the potential for achieving wider installation of smoke alarms in homes. The Community Fire Safety Task Force have recently reported with a strategy and recommendations to secure significant reductions in the number of fires, deaths and casualties in homes. We are consulting widely on their proposals and will assess carefully the responses we receive.

  Smuggling
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of illegal immigrants who have been smuggled into Britain by criminal gangs in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. [18819]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  No reliable estimate can be made of the number of illegal immigrants smuggled into Britain by criminal gangs.

  Police Grant
  Mr. Coaker
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will announce the allocations of police grant for individual police authorities in 1998–99. [19097]

  Mr. Straw
  I have today put a copy of my proposals for the allocation of police grant for 1998–99 in the Library. I intend to implement these proposals subject to consideration of any representations I receive about them.

  The police service has indicated its support in principle for the continued distribution of police grant in accordance with a needs-based formula, and I am therefore proposing to continue to allocate the greater part of police grant according to the police funding formula.

  I am however proposing several changes to the formula to reflect the latest data now available, and in response to the representations I have received. The principle changes I propose are: to reduce from 30 per cent. to 20 per cent. the share of funding allocated on the basis of forces' past establishments: and to increase from 12.9 per cent. to 13.2 per cent. the proportion of funding allocated on the basis of forces' pensions commitments.

  I have also set the amount of the special payment to the Metropolitan Police, in recognition of its national and capital city functions, at £151 million in 1998–99.

  An additional £40 million of police grant has been made available in 1998–99. This allocation is to ensure that police authorities and the Receiver for the Metropolitan Police District have funds available which

  101
  would allow them to increase spending on meeting the key objectives for the police in 1998–99 over and above that available through the principal formula.

  Other police funding proposals within the local government finance system are being announced today by my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions and for Wales. These proposals and mine would increase the total spending power of police authorities in England and Wales by 3.7 per cent. or around £258 million over 1997–98.

  The table below shows, by police authority, the effect of my proposals for 1998–99. It also shows the allocations approved by Parliament for 1997–98.

  £ million

  1997–98

  1998–99

  Police Authority

  1funding

  1funding

  English Shire forces

  Avon and Somerset

  158.7

  164.2

  Bedfordshire

  58.9

  60.9

  Cambridgeshire

  68.2

  72.0

  Cheshire

  101.1

  104.7

  Cleveland

  75.2

  80.4

  Cumbria

  58.6

  59.0

  Derbyshire

  95.3

  97.7

  Devon and Cornwall

  158.6

  167.5

  Dorset

  66.6

  67.8

  Durham

  73.3

  78.1

  Essex

  155.9

  158.4

  Gloucestershire

  60.1

  61.5

  Hampshire

  180.0

  189.2

  Hertfordshire

  92.4

  94.1

  Humberside

  105.9

  110.6

  Kent

  168.5

  179.0

  Lancashire

  167.7

  175.0

  Leicestershire

  97.3

  99.1

  Lincolnshire

  61.5

  60.7

  Norfolk

  78.1

  80.9

  North Yorkshire

  71.9

  75.7

  Northamptonshire

  60.0

  62.9

  Nottinghamshire

  119.3

  123.0

  Staffordshire

  111.8

  111.1

  Suffolk

  63.4

  66.0

  Surrey

  91.8

  84.2

  Sussex

  155.2

  162.6

  Thames Valley

  208.2

  219.3

  Warwickshire

  50.6

  51.1

  West Mercia

  106.3

  110.0

  Wiltshire

  62.2

  63.4

  English Metropolitan forces

  Greater Manchester

  351.2

  364.9

  Merseyside

  227.3

  233.3

  Northumbria

  193.4

  205.4

  South Yorkshire

  158.8

  165.4

  West Midlands

  353.4

  372.0

  West Yorkshire

  267.5

  279.6

  London forces

  Metropolitan Police2

  1,688.0

  1,715.6

  City of London3

  61.6

  57.1

  English Total

  6,483.9

  6,683.4

  102

  £ million

  1997–98

  1998–99

  Police Authority

  1funding

  1funding

  Welsh forces

  Dyfed-Powys

  49.9

  51.1

  Gwent

  64.5

  67.3

  North Wales

  71.2

  73.2

  South Wales

  155.1

  161.3

  Welsh total

  340.8

  353.0

  Total

  6,824.7

  7,036.3

  1 Rounded to the nearest £100,000. Funding is the sum of all police grant, SSAs and damping grant.

  2 Figure for the Metropolitan Police does not include funding allocated to the Receiver under the Other Services Block SSA for school crossing patrols, Magistrates' Courts and the Probation Service.

  3 Figure for the City includes Police SSA and Grant, but excludes other SSAs e.g. Capital Financing which are allocated to the Common Council of the City of London as a whole in respect of all its functions.

  Youth Justice
  Mr. Shaw
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the advice he received from the Task Force on Youth Justice and the responses to his consultation papers on youth justice. [19126]

  Mr. Straw
  Yes. Copies of the two reports submitted by the Task Force on Youth Justice, in August and October, have been placed in the Library.

  Several hundred responses have been received to my consultation paper on youth justice and these are currently being assessed. We will provide Parliament with a report as soon as practicable.

  Low Pay
  Mr. Chidgey
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list, by regions defined by the boundaries of the regional government offices, the lowest hourly rate paid by his Department to(a) full-time employees, (b) part-time employees, (c) persons employed under personal contract and (d) persons employed by firms undertaking contracted-out services for central government offices, defining the job title in each case. [18113]

  Mr. Straw
  Information in respect of(a), (b) and (c) is given in the attached table and covers the Home Office and its agencies. Information in respect of (d) is not available; figures could be provided only if all our contractors were prepared to waive commercial confidentiality considerations so as to allow disclosure.

  Region

  Category

  Job title

  Hourly rate

  London

  (a)

  Administrative Assistant

  4.61

  (b)

  Administrative Assistant

  4.61

  (c)

  Administrative Assistant

  4.61

  East Midlands

  (a)

  Administrative Assistant

  3.84

  (b)

  Administrative Assistant

  3.84

  (c)

  Administrative Assistant

  3.84

  103

  Region

  Category

  Job title

  Hourly rate

  Eastern Region

  (a)

  Administrative Assistant

  3.84

  (b)

  Administrative Assistant

  3.84

  (c)

  Administrative Assistant

  3.84

  Merseyside

  (a)

  Administrative Assistant

  3.84

  (b)

  Administrative Assistant

  3.84

  (c)

  Administrative Assistant

  3.84

  North East

  (a)

  Administrative Assistant

  3.84

  (b)

  Administrative Assistant

  3.84

  (c)

  Administrative Assistant

  3.84

  North west

  (a)

  Administrative Assistant

  3.84

  (b)

  Administrative Assistant

  3.84

  (c)

  Administrative Assistant

  3.84

  South east

  (a)

  Administrative Assistant

  3.84

  (b)

  Administrative Assistant

  3.84

  (c)

  Administrative Assistant

  3.84

  South west

  (a)

  Administrative Assistant

  3.82

  (b)

  Administrative Assistant

  3.84

  (c)

  Administrative Assistant

  3.84

  West Midlands

  (a)

  Sandwich course Student

  3.77

  (b)

  Administrative Assistant

  3.84

  (c)

  Administrative Assistant

  3.84

  Gender

  White

  Black

  Asian

  Other

  Not provided

  Total male and female

  Total ethnic minority male and female

  Industrial

  F

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  —

  —

  M

  7

  0

  0

  0

  3

  10

  0

  Support Grades

  F

  62

  8

  3

  0

  5

  0

  —

  M

  68

  6

  5

  0

  14

  171

  22

  Secretarial Grades

  F

  90

  7

  12

  0

  5

  —

  —

  M

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  114

  19

  Administrative Assistant

  F

  277

  57

  91

  10

  67

  —

  —

  M

  126

  22

  43

  3

  30

  726

  226

  Administrative Officer and Assistant immigration Officer

  F

  387

  57

  164

  6

  43

  —

  —

  M

  163

  27

  50

  4

  29

  930

  308

  Executive Officer and Immigration Officer

  F

  922

  36

  77

  13

  161

  —

  —

  M

  1,168

  21

  44

  24

  282

  2,748

  215

  Higher Executive Officer and Chief Immigration Officer

  F

  227

  2

  5

  2

  29

  —

  —

  M

  369

  4

  6

  5

  69

  718

  24

  Senior Executive Officer and Inspector

  F

  30

  0

  0

  0

  0

  —

  —

  M

  107

  1

  0

  0

  8

  146

  1

  Grade 7 and above

  F

  11

  0

  1

  0

  0

  —

  —

  M

  45

  0

  0

  0

  1

  58

  1

  Overall totals

  5,621

  816

PRIME MINISTER

  Humphrey the Cat
  Mr. Alan Clark
  To ask the Prime Minister what steps were taken by Cabinet Office staff to establish the state
  104

  Region

  Category

  Job title

  Hourly rate

  Yorkshire and

  (a)

  Administrative Assistant

  3.84

  the Humberside

  (b)

  Administrative Assistant

  3.84

  (c)

  Administrative Assistant

  3.84

  Equal Opportunities
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his Answer of 13 November 1977,Official Report, column 654, if he will provide a further breakdown, by grade, of the ethnic origin and gender of employees in the Immigration and Nationalities Department. [18627]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  Details of the ethnic origin of Immigration and Nationality Directorate staff by gender and grade are set out in the following table. In some cases, grades have been amalgamated in order to avoid disclosure of individual ethnic origin.

  The breakdown refers to staff figures as at 28 November 1997. These differ slightly from the figure provided in my answer to my hon. Friend's question on 13 November 1997, Official Report, column 654, due to staff changes in the intervening period.

  of health of Humphrey the cat, prior to his departure from Downing Street; on what dates; and if he will make a statement. [18675]

  The Prime Minister
  The Cabinet Office staff have always taken excellent care of Humphrey the cat. He was taken to a Veterinary Clinic at least every six months for
  105
  the last five years where his kidney complaint was treated and his inoculations were kept up to date. His last visit was on 6 August 1997.

  In the weeks prior to his retirement from the Cabinet Office, the staff who looked after him were concerned about his loss of appetite and the general deterioration in his condition.

  Since retiring to a home environment it is reported that he has responded very well and put on weight.

ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS

  Single Regeneration Budget
  Mr. Keetch
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the locations of the successful outline bids for round 4 SRBs, indicating the names and political control of those local authorities concerned; and if he will make a statement. [17311]

  Mr. Caborn
  Bids for round 4 of the SRB Challenge Fund are not defined at the outline stage as successful or unsuccessful. I have placed a table which contains details of all 371 outline bids received by Government Offices for the Regions in the House Libraries.

  Government Offices for the Regions currently are considering outline bids, to determine the extent to which these meet the objectives and criteria for the Challenge Fund and merit working up into final bids.

  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many local authorities submitted bids for each round of(a) the Single Regeneration Budget and (b) Capital Challenge; and how many were successful in each round. [18740]

  Angela Eagle
  The information is as follows:

  Single Regeneration Budget
  The numbers of bids for support from the four rounds of the Single Regeneration Budget Challenge Fund submitted by local authorities, either individually or as partners, are as follows:

  Round 1

  Round 2

  Round 3

  Round 41

  Total number of final bids received

  469

  329

  310

  371

  Number of final bids received from local authorities2

  235

  171

  186

  167

  Number of successful bids from local authorities2

  108

  93

  109

  —

  1 All bids are currently at the outline stage only.

  1 Where the local authority is the lead partner.

  Capital Challenge
  There has been only one round of Capital Challenge. There were 330 local authorities, acting jointly or separately, which submitted a total of 326 bids. Of these, 189 bids, involving 217 authorities, were successful either in full or in part.
  106
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimates he has made of the costs incurred by local authorities in preparing and submitting bids in each round of(a) the Single Regeneration Budget and (b) Capital Challenge. [18739]

  Angela Eagle
  For the Single Regeneration Budget Challenge Fund, my Department commissioned the Department of Land Economy at the University of Cambridge to evaluate rounds 1 and 2. An interim report explored the level of resources committed by ten local partnerships, including those with local authority partners, which submitted unsuccessful bids. The average time committed by each partnership to the bidding process was 16 weeks, at a cost of £10,000.

  None of the unsuccessful bidders regarded the bidding process as a waste of resources, nor did they regard it as more costly than preparing proposals under other funding regimes. The benefits of the bidding process were recognised, particularly in improving inter-agency partnership working.

  For Capital Challenge, the Local Government Research Programme Report "Evaluation of the Experience of Authorities during the Capital Challenge Pilot Scheme Bidding Round" estimated that the average value of resources used in the preparation of bids was £14,000.

  London Underground
  Mr. Stephen Twigg
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions which organisations he has met in the last six months to discuss the future of(a) London Underground and (b) the Piccadilly Line; and if he will make a statement. [17527]

  Ms Glenda Jackson
  My colleagues and I have discussed the future of the Underground with a number of organisations, including London Transport, representatives of Transport Unions, and organisations representing business and other interests in London. No meetings have been held specifically on the future of the Piccadilly Line.

  We are urgently considering a range of options for public—private partnerships to improve the Underground.

  Regional Development Agencies
  Mr. Harvey
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will place in the Library responses to his consultation paper on RDAs. [17890]

  Mr. Caborn
  In accordance with guidelines on deposited papers issued to Government Departments by the House of Commons Library, I placed in the Library on 18 November a list of the responses to the Department's Issues Paper on Regional Development Agencies. The guidelines say that, for reasons of space, consultation paper responses should not be deposited in the Library. Consistent with the guidelines, copies of the responses to the RDAs consultation paper are deposited in the Department's library, and can be made available to Members there.

  Travellers
  Mr. Loughton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) if he will seek to amend section 77(3)(b) of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 so as to make it a criminal offence for travellers having been evicted to return to any land in the same district within three months; [18214]

  (2) if he will seek to amend the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 to enable agents acting for local authorities to confiscate property belonging to travellers subject to eviction orders as compensation for damage done to public land and legal costs incurred in securing evictions. [18215]

  Mr. Raynsford
  We have no plans to amend the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 in the way that the hon. Gentleman suggests.

  The 1994 Act already makes it a criminal offence for unauthorised campers who have been directed to leave land, to return to the same land with a vehicle within three months of the date of the direction. We do not think it would be reasonable to make the whole of a local authority's area out of bounds to campers, because they have been evicted from one site in that area. The stronger the powers, the more difficult it would be for a local authority to persuade the courts that it was acting reasonably in seeking an eviction order.

  Consultation preceding the introduction of the 1994 Act powers revealed a majority of respondents, including local authorities, opposed to local authority powers to seize vehicles belonging to unauthorised campers. This was thought to be unreasonable and impracticable, and the proposal was dropped.

  The Government considers that the 1994 Act powers strike a reasonable balance between the need to control what can be a public nuisance and the rights of the campers concerned, in line with the European Convention on Human Rights. We have commissioned research to look at how local authorities deal with unauthorised camping in their areas, and will be issuing good practice advice based on that research in Spring next year.

  Residential Development
  Mr. Tom King
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions on which dates since 1 May was(a) he, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) officials met representatives of the UK Round Table on Sustainable Development to discuss increasing the Government's target of new residential development to be built on previously used land. [18319]

  Angela Eagle
  Neither Ministers nor officials have met representatives of the UK Round Table specifically to discuss the Government's target of new residential development to be built on previously used land. My right hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment has, however, had general discussions with the Chairman about Round Table recommendations.

  Mr. Tom King
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the number of new homes provided in each year since 1981 through(a) urban infill and (b) house conversions. [18302]
  108
  Mr. Raynsford
  Estimates of the number of dwellings provided through conversions are shown below.

  Net gain in dwellings from conversions and changes of use

  England

  Thousands of dwellings

  1981

  14.6

  1982

  17.6

  1983

  16.2

  1984

  17.3

  1985

  16.6

  1986

  17.1

  1987

  17.3

  1988

  14.8

  1989

  14.6

  1990

  12.4

  1991

  13.1

  1992

  10.1

  1993

  7.7

  1994

  9.3

  1995

  9.2

  1996

  8.9

  Estimates of number dwellings through urban infill are currently not available, but should be available soon.

  Mr. Tom King
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what in each of the last three years for which information is available, was the proportion in each region of the amount of new residential development built on previously used land; and what(a) meetings he has had and (b) other actions he has taken in respect of these regions where the proportion was under 50 per cent. [18321]

  Mr. Raynsford
  The table below shows the percentage of new residential development that is on land previously developed for urban uses, by Government Office Region, for the latest three years for which reliable estimates can be made.

  The Government has held a number of meetings at which the issue of land recycling and other household growth matters have been discussed. The Government has also made it clear that, in making their housing land allocations, local authorities should make the best possible use of previously used sites for new housing. This applies in particular to those authorities who are achieving low levels of land recycling. The Government is considering these and other issues, taking into account the public consultation earlier this year, and will announce decisions in due course.

  Per cent.

  Government Office Region

  1991

  1992

  1993 (provisional)

  North East

  43

  46

  40

  North West and Merseyside

  49

  56

  59

  North West

  49

  54

  55

  Merseyside

  48

  65

  76

  Yorkshire and the Humber

  38

  42

  48

  East Midlands

  33

  34

  33

  West Midlands

  44

  46

  49

  Eastern

  41

  46

  49

  109

  Per cent.

  Government Office Region

  1991

  1992

  1993 (provisional)

  London

  83

  84

  83

  South East

  50

  49

  49

  South West

  30

  35

  32

  England

  44

  47

  48

  Source:

  Land Use Change in England No. 12 (Table 8.5), Statistical Bulletin.

  Household Growth White Paper
  Mr. Tom King
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the seminars which his Department(a) has held since 1 May and (b) plans to hold to debate the issues raised in the Green Paper "Household Growth: Where Shall We Live" (Cm 3471). [18318]

  Mr. Raynsford
  No public seminars have been held by the Government specifically on this subject since 1 May, nor do we have any current plans to hold such seminars in the near future. Officials attend independently arranged seminars on this subject as appropriate.

  Planning Appeals (Redundant Farm Buildings)
  Mr. Tom King
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many appeals his Department has received in each year since 1988 involving the refusal of planning consent for the conversion of redundant farm buildings into(a) houses and (b) other uses; when the Department last issued new guidance on this subject; and what plans he has to issue revised guidance. [18301]

  Mr. Raynsford
  The following information has been provided by the Planning Inspectorate. Information is not available for the period before 1990. The data do not reveal whether the appeals related to redundant farm buildings. The number of unsuccessful appeals against refusal of planning permission for conversion of farm buildings to residential use was as follows:

  Number

  1 January to 31 December

  1990

  523

  1991

  419

  1992

  298

  1993

  194

  1994

  198

  1995

  196

  1996

  188

  1 January to 1 November

  1997

  88

  In 1990 there were 3 unsuccessful appeals against refusal of planning permission for conversion of farm buildings to industrial use. There have been none since.

  The Government's guidance on the conversion of redundant farm buildings is contained in Planning Policy Guidance note 7 "The Countryside—Environmental Quality and Economic and Social Development", which was revised in February 1997. This allows greater discrimination than formerly in favour of re-use for business rather than residential use. There are at present no plans to issue revised guidance.

  Energy Efficiency
  Mr. Alan Simpson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will place in the Library a copy of the report "Options for the Future Development of Energy Efficiency Standards of Performance", prepared for him and the President of the Board of Trade OXERA Consultants. [18271]

  Angela Eagle
  I have placed a copy of the report in the Library. The analysis of options provided by the report will be taking into account in the Government's consideration of future regulation of the energy industry and of the achievement of energy efficiency climate change targets. There will be consultation on both issues.

  Organophosphates
  Dr. Brand
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will empower the Health and Safety Executive to examine with the permission of the patient the medical records of any person who suffers accidental exposure to organophosphates and other chemicals which results in admission to hospital or consultation with a doctor. [18162]

  Angela Eagle
  HSE may already examine medical records when it investigates reports of ill-health because of exposure to chemicals if the sufferer gives permission, except in special cases where the doctor judges that disclosure would itself put the patient at risk. Reported incidents of ill-health resulting from exposure to pesticides, veterinary and human medicines (including organophosphates) are assessed by expert panels who routinely examine medical records on this basis.

  Trees
  Ms Jenny Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to encourage tree planting and the conservation of mature trees in urban areas to reduce storm water run-off. [18479]

  Angela Eagle
  My Department encourages local authorities to develop long term strategies to guide the planting, maintenance, conservation and replacement of all trees in their area. Such strategies should contain an appraisal of how trees might contribute to the local environment, taking account of local circumstances and conditions. This might include their role in reducing storm water run-off.

  Railway Lines (Trespass)
  Mr. Kidney
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will review the duty to fence off railway lines with a view to requiring Railtrack plc to prevent trespass on railway lines. [18372]

  Ms Glenda Jackson
  Following a recommendation by the Health and Safety Commission (HSC), a review of railway safety legislation was completed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in 1996. As a result, the
  111
  Railway Safety (Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 1997, which came into force on 10 May, place a new duty on Railtrack to take reasonably practicable measures to prevent unauthorised access by trespassers. Guidance on these Regulations, issued by the HSE, gives advice on the type of fencing or other physical barriers that should be provided.

  Rat Control
  Mr. Dafis
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what are the legal responsibilities of water and sewerage companies in respect of the control of rats. [18501]

  Angela Eagle
  There is no specific duty on water and sewerage undertakers in relation to the control of rats in sewers. However, all sewerage undertakers have programmes to control and reduce the number of rats in their systems. This includes the use of baits in pumping stations and air vents to stop rats entering the system and within sewers. In addition, I understand that the water industry will be undertaking some research into the issue of rats in sewers early next year. Finally, under Section 79 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, local authorities have a duty to inspect their area for statutory nuisances such as"any premises in such a state as to be prejudicial to health or a nuisance."

  Bed and Breakfast Accommodation
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many people were living in bed and breakfast accommodation in each of the London boroughs on 1 November. [18582]

  Mr. Raynsford
  Information is published on households accommodated under statutory homelessness provisions in a quarterly Information Bulletin, "Statistics of local authority activities under the homelessness legislation: England". The Bulletin includes a table on homeless households temporarily accommodated and this identifies those in bed and breakfast accommodation.

  Copies of the Bulletin are in the Library and the latest provides statistics for the second quarter of 1997.

  Low Pay
  Mr. Chidgey
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list, by regions defined by the boundaries of the regional government offices, the lowest hourly rate paid by his Department to(a) full-time employees, (b) part-time employees, (c) persons employed under personal contract and (d) persons employed by firms undertaking contracted-out services for central government offices, defining the job title in each case. [18115]

  Angela Eagle
  In London, the lowest rate paid by the Department to full-time employees is £4.39 an hour. £3.17 per hour is the lowest hourly rate paid in the English regions, by a Departmental Agency.

  Part-time and full-time staff are paid the same hourly rates.
  112
  The Department employs relatively few people who are on personal contracts. The lowest rate is £3.25 an hour, in an English region.

  The Department does not hold information on the rates of pay for persons employed by firms undertaking contracted-out services. This is a matter for the companies concerned.

  Local Government Finance
  Mr. Yeo
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) if he will list (1) for each class of authority and (2) for each individual local authority and Police authority in England(a) 1998–99 standard spending assessments in total and by major service block, (b) changes in standard spending assessments in total and by major service block, between 1997–98 and 1998–99, expressed in (i) monetary and (ii) percentage terms, (c) changes in standard spending assessments in total and by major service block, between 1997–98 and 1998–99, expressed (i) in monetary and (ii) percentage terms and adjusted to take account of changes in local authority functions and responsibilities (d) resident population, (e) tax base, (f) standard spending assessment, (g) standard tax income, (h) business rate income,(i) revenue support grant, (j) standard spending assessment reduction grant and (k) total external support, for 1998–99; [18632]

  (2) what is the (a) total standard spending assessment and Police grant and (b) total external support including revenue support, non-domestic rates, standard spending assessment reduction grant and police grants to be received by (i) all local authorities, (ii) each class of local authority,(iii) education authorities, (iv) authorities other than Police authorities and (v) all authorities, in (1) 1998–99 and (2) 1997–98 indicating (a) the change over 1997–98 in pounds and percentages, (b) adjustments for 1997–98 for local government reorganisation and for changed local authority functions and responsibilities in 1998–99; and if he will list each such adjustment and its monetary value; [18633]

  (3) what is the (a) total standard spending and (b) total aggregate external finance for (i) all local authorities and (ii) all local authorities other than Police authorities in England in (1) 1998–99 and (2) 1997–98, giving in each case (A) the change over 1997–98 in pounds and percentages and (B) adjusting 1997–98 totals for changed local authority functions and responsibilities in 1998–99, listing each adjustment and its monetary value. [18634]

  Mr. Raynsford
  This information will be available in the Library following my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Region statement on local government finance.

  Mr. Stringer
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will set out the basis of his calculations of the distributable amount of non-domestic rates for 1998–99. [18804]

  Mr. Armstrong
  The distributable amount of non-domestic rates in England for 1998–99 will be £12,524 million. This is based on a non-domestic rate multiplier of 0.474 and includes an allowance of £360 million for an Exchequer payment to the non-domestic rates pool, to compensate for the shortfall which would otherwise occur as a result of the regulations
  113
  under section 58 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988 to phase in the effects of the 1995 revaluation on rate bills.

  National non-domestic rates—Calculation of distributable amount

  £ million

  1995–96

  1996–97

  1997–98

  1998–99

  final outturn

  provisional outturn

  provisional outturn

  estimated in-year contribution

  1. Income from local lists

  Multiplier (p)

  43.2

  44.9

  45.8

  47.4

  Gross rate yield

  12,781

  13,369

  13,518

  13,843

  (i) Reliefs

  (a) Net transitional relief

  -731

  -546

  -497

  -616

  (b) Empty properties

  -1,054

  -1,014

  -1,098

  -1,137

  (c) Charitable

  -445

  -482

  -535

  -535

  (d) Discretionary

  -26

  -77

  -181

  -50

  Net yield after reliefs

  10,524

  11,251

  11,207

  11,504

  (ii) Collection costs/reductions to contributions

  (a) Costs of collection

  -75

  -76

  -79

  -79

  (b) Losses on collection

  -144

  -148

  -154

  -160

  c) City of London offset

  -7

  -7

  -7

  -7

  Total contribution in respect of year

  10,299

  11,020

  10,968

  11,259

  (iii) Adjustments

  Repayments/interest payments

  -1,005

  -363

  -350

  -426

  Total adjustments

  -1,005

  -363

  -350

  -426

  Net local yield

  9,294

  10,657

  10,618

  10,833

  2. Income from central list

  Net central list yield

  1,192

  1,221

  1,200

  1,211

  3. Income from crown contributions in aid

  Net crown yield

  481

  487

  485

  445

  Total NDR yield

  10,967

  12,365

  12,303

  12,489

  4. Exchequer contributions

  Total exchequer contributions

  505

  429

  400

  360

  Total NNDR pool payments (1+2+3+4)

  11,472

  12,794

  12,703

  12,849

  5. Adjustments

  Surplus brought forward

  -1,177

  -1,059

  -1,002

  -326

  Combined total

  10,295

  11,734

  11,701

  12,524

  Distributable amount

  11,354

  12,736

  12,027

  12,524

  Surplus carried forward

  -1,059

  -1,002

  -326

  —

  The amounts shown are those recorded in the post end-year (NNDR3) returns. For 1997–98 the amounts shown are the estimated outturn for the year based mainly upon authorities' provisional contributions to the non-domestic rating pool.

  1. Item 1: The gross calculated rate yield represents the total value of non-domestic hereditaments on local rating lists times the multiplier.

  2. Item 1(i)(a): The Transitional decrease adjustment includes the estimated amount of rates that will not be recouped from local list ratepayers under the transitional arrangements made by regulations under section 58 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988.

  3. Item 1(i)(b): the empty property relief adjustments include voids and partially occupied hereditaments. The 1998–99 figure includes an allowance for the increase in the gross rates yield.

  4. Item 1(i)(c): Charitable rate relief. The 1998–99 figure includes mandatory relief for village shops under the Local Government and Rating Act 1997. As for empty property relief.

  5. Item 1(i)(d): Discretionary relief granted to charities, non-profit making organisations and for other reasons including, for 1998–99, discretionary relief for village shops and other rural businesses granted under the Local Government and Rating Act 1997. As for charitable rate relief.

  6. Item 1(ii)(a)&(b): The allowances for the costs and losses incurred by local authorities in collecting non-domestic rates from ratepayers.

  7. Item 1(ii)(c): City Offset—the amount which the City of London will not be required to pay into the non-domestic rating pool. It is the amount which will be retained by the authority to meet its own expenditure.

  8. Item 1(iii): net adjustment in respect of appeals and other amendments to the rating list affecting liability for previous years rates settled in that year.

  9. Item 2: the rateable value of non-domestic hereditaments on the central rating list times the multiplier, less the net effect of transitional arrangements, and adjusted for appeals and other changes in respect of previous years.

  10. Item 3: the 1998–99 figure for crown properties includes an allowance for the effect of transition.

  11. Item 4: the contribution from central government to offset the amount of the Secretary of State's estimate of income forgone as a result of transitional arrangements established by regulations under section 58 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988.

  114
  The calculation for 1998–99, and the prior-year figures on which this is based, are set out in the following table:

  European Charter on Self-Government
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on his plans to ratify the European Charter on Local Self-Government. [18865]

  Mr. Raynsford
  Subject to the views of this House and those of Another Place, the Government intends to ratify the European Charter on Local Self-Government as soon as practicable in the new year.

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

  Conditional Fees
  Mr. Garnier
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what research he has undertaken to discover(a) the number of people, who since their introduction, wanted to pursue civil claims on a conditional fee arrangement but whose cases were not accepted by solicitors and (b) the reasons for which those cases were not accepted by solicitors. [18733]

  Mr. Hoon
  None. Lawyers decline to accept cases from clients for many reasons whether the client wishes to fund these through conditional fee agreements or otherwise.

  Mr. Garnier
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what research he has undertaken to discover the suitability of conditional fee arrangements in(a) medical negligence, (b) breach of contract, (c) professional negligence, (d) defamation and malicious falsehood and (e) false imprisonment and malicious prosecution cases; and if he will publish it. [18732]

  Mr. Hoon
  None. The suitability of conditional fee arrangements in any given case must be a matter for the client and their lawyers. Our proposals to extend the availability of conditional fee agreements simply widen the options available to lawyers and their clients and thus increase the ways in which people can obtain access, to justice, even when they are unable to bear the costs of lawyers' fees but do not qualify for legal aid.

  Mr. Garnier
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what percentage of the damages awarded to plaintiffs in cases brought under a conditional fee arrangement were paid to(a) solicitors and (b) barristers as success fees in each year since their introduction. [18734]

  Mr. Hoon
  The information the hon. and learned Member seeks is not available. No arrangements were put in place by the hon. and learned Member's party when in Government to monitor this, which is, in fairness, dependent on the private contractual arrangements clients make with their lawyers. The PSI research did, however, show that in 97 per cent. of the agreements under study the solicitors had applied the voluntary cap of 25 per cent. of damages on their success fee.

  Mr. Garnier
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what research he has undertaken into the public's attitude to conditional fee arrangements; and if he will publish it. [18735]
  116
  Mr. Hoon
  Over 28,000 cases in just over two years and new agreements being made at a rate of 1,500 a month appear to me substantial proof that the public have welcomed conditional fees and have made considerable use of them.

  Plaintiff Liability Insurance
  Mr. Garnier
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what assessment he has made of the adequacy of insurance available(a) between 1995 and 1997 inclusive and (b) from 1 April 1998 to cover plaintiffs' liabilities for (i) their own costs and disbursements and (ii) defendants' costs and disbursements. [18736]

  Mr. Hoon
  There are a considerable number of legal expenses insurance products available to protect against one's own costs of going to law. Many people have them added to their household or motor car insurance policies at very modest cost. I have no reason to believe these are likely to reduce from 1 April 1998. There clearly has been sufficient availability of insurance to allow over 28,000 claims to be brought in a little over two years. New products are still being launched. I see no reason why other insurance products should not become available on or after 1 April 1998.

  Low Pay
  Mr. Chidgey
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list, by regions defined by the boundaries of the regional government offices, the lowest hourly rate paid by his Department to(a) full-time employees, (b) part-time employees,(c) persons employed under personal contract and(d) persons employed by firms undertaking contracted—out services for central government offices, defining the job title in each case. [18226]

  Mr. Hoon
  This answer covers the Headquarters of the Lord Chancellor's Department (with Associated Offices), the Court Service, Public Trust Office, Land Registry, Public Record Officer and Northern Ireland Court Service. Minimum salaries currently payable to full-time staff, expressed as minimum hourly rates, are shown in the tables below. Part-time salaries are pro rata those of full-time staff. Staff are categorised by current grade. Information as to location is not held in the form requested, but separate details are given—where applicable—for staff in London and elsewhere.

  Details of the range of pay of staff employed by firms undertaking contracted out services are not held and could be provided only if contractors were prepared to waive commercial confidentiality considerations.

  LCD HQ (with Associated Offices)

  £4.51 (London)

  £3.44 (elsewhere)

  The above rates relate to staff in the grade of Administrative Assistant. They also represent the minimum payable to individuals employed on personal contracts (casual Administrative Assistants).
  117
  Court Service

  £4.45 (Inner London)

  £4.08 (Intermediate London zone)

  £3.96 (Outer London)

  £3.30 (elsewhere)

  The above rates relate to staff in the grade of Administrative Assistant and also represent the minimum payable to individuals on personal contracts (casual Administrative Assistants). The rates do not include a negotiated uplift due to take effect for permanent staff in April 1998.

  Public Trust Office

  £4.53 (Administrative Assistant)

  Staff on personal contract: as above (casual Administrative Assistant)

  All staff are in London

  Land Registry

  £5.06 (London) / £3.50 (elsewhere) } Registration Assistant 2

  Staff on personal contract: none outside Senior Civil Service.

  Public Record Office

  £4.27 (Junior Print Operator)

  Staff on personal contract: none

  All staff are employed in offices in the Greater London area.

  Northern Ireland Court Service

  £4.10 (Typist)

  Staff on personal contract: none outside Senior Civil Service.

WALES

  Cardiff Bay Development Corporation
  Mr. Rhodri Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the Chairman of Cardiff Bay Development Corporation about progress relative to the contract on the Barrage lock gate contract awarded to Messrs Noell of Würzburg, Germany. [18212]

  Mr. Ron Davies
  None. Responsibility for monitoring progress on the Barrage lock gate contract is an operational matter for the Corporation. It would not be appropriate for the Department or the Corporation to get involved or indeed to comment on sub-contractual arrangements.

  Local Government Finance
  Mr. Caton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proposals he has for local government revenue spending and grant support in 1998–99; and if he will make a statement. [19122]

  Mr. Ron Davies
  Following consultation with representatives of local government in Wales, I propose that the provision for local authority revenue expenditure (total standard spending) in 1998–99 should be £3,090.5 million. This represents an increase of £120 million, or 4 per cent. on the comparable level of funding for 1997–98. The provision includes £190.2 million for care in the community, the additional £50.3 million revenue spending for schools I announced 118
  on 2 July, and extra provision to help local authorities achieve the Government's policy objectives for nursery education.

  For local authorities, I intend to set provisional capping principles which will allow, on average, for a basic increase of 3 per cent. on 1997–98 budgets, an average of 4.6 per cent. when a number of capping disregards and the passporting of standard spending assessment increases in full are taken into account. The provisional capping principles allow local authorities further headroom for expenditure in addition to that provided by total standard spending.

  I propose to set central government support for total standard spending through aggregate external finance at £2,702 million. Within this support, I propose to make available £1,831.1 million in revenue support grant/council tax reduction grant (includes an extra £6 million to help limit council tax increases); £612 million in distributable non-domestic rates; and £258.9 million in specific grants.

  If local authorities spend in line with the proposed capping principles, council tax bills for band D properties should, on average, increase by about £1.20 a week. However, if councils use only a small part of planned efficiency savings to keep council tax bills down, or draw from reserves, I believe that average increases in council tax bills next year for band D properties should not exceed about £50 a year or £1 a week. The council tax reduction scheme is designed to limit the maximum increase in any authority for spending at the capped level to under £1 a week for band A properties to around £2.50 a week for band H properties.

  Looking further ahead, the Welsh Local Government Association has sought stability for the next two or three years and asked for a fundamental review of the system for distributing grant in readiness for the National Assembly for Wales. I have agreed to both these requests and plan to commission jointly with the Association an independent assessment of the current arrangements for calculating standard spending assessments. I hope that an interim report will be available next summer.

  Further information on the proposed settlement, including details for individual authorities, will be announced next week.

  I am making a separate announcement today giving details of the settlement for police authorities.

  My Department has written today to the Welsh Local Government Association and all local authorities in Wales to initiate a consultation on my proposals for next year's settlement. Copies of the consultation letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

  Police Expenditure
  Mr. Caton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proposals he has for police authority revenue spending in 1998–99. [19123]

  Mr. Ron Davies
  I propose to make £353 million available from total standard spending in Wales to fund police services in 1998–99. This sum comprises £179.6 million in cash-limited police grant, to be paid by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary, and
  119
  £173.4 million in standard spending assessments (SSA). It represents an overall increase of £12.4 million, or 3.6 per cent. on 1997–98.

  The sums for each police authority are set out in the following table:

  £ million

  Police grant

  SSA

  Total

  Dyfed-Powys

  26.0

  25.1

  51.1

  Gwent

  34.3

  33.0

  67.3

  North Wales

  37.4

  35.8

  73.2

  South Wales

  81.8

  79.5

  161.3

  My Department is today writing to each police authority in Wales consulting them on their provisional standard spending assessment for 1998–99. The figures may alter slightly if the balance of funding between English and Welsh police authorities, which is determined by a joint formula, changes as a result of consultation.

  My provisional capping principles for police authorities allow for an increase in spending power of 3.7 per cent. I will make my final decisions on capping principles in the light of budgets set by police authorities.

  Copies of the consultation letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

  Non-domestic Rates
  Mr. Caton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proposals he has for the Welsh non-domestic rate poundage for the next financial year. [19124]

  Mr. Ron Davies
  I propose that the national non-domestic rate poundage for Wales should rise to 42.9 pence to reflect the annual increase in the retail prices index to September 1997.

  Low Pay
  Mr. Chidgey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list, the lowest hourly rate paid by his Department to(a) full-time employees, (b) part-time employees, (c) persons employed under personal contract and (d) persons employed by firms undertaking contracted-out services for central government offices, defining the job title in each case. [18108]

  Mr. Ron Davies
  (a) Full-time casual administrative assistants earn the hourly equivalent of £3.30 per hour.

  (b) Part-time casual administrative assistants earn the hourly equivalent of £3.75 per hour.

  (c) There are no staff employed on personal contracts in the Welsh Office.

  (d) Information of this nature is commercial in confidence.

  Brecon Beacons National Park
  Mr. Rhodri Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received in relation to the future management of the Brecon Beacons National Park. [18836]
  120
  Mr. Ron Davies
  I have received representations from a number of members of the Park Authority. On 20 November, the Under-Secretary, my hon. Friend the Member for Bridgend (Mr. Griffiths) requested a report from the Chairman.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  India (Entry Clearance)
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many entry clearance officers there are in(a) Bombay and (b) New Delhi. [18308]

  Mr. Fatchett
  Bombay currently has 10 Entry Clearance officers (ECOs) and 2 Entry Clearance Managers (ECMs). New Delhi has 12 ECOs, 2 ECMs and a full time Head of Immigration (who is also the Consul).

  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the application for admission of Mr. Sayed Muhamed Azim Nazis in Bombay (reference E/97/3255). [18311]

  Mr. Fatchett
  We have asked our High Commission in Bombay to provide a detailed account of the position. My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs will write to the hon. Member within one week of receiving that account.

  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the average length of time taken in(a) Bombay and (b) New Delhi to dispatch an explanatory statement followed a refusal of entry clearance in 1997. [18309]

  Mr. Fatchett
  In 1997 the average time taken to despatch an explanatory statement following a refusal of entry clearance in Bombay and New Delhi are two months in both cases.

  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many representations he has received from(a) hon. Members and (b) others concerning the operation of the entry clearance office in (i) Bombay and (ii) New Delhi. [18307]

  Mr. Fatchett
  Our correspondence statistics are not broken down in such a way as to be able to give precise figures of representations on the operation of the entry clearance offices in Bombay and New Delhi.

  South Africa (Murders)
  Mr. Loughton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British citizens were murdered in South Africa in the last 12 months; and what measures he plans to take to promote the protection of British nationals resident in or visiting South Africa. [18216]

  Mr. Fatchett
  Eight British citizens have been reported to British missions in South Africa as murdered in the last 12 months. There are approximately 1.2 million Britons living in South Africa; and some 200,000 Britons visit each year. This Department has a duty to protect their interests and to provide them with relevant information about threats to their personal safety. In South Africa this is undertaken by consular staff at the six British missions
  121
  there and by the provision of Travel Advice. Since February 1997 Travel Advice on South Africa has been warning potential visitors about the high level of violent crime there. It also advises against visiting isolated areas throughout South Africa and names specific locations in the major cities where care should be taken.

  World Summit for Children
  Mr. Livingstone
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the World Summit for Children project; and if he will make a statement. [18482]

  Mr. Fatchett
  The 1990 Summit focused international attention on the plight of millions of children who are victims of poverty, neglect, cruelty and exploitation. Implementation of the Summit Plan of Action requires a universal effort by governments, the United Nations, other international and regional organisations and all sectors of civil society. We support the follow up work of the United Nations, including to promote implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

  Mr. Livingstone
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement concerning the action Her Majesty's Government has taken to implement Clause 22 of the Declaration of the United Nations World Summit for Children 1990. [18481]

  Mr. Fatchett
  We fully support implementation of paragraph 22 of the Plan of Action for Implementing the World Summit Declaration. The United Kingdom makes a major contribution to promoting the rights of children in especially difficult circumstances. This includes support for UN organisations such as the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

  EU Delegations
  Sir Richard Body
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 24 July 1997,Official Report, column 704–05, what were the total costs of European Commission delegations to third countries for 1996. [18500]

  Mr. Doug Henderson
  In 1996, the total expenditure of Commission Delegations in third countries was 194,558,200 ecu (£132.8 million—November 1997 exchange rate).

  Republic of Slovakia
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on human rights in the Republic of Slovakia. [18576]

  Mr. Doug Henderson
  Slovakia is party to the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights and has ratified the Framework Convention on National Minorities. We expect Slovakia to abide by its commitments under these instruments. We are also encouraging the Slovak Government to address the shortcomings in democratic standards identified in the Commission's Opinion on Slovakia's application for EU membership.

  Nuclear Materials (Transport)
  Mr. Chaytor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the proliferation risks posed by the use of mixed oxide fuel by European Union countries and its transport from European Union suppliers to Japan. [18491]

  Mr. Fatchett
  The proliferation risks posed by the use of Mixed Oxide Fuel (MOX) by European Union countries and its transport from EU suppliers to Japan are assessed as being extremely low. Indeed, the use of MOX fuel reduces proliferation risks by gradually reducing plutonium stockpiles.

  Albania
  Mr. Keetch
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list each planned visit(a) by British Ministers to Albania and (b) by Albanian Ministers to the United Kingdom. [18475]

  Mr. Fatchett
  There will be an opportunity for substantial discussion at Ministerial level when the Albanian Prime Minister, Fatos Nano, visits Britain from 14 to 17 December. We intend to continue regular Ministerial contacts but no dates have been fixed either for visits by British Ministers to Albania or further visits by Albanian Ministers to the UK.

  Immigration
  Mr. Rooney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when a decision will be made on the visa application by Abdul Rehman, Islamabad High Commission ref. IMM/E2002. [18832]

  Mr. Fatchett
  We have asked our High Commission in Islamabad to provide a detailed account of the position. My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs will write to the hon. Member within one week of receiving that account.

  EU Agreements
  Mr. Howard
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the precedents for bilateral agreements between an EU member state and the EU Presidency being concluded after the hearings at a summit. [18671]

  Mr. Doug Henderson
  At negotiations such as the IGC, it is not unusual for the Presidency to reach tentative understandings with a Member State on how to handle a point of key concern to them. But such understandings would normally be considered subsequently by the full meeting.

  Mr. Howard
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his oral statement on 25 November 1997,Official Report, column 754, when he was first informed of the bilateral agreement between Spain and the Dutch Presidency. [18669]

  Mr. Doug Henderson
  We first learned of the change to the text when we received a revised Treaty text after the Amsterdam summit on 19 June.

  Mr. Howard
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his oral statement
  123
  of 25 November 1997, Official Report, column 754, when the bilateral agreement between Spain and the Dutch Presidency of the EU was concluded. [18668]

  Mr. Doug Henderson
  We believe that the text reflected discussions in the margins of the Amsterdam European Council on 16–17 June.

  Mr. Howard
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if another EU member state can block the UK acceding to the Schengen Acquis. [18672]

  Mr. Doug Henderson
  Unanimity is required where the UK and Ireland apply to take part in a measure within the existing Schengen Acquis. The Declaration on Article 4 of the Protocol, integrating the Schengen Acquis, makes provision for the Council to seek the opinion of the Commission before it decides on a request from the UK or Ireland to take part in some or all of the provisions of the Schengen Acquis. Other Member States also undertake to make their best efforts to allow the UK or Ireland to participate. The UK cannot be blocked from opting into proposals and initiatives which build upon the Schengen Acquis.

  Mr. Howard
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his oral statement of 25 November 1997,Official Report, column 754, what representations he made to the Presidency of the European Union about the bilateral agreement between Spain and the Dutch Presidency; and when. [18670]

  Mr. Doug Henderson
  The UK made a number of representations on this matter at Ministerial and official level.

  Council of Europe
  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he proposes to take in response to Recommendation 1335 (1997) of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. [18366]

  Mr. Foulkes
  I have been asked to reply.

  We are closely monitoring the situation of displaced persons in the Transcaucasus. United Kingdom assistance has concentrated on promoting livelihood security through strengthened co-ordination of humanitarian aid, improved targeting of vulnerable groups and stronger dissemination of international humanitarian law. The Department for International Development has also funded quick impact income generation projects as well as relief items. The total value of UK humanitarian aid since the beginning of 1996 has exceeded £4.3 million.

  A UK assessment mission to the Transcaucasian countries is due within the next couple of months and Recommendation 1335 of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will be taken into consideration when drawing up our strategy.

  European Voluntary Service For Young People
  Mr. Gill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with national youth organisations in the United Kingdom over the European Voluntary Service for Young People as set out in Corn (97) 347; what his Department's policy is in respect of Article 1(2) as modified by the European 124
  Parliament; to what extent personal security will be taken into account as concerns article 2(1a); what is entailed in the reference to analysis and dissemination of data in article 5.3(2); and if he will make a statement. [18094]

  Dr. Howells
  I have been asked to reply.

  I attended the European Council of Youth Ministers in Luxembourg on 28 October, at which a common position was reached on the Commission's draft proposal for a European Voluntary Service for Young People, subject to a UK Parliamentary Scrutiny Reserve. I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Hemsworth (Mr. Trickett) on 19 November, Official Report, column 186.

  The Commission's proposal states specifically that the activities undertaken by young people under this programme will no way replace potential or existing paid jobs; the other points of detail raised will be addressed with other Member States when the precise arrangements for the Programme are being discussed over the next few months.

  The Government are committed to seeing this programme under way as early as possible. The Government agree with Article 1(2) of the draft proposal.

  Officers of the Department have had general discussions with the British Youth Council about this programme, and we will draw on our experience of the pilot phase in determining the exact arrangements for the new EVS Programme.

  Arms Export Licences (Indonesia)
  Mr. Letwin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arms have been licensed for export to Indonesia since 1 May; which arms have been denied such a licence; and on what grounds. [16076]

  Mrs. Beckett
  I have been asked to reply.

  The Export Control Organisation's computer databases have been interrogated and the following results obtained.

  Between 2 May and 13 November, decisions were taken on 27 applications for standard or open individual licences to export to Indonesia goods controlled under entries in Part III of Schedule I to the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1994 (the so-called "Military List"). The entry in the relevant legislation under which the export of goods is controlled is known as their rating.

  Decisions on applications for standard individual export licences during the period

  Rating

  Number of licences granted covering goods with this rating

  Number of applications refused covering goods with this rating

  ML1

  0

  2

  ML4

  2

  0

  ML5

  1

  0

  ML6

  0

  1

  ML7

  1

  0

  ML10

  5

  0

  ML11

  11

  0

  ML13

  1

  0

  ML14

  1

  1

  Total

  22

  4

  125

  Decisions on applications for open individual export licences (OIELs) during the period

  Rating

  Number of licences granted covering goods with this rating

  Number of applications refused covering goods with this rating

  ML13

  11

  0

  1 This OIEL was issued for the export to any destination, including Indonesia, of certain goods for use by specified persons working in the media.

  However, this information should be considered in light of the answer given on 30 October 1997, Official Report, columns 256–58, by my hon. Friend the Minister for Small Firms, Trade and Industry to my
  126
  hon. Friend the Member for Don Valley (Caroline Flint).

  In addition to the above, goods on the Military List may have been exported to Indonesia during the period concerned under the following Open General Export Licences (OGELs): OGEL (technology for military goods), OGEL (military surplus vehicles), OGEL (export after repair: military goods) and OGEL (export after exhibition: military goods). I am arranging for copies of all current OGELs to be placed in the Library of the House.

  The decision to refuse the applications listed above were made after careful consideration of each case against the criteria announced to the House by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary on 28 July 1997, Official Report, columns 26–29.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Tax Advice
  Mr. Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the policy of her Department on the purchase of tax avoidance advice; and if she will make a statement. [13272]

  Mr. Murphy
  [holding answer 5 November 1997]: The policy is that when tax advisers are used it should only be to enable Northern Ireland departments to fulfil their statutory tax obligations rather than for tax avoidance purposes.

  Parades and Marches
  Mr. McGrady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what was the total cost of policing the marches, demonstrations and associated disturbances during July and August; [15046]

  (2) what was the total cost of policing the parades which took place in Northern Ireland from 1 April to 30 September. [15052]

  Mr. Ingram
  Policing marches and demonstrations is part of normal police duties and as such separate costings for these activities are not held centrally.

  Terrorist Offences
  Mr. Trimble
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons have been charged with terrorist offences other than those in connection with paramilitary beatings in 1997. [16032]

  Mr. Ingram
  Between 1 January 1997 and 2 December 1997, a total of 334 persons were charged with terrorist type and Serious Public Order offences within Northern Ireland.

  Glassdrummond Band
  Mr. Trimble
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to her Answer of 7 November,Official Report, column 692, what was the rank of the officer to whom notice was given by the Glassdrummond Band on 2 November. [17031]

  Mr. Ingram
  The rank of the officer to whom notice was initially given by the Glassdrummond Band on 2 November 1997 was Reserve Constable. The Constable consulted with his Sergeant who granted permission.

  Appointments
  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will list(a) those public bodies to which she makes appointments, (b) the number of persons whom she appoints and the total number of the members of each body, (c) the period of each appointment, (d) the remuneration of each appointment and (e) the sums of public money available to each body in the last year for which figures are available. [17321]

  Mr. Murphy
  Information relating to parts(a), (b), (d) and (e) of the question can be found in the Cabinet Office
  128
  publication "Public Bodies 1996". The 1997 version of this document will be available on 16 December 1997. Information in the form requested at (c) is currently being assembled, and will be made available as soon as that exercise has been completed.

  Union Flag
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to her answer of 20 November 1997,Official Report, column 272, who made the decision not to fly the Union flag at the Southern Area Health and Social Services Board, Tower Hill, Armagh, on 9 November; and if she will make a statement. [17820]

  Mr. Worthington
  A letter was sent to all Health and Social Services Boards on 1 May 1997 advising them of the days in 1997 on which the Union Flag should be flown on Central Government Buildings. There is, however no requirement for the Boards to fly the Union flag on these dates. It is at the discretion of each organisation whether the flag should be flown on those buildings occupied by their staff.

  There was no specific decision made to fly or not to fly the Union Flag at the Southern Health and Social Services Board Tower Hill, Armagh on 9 November 1997.

  District Cancer centers
  Rev. Martin Smyth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans are in place to train the skilled staff required for the district cancer centers. [17765]

  Mr. Worthington
  [holding answer 25 November 1997]: The Cancer Working Group (CWG) Report "Cancer Services—Investing for the Future" recommended a minimum target of 13 consultants in non-surgical oncology by the year 2005. Currently there are eight consultant clinical oncologists in post. To move towards the recommended target the number of trainees in Clinical Oncology has been increased from four to five in 1997–98. Also, a new training post in Medical Oncology is planned for next year.

  Prostheses
  Mr. Peter Robinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the shortest period spent on a waiting list for(a) non-fundholder and (b) fundholder patients for the fitting of a prosthesis following the amputation of an arm in the last year for which figures are available. [17896]

  Mr. Worthington
  No one has had to wait longer than the three week timescale for the fitting of a prosthesis during the past 12 months.

  Mr. Peter Robinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many prostheses the Eastern Health and Social Services Board has contracted for in the current financial year; and what funds have been committed to purchase these services. [17903]

  Mr. Worthington
  The information is not available in the form requested. The Eastern Health and Social Services Board's contract with Green Park Healthcare
  129
  Trust is for prosthetic services not the provision of a specified number of prostheses. The value of the contract in the current financial year is £1,005 million.

  Mr. Peter Robinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the longest current waiting time for(a) non-fundholder and (b) fundholder patients for the fitting of a prosthesis following the amputation of (i) an arm and (ii) a leg. [17898]

  Mr. Worthington
  No one is currently waiting outside the three week timescale for the fitting of a prosthesis.

  Mr. Peter Robinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will make a statement on the allocation of resources of the Eastern Health and Social Services Board for the purchase of clinical procedures for(a) the fitting of a prosthesis following the amputation of a leg and (b) breast reconstruction following a mastectomy; and what account was taken of policy appraisal and fair treatment guidelines in determining these allocations. [17895]

  Mr. Worthington
  It is for the Eastern Health and Social Services Board to ensure that sufficient resources are allocated to purchase the level of services necessary to meet the needs of its population. The Board requires that all patients are treated on the basis of clinical priority.

  Mr. Peter Robinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what account the Eastern Health and Social Services Board took of the Government's Policy Appraisal and Fair Treatment Guidelines in deciding on the allocation of resources for the purchase of procedures for the fitting of a prosthesis following the amputation of a leg; and what steps were taken to ensure that women and men were treated equally in the purchase of these services. [17911]

  Mr. Worthington
  When allocating resources for the fitting of prostheses, the Board requires that all patients are treated on the basis of clinical priority.

PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL

  Drugs Tsar
  Mr. Clifton-Brown
  To ask the President of the Council if she will make a statement on the recent appointment of a drugs tsar. [17131]

  Mrs. Ann Taylor
  Keith Hellawell will take up his post early in the New Year. His immediate priorities will be to review existing action against drug misuse across the board and to submit proposals to Ministers for a new strategy as quickly as possible, aimed at tackling drug problems through effective enforcement, treatment and education.

  Mrs. Ballard
  To ask the President of the Council if she will make a statement on the current programme of work being undertaken by her Inter-Departmental Committee on Drugs. [17132]

  Mrs. Ann Taylor
  It is not normal practice to give details of the work of Cabinet Committees, but the Committee will in due course be considering plans for a130
  new anti-drugs strategy, on the advice of the UK Anti-Drugs Co-ordinator.

  Mr. Loughton
  To ask the President of the Council what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the budget proposed for the office of Drugs Tsar in relation to the purposes intended; and if she will make a statement about how that money will be spent. [18218]

  Mrs. Ann Taylor
  The UK Anti-Drugs Co-ordinator and his Deputy are special advisers to the Government. Accordingly they have no direct responsibility over any budget. The issue of resources for the Co-ordinator's work will be examined further as the Government consider plans for the next phase of the anti-drugs strategy.

  Public Appointments
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the President of the Council how many public appointments she has made since 1 May; and how many and what percentage of these(a) received remuneration and (b) are of (i) Afro-Caribbean and (ii) Asian origin. [16784]

  Mrs. Ann Taylor
  My Department is responsible for the formal procedures leading to a large number of appointments by the Crown, the Privy Council and myself, the majority of which are part-time and unpaid. Since 1 May I have made nine appointments to the governing bodies of Higher Education institutions and have been involved in a further six such appointments. All of these appointments are unpaid. Additionally I have been involved in six unpaid appointments to statutory medical and similar bodies. Information about ethnic origin cannot be provided since to do so would risk identifying individuals without their consent. My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has provided information for all departments in an aggregated form.

  Prayers
  Mr. Fabricant
  To ask the President of the Council if she will meet the Speaker's Chaplain to discuss Prayers preceding the day's business. [17133]

  Mrs. Ann Taylor
  While I would be happy to meet the Speaker's Chaplain to discuss the temporal aspects of modernisation of the House, the content of Prayers is a matter for Madam Speaker.

  Sitting Hours
  Mr. Tyler
  To ask the President of the Council what plans she has for reform of the hours which the House sits; and if she will make a statement. [17134]

  Mrs. Ann Taylor
  The hon. Member will be aware of the significant change to sitting hours achieved since the Jopling report was implemented in 1994. The Modernisation Committee is looking again at this matter.

  Special Standing Committees
  Mr. Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the President of the Council what representations she has received concerning increasing the use of Special Standing Committees. [17121]
  131
  Mrs. Ann Taylor
  The use of Special Standing Committees was mentioned in the debate on modernisation on 13 November 1997,Official Report, columns 1061–1129. I have not received any more recent representations.

  Chamber Modernisation
  Mr. Harvey
  To ask the President of the Council what plans she has relating to the redesign of the Chamber. [17126]

  Mrs. Ann Taylor
  None. I told the House on 15 July 1997,Official Report, column 152 that I did not think the House would be willing to change its layout unless there was a broad measure of agreement to do so.

  Passive Smoking
  Mr. Alan Simpson
  To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, if he will make a statement on the responsibilities of the Commission in relation to passive smoking; and what actions are being taken in consequence. [17125]

  Mr. Kirkwood
  The Commission is responsible for the terms and conditions of the staff of the House and their working environment. Currently individual heads of the six House departments seek to agree an acceptable smoking policy, including passive smoking, with staff. The Board of Management is carrying out a review of this policy, at the request of the Commission.

  A policy on smoking in shared areas of the parliamentary estate, such as corridors and lifts, is a matter primarily for the Administration Committee. Smoking policy in restaurants is a matter for the Catering Committee. Smoking in the offices of hon. Members and their staff is a matter for Members themselves.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

  Publicity and Advertising
  Mr. Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what is her estimate of the total expenditure on all forms of publicity and advertising by(a) her Department, (b) its agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies for (i) 1993–94, (ii) 1994–95, (iii) 1995–96, (iv) 1996–97, (v) the 1997–98, year to date, (vi) the 1997–98, full year estimate and (vii) the 1998–99 planned expenditure. [15265]

  Mr. Foulkes
  [holding answer 12 November 1997]: The amount spent on publicity by the Department for International Development (MD) (ODA in previous years) was:

  1993–94: £1.20 million

  1994–95: £1.35 million

  1995–96: £1.27 million

  1996–97: £1.30 million

  1997–98 to date: £0.62 million

  132

  1997–98 full year estimate: £1.30 million

  1998–99 planned expenditure has not yet been agreed

  DFID does not carry out any advertising for publicity purposes. Recruitment advertising in these years amounted to:

  1993–94: £472,263.37

  1994–95: £727,707.66

  1995–96: £625,928.42

  1996–97: £665,276.68

  1997–98 to date: £815,093.77

  1997–98 full year estimate: £1.40 million

  1998–99 planned expenditure has not yet been agreed

  The amount spent on NRI publicity expenditure is as follows:

  1994–95: £56,000

  1995–96: £56,000

  The figures for 1993–94 are not available.

  On 1 May 1996 ownership of NRI was transferred to the University of Greenwich.

  Public Appointments
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many public appointments she has made since 1 May; and how many and what percentage of these(a) receive remuneration and (b) are of (i) Afro-Caribbean and (ii) Asian origin. [16787]

  Mr. Foulkes
  One unremunerated appointment has been made since 1 May.

  The information about ethnic origin cannot be provided since to do so would risk identifying individuals without their consent. My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has provided information for all departments in an aggregated form.

  Overseas Travel
  Mr. Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list each of the overseas trips made by herself and other members of her ministerial team since 2 May, specifying in each case(a) the participating Minister or Ministers, (b) the destination of the trip, (c) the purpose of the trip and (d) the cost of the trip; and if she will make a statement. [15264]

  Mr. Foulkes
  [holding answer 12 November 1997]: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development and I have made a total of 20 trips overseas since 2 May. A breakdown is shown in the attached tables. The precise cost of each trip is not identifiable separately except at disproportionate cost. The total cost of the Secretary of State's trips is £53,845 (this will not include all the costs of the Ottawa visit). The total cost of my overseas visits is £31,802 (this does not include all the costs of my trip to Ukraine).
  133

  Overseas trips made by Clare Short, Secretary of State for International Development since 2 May 1997

  Date

  Country

  Purpose

  4–5 June

  Luxembourg

  EU Development Council

  8–10 June

  Switzerland

  Humanitarian Forum

  22–24 June

  USA (New York)

  UN General Assembly Special Session

  1 July

  France

  Bilateral discussions with French Government; Ceremony to mark UK rejoining UNESCO

  15–19 September

  Bangladesh

  Review DFID Programmes

  19–23 September

  Hong Kong

  Attend IMP/IBRD Annual Meetings

  23–25 September

  Japan

  Bilateral discussions with Japanese Government

  6–10 October

  Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda

  Review DFID Programmes

  21 October

  Brussels

  Bilateral discussions with Belgian Government

  22 October

  Paris

  Attend UNESCO Conference

  27–29 October

  Sweden and Norway

  Attend Seminar on International Solidarity and Globalisation (Stockholm) and International Conference on Child Labour (Oslo).

  9–10 November

  Brussels

  Attend General Affairs Committee

  19–20 November

  Strasbourg

  Attend European Parliament

  27–28 November

  Brussels

  Attend Development Council

  2 December

  Ottawa

  To sign the Convention on Anti-Personnel Landmines

  Overseas trips made by George Foulkes, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development since 2 May 1997

  Date

  Country

  Purpose

  20 to 22 May

  Canada

  Caribbean Development Bank Annual Meeting

  4 to 5 June

  Luxembourg

  EU Development Council

  26 to 31 July

  Botswana and South Africa

  Commonwealth Education Ministers Conference; visits to UK-funded development projects and bilaterals with Botswana and South African Government Ministers

  31 August to 2 September

  Montserrat and Antigua

  Official talks with Governments of Montserrat and Antigua

  6 to 7 October

  Italy

  UN Conference on Convention to Combat Desertification, Rome

  12 to 13 October

  Switzerland

  UNHCR Executive Committee, Geneva

  23 to 26 November

  Ukraine

  Visit to Know-How Fund Project and bilaterals with Ministers

  Former Soviet Union (Aid)
  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the level of(a) UK bi-lateral aid and (b) multi-lateral aid funded in part by Her Majesty's Government in each of the last two years to (i) Armenia, (ii) Azerbaijan and (iii) Georgia. [18361]

  Mr. Foulkes
  The levels of bilateral and estimated multilateral aid to Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia during the last two years are as set out below:

  (a) Total bilateral aid

  £thousand

  1995–96

  1996–97

  Armenia

  546

  1,122

  Azerbaijan

  1,651

  1,093

  Georgia

  1,517

  1,851

  (b) UK share of net Multilateral disbursements.

  Net Official Development Assistance (oda) is an internationally comparable aid statistics and it is available only by calendar year. Multilateral figures are estimates of the UK share through multilateral agencies.

  Latest available information is for 1995.

  £ million

  Armenia

  6.1

  Azerbaijan

  4.6

  Georgia

  6.2

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

  Museums (Lottery Grants)
  Mr. Denis Murphy
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list(a) the number of grant applications received for museums, (b) the number of museums which have been awarded Lottery grants,(c) the amount each successful museum has received and (d) the ratio of successful/unsuccessful applications regions by region since the commencement of the National Lottery. [17155]

  Mr. Banks
  As at 21 November the National Lottery distributing bodies have announced awards worth almost £311 million to 225 museum projects throughout the UK. The following table 1 provides a breakdown, by distributing body, of applications and awards to museums. Table 2 shows the regional success rate to applications from museums. I have arranged for a full list of awards to museums to be placed in the Libraries of the House.

  Information on Lottery awards is now available on the Department's website www.lottery.gov.uk.

  Table 1

  Distributing body

  A Number of applications for museums

  B Number of museums awarded Lottery grants

  Arts: England

  65

  24

  Arts: Scotland

  12

  12

  Arts: Northern Ireland

  1

  1

  Arts: Wales

  8

  5

  135

  Table 1

  Distributing body

  A Number of applications for museums

  B Number of museums awarded Lottery grants

  Sports: England

  —

  —

  Sports: Scotland

  —

  —

  Sports: Northern Ireland

  —

  —

  Sports: Wales

  —

  —

  Heritage Lottery Fund

  770

  180

  Charities Board

  —

  —

  Millennium Commission

  1—

  3

  Total

  856

  225

  1 The Millennium Commission does not keep information on unsuccessful applications by project type.

  Table 2

  Per cent.

  Region

  Arts Success rate

  Heritage Success rate

  London

  44.44

  59.52

  North West

  50.00

  68.00

  North East

  —

  58.33

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  57.14

  57.58

  Eastern

  28.57

  50.00

  East Midlands

  100.00

  25.00

  West Midlands

  66.67

  33.33

  South West

  75.00

  61.90

  South East

  0.00

  48.00

  Merseyside

  —

  33.33

  England total

  53.19

  53.26

  Scotland

  100.00

  53.19

  Wales

  62.50

  75.00

  Northern Ireland

  100.00

  70.00

  Green Belt (Carrington Moss)
  Mr. Brady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what discussions he has had with directors of Manchester United regarding its application to build on green belt land at Carrington Moss; [17328]

  (2) what representations he has received regarding Manchester United's application for planning permission to build on green belt land at Carrington Moss; [17326]

  (3) if he will list those organisations and individuals who have made representations to him (a) in favour and (b) against Manchester United's planning application to build on green belt land at Carrington Moss. [17327]

  Mr. Banks
  [holding answer 24 November 1997]: My Department has received no representations about Manchester United's planning application, and I have had no discussions with the Directors of the club on this subject. The planning application itself is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions to consider.

  Cricket
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proposals he has to establish a network of centers of excellence for cricket. [17937]
  136
  Mr. Banks
  We announced our proposals for the United Kingdom Sports Institute on 14 November. The headquarters will be part of a network of facilities throughout the United Kingdom. Many sports, including cricket, have indicated their desire to establish their own sports specific academies, as part of the Institute network. We are keen to see good proposals come forward for Lottery funding.

  Tourism
  Mr. Fearn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what data he has collated on the percentage of total employment accounted for by the tourism industry. [18170]

  Mr. Tom Clarke
  The latest available figures show that tourism accounts for approximately 7 per cent. of total employment in Great Britain.

  Mr. Fearn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what his Department is doing to encourage the provision of training for employees in the tourist industry. [18166]

  Mr. Tom Clarke
  My Department is already working with the industry, and the Department for Education and Employment, to encourage employee training in the tourism, hospitality and leisure industries. Training is essential if these sectors are to have a world class work force of skilled individuals who can provide excellent service to meet consumer expectations. A working group of the Tourism Forum will be developing further ideas to promote training in the industry.

  Mr. Fearn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what data he has collected on Britain's international ranking in terms of international tourism earnings. [18169]

  Mr. Tom Clarke
  World Tourism Organisation figures show the United Kingdom as fifth in the world in terms of tourism earnings in 1996.

  Tobacco Advertising
  Mr. Bob Russell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if darts will be treated as a recognised sport for the purposes of the tobacco advertising ban. [18153]

  Mr. Banks
  The proposed EU Directive would ban all advertising through sponsorship, including darts events. It also proposes a phase-out period to allow alternative sponsors to be found. The Government will actively support efforts to secure alternative sponsors.

  Visitors (London)
  Mr. Fearn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what data he has collated on the number of United Kingdom visitors to London in the most recent available year. [18165]

  Mr. Tom Clarke
  The UK Tourism Survey indicated that in 1996, there were 12.2 million visits to London by UK residents who stayed at least one night.

  Low Pay
  Mr. Chidgey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list, by regions defined by the
  137
  boundaries of the regional government offices, the lowest hourly rate paid by her Department to (a) full-time employees, (b) part-time employees, (c) persons employed under personal contract and (d) persons employed by firms undertaking contracted-out services for central. [18112]

  Mr. Tom Clarke
  The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has no offices outside central London.

  The lowest hourly rate paid to full-time or part-time staff is £4.78p. This is paid to staff in grade D (Lower) (equivalent Administrative Assistant) who are mainly employed on administrative support activities.

  The only persons employed under personal contracts in this Department are senior staff, the lowest hourly rate being £18.69.

  The rates of pay of staff employed by firms undertaking contracted out services for the Department is a matter for the companies concerned.

EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT

  Higher Education Funding
  Mr. Coaker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps he(a) has taken and (b) proposes to take to inform prospective students of the changes in student and higher education financing. [17589]

  Dr. Howells
  We have sent leaflets on the new student support arrangements to all schools with sixth forms, sixth form colleges, further and higher education institutions, careers services and student unions. We are running a free telephone helpline to handle enquiries about the arrangements and to respond to requests for further copies of the leaflets. To date, over half a million leaflets have been requested. For mature students, parents and others who might not be aware of our leaflets, we are running national adverts in the press and on the radio to publicise the free phone number. Also, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has written to sixth formers and college students to encourage them to consider higher education in the future and to clear up any misunderstanding that they may have about what we are proposing. In the new year, we shall be issuing the annual student grants and loans booklet, which, amongst other things, will set out the grant and loan rates for 1998–99 and will give more details about the financial contribution expected from parents at differing levels of income.

  Home-School Contracts
  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many responses were received to the home-school contracts proposals in the White Paper "Excellence in Schools" and the consultation letter dated 8 August; how many(a) teacher organisations and (b) organisations representing the views of parents supported the introduction of home-school contracts; and if he will make a statement. [17763]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  [holding answer 25 November 1997]: Some 650 of the 3,500 respondents to the White Paper commented on our proposals for home-school
  138
  agreements; 73 organisations commented on the details given in the Department's letter of 8 August. Taking the responses as a whole, four out of the six teacher associations supported the proposal that all schools should have written home school agreements. Of the six parent organisations who commented, three were opposed to home-school agreements and three expressed support for the principle but did not feel they should be made a requirement. 148 of the parents who returned the tear-off section in the White Paper summary leaflet indicated their support for home-school agreements.

  Cerebral Palsy
  Mr. Loughton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what special educational and welfare assistance is available to children suffering from cerebral palsy. [18147]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  It is the responsibility of local education authorities, schools and other local agencies (including health authorities and social services departments) to determine the support needed for individual children, in accordance with the guidance in the Code of Practice on the identification and assessment of special educational needs. The Green Paper on Special Educational Needs, "Excellence for all children", published in October, seeks views on ways in which the present arrangements might be improved for children with all types of special educational needs.

  Cycling
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list those local education authorities which have ceased to provide cycling proficiency courses. [18175]

  Mr. Byers
  [holding answer 28 November 1997]: The information requested is not collected centrally.

  Low Pay
  Mr. Chidgey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list, by regions defined by the boundaries of the regional government offices, the lowest hourly rate paid by his Department to(a) full-time employees, (b) part-time employees, (c) persons employed under personal contract and (d) persons employed by firms undertaking contracted-out services for central government offices, listing the job title in each case. [18116]

  Dr. Howells
  In London, the lowest rate paid by the Department is £4.91 an hour; £3.59 per hour is the lowest hourly rate paid by the Department in all other regions.

  These rates apply to all staff directly employed by the Department. Staff at this level do a variety of jobs including filing, photocopying and processing correspondence.

  Rates of pay for people employed by firms undertaking contracted out services are a matter for the companies concerned.

  Waiver Clauses
  Dr. Gibson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make it his policy
  139
  that fixed-term contract research staff (a) employed and (b) funded by his Department will not be required to sign waiver clauses in their employment contract. [18629]

  Dr. Howells
  There are no research staff currently employed on fixed term contracts by my Department. However, for fixed term contracts of one year or more, the standard DfEE terms includes a waiver to exclude claims for unfair dismissal on expiry of the contract. The Department has no plans to remove this waiver.

  The terms and conditions of staff employed by organisations funded by the Department are the responsibility of the individual employer.

  Class Sizes
  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what Percentage and how many primary school pupils were in classes of over (i) 30, (ii) 36 and (iii) 40 in January in each local education authority and in total; and what was the actual and Percentage change in numbers compared with January 1996 in each local authority and in total. [18807]

  Mr. Byers
  The available information is shown in the following table.

  Numbers and Percentages of pupils in classes by size taught by one teacher in maintained primary schools in each local education authority area in England: 1996 and 1997

  Position in January each year

  1996

  31 or more

  36 or more

  41 or more

  Pupils

  Per cent.(1)

  Pupils

  Per cent.(1)

  Pupils

  Per cent.(1)

  City of London

  0

  0.0

  0

  0.0

  0

  0.0

  Camden

  447

  5.2

  37

  0.4

  0

  0.0

  Greenwich

  1,412

  8.0

  0

  0.0

  0

  0.0

  Hackney

  664

  4.9

  0

  0.0

  0

  0.0

  Hammersmith

  1.036

  13.2

  0

  0.0

  0

  0.0

  Islington

  982

  7.4

  0

  0.0

  0

  0.0

  Kensington and Chelsea

  187

  3.8

  0

  0.0

  0

  0.0

  Lambeth

  857

  5.5

  0

  0.0

  0

  0.0

  Lewisham

  917

  5.2

  0

  0.0

  0

  0.0

  Southwark

  2,051

  10.7

  72

  0.4

  0

  0.0

  Tower Hamlets

  859

  5.8

  37

  0.2

  0

  0.0

  Wandsworth

  2,383

  16.5

  404

  2.8

  62

  0.4

  Westminster

  544

  7.9

  36

  0.5

  0

  0.0

  Barking

  1,603

  10.6

  272

  1.8

  0

  0.0

  Barnet

  1,848

  8.8

  200

  1.0

  48

  0.2

  Bexley

  8,821

  42.7

  148

  0.7

  0

  0.0

  Brent

  2,259

  12.0

  206

  1.1

  95

  0.5

  Bromley

  11,850

  50.6

  186

  0.8

  0

  0.0

  Croydon

  6,341

  24.4

  258

  1.0

  0

  0.0

  Ealing

  5,508

  24.5

  262

  1.2

  44

  0.2

  Enfield

  8,840

  41.0

  36

  0.2

  0

  0.0

  Haringey

  948

  5.7

  0

  0.0

  0

  0.0

  Harrow

  3,833

  24.3

  36

  0.2

  0

  0.0

  Havering

  5,678

  28.7

  235

  1.2

  50

  0.3

  Hillingdon

  4,820

  25.8

  459

  2.5

  41

  0.2

  Hounslow

  5,674

  34.4

  678

  4.1

  41

  0.2

  Kingston upon Thames

  7,095

  70.1

  485

  4.8

  47

  0.5

  Merton

  3,955

  30.9

  395

  3.1

  51

  0.4

  Newham

  2,381

  9.8

  204

  0.8

  52

  0.2

  Redbridge

  9,060

  52.7

  542

  3.2

  0

  0.0

  Richmond upon Thames

  2,309

  22.3

  0

  0.0

  0

  0.0

  Sutton

  4,235

  32.8

  367

  2.8

  0

  0.0

  Waltham Forest

  3,282

  18.4

  0

  0.0

  0

  0.0

  Birmingham

  25,642

  26.3

  1,601

  1.6

  157

  0.2

  Coventry

  7,638

  28.3

  530

  2.0

  0

  0.0

  Dudley

  6,618

  26.9

  1,229

  5.0

  775

  3.2

  Sandwell

  11,812

  41.5

  1,543

  5.4

  83

  0.3

  Solihull

  8,403

  44.0

  915

  4.8

  0

  0.0

  140

  Numbers and Percentages of pupils in classes by size taught by one teacher in maintained primary schools in each local education authority area in England: 1996 and 1997

  Position in January each year

  1996

  31 or more

  36 or more

  41 or more

  Pupils

  Per cent.(1)

  Pupils

  Per cent.(1)

  Pupils

  Per cent.(1)

  Walsall

  7,241

  31.1

  890

  3.8

  45

  0.2

  Wolverhampton

  6,762

  30.9

  1,078

  4.9

  233

  1.1

  Knowsley

  5,254

  29.2

  655

  3.6

  52

  0.3

  Liverpool

  12,051

  26.0

  590

  1.3

  0

  0.0

  St. Helens

  5,563

  37.7

  1,203

  8.1

  83

  0.6

  Sefton

  10,670

  42.5

  993

  4.0

  0

  0.0

  Wirral

  6,987

  23.7

  482

  1.6

  0

  0.0

  Bolton

  11,719

  49.7

  2,795

  11.8

  535

  2.3

  Bury

  6,968

  43.4

  843

  5.3

  0

  0.0

  Manchester

  9,687

  22.8

  1,719

  4.0

  582

  1.4

  Oldham

  9,434

  43.5

  994

  4.6

  178

  0.8

  Rochdale

  8,316

  43.0

  629

  3.3

  41

  0.2

  Salford

  6,997

  30.6

  1,247

  5.5

  314

  1.4

  Stockport

  8,247

  32.8

  1,202

  4.8

  117

  0.5

  Tameside

  11,508

  53.0

  956

  4.4

  0

  0.0

  Trafford

  9,389

  48.9

  1,103

  5.7

  0

  0.0

  Wigan

  11,087

  42.5

  2,385

  9.2

  127

  0.5

  Barnsley

  8,677

  42.3

  751

  3.7

  152

  0.7

  Doncaster

  9,609

  35.1

  1,739

  6.4

  0

  0.0

  Rotherham

  5,732

  24.6

  422

  1.8

  0

  0.0

  Sheffield

  11,181

  28.0

  1,497

  3.7

  229

  0.6

  Bradford

  11,449

  34.3

  1,597

  4.8

  43

  0.1

  Calderdale

  6,331

  34.3

  341

  1.8

  45

  0.2

  Kirklees

  14,395

  44.3

  1,993

  6.1

  139

  0.4

  Leeds

  21,455

  33.3

  3,110

  5.1

  244

  0.4

  Wakefield

  10,673

  37.7

  1,602

  5.7

  52

  0.2

  Gateshead

  2,443

  14.4

  116

  0.7

  0

  0.0

  Newcastle upon

  Tyne

  6,792

  33.1

  1,055

  5.1

  49

  0.2

  North Tyneside

  4,897

  31.7

  575

  3.7

  50

  0.3

  South Tyneside

  4,067

  27.6

  736

  5.0

  99

  0.7

  Sunderland

  4,148

  15.1

  185

  0.7

  0

  0.0

  Isles of Scilly

  0

  0.0

  0

  0.0

  0

  0.0

  Avon

  26,647

  34.4

  1,587

  2.0

  44

  0.1

  Bath and NE Somerset3

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  City of Bristol3

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  North Somerset3

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  South Gloucestershire3

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Bedfordshire

  11,867

  30.4

  2,598

  6.7

  482

  1.2

  Berkshire

  18,309

  30.5

  1,414

  2.4

  46

  0.1

  Buckinghamshire

  22,753

  37.6

  3,772

  6.2

  372

  0.6

  Cambridgeshire

  18,065

  31.8

  1,026

  1.8

  0

  0.0

  Cheshire

  32,225

  37.3

  4,051

  4.7

  142

  0.2

  Cleveland

  13,869

  23.6

  2,630

  4.5

  0

  0.0

  Hartlepool3

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Middlesborough3

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Redcar and Cleveland3

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Stockton on Tees3

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Cornwall

  14,936

  37.5

  1,325

  3.3

  41

  0.1

  Cumbria

  11,382

  28.2

  1,332

  3.3

  111

  0.3

  Derbyshire

  41,217

  52.0

  10,344

  13.0

  722

  0.9

  Devon

  28,078

  34.8

  3,032

  3.8

  128

  0.2

  Dorset

  19,654

  44.5

  1,360

  3.1

  86

  0.2

  Durham

  19,881

  38.0

  1,987

  3.8

  167

  0.3

  East Sussex

  20,971

  42.4

  1,056

  2.1

  0

  0.0

  Essex

  34,741

  27.6

  804

  0.6

  109

  0.1

  Gloucestershire

  14,246

  32.1

  630

  1.4

  0

  0.0

  Hampshire

  44,938

  34.5

  2,532

  1.9

  47

  0.0

  Hereford and Worcester

  13,225

  27.2

  1,138

  2.3

  150

  0.3

  Hertfordshire

  23,396

  29.0

  729

  0.9

  0

  0.0

  Humberside

  27,832

  35.0

  4,410

  5.5

  229

  0.3

  East Riding of Yorkshire3

  4—

  4—

  —

  —

  —

  —

  City of Kingston Upon Hull

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  North East Lincolnshire3

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  North Lincolnshire3

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Isle of Wight

  2,243

  31.1

  115

  1.6

  0

  0.0

  141

  Numbers and Percentages of pupils in classes by size taught by one teacher in maintained primary schools in each local education authority area in England: 1996 and 1997

  Position in January each year

  1996

  31 or more

  36 or more

  41 or more

  Pupils

  Per cent.(1)

  Pupils

  Per cent.(1)

  Pupils

  Per cent.(1)

  Kent

  44,212

  33.8

  1,012

  0.8

  89

  0.1

  Lancashire

  54,099

  44.5

  7,918

  6.5

  41

  0.0

  Leicestershire

  21,784

  28.8

  2,546

  3.4

  224

  0.3

  Lincolnshire

  13,962

  27.9

  1,184

  2.4

  42

  0.1

  Norfolk

  13,224

  22.0

  780

  1.3

  43

  0.1

  Northamptonshire

  11,089

  22.4

  612

  1.2

  42

  0.1

  Northumberland

  8,478

  43.3

  1,445

  7.4

  0

  0.0

  North Yorkshire

  18,663

  32.1

  2,120

  3.6

  140

  0.2

  York

  4—

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  North Yorkshire3

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Nottinghamshire

  32,931

  38.9

  4,733

  5.6

  212

  0.3

  Oxfordshire

  10,608

  25.7

  1,207

  2.9

  0

  0.0

  Shropshire

  13,425

  38.2

  1,308

  3.7

  102

  0.3

  Somerset

  13,649

  37.3

  809

  2.2

  41

  0.1

  Staffordshire

  32,163

  35.7

  5,891

  6.5

  539

  0.6

  Suffolk

  7,940

  18.2

  472

  1.1

  0

  0.0

  Surrey

  14,197

  19.9

  360

  0.5

  45

  0.1

  Warwickshire

  17,566

  40.7

  1,558

  3.6

  44

  0.1

  West Sussex

  14,447

  26.7

  333

  0.6

  0

  0.0

  Wiltshire

  15,128

  30.8

  773

  1.6

  0

  0.0

  England

  1,260,551

  31.8

  1E+05

  3.3

  9,435

  0.2

  Position in January each year

  1997

  31 or more

  36 or more

  41 or more

  Pupils

  Per cent.(1)

  Pupils

  Per cent.(1)

  Pupils

  Per cent.(1)

  City of London

  0

  0.0

  0

  0.0

  0

  0.0

  Camden

  698

  8.0

  0

  0.0

  0

  0.0

  Greenwich

  2,126

  12.0

  111

  0.6

  0

  0.0

  Hackney

  824

  5.7

  0

  0.0

  0

  0.0

  Hammersmith

  1,106

  14.5

  37

  0.5

  0

  0.0

  Islington

  702

  5.4

  0

  0.0

  0

  0.0

  Kensington and Chelsea

  219

  4.2

  0

  0.0

  0

  0.0

  Lambeth

  1,192

  7.6

  0

  0.0

  0

  0.0

  Lewisham

  1,207

  6.7

  36

  0.2

  0

  0.0

  Southwark

  1,748

  8.8

  0

  0.0

  0

  0.0

  Tower Hamlets

  1,047

  6.3

  40

  0.2

  0

  0.0

  Wandsworth

  2,299

  15.3

  503

  3.4

  49

  0.3

  Westminster

  479

  7.1

  38

  0.6

  0

  0.0

  Barking

  2,022

  12.8

  347

  2.2

  0

  0.0

  Barnet

  2,456

  11.3

  232

  1.1

  0

  0.0

  Bexley

  9,314

  44.6

  145

  0.7

  0

  0.0

  Brent

  2,383

  12.6

  251

  1.3

  95

  0.5

  Bromley

  13,110

  55.3

  289

  1.2

  0

  0.0

  Croydon

  7,042

  26.1

  556

  2.1

  0

  0.0

  Ealing

  5,258

  22.4

  148

  0.6

  0

  0.0

  Enfield

  9,965

  46.0

  72

  0.3

  0

  0.0

  Haringey

  851

  4.9

  38

  0.2

  0

  0.0

  Harrow

  3,663

  22.4

  0

  0.0

  0

  0.0

  Havering

  5,763

  28.9

  393

  2.0

  137

  0.7

  Hillingdon

  5,212

  28.1

  320

  1.7

  45

  0.2

  Hounslow

  4,907

  29.1

  456

  2.7

  0

  0.0

  Kingston upon Thames

  6,682

  66.2

  75

  0.7

  0

  0.0

  Merton

  3,676

  28.5

  279

  2.2

  89

  0.7

  Newham

  3,021

  12.5

  151

  0.6

  0

  0.0

  Redbridge

  8,074

  45.7

  361

  2.0

  0

  0.0

  Richmond upon Thames

  2,671

  24.7

  36

  0.3

  0

  0.0

  Sutton

  5,222

  40.3

  222

  1.7

  0

  0.0

  Waltham Forest

  2,639

  14.8

  36

  0.2

  0

  0.0

  Birmingham

  24,848

  25.7

  1,389

  1.4

  206

  0.2

  Coventry

  8,641

  31.4

  679

  2.5

  0

  0.0

  Dudley

  6,904

  27.1

  1,215

  4.8

  466

  1.8

  Sandwell

  12,606

  44.1

  1,129

  3.9

  186

  0.7

  Solihull

  8,478

  43.3

  954

  4.9

  0

  0.0

  Walsall

  7,527

  31.6

  557

  2.3

  0

  0.0

  Wolverhampton

  8,169

  37.9

  859

  4.0

  0

  0.0

  142

  Position in January each year

  1997

  31 or more

  36 or more

  41 or more

  Pupils

  Per cent.(1)

  Pupils

  Per cent.(1)

  Pupils

  Per cent.(1)

  Knowsley

  5,820

  32.6

  663

  3.7

  171

  1.0

  Liverpool

  12,581

  27.3

  1,036

  2.3

  44

  0.1

  St. Helens

  6,270

  40.8

  1,420

  9.3

  43

  0.3

  Sefton

  9,634

  38.2

  511

  2.0

  0

  0.0

  Wirral

  6,747

  23.1

  555

  1.9

  0

  0.0

  Bolton

  11,422

  49.0

  2,449

  10.5

  372

  1.6

  Bury

  7,178

  44.3

  844

  5.2

  0

  0.0

  Manchester

  10,615

  25.1

  1,719

  4.1

  896

  2.1

  Oldham

  10,645

  48.3

  1,343

  6.1

  169

  0.8

  Rochdale

  9,004

  45.5

  1,176

  5.9

  42

  0.2

  Salford

  7,043

  30.8

  829

  3.6

  232

  1.0

  Stockport

  9,446

  37.0

  1,324

  5.2

  0

  0.0

  Tameside

  11,566

  53.4

  868

  4.0

  50

  0.2

  Trafford

  9,693

  49.8

  1,020

  5.2

  0

  0.0

  Wigan

  11,098

  42.3

  2,397

  9.1

  45

  0.2

  Bamsley

  9,082

  43.9

  1,035

  5.0

  104

  0.5

  Doncaster

  10,052

  35.0

  1,505

  5.2

  0

  0.0

  Rotherham

  8,094

  34.2

  712

  3.0

  0

  0.0

  Sheffield

  11,261

  27.6

  1,762

  4.3

  47

  0.1

  Bradford

  13,443

  39.4

  2,101

  6.2

  224

  0.7

  Calderdale

  6,185

  33.2

  330

  1.8

  0

  0.0

  Kirkless

  15,730

  47.7

  2,942

  8.9

  137

  0.4

  Leeds

  22,031

  35.0

  2,529

  4.0

  0

  0.0

  Wakefield

  12,198

  41.2

  1,978

  6.7

  52

  0.2

  Gateshead

  2,112

  12.5

  185

  1.1

  0

  0.0

  Newcastle Upon

  Tyne

  6,904

  33.6

  925

  4.5

  146

  0.7

  North Tyneside

  4,779

  30.7

  655

  4.2

  101

  0.6

  South Tyneside

  3,996

  27.8

  725

  5.0

  52

  0.4

  Sunderland

  5,023

  18.4

  375

  1.4

  0

  0.0

  Isles of Scilly

  33

  21.2

  0

  0.0

  0

  0.0

  Avon

  4—

  4—

  4—

  4—

  4—

  4—

  Bath and North East Somerset3

  3,579

  28.5

  313

  2.5

  60

  0.5

  City of Bristol3

  9,905

  31.8

  635

  2.0

  84

  0.3

  North Somerset3

  4,675

  33.0

  148

  1.0

  0

  0.0

  South Gloucestershire3

  9,563

  45.1

  694

  3.3

  0

  0.0

  Bedfordshire

  12,890

  33.4

  2,461

  6.4

  382

  1.0

  Berkshire

  18,680

  31.6

  1,462

  2.5

  88

  0.1

  Buckinghamshire

  23,085

  37.9

  3,537

  5.8

  240

  0.4

  Cambridgeshire

  20,831

  36.2

  1,643

  2.9

  0

  0.0

  Cheshire

  33,630

  38.7

  4,217

  4.8

  87

  0.1

  Cleveland

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Hartlepool3

  2,833

  29.5

  418

  4.4

  0

  0.0

  Middlesbrough3

  3,700

  24.1

  822

  5.4

  0

  0.0

  Redcar and Cleveland3

  4,576

  30.7

  720

  4.8

  0

  0.0

  Stockton-on-Tees3

  4,507

  24.1

  984

  5.3

  0

  0.0

  Cornwall

  16,082

  40.2

  1,587

  4.0

  0

  0.0

  Cumbria

  11,984

  29.4

  1,133

  2.8

  180

  0.4

  Derbyshire

  44,864

  55.2

  12,889

  15.9

  651

  0.8

  Devon

  31,181

  38.1

  2,898

  3.5

  86

  0.1

  Dorset

  22,462

  50.2

  1,089

  2.4

  0

  0.0

  Durham

  21,429

  40.7

  2,212

  4.2

  127

  0.2

  East Sussex

  23,330

  45.7

  756

  1.5

  0

  0.0

  Essex

  38,831

  29.9

  1,566

  1.2

  214

  0.2

  Gloucestershire

  15,280

  33.9

  896

  2.0

  45

  0.1

  Hampshire

  47,671

  35.8

  2,527

  1.9

  44

  0.0

  Hereford and Worcester

  12,527

  24.9

  981

  1.9

  139

  0.3

  Hertfordshire

  27,264

  32.6

  1,204

  1.4

  0

  0.0

  Humberside

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  East Riding of Yorkshire3

  10,254

  40.1

  2,288

  9.0

  133

  0.5

  City of Kingston upon Hull

  10,164

  39.5

  1,829

  7.1

  0

  0.0

  North East Lincolnshire3

  6,228

  39.6

  732

  4.6

  99

  0.6

  North Lincolnshire3

  4,932

  36.2

  821

  6.0

  104

  0.8

  Isle of Wight

  1,639

  22.5

  220

  3.0

  0

  0.0

  Kent

  47,339

  35.7

  757

  0.6

  106

  0.1

  Lancashire

  58,388

  47.3

  10,409

  8.4

  99

  0.1

  Leicestershire

  22,862

  29.8

  3,254

  4.2

  408

  0.5

  Lincolnshire

  14,644

  28.6

  1,667

  3.3

  0

  0.0

  Norfolk

  13,402

  21.6

  256

  0.4

  0

  0.0

  Northamptonshire

  13,015

  25.7

  855

  1.7

  41

  0.1

  Northumberland

  8,314

  42.7

  1,747

  9.0

  0

  0.0

  143

  Position in January each year

  1997

  31 or more

  36 or more

  41 or more

  Pupils

  Per cent.(1)

  Pupils

  Per cent.(1)

  Pupils

  Per cent.(1)

  North Yorkshire

  4—

  4—

  4—

  4—

  4—

  4—

  York3

  4,961

  35.5

  412

  2.9

  0

  0.0

  North Yorkshire3

  15,129

  33.7

  1,470

  3.3

  133

  0.3

  Nottinghamshire

  38,340

  44.5

  7,160

  8.3

  583

  0.7

  Oxfordshire

  13,090

  31.3

  1,158

  2.8

  0

  0.0

  Shropshire

  13,545

  37.8

  1,804

  5.0

  0

  0.0

  Somerset

  14,096

  37.8

  1,653

  4.4

  0

  0.0

  Staffordshire

  31,492

  34.8

  5,481

  6.1

  437

  0.5

  Suffolk

  8,520

  19.3

  257

  0.6

  0

  0.0

  Surrey

  15,007

  20.5

  893

  1.2

  0

  0.0

  Warwickshire

  17,493

  42.9

  1,738

  4.3

  43

  0.1

  West Sussex

  15,337

  27.4

  403

  0.7

  0

  0.0

  Wiltshire

  16,245

  32.5

  988

  2.0

  0

  0.0

  England

  1,344,231

  33.4

  1E+05

  3.6

  8,813

  0.2

  Numbers and Percentages of pupils in classes by size taught by one teacher in maintained primary schools in each local education authority area in England: 1996 and 1997

  Position in January each year

  change

  31 or more

  36 or more

  41 or more

  Pupils

  Per cent.2

  Pupils

  Per cent.2

  Pupils

  Per cent.2

  City of London

  0

  0.0

  0

  0.0

  0

  0.0

  Camden

  251

  2.8

  -37

  -0.4

  0

  0.0

  Greenwich

  714

  4.0

  111

  0.6

  0

  0.0

  Hackney

  160

  0.8

  0

  0.0

  0

  0.0

  Hammersmith

  70

  1.3

  37

  0.5

  0

  0.0

  Islington

  -280

  -2.0

  0

  0.0

  0

  0.0

  Kensington and Chelsea

  32

  0.5

  0

  0.0

  0

  0.0

  Lambeth

  335

  2.1

  0

  0.0

  0

  0.0

  Lewisham

  290

  1.5

  36

  0.2

  0

  0.0

  Southwark

  -303

  -1.8

  -72

  -0.4

  0

  0.0

  Tower Hamlets

  188

  0.6

  3

  0.0

  0

  0.0

  Wandsworth

  -74

  -1.1

  99

  0.5

  -13

  -0.1

  Westminster

  -65

  -0.9

  2

  0.0

  0

  0.0

  Barking

  419

  2.2

  75

  0.4

  0

  0.0

  Barnet

  608

  2.5

  32

  0.1

  -48

  -0.2

  Bexley

  493

  1.9

  -3

  0.0

  0

  0.0

  Brent

  124

  0.6

  45

  0.2

  0

  0.0

  Bromley

  1,260

  4.6

  103

  0.4

  0

  0.0

  Croydon

  701

  1.7

  298

  1.1

  0

  0.0

  Ealing

  -250

  -2.1

  -114

  -0.5

  -44

  -0.2

  Enfield

  1,125

  5.0

  36

  0.2

  0

  0.0

  Haringey

  -97

  -0.7

  38

  0.2

  0

  0.0

  Harrow

  -170

  -2.0

  -36

  -0.2

  0

  0.0

  Havering

  85

  0.2

  158

  0.8

  87

  0.4

  Hillingdon

  392

  2.3

  -139

  -0.7

  4

  0.0

  Hounslow

  -767

  -5.3

  -222

  -1.4

  -41

  -0.2

  Kingston Upon Thames

  -413

  -3.9

  -410

  -4.0

  -4.1

  -0.5

  Merton

  -279

  -2.3

  -116

  -0.9

  38

  0.3

  Newham

  640

  2.7

  -53

  -0.2

  -5.2

  -0.2

  Redbridge

  -986

  -7.0

  -181

  -1.1

  0

  0.0

  Richmond Upon Thames

  362

  2.5

  36

  0.3

  0

  0.0

  Sutton

  987

  7.6

  -145

  -1.1

  0

  0.0

  Waltham Forest

  -643

  -3.6

  36

  0.2

  0

  0.0

  Birmingham

  -794

  -0.6

  -212

  -0.2

  49

  0.1

  Coventry

  1,003

  3.0

  149

  0.5

  0

  0.0

  Dudley

  286

  0.1

  -14

  -0.2

  -309

  -1.3

  Sandwell

  794

  2.6

  -414

  -1.5

  103

  0.4

  Solihull

  75

  -0.7

  39

  0.1

  0

  0.0

  Walsall

  286

  0.4

  -333

  -1.5

  -4.5

  -0.2

  Wolverhampton

  1,407

  7.0

  -219

  -0.9

  -233

  -1.1

  Knowsley

  566

  3.3

  8

  0.1

  119

  0.7

  Liverpool

  530

  1.3

  446

  1.0

  44

  0.1

  St. Helens

  707

  3.2

  217

  1.1

  -4.0

  -0.3

  Sefton

  -1,036

  -43

  -482

  -1.9

  0

  0.0

  Wirral

  -240

  -0.6

  73

  0.3

  0

  0.0

  Bolton

  -297

  -0.7

  -346

  -1.4

  -163

  -0.7

  Bury

  210

  0.9

  1

  0.0

  0

  0.0

  144

  Numbers and Percentages of pupils in classes by size taught by one teacher in maintained primary schools in each local education authority area in England: 1996 and 1997

  Position in January each year

  Change

  31 or more

  36 or more

  41 or more

  Pupils

  Per cent.2

  Pupils

  Per cent.2

  Pupils

  Per cent.2

  Manchester

  928

  2.3

  0

  0.0

  314

  0.8

  Oldham

  1,211

  4.8

  349

  1.5

  -9

  -0.1

  Rochdale

  688

  2.5

  547

  2.7

  1

  0.0

  Salford

  46

  0.1

  -418

  -1.8

  -82

  -0.4

  Stockport

  1,199

  4.3

  122

  0.4

  -117

  -0.5

  Tameside

  58

  0.4

  -88

  -0.4

  50

  0.2

  Trafford

  304

  0.9

  -8.3

  -0.5

  0

  0.0

  Wigan

  11

  -0.2

  12

  0.0

  -8.2

  -0.3

  Barnsley

  405

  1.6

  284

  1.3

  -4.8

  -0.2

  Doncaster

  443

  -0.1

  -234

  -1.1

  0

  0.0

  Rotherham

  2,362

  9.7

  290

  1.2

  0

  0.0

  Sheffield

  80

  -0.4

  265

  0.6

  -182

  -0.5

  Bradford

  1,994

  5.1

  504

  1.4

  181

  0.5

  Calderdale

  -146

  -1.1

  -11

  -0.1

  0.5

  -0.2

  Kirklees

  1,335

  3.3

  949

  2.8

  -2

  0.0

  Leeds

  576

  -0.3

  -581

  -1.1

  -244

  -0.4

  Wakefield

  1,525

  3.5

  376

  1.0

  0

  0.0

  Gateshead

  -331

  -1.8

  69

  0.4

  0

  0.0

  Newcastle Upon

  Tyne

  112

  0.4

  -130

  -0.7

  97

  0.5

  North Tyneside

  -18

  -1.0

  80

  0.5

  51

  0.3

  South Tyneside

  -7.1

  0.1

  -11

  0.0

  -4.7

  -0.3

  Sunderland

  875

  3.3

  190

  0.7

  0

  0.0

  Isle of Scilly

  33

  21.2

  0

  0.0

  0

  0.0

  Avon

  4—

  4—

  4—

  4—

  4—

  4—

  Bath and North

  East Somerset3

  4—

  4—

  4—

  4—

  4—

  4—

  City of Bristol3

  4—

  4—

  4—

  4—

  4—

  4—

  North Somerset3

  4—

  4—

  4—

  4—

  4—

  4—

  South Gloucestershire3

  4—

  4—

  4—

  4—

  4—

  4—

  Bedfordshire

  1,023

  3.0

  -137

  -0.3

  -100

  -0.2

  Berkshire

  371

  1.0

  48

  0.1

  42

  0.1

  Buckinghamshire

  332

  0.3

  -235

  -0.4

  -132

  -0.2

  Cambridgeshire

  2,766

  4.4

  617

  1.1

  0

  0.0

  Cheshire

  1,405

  1.4

  166

  0.2

  -55

  -0.1

  Cleveland

  4—

  4—

  4—

  4—

  4—

  4—

  Hartlepool3

  4—

  4—

  4—

  4—

  4—

  4—

  Middlesborough3

  4—

  4—

  4—

  4—

  4—

  4—

  Redcar and Cleveland3

  4—

  4—

  4—

  4—

  4—

  4—

  Stockton-on-Tees3

  4—

  4—

  4—

  4—

  4—

  4—

  Cornwall

  1,146

  2.7

  262

  0.6

  -41

  -0.1

  Cumbria

  602

  1.2

  -199

  -0.5

  69

  0.2

  Derbyshire

  3,647

  3.3

  2,545

  2.8

  -71

  -0.1

  Devon

  3,103

  3.3

  -134

  -0.2

  -42

  -0.1

  Dorset

  2,808

  5.7

  -271

  -0.6

  -86

  -0.2

  Durham

  1,548

  2.7

  225

  0.4

  -40

  -0.1

  East Sussex

  2,359

  3.3

  -300

  -0.7

  0

  0.0

  Essex

  4,090

  2.3

  762

  0.6

  105

  0.1

  Gloucestershire

  1,034

  1.7

  266

  0.6

  45

  0.1

  Hampshire

  2,733

  1.3

  -5

  0.0

  -3

  0.0

  Hereford and Worcester

  -698

  -2.3

  -157

  -0.4

  -11

  0.0

  Hertfordshire

  3,868

  3.6

  475

  0.5

  0

  0.0

  Humberside

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  East Riding of Yorkshire3

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  City of Kingston Upon Hull

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  North East Lincolnshire3

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  North Lincolnshire3

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Isle of Wight

  -604

  -8.6

  105

  1.4

  0

  0.0

  Kent

  3,127

  1.9

  -255

  -0.2

  17

  0.0

  Lancashire

  4,289

  2.8

  2,491

  1.9

  58

  0.0

  Leicestershire

  1,078

  0.9

  708

  0.9

  184

  0.2

  Lincolnshire

  682

  0.7

  483

  0.9

  -42

  -0.1

  Norfolk

  178

  -0.4

  -524

  -0.9

  -43

  -0.1

  Northamptonshire

  1,926

  3.2

  243

  0.4

  -1

  0.0

  Northumberland

  -164

  -0.6

  302

  1.6

  0

  0.0

  North Yorkshire

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  York3

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  North Yorkshire3

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Nottingham

  5,409

  5.6

  2,427

  2.7

  371

  0.4

  145

  Numbers and Percentages of pupils in classes by size taught by one teacher in maintained primary schools in each local education authority area in England: 1996 and 1997

  Position in January each year

  Change

  31 or more

  36 or more

  41 or more

  Pupils

  Per cent.2

  Pupils

  Per cent.2

  Pupils

  Per cent.2

  Oxfordshire

  2,482

  5.6

  -49

  -0.2

  0

  0.0

  Shropshire

  120

  -0.5

  496

  1.3

  -102

  -0.3

  Somerset

  447

  0.5

  844

  2.2

  -41

  -0.1

  Staffordshire

  -671

  -0.9

  -410

  -0.5

  -102

  -0.1

  Suffolk

  580

  1.1

  -215

  -0.5

  0

  0.0

  Surrey

  810

  0.6

  533

  0.7

  -45

  -0.1

  Warwickshire

  -73

  2.2

  180

  0.7

  -1

  0.0

  West Sussex

  890

  0.7

  70

  0.1

  0

  0.0

  Wiltshire

  1,117

  1.7

  215

  0.4

  0

  0.0

  England

  83,680

  1.6

  14,122

  0.3

  -622

  0.0

  1 Number of pupils in classes taught by one teacher expressed as a Percentage of all pupils in classes taught by one teacher.

  2 Percentage of pupils in 1997 minus Per centage of pupils in 1996.

  3 No comparable data for new Unitary authorities.

  4 Not applicable.

  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was the average size of single teacher classes in primary schools in January in each local education authority and in total; and what was the actual and Percentage change in numbers compared with January 1996 in each local education authority and in total. [18869]

  Mr. Byers
  The information is shown in the following table.

  Average size of classes taught by one teacher in maintained primary schools in each local education authority area in England: 1996 and 1997

  Position as at January each year

  Change1

  Number

  Percentage

  1996

  1997

  1996–97

  1996–97

  City of London

  26.8

  26.0

  -0.8

  -2.8

  Camden

  27.3

  27.1

  -0.1

  -0.5

  Greenwich

  25.5

  26.0

  0.4

  1.7

  Hackney

  26.1

  26.1

  -0.1

  -0.2

  Hammersmith

  26.1

  25.3

  -0.8

  -2.9

  Islington

  26.2

  26.6

  0.3

  1.2

  Kensington and Chelsea

  24.4

  25.3

  0.9

  3.7

  Lambeth

  24.6

  25.2

  0.6

  2.5

  Lewisham

  25.7

  26.1

  0.3

  1.3

  Southwark

  26.2

  26.4

  0.3

  1.0

  Tower Hamlets

  25.8

  26.2

  0.4

  1.7

  Wandsworth

  25.4

  25.8

  0.4

  1.4

  Westminster

  24.9

  24.2

  -0.7

  -3.0

  Barking

  26.7

  27.0

  0.3

  1.3

  Barnet

  26.3

  26.2

  -0.1

  -0.3

  Bexley

  28.6

  28.8

  0.1

  0.5

  Brent

  26.7

  26.5

  -0.2

  -0.7

  Bromley

  28.7

  28.5

  -0.2

  -0.8

  Croydon

  28.3

  28.3

  0.0

  0.0

  Ealing

  27.2

  27.1

  -0.1

  -0.5

  Enfield

  28.5

  29.1

  0.6

  1.9

  Haringey

  27.0

  26.9

  -0.1

  -0.4

  Harrow

  27.8

  27.5

  -0.3

  -1.0

  Havering

  27.9

  27.9

  0.0

  0.0

  Hillingdon

  26.6

  27.2

  0.6

  2.2

  Hounslow

  27.3

  26.8

  -0.5

  -1.7

  Kingston upon Thames

  30.0

  29.4

  -0.7

  -2.3

  Merton

  28.1

  27.3

  -0.8

  -2.8

  146

  Average size of classes taught by one teacher in maintained primary schools in each local education authority area in England: 1996 and 1997

  Position as at January each year

  Change1

  Number

  Percentage

  1996

  1997

  1996–97

  1996–97

  Newham

  27.9

  27.9

  0.1

  0.3

  Redbridge

  29.0

  28.4

  -0.6

  -2.1

  Richmond upon Thames

  26.7

  27.2

  0.6

  2.1

  Sutton

  27.3

  28.1

  0.8

  2.8

  Waltham Forest

  26.4

  26.6

  0.2

  0.7

  Birmingham

  27.8

  27.7

  0.0

  -0.1

  Coventry

  27.2

  27.6

  0.4

  1.3

  Dudley

  26.9

  26.5

  -0.4

  -1.4

  Sandwell

  28.6

  28.9

  0.3

  1.0

  Solihull

  28.2

  27.9

  -0.3

  -1.0

  Walsall

  26.0

  26.2

  0.2

  0.8

  Wolverhampton

  26.5

  26.9

  0.4

  1.6

  Knowsley

  27.6

  27.7

  0.1

  0.3

  Liverpool

  26.8

  26.8

  0.0

  0.0

  St. Helens

  27.5

  27.8

  0.3

  0.9

  Sefton

  27.5

  27.6

  0.1

  0.3

  Wirral

  26.4

  26.3

  -0.1

  -0.4

  Bolton

  28.5

  28.9

  0.4

  1.5

  Bury

  28.3

  28.3

  0.0

  -0.1

  Manchester

  27.0

  27.2

  0.2

  0.9

  Oldham

  28.6

  29.3

  0.6

  2.2

  Rochdale

  29.2

  29.6

  0.5

  1.6

  Salford

  27.4

  27.3

  -0.1

  -0.4

  Stockport

  27.7

  27.8

  0.1

  0.3

  Tameside

  29.3

  29.3

  0.0

  0.0

  Trafford

  28.7

  28.9

  0.3

  1.0

  Wigan

  28.2

  28.5

  0.3

  1.0

  Barnsley

  28.2

  28.9

  0.6

  2.2

  Doncaster

  28.2

  28.1

  -0.1

  -0.5

  Rotherham

  26.9

  27.7

  0.8

  3.0

  Sheffield

  26.8

  26.9

  0.1

  0.5

  Bradford

  27.9

  28.3

  0.4

  1.3

  Calderdale

  27.7

  28.0

  0.2

  0.8

  Kirklees

  28.7

  29.0

  0.3

  1.2

  Leeds

  28.1

  28.3

  0.2

  0.6

  Wakefield

  28.0

  28.2

  0.2

  0.7

  Gateshead

  25.9

  25.8

  -0.1

  -0.3

  Newcastle upon

  Tyne

  27.7

  27.6

  -0.1

  -0.3

  North Tyneside

  27.0

  27.1

  0.0

  0.1

  South Tyneside

  26.8

  27.0

  0.2

  0.8

  Sunderland

  25.6

  26.0

  0.3

  1.3

  Isles of Scilly

  13.7

  17.3

  3.6

  26.3

  Avon

  27.7

  2—

  2—

  2—

  Bath and North east Somerset3

  2—

  27.0

  2—

  2—

  City of Bristol3

  2—

  27.2

  2—

  2—

  North Somerset3

  2—

  27.8

  2—

  2—

  South Gloucestershire3

  2—

  28.5

  2—

  2—

  Bedfordshire

  27.1

  27.4

  0.3

  1.2

  Berkshire

  27.3

  27.5

  0.2

  0.6

  Buckinghamshire

  27.8

  27.9

  0.1

  0.3

  Cambridgeshire

  27.8

  28.2

  0.4

  1.4

  Cheshire

  27.4

  27.5

  0.0

  0.0

  Cleveland

  26.9

  2—

  2—

  2—

  Hartlepool3

  2—

  28.0

  2—

  2—

  Middlesbrough3

  2—

  26.5

  2—

  2—

  Redcar and Cleveland3

  2—

  27.4

  2—

  2—

  Stockton on Tees3

  2—

  26.8

  2—

  2—

  Cornwall

  27.3

  27.3

  0.0

  0.0

  Cumbria

  26.0

  26.3

  0.2

  0.9

  Derbyshire

  28.9

  29.3

  0.3

  1.1

  Devon

  27.2

  27.4

  0.2

  0.9

  Dorset

  27.7

  28.2

  0.5

  1.7

  147

  Average size of classes taught by one teacher in maintained primary schools in each local education authority area in England: 1996 and 1997

  Position as at January each year

  Change1

  1996

  1997

  Number 1996–97

  Percentage 1996–97

  Durham

  28.4

  28.5

  0.0

  0.1

  East Sussex

  27.7

  28.2

  0.5

  1.8

  Essex

  26.9

  27.3

  0.4

  1.6

  Gloucestershire

  27.2

  27.4

  0.2

  0.8

  Hampshire

  27.8

  27.9

  0.1

  0.3

  Hereford and Worcester

  25.9

  26.0

  0.2

  0.6

  Hertfordshire

  26.7

  27.1

  0.4

  1.5

  Humberside

  27.9

  2—

  2—

  2—

  East Riding of Yorkshire3

  2—

  28.3

  2—

  2—

  City of Kingston Upon Hull3

  2—

  28.8

  2—

  2—

  North East Lincolnshire3

  2—

  28.1

  2—

  2—

  North Lincolnshire3

  2—

  27.7

  2—

  2—

  Isle of Wight

  26.9

  25.9

  -1.0

  -3.9

  Kent

  27.7

  28.0

  0.2

  0.9

  Lancashire

  28.4

  28.8

  0.3

  1.2

  Leicestershire

  26.7

  26.7

  0.0

  -0.1

  Lincolnshire

  26.7

  26.9

  0.1

  0.5

  Norfolk

  26.0

  25.9

  -0.1

  -0.3

  Northamptonshire

  26.5

  27.0

  0.4

  1.6

  Northumberland

  27.1

  27.0

  -0.1

  -0.5

  North Yorkshire

  26.3

  2—

  2—

  2—

  York3

  2—

  27.6

  2—

  2—

  North Yorkshire3

  2—

  26.3

  2—

  2—

  Nottinghamshire

  28.3

  28.7

  0.4

  1.5

  Oxfordshire

  26.8

  27.2

  0.3

  1.2

  Shropshire

  27.3

  27.4

  0.1

  0.4

  Somerset

  27.3

  27.6

  0.3

  1.1

  Staffordshire

  27.7

  27.5

  -0.2

  -0.8

  Suffolk

  25.1

  25.0

  -0.1

  -0.4

  Surrey

  25.8

  26.2

  0.4

  1.6

  Warwickshire

  27.9

  28.5

  0.6

  2.3

  West Sussex

  26.8

  26.8

  0.0

  0.2

  Wiltshire

  27.1

  27.2

  0.1

  0.4

  England

  27.3

  27.5

  0.2

  0.6

  1 Rounding of components may cause discrepancies in number and Percentage changes.

  2 Not applicable.

  3 No comparable data for new unitary authorities.

  European Voluntary Service for Young People
  Mr. Gill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what study his Department has undertaken of possible promotional usage of the European Voluntary Service for Young People; what steps his Department will take to ensure that the activities involved do not substitute for existing paid jobs; and if the minimum wage will apply to the service. [18835]

  Dr. Howells
  I have been asked to reply. I attended the European Council of Youth Ministers in Luxembourg on 28 October, at which a common position was reached on the Commission's draft proposal for a European Voluntary Service for Young People, subject to a UK Parliamentary Scrutiny Reserve. I refer the hon. member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Hemsworth (Mr. Trickett) on 19 November 1997,Official Report, column 186.
  148
  The Commission's proposal states specifically that the activities undertaken by young people under this programme will in no way replace potential or existing paid jobs; the other points of detail raised will be addressed with other Member States when the precise arrangements for the Programme are being discussed over the next few months.

  The Government is committed to seeing this programme under way as early as possible. The Government agrees with Article 1(2) of the draft proposal.

  Officers of the Department have had general discussions with the British Youth Council about this programme, and we will draw on our experience of the pilot phase in determining the exact arrangements for the new EVS Programme.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Dietary Supplements
  Mr. Mitchell
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what consultations he had with right hon. and hon. Members prior to taking the decision to introduce restrictions on the retail sale of higher dose vitamin B6 supplements; and what plans he has to meet right hon. and hon. Members to discuss the decision prior to laying the necessary statutory instrument. [17818]

  Mr. Rooker
  There was no consultation with right hon. and hon. Members prior to the Government taking the decision to introduce restrictions on the sale of dietary supplements containing vitamin B6. I have responded to each and every right hon. and hon. Member who has contacted me. Every request for a meeting has been agreed to.

  Mr. David Atkinson
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps his Department is taking to promote consumers' rights of access to safe vitamin, mineral and other dietary supplements of their choice,(a) in the United Kingdom, (b) in the European Union and (c) elsewhere; and what plans he has to meet representatives of (i) Consumers for Health Choice and (ii) the Society for the Promotion of Nutritional Therapy to discuss these matters. [18081]

  Mr. Rooker
  The Government believes that consumers' access to supplements should only be restricted where this is necessary on safety grounds. This view has been made clear in the UK's formal response to the EU Commission discussion document on the addition of vitamins and minerals to food and food supplements and in discussions on the draft Codex guidelines for supplements containing vitamins and minerals.

  I have no plans to meet representatives of either Consumers for Health Choice or the Society for the Promotion for Nutritional Therapy to discuss these matters, nor have I received any request from these bodies for such meetings.

  Big Cats
  Mr. Keith Simpson
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if his Department has
  149
  responsibility for co-ordinating government responsibility for big cats. [17871]

  Mr. Morley
  A number of Departments have responsibilities in relation to "big cats". This Department is concerned with the safety of livestock, the Home Office for the safety of people and the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions for the legal keeping of such animals by, for example, zoos and circuses. These Departments co-ordinate their actions according to the circumstances of the case.

  Mr. Keith Simpson
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many sightings of big cats in Norfolk have been reported to his Department since 1993. [17872]

  Mr. Morley
  I am aware that, in common with several other areas, there have been a number of alleged sightings of "big cats" in the Norfolk area. However, I am not aware of any attacks on farm livestock attributed to "big cats" in the Norfolk area being reported to this Department.

  Mr. Keith Simpson
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what compensation is available to farmers in the event of livestock being killed or injured by "big cats". [17873]

  Mr. Morley
  There are no funds available to pay compensation to farmers in the event of livestock being killed or injured by "big cats".

  Set-aside
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will estimate the amount of public funding in 1997 for land put into set-aside. [18142]

  Mr. Morley
  Payments for land set aside under the Arable Area Payments Scheme (AAPS) are funded from the European Community Budget. Based on provisional figures for claims under the 1997 Scheme, payments for land set aside in England are expected to be about £80 million. Land entered into certain environmental schemes can also be set aside for the purposes of the Scheme but does not attract any payment under the AAPS; farmers do, however, receive payments for meeting the conditions of the environmental scheme concerned.

  Cattle Tagging
  Mr. Loughton
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what measures have been taken with regard to the new system for cattle tagging to be introduced in 1998; what assistance has been offered to farmers; and if he will make a statement. [18138]

  Mr. Rooker
  Double tagging of all cattle born or imported into the UK will become mandatory from 1 January 1998. The Department's officials issued an information note on this to farmers in August 1997, and are in close touch with representatives of the livestock industry and eartag manufacturers about the new arrangements.

  Flooding
  Mr. Loughton
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assistance is available to farmers for change of agricultural use where current practices may give rise to flooding of adjoining residential areas. [18139]

  Mr. Morley
  There are schemes available to encourage farmers to convert arable land to grassland which may help to ameliorate run off from agricultural land; for example farmers can choose to enter eligible land into set-aside. Additional incentives may be available to farmers in Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESAs) to convert arable fields into permanent grass. The ESA scheme also provides capital grants for the creation or re-instatement of dykes and ditches and for the construction of water penning structures.

  Ministry grant aid might be available towards the cost of flood alleviation works undertaken by the Environment Agency or local authorities if those bodies could devise an engineered solution to the flooding problem which met established criteria.

  Vacant Farm Buildings
  Mr. Tom King
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the number of(a) empty and (b) unused farm buildings. [18322]

  Mr. Morley
  The Department collects no information on the number of empty or unused farm buildings.

  Farming (Young People)
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to encourage young people to enter farming. [18529]

  Mr. Morley
  I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Clwyd, South (Mr. Jones) on 19 November 1997,Official Report, column 230.

  Cattle Passport Scheme
  Mr. Laurence Robertson
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what his Department's policy is towards passports for calves, in respect of(a) charges and (b) the timescale of registration; what changes his Department is planning to the scheme; and if he will make a statement. [18393]

  Mr. Rooker
  I announced on 12 November that the Government had decided to charge for the new computerised cattle tracing system via cattle passports. However decisions have yet to be taken about whether to charge for the temporary calf passport as well as the full cattle passport and as to how the movements of animals with temporary calf passports will be recorded on the cattle tracing system.

SCOTLAND

  NHS White Paper
  Mr. David Stewart
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to publish the White Paper on the national health service. [17098]
  151
  Mr. Galbraith
  Our White Paper on the future of the NHS in Scotland will be published shortly.

  Ms Osborne
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has held with professional health staff regarding the forthcoming White Paper on the NHS. [17101]

  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has held with the health professionals regarding the forthcoming White Paper on the NHS. [17106]

  Mr. Galbraith
  I have had discussions with the Scottish Council of the British Medical Association, the Royal College of Nursing, the STUC and with Scottish representatives of the NHS Confederation on the future of the NHS in Scotland. I also received a number of written representations from health professionals and associations. Their views were taken into account when preparing the White Paper.

  Scottish Parliament
  Mr. Lansley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what consultations he has had with Edinburgh district council on the site of the proposed Scottish Parliament.

  Mr. Dewar
  The Scottish Office is working closely with the City of Edinburgh Council in considering the location of the Scottish Parliament.

  Mr. Blunt
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the cost implications of each of the potential locations for a Scottish Assembly. [17102]

  Mr. McLeish
  The estimated costs of providing a building for the Scottish Parliament at three potential locations in Edinburgh are being drawn up at present by independent consultants. The transport and environmental impacts are also being assessed.

  Mrs. Ewing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to announce the location of the Scottish Parliament. [17109]

  Mr. McLeish
  My right hon. Friend hopes to announce his decision on the location of the Scottish Parliament building around the turn of the year.

  Dr. Fox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the current estimate for the cost of the proposed Scottish Parliament building. [18157]

  Mr. McLeish
  As is explained in the White Paper "Scotland's Parliament", the cost is dependent upon the site that is eventually chosen. The estimated costs of providing a building for the Scottish Parliament at locations in Regent Road, Leith and Haymarket are presently being drawn up by independent consultants.

  Mr. Gorrie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will place in the Library representations made to him by Historic Scotland about the siting of the Scottish Parliament on Calton Hill. [17630]

  Mr. McLeish
  [holding answer 1 December 1997]: No such representations have been made. Historic Scotland, as an executive agency within The Scottish Office, is fully and directly involved in the process of advising Ministers on the selection of a location for the Scottish Parliament.
  152
  Mr. Salmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to announce the date of the first Scottish Parliamentary election. [17103]

  Mr. Dewar
  The timing of elections is being considered. I will make a further statement in due course.

  Public Transport
  Mr. Savidge
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has for increasing the role of public transport in urban and rural areas. [17104]

  Mr. Chisholm
  We intend to publish a White Paper in the spring setting out an effective, integrated and environmentally sustainable transport policy appropriate to the needs of Scotland. This will take account of the responses to the consultation document issued last August. Our proposals, which will recognise the important role of improved public transport will be published in the White Paper.

  Inward Investment
  Mr. Alasdair Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had recently with the President of the Board of Trade concerning inward investment policy. [17105]

  Mr. Wilson
  I refer the hon. Member to the oral answer I gave earlier to the hon. Members for Banbury (Mr. Baldry) and for North Wiltshire (Mr. Gray).

  Land Reform
  Ms Roseanna Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has for land reform in Scotland. [17108]

  Mr. Dewar
  I refer the hon. Lady to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Inverness, East, Nairn and Lochaber (Mr. Stewart), on 30 October 1997,Official Report, column 875.

  Household Incomes
  Mr. Fallon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what adjustments he will make within the Scottish block to reflect the level of household income in Scotland. [17110]

  Mr. Dewar
  None.

  Glasgow City Council
  Mr. Galloway
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last met the Glasgow city council to discuss its economic situation; and if he will make a statement. [17111]

  Mr. Chisholm
  My right hon. Friend and I met the Leader of Glasgow city council on 18 November and had a useful discussion on the economic situation and a range of other matters.

  NHS Bureaucracy
  Miss Begg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress has been made in reducing bureaucracy into he NHS in Scotland. [17112]
  153
  Mr. Galbraith
  Health Boards and Trusts were recently instructed to submit action plans for reducing further the costs of bureaucracy. The plans have still to be fully evaluated and the likely savings and administrative improvements determined.

  Trunk Road Improvements
  Mr. Home Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on his review of trunk road improvement projects. [17113]

  Mr. Chisholm
  The Strategic Review of the Trunk Road network, which I announced on 19 July this year, is a key part of our overall review of transport in Scotland, the results of which we intend to publish next year as a White Paper. The review is developing a revised framework for the appraisal of new trunk road schemes consistent with the integrated transport strategy to be set out in the White Paper.

  The revised appraisal system will allow schemes to be assessed against the criteria of integration, accessibility, economy, safety and environmental impacts. Public transport solutions will be fully considered alongside new road building proposals. Scottish Office officials are currently developing the assessment criteria in parallel with colleagues from the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions.

  Number of students in higher education by year, mode and level

  Full-time

  Part-time

  Year

  Total

  Postgraduate

  Undergraduate

  Total

  Postgraduate

  Undergraduate

  1992–93

  120,483

  13,095

  107,388

  46,700

  8,638

  38,062

  1993–94

  132,509

  13,848

  118,661

  47,220

  9,918

  37,302

  1994–95

  142,722

  15,428

  127,294

  59,158

  17,701

  41,457

  1995–96

  145,634

  16,127

  129,507

  69,570

  21,089

  48,481

  1996–971

  148,380

  14,512

  133,868

  60,179

  18,050

  42,129

  Projection 1998–992

  163,140

  14,372

  148,768

  60,183

  18,926

  41,257

  1 Figures for 1996–97 are provisional.

  2 Projections submitted to the Garrick Committee.

  Regional Policy
  Mr. St. Aubyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he next plans to attend an EC Council of Ministers meeting to discuss policy towards the regions. [17116]

  Mr. Dewar
  There is no formal Council devoted to regional policy. I plan to attend an Informal meeting of Regional Policy and Spatial Planning Ministers in Glasgow on 8–9 June as part of the UK Presidency of the EU Council of Ministers.

  School Buildings
  Mr. Jim Murphy
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what new resources are being provided to improve the fabric of Scotland's schools in the current financial year. [17117]

  Mr. Wilson
  £8.9 million.
  154
  The roads review is taking into account the full range of factors, including traffic growth, which will give rise to pressure for further major improvements over the trunk road network in Scotland.

  We shall undertake public consultation early next year on the emerging findings of the review and it is expected that the outcome of the review will be announced in the Summer of 1998.

  Public Expenditure
  Mrs. May
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on per capita spending levels in Scotland. [17114]

  Mr. Dewar
  Identifiable General Government Expenditure in Scotland was £4,614 per head in 1995–96, the last year for which complete figures are available.

  Higher Education
  Mr. Ian Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many students there were in higher education in Scotland in each of the past five years; and what estimate he has made of the number for the academic year 1998–99. [17115]

  Mr. Wilson
  The total number of students (full-time and part-time) in Higher Education in Scotland, for the last five years available, is provided in the following table. The latest published projections for 1998–99 are also included.

  Secondary Education
  Mr. David Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to improve secondary school education in Scotland; and if he will make a statement. [17118]

  Mr. Wilson
  Education is at the heart of this Government and raising standards is the key priority. Under our initiative to raise standards in Scottish schools, each school will have clear, realistic and achievable targets for improvement. Implementation will be overseen by my Action Group on Standards in Scottish Schools, membership of which is widely drawn from within and beyond education.

  In September, with the endorsement of the Action Group, we issued for consultation a strategy paper for the development of a framework of school targets in key areas with national introduction in the school year 1998–99.

  155
  The outcome of consultation will be discussed at the next meeting of the Action Group on 15 December.

  In addition, full implementation of the 5–14 curriculum development programme, including national testing, in the first two years of secondary school will contribute to improvement. The programme should be in place by 1999.

  Higher Still—a new system of qualifications and assessment—will also contribute to improvement. Higher Still will be introduced in Scottish secondary schools and in further education colleges in 1999. It will replace the existing system of Highers, National Certificates, GSVQs and Certificates of Sixth Year Studies with a single system covering vocational and general education and offering courses at five different levels. This will provide better continuity and progression for all students and will play an important role in raising standards. Group awards will be available to encourage coherent programmes of study and set benchmarks for overall attainment and competence in the core skills—information technology, numeracy, communication, problem solving skills and working with others.

  Local Enterprise Agencies
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to change the role of local enterprise agencies. [17119]

  Mr. Wilson
  The role of the local enterprise companies will take account of the strategies of Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

  The local enterprise companies will also have a major role to play in the delivery of the New Deal.

  Further Education
  Mrs. Ray Michie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many students from Argyll and Bute(a) attended full-time undergraduate education at universities or equivalent bodies, (b) attended full-time education as mature students and (c) were in receipt of further education awards in the last year for which figures are available. [17599]

  Mr. Wilson
  Data on the number of undergraduates studying full-time in Scottish Higher Education Institutions are available only on the basis of the Old Regional Council boundaries and are therefore not available for Argyll and Bute. In 1995–96 there were 28,860 full-time undergraduate students in Scottish Higher Education Institutions from the Strathclyde Region.

  The number of mature entrants studying full-time in Scottish Higher Education Institutions from Argyll and bute in 1995–96 is also not available. The number of mature entrants from the Strathclyde Region in 1995–96 was 2,491.

  The number of mature entrants studying full-time in Scottish Further Education Colleges is set out in the table.
  156

  Mature1 entrants studying full-time in Scotland

  Argyll and Bute

  Strathclyde

  Higher Education Undergraduate2 Entrants in Further Education Colleges

  45

  3,920

  Further Education Entrants in Further Education Colleges

  61

  4,298

  1Mature entrants are aged 21 years and over.

  2Undergraduate includes first degree and other higher education qualifications.

  Around 150 students from Argyll and Bute (around 8,500 from Strathclyde) received local authority bursaries for further education courses in 1995–96.

  University Students
  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what Percentage of students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland starting undergraduate courses at Scottish universities for each of the last four years were given direct entry into the second year. [17844]

  Mr. Wilson
  [holding answer 27 November 1997]: Figures for the last three years are shown in the table below. Figures on a consistent basis are not available for 1993–94.

  Proportion of all undergraduate entrants to Scottish Higher Education Institutions entering directly to the second year of their course

  Per cent.

  1994–95

  1995–96

  11996–97

  Students from:

  England

  11

  8

  6

  Wales

  14

  7

  7

  Northern Ireland

  12

  11

  7

  1 Figures for 1996–97 are provisional.

  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what Percentage of degree courses at Scottish universities allow for direct entry for(a) A-level, (b) CSYS and (c) HNC/HND students to the second year of the course. [17845]

  Mr. Wilson
  [holding answer 27 November 1997]: This information is not held centrally. The report of the Scottish Standing Committee of the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education noted that this was a matter for individual institutions, and recommended that Scottish Higher Education Institutions examine the scope for a greater proportion of students to enter directly into the second year.

  Student Tuition Fees
  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assistance will be given to students beginning courses in 1998 lasting longer than four years towards their tuition fees for the additional years. [17846]
  157
  Mr. Wilson
  [holding answer 27 November 1997]: Eligible Scottish domiciled students will not be required to pay the £1,000 tuition fee for the final year of any degree course where that course is one year longer than the comparable course offered at institutions in England and Wales.

  In addition, eligible Scottish domiciled medical and dental students will be relieved of paying the £1,000 tuition fee for the fifth and subsequent years of their courses. They will thus be on equal footing with their counterparts domiciled elsewhere in the UK.

  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will ensure that the means test level for the payment of full tuition fees is the same in Scotland as in England. [17851]

  Mr. Wilson
  [holding answer 27 November 1997]: Yes.

  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to offer loans to students to cover the cost of their tuition fees; and if he will make a statement. [17852]

  Mr. Wilson
  [holding answer 27 November 1997]: On 23 July, the Government announced that new students commencing higher education from 1998–99 onwards will be liable to contribute up to £1,000 towards their tuition, and that maintenance grants and the current loan arrangements will be replaced by loans on income contingent repayment terms. Loans will not be available specifically to cover tuition fees. However, for those students who are liable to contribute toward the costs of tuition, their entitlement to loans will be increased to ensure that no student has access to less funds for maintenance under the new system than they would have had under the existing system. This arrangement is the same in Scotland, as elsewhere in the UK.

  School Transport
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what guidance he has recently issued to Scottish local authorities regarding their duties to provide school transport for pupils under the Education Acts; and what plans he has to review that guidance. [17205]

  Mr. Wilson
  [holding answer 1 December 1997]: Guidance on the statutory duties and powers of local authorities on the provision of school transport was contained in The Scottish Office Education Department Circular No. 5/95, issued on 24 May 1995; The Scottish Office Development Department Circular No. 17/1996, issued on 30 April 1996 and The Scottish Office Education and Industry Department Circular No. 8/96, issued on 19 September 1996. My right hon. Friend has no plans to review that guidance.

  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list those Scottish local authorities which currently provide a level of school transportation beyond that required in the Education Acts. [17207]

  Mr. Wilson
  [holding answer 1 December 1997]: Education authorities have a statutory duty under section
  158
  51 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 to provide school transport as they consider necessary. This gives them wide discretion to take account of individual circumstances in each case. The Table below indicates the criteria used by each education authority in school session 1996–97 in determining provision of free transport or transport facilities. Information for 1997–98 school session is not yet available. In addition, all authorities provided free transport for children with special educational needs, and almost all authorities took account of medical and personal circumstances or hazardous road conditions to provide transport in individual cases.

  Education authority

  Distance criteria applied

  Aberdeen City

  2 miles (Primary) 3 miles (Secondary)

  Aberdeenshire

  1 mile (Primary) 2 miles (Secondary)

  Angus

  2 miles (Primary) 3 miles (Secondary)

  Argyll and Bute

  Statutory walking distance

  Clackmannanshire

  1 mile (under 8) 2 miles (8 and over)

  Dumfries and Galloway

  Statutory walking distance

  Dundee City

  Statutory walking distance

  East Ayrshire

  Statutory walking distance

  East Dunbartonshire

  1 mile (Primary) 2 miles (Secondary)

  East Lothian

  2 miles all pupils

  East Renfrewshire

  1 mile (Primary) 2 miles (Secondary)

  Edinburgh City

  Statutory walking distance

  Falkirk

  1 mile (under 8) 2 miles (8 and over)

  Fife

  1 mile (Primary) 2 miles (Secondary)

  Glasgow City

  1 mile (Primary) 2 miles (Secondary)

  Highland

  Statutory walking distance

  Inverclyde

  Statutory walking distance

  Midlothian

  Statutory walking distance

  Moray

  2 miles all pupils

  North Ayrshire

  Statutory walking distance

  North Lanarkshire

  1 mile (Primary) 2 miles (Secondary)

  Orkney Islands

  1 mile all pupils in Winter and Easter terms

  Perth and Kinross

  Statutory walking distance

  Renfrewshire

  Less than the statutory walking distance (but not specified)

  Scottish Borders

  2 miles (Primary) 3 miles (Secondary)

  Shetland Islands

  1½ miles in Winter months

  South Ayrshire

  1 mile (Primary) 2 miles (Secondary)

  South Lanarkshire

  1 mile (Primary) 2 miles (Secondary)

  Stirling

  1 mile (under 8) 2 miles (8 and over)

  West Dunbartonshire

  Less than the statutory walking distance (but not specified)

  West Lothian

  2 miles (Primary) 3 miles (Secondary)

  Western Isles

  1 mile all pupils

  The statutory walking distance is defined under section 42(4) of The Education (Scotland) Act 1980 as being two miles for pupils under eight years of age and three miles for all other pupils. The statutory walking distance is defined for the purposes of reasonable excuse, i.e., it is considered a reasonable excuse for parents not to send their children to their designated school if no arrangements are made for them under section 51 of the 1980 Act. Section 51 does not itself set any distance beyond which transport should be provided.

  Non-domestic Rates
  Mr. Ernie Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the non-domestic rate poundage for Scotland will be in 1998–99. [19209]

  Mr. Dewar
  It will be 47.4p, the same as in England.

  New Deal
  Mr. Browne
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to allow local flexibility in the implementation of the New Deal. [17107]

  Mr. Wilson
  There will be significant flexibility within the overall national New Deal framework which allows for local solutions and partnerships which reflect local circumstances. Flexibility is therefore a prominent feature of the process.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Export Licences
  Mr. Redwood
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many export licence applications are currently awaiting determination at the Department of Trade and Industry. [16142]

  Mrs. Beckett
  [holding answer 14 November 1997]: Licences to export strategic goods are issued by the President of the Board of Trade and the Export Control Organisation (ECO) of my department is the licensing authority. The ECO circulates all relevant individual licence applications to other Government Departments with an interest, as determined by them in line with their policy responsibilities. The Departments from which advice is sought include the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Ministry of Defence and the Department for International Development.

  ECO management data on the processing of licence applications are compiled on the basis of four-week periods. At 17 October 1997, a total of 2,184 applications were awaiting a decision; these applications comprised applications for new standard or open individual licences to export strategic goods and applications for the renewal or amendment of existing individual licences. This compares with 2,085 outstanding applications at the end of October 1996. ECO is also the licensing authority for goods whose export is only controlled because of UN trade sanctions but data on the number of applications awaiting a decision are not compiled as most decisions are subject to UN authorisation, which can take some time.

  Recommended Retail Prices
  Mr. Redwood
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is her Department's policy on the recommended retail prices for(a) newspapers, (b) books and (c) pharmaceutical products. [17558]

  Mrs. Beckett
  [holding answer 24 November 1997]: Recommended retail prices are not contrary to competition law unless specifically proscribed. They have not been proscribed for these products.

  Amsterdam Treaty
  Mr. Streeter
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if her Department will undertake a study of potential costs to business of proposals contained in the final text of the Treaty of Amsterdam as concerns the(a) competitiveness of British industry and (b) foreign inward investment; and if she will make a statement. [17079]
  160
  Mrs. Beckett
  [holding answer 24 November 1997]: The Amsterdam Treaty represents a very satisfactory outcome for the UK. My Department will not undertake a separate study of potential costs of the Treaty but of course any legislative proposals consequential of the adoption of the treaty will be assessed carefully in terms of costs and benefits to business.

  Power Generation
  Mr. Redwood
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many new(a) gas-fired power stations and (b) other types of power station are awaiting licence determination at her Department; and what total capacity they represent. [18324]

  Mrs. Beckett
  Of the 28 applications currently before the Department;

  (i) 22 relate to new gas fired stations (CCGT and CHP) totalling 8.2 GW of new capacity;

  (ii) 5 relate to dual firing with gas of existing coal or oil power stations using 5.9 GW of existing capacity;

  (iii) 1 relates to a windfarm.

  Coal Industry
  Mr. Redwood
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plan she has to increase regional aid in areas affected by coal closures. [17957]

  Mrs. Beckett
  [holding answer 27 November 1997]: The Government recognise that communities hit by pit closures face distinctive problems. We have therefore established a Coalfield Task Force which will identify and develop a programme of action to assist coal closure areas.

  Mr. Redwood
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what tonnage of coal she estimates is displaced by a 1,200 MW gas-fired power station. [18042]

  Mrs. Beckett
  [holding answer 27 November 1997]: The impact of a new gas fire station will depend on its mode of operation, the competitive position of other stations and the level of demand that is required to be met. If run at baseload a 1,200 MW station might generate some 8–9 TWh of electricity per year. If it were fully to displace a coal fired station also running at baseload, as would have been the case for new plant five years ago when a substantial amount of coal fired plant ran at baseload, it would be likely to displace about 3.5 million tonnes of coal per year.

  In today's market place displacement may be less than this if, as is possible, the new plant now displaces other plant rather than coal. Such impacts are complex and cannot now be more precisely assessed.

  Funeral Industry
  Mr. Chidgey
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to her Answer of 19 November 1997,Official Report, column 192, if she will list (a) the possible options for consumer protection which the Minister for Competition and Consumer Affairs has discussed with the Director General of Fair Trading regarding pre-paid funerals and (b) the actions further to protect consumers which she is discussing with Treasury ministers; and if she will make a statement. [18038]
  161
  Mr. Nigel Griffiths
  [holding answer 27 November 1997]: I have discussed a number of options with the Director-General of Fair Trading, and with Treasury Ministers.

  There are two possible approaches to this issue. One would be to introduce a completely new regulatory regime, for the pre-paid funerals sector. The other involves bringing pre-paid funerals under an existing regulatory regime. Whichever approach is chosen, our objectives are to ensure that there will be sufficient financial provision available so that those consumers who have purchased their funerals in advance get the funerals for which they have paid, and to address the questions of transparency in marketing practices. Consideration of the various options is continuing at official level. It would be premature to make any further statement at this stage.

  Post Office Closures
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many(a) main post offices and (b) sub-post offices have been closed in each of the last three years in the United Kingdom. [18167]

  Mr. Ian McCartney
  I understand from the Post Office that closures of post offices in the United Kingdom in the last three financial years have been as follows:

  Main post offices closed

  Main post offices converted to agency status

  sub-post offices closed

  1994–95

  —

  101

  115

  1995–96

  —

  46

  193

  1996–97

  —

  47

  163

  The numbers of sub-post offices closed are net of new openings.

  Toys (Safety)
  Mr. Baker
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment she has made of(a) the levels of phthalates present in children's toys on sale in the United Kingdom and (b) the level of danger these may present to children; and if she will make a statement. [17781]

  Mr. Nigel Griffiths
  [holding answer 27 November 1997]: The DTI is at present carrying out research to develop procedures for testing the levels of exposure to phthalates from PVC toys in the light of criticism of current European guidance test methods, which show no evidence that Tolerable Daily Intakes (TDIs) are being exceeded. I am advised that the concentration of phthalates in children's toys is not a satisfactory indication of the exposure of children to these chemicals. This can be assessed by determining the migration of phthalates from these products. The Department of Health has advised, in the light of the most recent research conducted on phthalates, that there are unlikely to be any health risks to children from phthalates in toys and teething rings provided that exposure does not exceed the relevant TDIs for phthalates set by the EC Scientific Committee for Food. This advice takes account of all available information on the possible effects of phthalates, including recent studies concerning oestrogenic activity.
  162
  Mr. Baker
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will ban the sale of toys containing cyclobutanone. [17920]

  Mr. Nigel Griffiths
  [holding answer 28 November 1997]: 1 have no plans to do so. I am advised that cyclobutanone does not appear to be used to any great extent, if at all, in toy production. The essential safety requirements in the Toy (Safety) Regulations 1989 requires toy manufactures to supply toys that are safe when used as intended to be used or in a foreseeable way. Any chemical used in toys must comply with this requirement.

  Minimum Wage
  Jacqui Smith
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the current level of the minimum wage in EU countries, the USA and Japan in pounds sterling per hour, calculated in current exchange rates. [18567]

  Mr. Ian McCartney
  My Department does not systematically collect information on all countries. What information is available, is set out in the following table:

  1997 local currency minimum wages in selected countries and their pounds sterling hourly equivaent converted at current exchange rates

  Country

  Local currency rate1

  £ equivalent at 31 October 1997 current rate

  Belgium

  44,185 Belgian Francs per month

  24.61

  France

  39.43 French Francs per hour

  4.02

  Greece

  5,746–6,321 Drachma per day

  31.61–1.77

  Luxembourg

  46,275–55,520 Luxembourg Francs per month

  24.33–5.79

  Netherlands

  2,243 Guilders per month

  24.29

  Portugal

  56,700 Escudo per month

  21.20

  Spain

  2,221 Pesetas per day

  31.16

  USA

  5.15 Dollars per hour

  3.17

  Japan

  4,521–5,252 Yen per day

  32.99–3.48

  1 Local currency minimum wages as known at 28 July 1997. The definition of the minimum wage varies across countries. Also, exemptions may apply for some workers and different rates may apply for youth workers.

  2 Monthly rate converted to hourly rate assuming employees work 39 hour week for 49 weeks in the year.

  3 Daily rate converted to hourly rate assuming employees work 7¾ hours per day.

  Mr. Chidgey
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations she has received on the potential for a national minimum wage to result in wage inflation. [18104]

  Mr. Ian McCartney
  I have received a number of representations which referred to the possible effects of the National Minimum Wage, including the impact on wage inflation.

  Mr. Chidgey
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what advice she has sought and from whom on the advantages and disadvantages of establishing a regionally varied minimum wage based on the precedents established by the wages councils. [18103]
  163
  Mr. Ian McCartney
  From 1986 to their abolition in 1993 each Wages Council, in fact, set a single minimum basic hourly rate, which applied to all adult workers covered. The Low Pay Commission will take into account regional concerns expressed in the evidence it receives when formulating its recommendation on a single national minimum rate.

  Mr. Chidgey
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations have been made to the Low Pay Commission calling for the introduction of a regionally varied minimum wage; and how many of these called for a regionally varied minimum wage based on precedents established by the wages councils. [18102]

  Mr. Ian McCartney
  The Low Pay Commission is an independent body. The representations it receives are a matter for the Commission.

  Part-time Workers
  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what changes she has introduced to the conditions governing part-time workers in the United Kingdom since May; and if she will make a statement. [18409]

  Mr. Ian McCartney
  The Government have accepted the Social Chapter which will mean that part time and full time workers in the UK will be able to benefit from its measures. We have undertaken to implement the Part Time Work Directive once it has been agreed by the other member states. This will prohibit less favourable treatment of part-timers and promote part-time job opportunities. It will thus contribute to the flexible organisation of work while at the same time ensuring that part-timers receive the same contractual and statutory benefits as full-timers.

  Low Pay
  Mr. Chidgey
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will list, by regions defined by the boundaries of the regional government offices, the lowest hourly rate paid by her Department to(a) full-time employees, (b) part-time employees, (c) persons employed under personal contract and (d) persons employed by firms undertaking contracted-out services for central government offices, defining the job title in each case. [18110]

  Mr. Ian McCartney
  In London, the lowest rate paid by the Department is £5.16 an hour. £3.84 per hour is the lowest hourly rate paid by the Department in all other English regions and Scotland. In Wales, the lowest hourly rate of pay is £3.70 in a Departmental Agency where a pay award is pending.

  These rates apply to all staff at the relevant level directly employed by the Department. Staff at this level do a variety of jobs including filing and photocopying.

  Rates of pay for persons employed by firms undertaking contracted out services are a matter for the companies concerned.

  Plutonium
  Mr. Coaker
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will published the international guidelines on the management of civil plutonium. [19121]
  164
  Mr. Battle
  I have today placed in the Library of the House a copy of a document recently agreed among an informal group of nine countries, including the United Kingdom, entitled "Guidelines for the Management of Civil Plutonium". The UK has informed the International Atomic Energy Agency of its intention to adopt these guidelines.

  The background to the guidelines has been a general wish by some countries to improve transparency and public confidence in the management of national holdings of civil plutonium. Agreement was reached in the informal group, comprising the United Kingdom, the United States, China, Russia, France, Germany, Japan, Belgium and Switzerland, to publish guidelines that would provide an internationally-accepted framework for the management of civil plutonium. Under the guidelines, participating countries accept a new commitment to publish occasional statements explaining their national strategies for nuclear power and the nuclear fuel cycle, and, against that background, their general plans for managing national holdings of plutonium, together with annual figures for their holdings of unirradiated plutonium and of plutonium contained in spent fuel as at the end of each calendar year.

  The UK has for the past 11 years published information on its national holdings of civil plutonium annually as at 31 March. In keeping with the guidelines, the UK will in future be publishing such information annually as at 31 December, as this will facilitate international comparisons on a consistent basis.

  I have also today placed in the Library of the House a copy of the first set of figures for the UK under the new format showing national holdings as at 31 December 1996. Figures for our holdings as at 31 December 1997 will be published in June 1998.

  Training and Enterprise Councils
  Mr. Cotter
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps are taken to ensure that money intended for training which is routed through TECs is used for the correct purposes. [16529]

  Dr. Howells
  I have been asked to reply.

  The primary responsibility for ensuring that public money is properly protected rests with TECs. The Permanent Secretary wrote on 23 October to all TEC Chairs to emphasise the importance of good financial controls between TECs and their training providers. Additionally the newly established Training Inspectorate will assess the quality of training provision right at the point of delivery.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

  Departmental Information
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will place in the library a copy of the internal departmental guidance on the dissemination of information; and if he will make a statement. [16294]

  Mr. Kilfoyle
  A revised version of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information was published by the Office of Public Service in January 1997.
  165
  I have made arrangements for copies of internal departmental guidance issued in February 1997 to the members of staff within the Cabinet Office and Office of Public Service to be placed in the libraries of the House.

CABINET OFFICE

  Millennium Experience
  Mr. Maude
  To ask the Minister without Portfolio if he will make a statement on the role of Sir Cameron Mackintosh in the Millennium Experience exhibition, indicating his remuneration. [16766]

  Mr. Mandelson
  Sir Cameron Mackintosh agreed, in June 1997, to advise the New Millennium Experience Company in respect of the arena show. He agreed to do this without remuneration.

  Mr. Maude
  To ask the Minister without Portfolio if he will ensure that no(a) members of the Board and (b) other employees of the New Millennium Experience Company benefit financially from contracts made by the company. [16765]

  Mr. Mandelson
  The New Millennium Experience Company is incorporated under the Companies Act and its Board members are subject to the duties of directors under company law. Additionally, all Chairman and Members of the Boards of non-departmental public bodies, a status applying to the NMEC, are required to comply with the requirements of the "Code of Best Practice for Board Members of Public Bodies" which was published following the 1992 Cadbury Report.

  The NMEC Board operates under statutory requirements and best practice in respect of all its business, including contract decisions. I am confident that the individuals involved and the systems in place ensure that there is no room for personal financial benefit from the award of contracts.

  As regards employees, the NMEC's Employee Handbook is an extension of terms and conditions of employment and precludes any financial gain of this kind. Contravention of these provisions would represent gross misconduct and could lead to dismissal.

  Mr. Maude
  To ask the Minister without Portfolio if the Advisory Committee on Advertising was consulted over the appointment of M and C Saatchi in respect of the Millennium Experience. [16764]

  Mr. Mandelson
  No.

  Mr. Maude
  To ask the Minister without Portfolio how long advertising agencies were given to tender for the New Millennium Experience Company contract; and what factors governed the length of the consultation period. [16763]

  Mr. Mandelson
  There were 43 calendar days between the date of the advertisement in the Official Journal of the European Communities and the submission of bids. Interested companies were given 10 days within which to submit a request to pre-qualify. This request had only to contain standard corporate information—company profile, management structure and responsibilities, CVs for lead personnel and other staff, case histories of three projects of similar or analogous nature, scope of services, turnover
  166
  and billings for the previous three years and the forecast for 1997, and experience of previous work for Government and other public sector bodies.

  Following six days of consideration of the requests to pre-qualify, NMEC shortlisted those companies it considered should be invited to tender (ITT) and invitations were issued. The shortlisted companies were required to respond to the ITT with bids within 27 days.

  These procedures were pursued in accordance with domestic and European regulations governing open competitive tendering. Under European procurement rules accelerated procedures can be undertaken. With the agreement of Treasury Solicitor the NMEC adopted accelerated procedures for the communications contract because of the urgency arising from need to prepare for the launch of the Millennium Experience's National Programme.

  Mr. Maude
  To ask the Minister without Portfolio when the New Millennium Experience Company appointed M and C Saatchi to conduct its advertising. [16762]

  Mr. Mandelson
  The New Millennium Experience Company announced the appointment of M and C Saatchi on 22 August to develop and implement an integrated communications campaign including advertising, having received approval from the Millennium Commission on 21 August.

  Mr. Maude
  To ask the Minister without Portfolio what is the role of(a) Mr. Bill Muirhead and (b) Mr. Jeremy Sinclair in the New Millennium Experience Company; what is their remuneration; when each was appointed; and what role they played in the appointment of M and C Saatchi as the advertising agency for the company. [16761]

  Mr. Mandelson
  Neither Bill Muirhead nor Jeremy Sinclair has a role in the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC). They currently receive not remuneration from NMEC nor have they received any in the past. Mr. Muirhead and Mr. Sinclair assisted the Company (then called Millennium Central Ltd.) on a part-time basis as acting, unpaid communications advisers until June 1997 when they stood down from the role. Neither took any part in the competitive tendering process—from drawing up and preparing the brief, to selecting a communications advertising agency.

  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Minister without Portfolio when the Millennium Dome is scheduled for completion; and when the Millennium Experience will be fully operational. [16971]

  Mr. Mandelson
  The construction of the Millennium Dome is scheduled for completion in September 1998. The Experience will open on 31 December 1999.

  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Minister without Portfolio what compensation has been paid to the original contractor for the supply of the covering of the Millennium Dome. [17525]

  Mr. Mandelson
  None. Negotiations between the New Millennium Company and the contractor under the terms of the original contract are continuing.
  167
  Mr. Maude
  To ask the Minister without Portfolio what contingency plans he has made in respect of the Millennium Experience for the possibility that the Jubilee Line might not be fully operational by January 2000. [17590]

  Mr. Mandelson
  London Underground Ltd. have assured me that the Jubilee Line Extension will be able to cope with the number of visitors anticipated by the New Millennium Experience and that it will be open in good time to do so.

TREASURY

  Tax and National Insurance Revenue
  Helen Jones
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimates he has made of the average tax and national insurance revenue generated each year by(a) a full-time job and (b) a part-time job. [16895]

  Dawn Primarolo
  [holding answer 20 November 1997]: In 1995–96, the latest financial year for which final receipts are available, the total revenue for income tax was £68,049 million and the total number of income tax payers was 25.8 million, giving an average income tax contribution of £2,640 per annum. The total revenue from national insurance contributions in 1994–95, the latest year for which the number of people paying contributions is available, was £37,863 million and the total number of people who paid contributions was 24.2 million, giving an average national insurance contribution of £1,565. It is not recorded whether these contributions were for full or part-time work.

  Mr. Webb
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 13 November 1997,Official Report, columns 620–21, what would be the effect on the number of people of working age who face combined marginal rates of withdrawal of tax, national insurance contributions and means-tested benefits of (a) under 50 per cent., (b) 50 to 59 per cent., (c) 60 to 69 per cent., (d) 70 to 79 per cent., (e) 80 to 89 per cent. and (f) 90 per cent. or above of introducing a 10 pence starting rate of income tax on (i) the first £1,000, (ii) the first £1,500 and (iii) the first £2,000 of taxable income if no other changes were made to the tax and benefit system. [16900]

  Dawn Primarolo
  [holding answer 20 November 1997]: As the Chancellor has made clear, the Government are determined that the working poor should benefit from any move to a 10p income tax rate. They are therefore considering what action is necessary on tapers and other features of the benefit system to ensure that a lower starting rate of income tax benefits all the low-paid.

  Mr. Jack
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if tax payers on the basic or higher rates of tax will benefit fully from the reduction in tax to be paid upon the introduction of a 10p starting rate of tax. [18412]

  Dawn Primarolo
  [holding answer 1 December 1997]: When the Chancellor introduces a 10p rate of tax, anyone whose starting rate of tax becomes 10p will benefit from its introduction.

  Economic and Monetary Union
  Mr. Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the regulatory authorities responsible for the licensing and operation of banks and credit institutions in the even of UK entry to EMU. [17523]

  Mrs. Liddell
  The regulatory authorities responsible for authorising banks and other credit institutions would not change in the event of the UK joining the single currency.

  Harmful Tax Competition
  Mr. Gibb
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 19 November 1997,Official Report, column 235, what his policy on the use of the veto on the EU Commission's proposals on "A Package to Tackle Harmful Tax Competition" (COM (97) 564). [17584]

  Dawn Primarolo
  [holding answer 24 November 1997]: Direct taxation is primarily a matter for Member States at national level. Proposals for action at the Community level, including those in the Commission's Communication on harmful Tax Competition (COM (97) 564) are considered on their own merits, but must respect the principles of subsidiarity and unanimity.

  Labour Market Statistics
  Mrs. Ballard
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what conclusions the Office for National Statistics has reached on the presentation of labour market statistics. [18027]

  Mrs. Liddell
  The information falls within the responsibility of the Chief Executive of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from Tim Holt to Mrs. Jackie Ballard, dated December 1997:
  The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me to reply, as the Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), to your recent question on the presentation of labour market statistics.
  In the summer, ONS launched a wide-ranging public consultation about the future of labour market statistics. The results of the consultation were published in October's edition of the ONS publication Labour Market Trends, a copy of which is available in the House of Commons Library.
  As the Director of ONS I am responsible for deciding the form, coverage and timing of release of ONS statistics. I expect to make an announcement about ONS proposals for labour market statistics early in the New Year.

  Pension Funds
  Sir Richard Body
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on the use of interest on European Community pension funds to finance Community activities. [18490]

  Mrs. Liddell
  None. The pension scheme for staff of the Community Institutions is unfunded, so there is no accumulated fund earning interest. Payments are charged against the Community Budget, and contributions are treated as revenue, as they occur.

  Unemployment
  Mr. Willetts
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will provide a breakdown of the 20 per cent. of working age households who are not working into households made up of(a) students and trainees, (b) disabled people, (c) couples where one person is a pensioner, (d) single parents and (e) others. [18513]

  Mrs. Liddell
  [holding answer 1 December 1997]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Chief Executive of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from Tim Hill to Mr. David Willetts, dated 2 December 1997:
  The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me to reply, as Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), to your recent question asking for a breakdown of workless households into various categories including disabled people.
  Regrettably, I am unable to reply immediately because the data concerning disabled people are not yet available.
  The focus and number of questions in the health and disability module of the Labour Force Survey (LFS) questionnaire changed in spring 1997 to reflect the provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. As with any significant change in a part of the survey, the results needed to be evaluated before the data could be released. This review is now complete and the data will be publicly available from 17 December.
  The new module has introduced a sizeable discontinuity which makes comparisons with earlier periods unsuitable. This is why it would not be appropriate to answer the question with data from the previous quarter (Winter 1996–97).
  I will write to you again after these data are publicly released.

  Funeral Industry
  Mr. Chidgey
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the number of permanent jobs in the United Kingdom that are(a) directly and (b) indirectly related to the funeral industry. [18294]

  Mrs. Liddell
  [holding answer 1 December 1997]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Chief Executive of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from Tim Holt to Mr. David Chidgey, dated 2 December 1997:
  The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me to reply, as the Director of the Office for National Statistics, to your recent question on direct and indirect employment in the funeral industry.
  Information from the Annual Employment Survey show there were 15,200 employees in funeral and related activities in Great Britain at September 1996.
  No information is available identifying the number of these jobs which are permanent, nor other jobs indirectly related to the funeral industry.

  Low Pay
  Mr. Pond
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list for April 1997 the number and proportion of manual, non-manual and all full-time employees on adult rates earning less than(a) £174.85, (b) £233.13 and (c) £249.97 per week excluding overtime for (i) men, (ii) women and (iii) both sexes for (1) each county and unitary authority in England, (2) each unitary authority in Wales, (3) each London borough, (4) each unitary
  170
  authority in Scotland, (5) Great Britain as a whole, (6) England as a whole and (7) each Government office region. [18277]

  Mrs. Liddell
  The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Chief Executive of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from Tim Holt to Mr. Chris Pond, dated 2 December 1997:
  The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me to reply, as the Director of the Office for National Statistics, to your recent question on earnings.
  The available information, from the New Earnings Survey April 1997, is given in the attached tables. These tables are voluminous and copies of them are being placed in the Library of the House rather than reproduced in Hansard.

  Mr. Chidgey
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list, by regions defined by the boundaries of the regional government offices, the lowest hourly rate paid by his Department to(a) full-time employees, (b) part-time employees, (c) persons employed under personal contract and (d) persons employed by firms undertaking contracted-out services for central government offices, defining the job title in each case. [18109]

  Mrs. Liddell
  The Treasury has no offices outside central London. The lowest hourly rates paid to full-time, part-time and short-term appointment employees are as follows:

  Lowest hourly rates in £s

  Full-time employees

  5.47

  Part-time employees

  5.95

  Short-term appointments1

  4.34

  1 Staff on fixed-term appointments and casual staff who are appointed on short-term contracts for periods of up to 12 months.

  The rates above are paid to a small number of staff most of whom are engaged on clerical and administrative support work.

  The hourly rates for staff employed by firms undertaking contracted out services for the department are a matter for the companies concerned.

  Mr. Chidgey
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many employees in each of the regions defined by the boundaries of the regional government offices are paid an hourly rate of(a) less than £1.50, (b) between £1.50 and £2, (c) between £2 and £2.50, (d) between £2.50 and £3 and (e) between £3 and £3.50. [18105]

  Mrs. Liddell
  The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Chief Executive of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from Tim Holt to Mr. David Chidgey, dated 2 December 1997:
  The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me to reply, as the Director of the Office for National Statistics, to your recent question on earnings.
  The available information, from the New Earnings Survey April 1997, is given in the attached table.
  171

  Percentage of people with an hourly rate (excluding overtime)

  Government Office Region

  Less than £1.50

  Between £1.50 and £2

  Between £2 and £2.50

  Between £2.50 and £3

  Between £3 and £3.50

  North East Region

  0.2

  0.3

  0.7

  1.3

  5.9

  North West Region

  0.2

  0.3

  0.5

  1.1

  4.6

  Merseyside Region

  0.1

  0.1

  0.1

  1.7

  4.5

  Yorkshire and The Humber Region

  0.3

  0.4

  0.5

  1.3

  5.2

  East Midlands Region

  0.2

  0.3

  0.3

  1.5

  4.4

  West Midlands Region

  0.3

  0.4

  0.6

  1.4

  4.3

  South West Region

  0.4

  0.3

  0.4

  1.3

  4.4

  Eastern Region

  0.3

  0.3

  0.5

  1.1

  3.3

  London

  0.2

  0.1

  0.3

  0.5

  1.4

  South East Region

  0.3

  0.4

  0.5

  0.8

  2.8

  Wales

  0.3

  0.3

  0.5

  1.3

  5.1

  Scotland

  0.3

  0.5

  0.5

  1.1

  4.3

  Notes:

  Wage ranges per hour are constructed thus: between £1.50 and £2 means equal to, or greater than £1.50 but less than £2 per hour and so on throughout the distribution.

  All employees on adult rates, whose pay for the survey pay period was unaffected by absence.

  Source:

  New Earnings Survey, April 1997 (GB).

  Exchange Rate
  Mr. Gill
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the benefits of linking sterling to the US dollar. [18840]

  Mrs. Liddell
  No.

DEFENCE

  Espionage
  Mr. Alan Johnson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will establish an inquiry into the role of officials in advising Ministers about the use of Hull trawlers for espionage and counter-espionage. [16688]

  Dr. Reid
  I do not believe this is necessary.

  Mr. Alan Johnson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the use of trawlers for espionage and counter-espionage in the late 1960s and 1970s. [16690]

  Dr. Reid
  A very limited number of trawlers assisted the Government in specific intelligence gathering in the 1960s and early 1970s.

  At the time there was also a scheme whereby Royal Navy officers gained sea going experience in merchant ships, including deep sea trawlers. All RN personnel were encouraged to report back any opportunity sightings of interest, as indeed were the trawlermen themselves.

  Animal Experiments
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many procedures resulting in the deaths of animals carried out(a) at Potion Down and (b) elsewhere in the last five years were undertaken on behalf of (i) other countries and (ii) other EU countries; [17618]

  (2) how many procedures on animals carried out at (a) Porton Down and (b) elsewhere, have resulted in the deaths of (i) rodents, (ii) pigs and (iii) monkeys and apes in each of the last five years; and what estimate he has made of these figures for each of the next five years; [17617]
  172
  (3) what is his estimate of the numbers of procedures on animals carried out at (a) Porton Down and (b) elsewhere, that will result in the deaths of animals in each of the next 10 years. [17619]

  Mr. Spellar
  [holding answer 25 November 1997]: This is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA). I have asked the Chief Executive to write to my hon. Friend.

  Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 2 December 1997:
  I have been asked to reply to your three recent questions requesting information on the numbers of procedures on animals carried out at Porton Down and elsewhere which result in the death of the animals. I am answering all three questions in this letter.
  You asked how many procedures resulting in the death of animals are likely to take place in the next ten years. It is not possible to predict the number of such procedures as the size of the programme is based on MOD's research requirements which are reassessed on a yearly basis. However, as Chief Executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) which carries out most of this work, I can predict that procedures on animals may well increase in the short term as DERA scientists at Porton Down are involved in a continuing programme to develop more effective protection against biological weapons.
  You also requested the numbers of procedures which have resulted in the deaths of rodents, pigs and monkeys for the past five years. The number of procedures involving these species carried out by DERA at Porton Down, which undertakes most of this work for the MOD, during each of the last five years are listed in the table below.

  Year

  Rodents

  Pigs

  Monkeys

  1992

  3,791

  132

  72

  1993

  5,976

  109

  36

  1994

  6,844

  102

  17

  1995

  8,112

  48

  17

  1996

  10,129

  48

  14

  Information on the number of procedures resulting in the deaths of such animals as a result of research conducted elsewhere is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
  It is not possible to predict the numbers of deaths for the next five years for the reason given above.

  173
  All animals are disposed of humanely using an approved method under Schedule I of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 at the end of procedures in accordance with the specific Home Office licences.
  Your third question asked about procedures on animals undertaken on behalf of other countries, including EU countries during the last five years. DERA has not undertaken any research projects on behalf of other countries in the last five years which have involved the use of animals.
  DERA does, however, take part in collaborative research programmes which involve a sharing of data from experiments.. This can prevent the duplication of experiments and may well help reduce the numbers of animals used in defence research.
  I hope this is helpful.

  Mr. Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many animals were used in experiments carried out at Porton Down in each year since 1967(a) in total, (b) by species and (c) by category of experiments. [17919]

  Guinea

  Non-human

  Year

  Dog

  Pig

  Hamster

  Horse

  Mouse

  Pig

  Rabbit

  Rat

  Goat

  Sheep

  Cattle

  Chick

  primate

  1Other

  Total

  1980

  49

  8,012

  0

  0

  5,318

  74

  469

  3,619

  0

  28

  0

  0

  199

  3

  17,771

  1981

  90

  7,078

  0

  0

  7,916

  90

  207

  1,670

  0

  20

  0

  0

  137

  15

  17,223

  1982

  193

  7,718

  0

  0

  3,783

  71

  204

  1,107

  0

  28

  0

  0

  145

  181

  13,430

  1983

  167

  6,488

  0

  0

  952

  75

  135

  1,249

  0

  71

  0

  0

  186

  148

  9,471

  1984

  99

  4,833

  0

  0

  2,530

  93

  172

  2,529

  0

  100

  0

  0

  277

  274

  10,907

  1985

  57

  2,007

  0

  0

  2,098

  55

  186

  1,760

  0

  105

  0

  0

  269

  40

  6,577

  1986

  31

  598

  0

  0

  1,461

  40

  282

  3,690

  0

  47

  0

  0

  249

  0

  6,398

  1987

  8

  393

  0

  7

  1,719

  25

  239

  5,602

  0

  186

  0

  0

  117

  11

  8,307

  1988

  0

  1,024

  0

  1

  962

  11

  194

  5,681

  0

  87

  1

  0

  164

  6

  8,131

  1989

  4

  804

  0

  0

  1,570

  54

  151

  6,275

  0

  92

  1

  0

  64

  2

  9,017

  1990

  0

  670

  0

  50

  2,070

  86

  126

  4,827

  70

  113

  0

  1

  80

  0

  8,093

  1991

  0

  306

  0

  46

  1,148

  102

  133

  4,190

  0

  120

  1

  2

  31

  0

  6,079

  1992

  0

  231

  0

  44

  1,319

  132

  132

  2,472

  0

  105

  0

  1

  72

  0

  4,506

  1993

  0

  354

  0

  16

  3,069

  109

  136

  2,907

  0

  70

  0

  0

  36

  0

  6,697

  1994

  0

  364

  0

  0

  4,946

  102

  16

  1,898

  0

  73

  0

  0

  17

  0

  7,416

  1995

  0

  495

  0

  0

  6,706

  48

  39

  1,406

  0

  36

  0

  0

  17

  0

  8,747

  1996

  0

  792

  42

  0

  7,701

  48

  19

  2,428

  0

  53

  0

  0

  14

  0

  11,097

  1 Includes animals not normally returned as species, e.g. ferrets and gerbils.

  Note:

  Numbers of procedures carried out on animals from 1980 to 1996, by species and year, as returned to the Home Office by CBD Sector.

  The current legislative requirements governing the use of animals in scientific experiments, the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act, came into effect in 1986. Prior to this date all non-human primates were returned to the Home Office as "monkeys". Therefore, for the period 1986–96, we have incorporated the figures for Rhesus monkeys and marmosets into "non-human primates" for comparative purposes.
  As far as the categories of experiments are concerned, it is the auspices of this Act that the categories are defined on individual project licences; prior to 1986 they were classified in a different manner. The Home Office does not require the numbers of procedures returned annually to be related to the categories stated on individual project licences. We do not, therefore, have these figures readily available and this information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
  I hope that the information we have been able to provide is helpful.

  Mr. Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what factors underlie the increase in the numbers of animal experiments carried out at Porton Down between 1992 to 1997; and if he will make it his policy to review the range of experiments undertaken with a view to reducing their number [17921]
  174
  Mr. Spellar
  [holding answer 28 November 1997]: This is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA). I have asked the Chief Executive to write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Norman Baker, dated 2 December 1997:
  As Chief Executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency which has responsibility for the Chemical and Biological Defence (CBD) Sector at Porton Down, I have been asked to respond to your question about animal experiments.
  CBD Sector has attempted to locate all of the information which you have requested. However, during the period from 1967 to 1980, records on the numbers and species of animals used for experimental work were returned to the Home Office by the individual Home Office project licence holders, and were not collated centrally. The information for this period could, therefore, only be provided at disproportionate cost. We can, however, provide data on the numbers and species of animals involved in experiments from 1980 to 1996, shown in the table below.

  Mr. Spellar
  [holding answer 28 November 1997]I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Brent, East (Mr. Livingstone) on 25 November 1997,Official Report, column 500.

  Soviet Navy
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when trawlers were last used by his Department to track and monitor the former Soviet Navy. [18530]

  Dr. Reid
  The use by the Ministry of Defence of a very limited number of fishing trawlers for specific intelligence gathering operations against the former Soviet Navy ceased in 1973.

  Territorial Army
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many(a) men and (b) women are serving in the Territorial Army. [18168]

  Dr Reid
  As at 1 October 1997(a) 45,867 men and (b) 8,386 women were serving in the TA. The figures exclude 1,394 male and 11 female Non-Regular Permanent Staff (NRPS).
  175
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Territorial Army officers there were in each of the last five years; what is the projected number for 1998; and if he will make a statement. [18364]

  Dr. Reid
  The number, or strength, of Territorial Army (TA) officers, as at 1 April in each of the last five years was as follows:

  1993: 7,272

  1994: 6,903

  1995: 6,459

  1996: 6,173

  1997: 6,131.

  The officer establishment of TA officers planned for 1 April 1998 is 6,825, but the actual strength on that date will depend largely on recruitment and retention factors.

  The Department is currently reviewing the future size and shape of the Regular and Reserve Forces as part of the on-going Strategic Defence Review.

  Armed Forces (Women)
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many women are serving in each of the United Kingdom armed forces. [18578]

  Dr. Reid
  I refer my hon. Friend to the monthly "Tri-Service Personnel Statistics", the most recent edition of which was published on 27 November 1997, a copy of which is in the Library of the House.

  Fast Jets (Servicing)
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to ensure that fast jets are serviced according to the highest standards. [18531]

  R Irish (HS FT)

  R Irish (HS PT)

  Battalion

  Establishment

  Strength

  Under-manning

  Establishment

  Strength

  Under-manning

  3 R Irish

  676

  555

  121

  563

  472

  91

  4 R Irish

  631

  516

  115

  510

  427

  83

  5 R Irish

  419

  367

  52

  326

  221

  105

  7 R Irish

  469

  414

  55

  402

  329

  73

  8 R Irish

  407

  365

  42

  320

  291

  29

  9 R Irish

  466

  413

  53

  315

  239

  76

  Total

  3,068

  2,630

  438

  2,436

  1,979

  457

  Figures as at 31 October 1997.

  Royal Yacht
  Mr. Laurence Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia. [18394]

  Mr. George Robertson
  I refer the hon. Member to the oral answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Greenock and Inverclyde (Mr. Godman) yesterday,Official Report, column 6.

  Low Pay
  Mr. Chidgey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list, by regions defined by the
  176
  Dr. Reid
  The RAF continually reviews its quality control and contracting processes to ensure that all of its aircraft are serviced in ways which meet the exacting quality standards which are required.

  Agencies (Civilian Employees)
  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many civilian employees there are within the(a) defence agencies and (b) defence executive agencies; and what is the projected number of civilian employees over the next three years. [18528]

  Mr. Spellar
  All defence agencies are Next Steps agencies and no distinction is now made between defence agencies and what were one defence executive agencies. At 1 October 1997 some 61,400 permanent and 1,400 casual full-time equivalent civilian personnel worked in defence agencies. This represented 58 per cent. of permanent and 52 per cent. of casual Ministry of Defence civilian personnel at that date. While it is anticipated that there will be a small reduction of about 5 per cent. in the overall number of civilian personnel employed by the Ministry over the next three years (including Defence agencies), no separate estimates are available for defence agencies.

  Royal Irish Regiment
  Mr. Donaldson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current(a) full-time and (b) part-time establishment of the Royal Irish Regiment broken down by battalion; and by how much each battalion is under establishment. [18488]

  Dr. Reid
  The establishment of the 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment is 611, comprising General Service soldiers only. At 31 October it was 136 under establishment.

  The information requested with regard to the six Home Service Battalions is set out in the table.

  boundaries of the regional government offices, the lowest hourly rate paid by his Department to (a) full-time employees, (b) part-time employees, (c) persons employed under personal contract and (d) persons employed by firms undertaking contracted-out services for central government offices, defining the job title in each case. [18117]

  Mr. Spellar
  The information requested in respect of civilian staff is given in the following table. Most staff employed by MOD are paid either London or national rates of pay. The table therefore gives two figures for each of(a), (b) and (c). We do not hold information about the pay of staff employed by companies undertaking contracts for the department.
  177

  London (£)

  National (£)

  (a) Full time1

  4.03

  3.36

  (b) Part time2

  4.59

  3.82

  (c) Personal contract

  3—

  3—

  1 The figures quoted relate to administrative assistants. In London, these are paid a minimum of £8,593 a year (including £736 recruitment and retention allowance) working 41 hours gross; and £7,344 in the national area working 42 hours a week gross.

  2 Annual pay rates used for calculating part-time pay are the same as for full-time staff, but hourly rates are then calculated on net 36 (London) and 37 (national) hours a week as part-timers have no paid lunch break.

  3"Personal contract" is taken here to mean staff on standard fixed term appointments. The minimum pay rates for such staff are the same as for full-time or part-time staff.

  In the case of the Armed Forces, pay is based on recommendations made by the independent Armed Forces Pay Review Body (AFPRB) and published annually. The 1997 Report (Cmnd 3537) is available in the Library of the House. There is no regional variation in the basic pay of the Armed Forces, whose pay is based on daily, not hourly rates.

  General Pinochet
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what meetings representatives of his Department have had with General Pinochet concerning sales of defence equipment to Chile in the last two years; and if he will make a statement. [17837]

  Mr. Spellar
  [holding answer 26 November 1997]Since 1 May 1997, no representatives of my Department have had meetings with General Pinochet concerning the sale of defence equipment to Chile. I am advised, however, that in December 1996 the then Secretary of State for Defence met General Pinochet during his official visit to Chile.

HEALTH

  Public Appointments
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many public appointments he has made since 1 May; and how many and what Percentage of these(a) receive remuneration and (b) are of (i) Afro-Caribbean and (ii) Asian origin. [16775]

  Mr. Milburn
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health has made 435 public appointments since 1 May 1997. Of these, 85 per cent. are remunerated. The information about ethnic origin cannot be provided since to do so would risk identifying individuals without their consent. My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has provided information for all departments in an aggregated form in his reply to my hon. Friend on 28 November 1997,Official Report, column 669.

  Kidderminster Hospital
  Mr. Gill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the catchment area is of Kidderminster hospital; and how many people are within it. [17181]
  178
  Mr. Milburn
  The catchment area of Kidderminster hospital and how many people are within it as reported by the hospital are as follows:

  Population served (approximately)

  Worcestershire

  106,000

  Shropshire

  12,000

  Other:

  South Staffordshire, Dudley, Hereford

  6,000

  Total

  123,000

  Note:

  Figures do not sum due to rounding.

  Source:

  Kidderminster General Hospital.

  Pathology Services (Kent)
  Dr. Ladyman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made by the Kent and Canterbury Hospitals NHS Trust to achieve Good Laboratory Practice accreditation in respect of pathology services. [17788]

  Mr. Boateng
  We understand from the Kent and Canterbury Hospitals National Health Service Trust that the departments of Haematology and Blood Transfusion, Clinical Biochemistry, Microbiology and Haemophilia applied for Clinical Pathology Accreditation in February 1997. Provisional approval was granted and a formal inspection is scheduled for January 1998. The Trust is also striving towards the attainment of the Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) standard.

  Clinical laboratories generally seek accreditation by Clinical Pathology Accreditation (UK) Limited (CPA) rather than GLP accreditation. The former was developed specifically for clinical laboratories, whereas the latter is much more relevant to laboratories involved in clinical trials work.

  Dr. Ladyman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made by the Kent and Canterbury Hospitals NHS Trust to address the recommendations of the 1995 report Review of Pathology Services at Kent and Canterbury Hospitals NHS Trust. [17787]

  Mr. Boateng
  We understand from Kent and Canterbury Hospitals National Health Service Trust that the report highlighted a number of specific departmental issues to be addressed:Of the 17 general issues, 12 have been fully implemented, five partially implemented.
  Of the seven Haematology issues, four have been fully implemented and three partially implemented.
  Of the five Chemistry issues, two have been fully implemented and three not implemented (these require further dialogue with neighbouring Trusts).
  Of the six Microbiology issues two have been fully implemented and four not implemented (these require further dialogue with neighbouring Trusts).
  Of the seven Histology issues, two have been fully implemented, four partially implemented and one not implemented (this requires further work by SKHT).

  The overall recommendations (options) were as follows:

  1. The options of doing nothing or of sending the work out to an external agency were rejected by the trust as being impractical and not in the best interests of the trust.

  179
  This was accepted by the trust.

  2. Although refurbishment of the current Pathology facility would be possible we believe that this exercise would only lead to a moderate and intermediate term improvement in Pathology services, at relatively high cost. It is also clear that it would not be possible to perform all those Pathology functions that ought to be carried out on site in the refurbished structure.
  This was not implemented by the trust, as refurbishment was not a cost effective long term solution.

  3. The most appropriate way of improving Pathology services is to plan and construct a new Pathology facility on site. This ensures the provision of an essential service and this development would have the potential of attracting technical and medical staff of the highest calibre. There would also be significant opportunities in marketing Pathology services externally as the development, once established, would be exceptionally competitive.
  This was not implemented by the trust, for reasons outlined under 2, and demonstrated ability to recruit staff at high calibre.

  4. A new development would incorporate the latest technologies in term of automated equipment and robotics, which would significantly reduce day to day costs. This would also enable a full assessment of staff functions and skill mix to be performed.
  This was not implemented by the trust, for reasons outlined under 2 and 3.

  The refurbishment was completed in April 1997. Refurbishment addressed outstanding Health and Safety issues and enabled the Pathology laboratories to apply for Clinical Pathology Accreditation (CPA). CPA was then considered desirable by the local purchaser and became a requirement from April 1998.

  Dr. Ladyman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research has been published by the Pathology Services of the Kent and Canterbury Hospitals NHS Trust, other than the Haemophilia center, since 1995. [17790]

  Mr. Boateng
  We understand from Kent and Canterbury Hospitals National Health Service Trust that Medical and Scientific staff employed by the Trust Pathology Directorate have published in a variety of national and international journals since 1995.

  In addition, presentations at national meetings by staff employed within the Pathology Directorate have been published in abstract form. My hon. Friend is advised to contact the Kent Postgraduate center at Canterbury for a complete list of current and forthcoming publications.

  A full list of the recent publications will also be available in the Trust's Research and Development Annual Report, 1997.

  London Strategic Review
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what period for consultation there will be between the publication of the report by the independent advisory panel of the London Strategic Review, and the publication of the Government's response to this report. [17737]

  Mr. Milburn
  We will be announcing details of the publication in due course.

  Worthing and Southlands NHS Trust
  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will name the non-executives serving the 180
  Worthing and Southlands National Health Service Trust in September and November, listing their occupations; when he intends to announce re-appointments or appointments; and for what reasons he did not make his decisions earlier. [18119]

  Mr. Milburn
  The non-executive members of the board in September were as follows:

  Member

  Occupation

  Mr. Geoffrey Withrington (Chair)

  Managing Director

  Miss Thrine Hely

  Project Manager and Business Consultant

  Mr. Graham Hill

  Former Policeman

  Ms Barbara Myers

  Media Specialist

  Mr. Paul Savage

  Retired Chartered Accountant

  Professor Michael Whiting

  Consultant Chiropodist and University Dean

  The terms of office of Mr. Hely, Ms Myers, Mr. Savage and Professor Whiting came to an end on 31 October. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State subsequently wrote on 25 November inviting four candidates to serve on the board for terms of three and four years. All four have now accepted the invitations to serve, as a result of which the new board is as follows:

  Member

  Occupation

  Mr. Geoffrey Withrington (Chair)

  Managing Director

  Mr. Graham Hill

  Former Policeman

  Mr. Paul Savage

  Retired Chartered Accountant

  Mrs. Lindy Stannard

  Teacher

  Mrs. Nicola Thompson

  Financial Services Officer

  Professor Michael Whiting

  Consultant Chiropodist and University Dean

  As a consequence of our commitment to introduce new criteria for appointments and to widen the pool of candidates, some appointments have unfortunately been delayed. We recognise the importance of giving serving and newly appointed board members advance notice of appointments and we expect to be able to achieve this in future appointment rounds.

  Anaesthetists
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what changes are proposed in the regulations governing entry to the Specialist Register for Anaesthetists to conform with the European Specialist Medical Qualifications Order 1995; and if he will make a statement. [17951]

  Mr. Milburn
  Entry to the Specialists Register is governed by the European Specialist Medical Qualifications Order 1995. There are no specific or separate arrangements for Anaesthetists.

  The Government are considering amendments to the Order to introduce greater flexibility in the transitional provisions for assessing doctors for entry to the Specialist Register. The proposed amendments to the Order would apply to all medical specialities.

  Leukaemia
  Mr. McGrady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action the Government plan in response to the report from the Independent Advisory Committee on the Medical Aspects of Radiation concerning the incidence of leukaemia among children whose fathers have been exposed to radiation at work. [17891]

  Ms Jowell
  The study to consider any possible effects on the health of the offspring of parents occupationally exposed to radiation was funded by the Department of Health and the Health and Safety Executive in response to recommendations from the Government's independent advisory Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE). The findings of the study were referred to COMARE and their statement has been placed in the Library. COMARE agree with the authors that there is no evidence of a link between radiation dose in parents prior to conception and the incidence of leukaemia or non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in their children. COMARE will reserve further comment until the results of a further study, which is investigating the health of all the children born to workers in a large part of the nuclear industry, is completed. The study is expected to be published early next year.

  The Government are committed to investigating the causes of leukaemia and will continue the programme of radiation protection research and seek guidance from COMARE about the direction of any additional future research. They will also continue to require employers to keep radiation exposures as low as reasonably practicable.

  North and East Devon Health Authority
  Mr. Harvey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to improve patient care in(a) North and East Devon Health Authority and (b) Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust. [18219]

  Mr. Milburn
  It is the responsibility of North and East Devon Health Authority and local National Health Service trusts, including Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust, to work together to ensure that the residents of the health authority receive the best possible patient care. Improving the overall quality of patient care will be an underpinning theme of our plans for replacing the internal market, which we shall be publishing shortly.

  New Drugs
  Mr. Kidney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures he proposes to improve scrutiny of new drugs before their clearance for routine use in the NHS; over what timescale; and if he will make a statement. [18486]

  Mr. Milburn
  We are currently considering these issues.

  NHS Charter
  Dr. Naysmith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made towards developing a new NHS charter. [18484]

  Mr. Milburn
  We announced on 8 October that Greg Dyke, chairman and chief executive of Pearson Television would lead the work to develop a new National Health 182
  Service Charter. Mr. Dyke met with his team of advisers, drawn from health professions, patient representative and user groups, trade unions, the NHS and other organisations on 10 November. The King's Fund has also been commissioned to undertake some evaluation work on the current Patient's Charter. The plan is to publish a draft Charter next summer.

  Breast Cancer Treatment
  Mr. Stinchcombe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what additional funding is being provided for (i) breast specialist units, (ii) oncologists and (iii) breast care nurses in the NHS. [18521]

  Mr. Boateng
  Ten million pounds of additional money is being used specifically on breast services. The extra funding is supporting over 300 initiatives around the country to improve the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. Particular emphasis has been given to supporting projects that give rapid access to diagnostic services through the provision of "one stop" clinics, speeding access to treatment by reducing waiting times and the provision of high quality care delivered in line with published guidance by specialist multi-professional, multi-disciplinary teams.

  Low Pay
  Mr. Chidgey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list, by regions defined by the boundaries of the regional government offices, the lowest hourly rate paid by his Department to(a) full-time employees, (b) part-time employees, (c) persons employed under personal contract and (d) persons employed by firms undertaking contracted-out services for central government offices, defining the job title in each case. [18114]

  Ms Jowell
  Department of Health staff are paid within national paybands. The minimum of the lowest payband is £8,000 per annum. This represents an hourly rate of £3.74 in London, where staff work 41 hours a week and £3.65 elsewhere, where staff work 42 hours. The figures for part-time staff are £4.26 and £4.14. The Department holds no record of salaries paid to persons employed by firms undertaking contracted-out work, nor is anyone employed under a personal contract.

  Terminally Ill Patients
  Mr. Ashton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate he has made of the average number of terminally ill patients in the United Kingdom; [18676]

  (2) what is the average monthly total of patient deaths in hospices; [18678]

  (3) how many hospice beds for terminally ill patients are available in the United Kingdom; [18677]

  (4) what is the average monthly total of deaths of patients on palliative care. [18679]

  Mr. Boateng
  The National Council for Hospice and Specialist Palliative Care Services defines as terminally ill those people"with active and progressive disease for which curative treatment is not possible or not appropriate and from which death can reasonably be expected within twelve months".
  183
  "Ordinary and day case admissions for England" and "Outpatients and ward attenders for England" contain data on Finished Consultant Episodes and Outpatient Attendances under the main specialty function of Palliative medicine. Copies are available in the Library. These data do not include all terminally ill patients as some of these patients may be receiving treatment in a variety of settings, including the voluntary sector, and information is not collected centrally on the number of patients who are terminally ill at any one time.

  There are about 60,000 admissions to hospices and palliative care units in the United Kingdom every year. There are approximately 29,000 deaths in hospice and palliative care units (both voluntary sector and NHS), giving an approximate monthly figure of 2,500 deaths. (Data provided by the Hospice Information Service). Whilst it is possible to give figures for the number of in-patient deaths in the NHS under the care of a palliative care specialist, many other patients who die under the care of the NHS will have received some palliative care. The palliative care approach should inform the care of all NHS patients. The following table shows the number of deaths for patients receiving treatment from a consultant in palliative medicine in the NHS.

  Main specialty—Palliative medicine: Estimated number of episodes ending in death (discharge method = 4) by month of admission, NHS hospitals, England

  1994–95

  1995–961

  April

  212

  241

  May

  219

  279

  June

  226

  259

  July

  161

  247

  August

  205

  279

  September

  228

  279

  October

  188

  273

  November

  212

  275

  December

  237

  298

  January

  256

  303

  February

  196

  268

  March

  218

  273

  Total

  2,559

  3,274

  Notes:

  1These figures are provisional.

  Data in this table are grossed for coverage.

  Source:

  Department of Health, Hospital Episode Statistics (HES).

  According to information from the Hospice Information Service there were 3,134 hospice and palliative care beds (both NHS and voluntary sector) in the United Kingdom in January 1997, of these 595 were in NHS managed units.

  Wheelchairs
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the current average NHS waiting time for a wheelchair; how many applications for wheelchairs have been made for each NHS trust in the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement. [18304]

  Mr. Boateng
  Information on applications or waiting times for wheelchairs is not collected centrally. Information on the number of wheelchairs issued by individual health authority Wheelchair Services is available in"Wheelchairs and artificial limbs—England", copies of which are available in the Library.

  Personal Social Services
  Mr. Trickett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what money is allocated in the Standard Spending Assessment for personal social services for 1998–99. [18866]

  Mr. Dobson
  £7,814.651 million will be distributed by Personal Social Services Standard Spending Assessments in 1998–99, compared with £7,392.117 million in 1997–98. Total Standard Spending on Social Services (including specific and special grants) will be £8,292.969 million in 1998–99, compared with £7,846.030 million in 1997–98 plans; an increase of 5.7 per cent.

  Mr. Trickett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what specific and special grants and what capital resources he is making available to local authorities for personal social services in 1998–99. [18867]

  Mr. Dobson
  The information is as follows:

  £ million

  Specific grants will be available in 1998–99 for:

  AIDS and HIV services

  13.7

  Services for alcohol and drugs misusers

  2.5

  Mental illness services

  73.3

  Social services training

  35.5

  A special grant will be available in 1998–99 for:

  Community care services

  350

  Services for unaccompanied asylum seeking children

  3

  The capital grant for secure accommodation for young people will be £8.2 million in 1998–99.

  Annual capital guidelines of £45 million will be notified to local authorities. Supplementary credit approvals will again be available for mental illness services (£11.6 million) and AIDS/HIV services (£3.1 million).

  Special Transitional Grant
  Mr. Trickett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for the special transitional grant in 1998–99. [18868]

  Mr. Dobson
  There will be a Special Transitional Grant of £350 million in 1998–99 for community care services. Unlike previous years, councils will not be required to spend 85 per cent. of the grant in the independent sector. It will, however, have a condition requiring local authorities to work closely with the National Health Service and to spend a part of the money on preventing people being unnecessarily in hospital, or being unnecessarily in residential or nursing home care following discharge from hospital.

  Departmental Report
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will update table 2.1 of his departmental report. [18626]
  185
  Mr. Milburn
  Table 2.1 will be updated in the next Department of Health Departmental Report. Such information as is currently available will be placed in the Library.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Independent Tribunal Service (Wales)
  Mr. Alan Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the current waiting period for a hearing with the independent tribunal service in Wales; what plans she has to reduce waiting times; and if she will make a statement. [13765]

  Mr. Keith Bradley
  Appeals to Social Security Tribunals in Wales which were cleared in the first quarter of this year took on average 28.7 weeks to clear in the first quarter of this year took an average 28.7 weeks to clear. The comparable figure for Great Britain is 29.9 weeks.

  We are determined to reduce the current delays and complexity in the appeals system. On 9 July we introduced the Social Security Bill, which paves the way for the creation of an active modern Social Security system. The Bill includes several measures which will enable us to provide a quicker, simpler and more efficient appeals service for customers.

  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will take personal responsibility for the administration of the appeals system, set and publish demanding targets to shorten the time it takes for appeals to be heard and report on the results.

  Supported Housing
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) pursuant to her answer of 10 November 1997,Official Report, column 456, what assessment she has made of partial capacity benefit as a means of assisting disabled people to gain employment; [16359]

  (2) pursuant to her oral Answer to the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire (Mr. Kirkwood) of 17 November 1997, Official Report, columns 2–3, what assessment her Department has made of the role which a partial capacity benefit could play in the New Deal for disabled people. [17540]

  Mr. Denham
  The Government's view is that work is the best form of welfare. Many people with disabilities or long-term health problems want to do some work and the aim of the Welfare to Work programme for sick and disabled people is to allow them to do so. We wish to develop ways to give sick and disabled people the advice, help and support they need to achieve their aspirations and to move towards financial independence.

  As part of our welfare to work proposals, which will improve opportunities for sick and disabled people, we are also considering what changes might be made to the benefit system to improve work incentives and reduce disincentives.

  Benefits
  Mr. Duncan Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social (1) what measures she proposes to take account of 186
  the gap between recent rises in benefits and the current rate of inflation; and what will be the source of any increase in funding; [16725]

  (2) what will be the impact on Government spending plans of the increase in her Department's expenditure arising from increases in inflation since 1 May. [16729]

  Mr. Field
  I refer to the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Gordon (Mr. Bruce) on 5 November 1997,Official Report, column 247.

  Mr. Truswell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will set out the new rates of benefit proposed from April 1998. [19161]

  Ms Harman
  I have reviewed Social Security benefits in accordance with section 150 of the Administration Act 1992. My proposals for the revised rates of benefit are set out in the schedule. The new rates will take effect in week beginning 6 April 1998.

  The statutory instruments to implement the changes will be laid before both Houses for debate in the new year.

  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland proposes to introduce similar changes for Northern Ireland.

  National Insurance benefits will be uprated in line with the annual increase in the Retail Prices Index (RPI) up to September, which this year is 3.6 per cent.

  Jobseeker's allowance and income-related benefits will generally rise by 2.4 per cent. in line with the increase in the Rossi index. The Rossi index is RPI less certain housing costs.

  The total cost of uprating for 1998–99 will be £2.45 billion.

  The key points of my review are as follows:

  Retirement pension
  The basic rate of retirement pension will be increased by £2.25 to £64.70 for a single person and by £3.60 to £103.40 for couples.

  Child benefit
  The rate for the eldest child will be increased to £11.45. The rate for each subsequent child is increased to £9.30.

  Income support
  The couple rate of income support for those aged 80 and over will increase by £2.75 to £117.90.

  War pensions
  War pensions will be increased in line with the RPI.

  Earnings top-up
  Benefit rates for the pilot Earnings top-up scheme will be increased by the Rossi index.

  Benefits for lone parents
  The higher rate for lone parents in child benefit will be £17.10, and the higher rates of family premium in income support and jobseeker's allowance will be £15.75 and in housing benefit and council tax benefit will be £22.05.

  Non-dependent deductions
  New rates of deduction in respect of non-dependents living in the household are shown in the schedule. The rate of deduction for housing benefit, income support and income based jobseeker's allowance in respect of those not in work, or with gross income below £78, remains unchanged.
  187
  Protecting benefits from inflation underlines our commitment to the elderly and the most vulnerable in society.

  Schedule of main proposed Social Security Benefit Rates—April 1998 (Weekly rates unless otherwise shown)

  Old rates 1997

  New rates 1998

  Attendance Allowance

  higher rate

  49.50

  51.30

  lower rate

  33.10

  34.30

  Child Benefit

  —only, elder or eldest for whom child benefit is payable (couple)

  11.05

  11.45

  —only, elder or eldest for whom child benefit is payable (lone parent)

  17.10

  17.10

  —each subsequent child

  9.00

  9.30

  Child's Special Allowance

  see note on Child Dependency Increase

  11.20

  11.30

  Council Tax Benefit Personal allowances

  single

  18 to 24

  38.90

  39.85

  25 or over

  49.15

  50.35

  lone parent—18 or over

  49.15

  50.35

  couple—one or both over 18

  77.15

  79.00

  Dependent Children

  birth to September following 11th birthday

  16.90

  17.30

  from September following 1lth birthday to September following 16th birthday

  24.75

  25.35

  from September following 16th birthday to day before 19th birthday

  29.60

  30.30

  Premiums

  family

  10.80

  11.05

  family (lone parent rate)

  22.05

  22.05

  pensioner

  single

  19.65

  20.10

  couple

  29.65

  30.35

  pensioner (enhanced)

  single

  21.85

  22.35

  couple

  32.75

  33.55

  pensioner (higher)

  single

  26.55

  27.20

  couple

  38.00

  38.90

  disability

  single

  20.95

  21.45

  couple

  29.90

  30.60

  severe disability

  single

  37.15

  38.50

  couple (one qualifies)

  37.15

  38.50

  couple (both qualify)

  74.30

  77.00

  disabled child

  20.95

  21.45

  carer

  13.35

  13.65

  Allowance for personal expenses for claimants in hospital

  higher rate

  15.60

  16.20

  lower rate

  12.50

  12.95

  Non-dependant deductions aged 18 or over and in remunerative work

  —gross income: £250 or more

  4.00

  6.00

  —gross income: £200–£249.99

  3.50

  5.00

  —gross income: £116–£199.99

  3.00

  4.00

  —gross income less than £116

  1.50

  2.00

  others, aged 18 or over

  1.50

  2.00

  188

  Schedule of main proposed Social Security Benefit Rates—April 1998 (Weekly rates unless otherwise shown)

  Old rates 1997

  New rates 1998

  Alternative maximum Council Tax Benefit

  second adult on Income Support or income based Jobseeker's Allowance second adult's gross income:

  25 per cent. of Council Tax

  —under £116

  15 per cent. of Council Tax

  —£116 to £151.99

  7.5 per cent. of Council Tax

  Capital

  upper limit

  16,000.00

  16,000.00

  amount disregarded

  3,000.00

  3,000.00

  child's limit

  3,000.00

  3,000.00

  upper limit for permanent resident of RC/NH

  16,000.00

  16,000.00

  amount disregarded for permanent resident of RC/NH

  10,000.00

  10,000.00

  Tariff income

  £1 for every complete £250 or part thereof between amount of capital disregarded and capital upper limit

  Earnings disregards

  where disability premium awarded

  15.00

  15.00

  various specified employments

  15.00

  15.00

  lone parent

  25.00

  25.00

  where the claimant has a partner

  10.00

  10.00

  single claimant

  5.00

  5.00

  where carer premium awarded

  15.00

  15.00

  childcare charges

  60.00

  60.00

  Other income disregards

  maintenance disregard

  15.00

  15.00

  war disablement pension and war widow's pension

  10.00

  10.00

  certain voluntary and charitable payments

  20.00

  20.00

  student loan

  10.00

  10.00

  student's covenanted income

  5.00

  5.00

  income from boarders:

  —

  —

  disregard the fixed amount (£20) plus

  —

  —

  50 per cent. of the balance of the charge

  20.00

  20.00

  30 Hour Adult Allowance in DWA

  10.55

  10.80

  30 Hour Adult Credit in FC

  10.55

  10.80

  Expenses for subtenants

  furnished or unfurnished

  4.00

  4.00

  where heating is included, additional

  9.25

  9.25

  Dependency Increases

  Adult Dependency Increases For spouse or person looking after children, with; retirement pension on own insurance, long term incapacity benefit, unemployability supplement

  37.35

  38.70

  Severe Disablement allowance

  22.40

  23.20

  invalid care allowance

  22.35

  23.15

  short-term incapacity benefit if beneficiary over pension age

  35.90

  37.20

  maternity allowance/short-term incapacity benefit

  29.15

  30.20

  Child Dependency Increases, with; short-term incapacity benefit at the higher rate and long—term incapacity benefit, invalid care allowance severe disability allowance, higher rate industrial death benefit, unemployability supplement and short—term incapacity benefit if beneficiary over pension age

  11.20

  11.30

  The Overlapping Benefits Regulations provide for the rate of child dependency increases, guardian's allowance and child special allowance to be adjusted where the increase or allowance is payable for the eldest eligible child for whom child benefit is also payable. The weekly rate of the increase or allowance is reduced by the differential (less the 75p derived from the October 1991 increase in child benefit) between the rate

  189

  Schedule of main proposed Social Security Benefit Rates—April 1998 ( Weekly rates unless otherwise shown)

  Old rates 1997

  New rates 1998

  of child benefit payable for the oldest eligible child and that payable for a subsequent child.

  Disability Living Allowance Care Component

  Highest

  49.50

  51.30

  Middle

  33.10

  34.30

  Lowest

  13.15

  13.60

  Mobility Component

  Higher

  34.60

  35.85

  Lower

  13.15

  13.60

  Disability Working Allowance Adult allowance

  Single people

  49.55

  50.75

  Couples/Lone Parents

  77.55

  79.40

  30 hours Allowance

  10.55

  10.80

  Child allowance

  from birth

  12.05

  12.35

  from September following 11 th birthday

  19.95

  20.45

  from September following 16th birthday

  24.80

  25.40

  Child allowance for children with protected rates

  age 11 before 7th October 1997

  19.95

  20.45

  age 16 before 7th October 1997

  24.80

  25.40

  age 18 before 7th October 1997

  34.70

  35.55

  Applicable amount (i.e. taper threshold)

  Single People

  57.85

  59.25

  Couples/Lone Parents

  77.15

  79.00

  Disabled Child's Allowance

  20.95

  21.45

  Capital

  upper limit

  16,000.00

  16,000.00

  amount disregarded

  3,000.00

  3,000.00

  child's limit

  3,000.00

  3,000.00

  Tariff income

  £1 for every complete £250 or part thereof between amount of capital disregarded and capital upper limit

  Disregards

  maintenance disregard

  15.00

  15.00

  war disablement pension and war widow's pension

  10.00

  10.00

  certain voluntary and charitable

  payments

  20.00

  20.00

  student loan

  10.00

  10.00

  student's covenanted income

  5.00

  5.00

  income from boarders:

  disregard the fixed amount (£20)

  plus 50 per cent, of the balance of the charge

  20.00

  20.00

  childcare charges

  60.00

  60.00

  Expenses for subtenants

  furnished or unfurnished

  4.00

  4.00

  where heating is included, additional

  9.25

  9.25

  Earnings Rules

  Invalid Care Allowance

  50.00

  50.00

  Therapeutic earnings limit

  46.50

  48.00

  Industrial injuries unemployability

  supplement permitted earnings level (annual amount)

  2,418.00

  2,496.00

  War pensioners' unemployability supplement permitted earnings level (annual amount)

  2,418.00

  2,496.00

  190

  Schedule of main proposed Social Security Benefit Rates—April 1998 (Weekly rates unless otherwise shown)

  Old rates 1997

  New rates 1998

  Adult dependency increases with short-term incapacity benefit where claimant is

  (a) under pension age

  29.15

  30.20

  (b) over pension age

  35.90

  37.20

  maternity allowance

  29.15

  30.20

  retirement pension, long-term incapacity benefit, Severe Disablement Allowance, unemployability supplement where dependent

  (a) is living with claimant

  49.15

  50.35

  (b) still qualifies for the tapered earnings rule

  45.09

  45.09

  retirement pension, long-tem incapacity benefit and unemployability supplement where dependant not living with claimant severe disablement allowance where dependant not living with claimant

  37.35

  38.70

  severe desablement allowance where dependant not living with claimant

  22.40

  23.20

  invalid care allowance

  22.35

  23.15

  Child dependency increases

  level at which CDIs are affected by earnings of claimant's spouse or partner for first child

  135.00

  140.00

  for each subsequent child

  17.00

  18.00

  Family Credit

  Adult credit

  47.65

  47.65

  30 hours credit

  10.55

  10.80

  Child credits

  from birth

  12.05

  12.35

  from September following 11th birthday

  19.95

  20.45

  from September following 16th birthday

  24.80

  25.40

  Child credits for children with protected rates

  age 11 before 7th October 1997

  19.95

  20.45

  age 16 before 7th October 1997

  24.80

  25.40

  age 18 before 7th October 1997

  34.70

  35.55

  Applicable amount (i.e: threshold)

  77.15

  79.00

  Capital

  upper limit

  8,000.00

  8,000.00

  amount disregarded

  3,000.00

  3,000.00

  Child's limit

  3,000.00

  3,000.00

  Assumed income from capital

  £1 for every £250 or part of £250 between amount of capital disregarded and capital upper limit

  Disregards

  maintenance disregard

  15.00

  15.00

  war disablement pension and war widow's pension

  10.00

  10.00

  certain voluntary and charitable

  payments

  20.00

  20.00

  student loan

  10.00

  10.00

  student's covenanted income

  5.00

  5.00

  income from boarders: disregard the fixed amount (£20) plus 50 per cent. of the balance of the charge

  20.00

  20.00

  childcare charges

  60.00

  60.00

  Expenses for subtenants

  furnished or unfurnished

  4.00

  4.00

  where heating is included, additional

  9.25

  9.25

  Guardian's Allowance

  11.20

  11.30

  see note on Child Dependency Increase

  191

  Schedule of main proposed Social Security Benefit Rates—April 1998 (Weekly rates unless otherwise shown)

  Old rates 1997

  New rates 1998

  Hospital Downrating

  20 per cent. rate

  12.50

  12.95

  40 per cent. rate

  25.00

  25.90

  Housing benefit

  Personal allowances

  single

  16 to 24

  38.90

  39.85

  25 or over

  49.15

  50.35

  lone parent

  under 18

  38.90

  39.85

  18 or over

  49.15

  50.35

  couple

  both under 18

  58.70

  60.10

  one or both over 18

  77.15

  79.00

  Dependent children

  birth to September following 11th birthday

  16.90

  17.30

  from September following 11th birthday to September following 16th birthday

  24.75

  25.35

  from September following 16th birthday to day before 19th birthday

  29.60

  30.30

  dependent children with protected rates age 18 before 1st/7th April 1997

  38.90

  39.85

  Premiums

  family

  10.80

  11.05

  family (lone parent rate)

  22.05

  22.05

  pensioner

  single

  19.65

  20.10

  couple

  29.65

  30.35

  pensioner (enhanced)

  single

  21.85

  22.35

  couple

  32.75

  33.55

  pensioner (higher)

  single

  26.55

  27.20

  couple

  38.00

  38.90

  disability

  single

  20.95

  21.45

  couple

  29.90

  30.60

  severe disability

  single

  37.15

  38.50

  couple (one qualifies)

  37.15

  38.50

  couple (both qualify)

  74.30

  77.00

  disabled child

  20.95

  21.45

  carer

  13.35

  13.65

  Allowance for personal expenses for claimants in hospital

  higher rate

  15.60

  16.20

  lower rate

  12.50

  12.95

  Non-dependant deductions rent rebates and allowances

  aged 25 and over, in receipt of Income Support or income based job Seeker's Allowance

  192

  Schedule of main proposed Social Security Benefit Rates—April 1998 (Weekly rates unless otherwise shown)

  Old rates 1997

  New rates 1998

  aged 18 or over, not in remunerative work or

  —gross income less than £78

  7.00

  7.00

  aged 18 or over and in remunerative work

  —gross income: less than £78

  7.00

  7.00

  —gross income: £78 to £115.99

  13.00

  16.00

  —gross income: £116 to £151.99

  17.00

  22.00

  —gross income: £152 to £199.99

  33.00

  36.00

  —gross income: £200.00 to £249.99

  36.00

  41.00

  —gross income: £250.00 and above

  39.00

  45.00

  Service charges for fuel

  heating

  9.25

  9.25

  hot water

  1.15

  1.15

  lighting

  0.80

  0.80

  cooking

  1.15

  1.15

  Amount ineligible for meals three or more meals a day single claimant

  17.55

  17.95

  each person in family aged 16 or over

  17.55

  17.95

  each child under 16

  8.85

  9.05

  less than three meals a day single claimant

  11.65

  11.95

  each person in family aged 16 or over

  11.65

  11.95

  each child under 16

  5.85

  6.00

  breakfast only—claimant and each member of family

  2.10

  2.15

  Capital

  upper limit

  16,000.00

  16,000.00

  amount disregarded

  3,000.00

  3,000.00

  child's limit

  3,000.00

  3,000.00

  upper limit for permanent resident of RC/NH

  16,000.00

  16,000.00

  amount disregarded for permanent resident of RC/NH

  10,000.00

  10,000.00

  Tariff income

  £1 for every complete £250 or part thereof between amount of capital disregarded and capital upper limit

  Earnings disregards

  where disability premium awarded

  15.00

  15.00

  various specified employments

  15.00

  15.00

  lone parent

  25.00

  25.00

  where the claimant has a partner

  10.00

  10.00

  single claimant

  5.00

  5.00

  where carer premium awarded

  15.00

  15.00

  childcare charges

  60.00

  60.00

  Other income disregards

  maintenance disregard

  15.00

  15.00

  war disablement pension and war widow's pension

  10.00

  10.00

  certain voluntary and charitable payments

  20.00

  20.00

  student loan

  10.00

  10.00

  student's covenanted income

  5.00

  5.00

  income from boarders:

  disregard the fixed amount (£20) plus

  50 per cent. of the balance of the charge

  20.00

  20.00

  30 hour. adult allowance in DWA

  10.55

  10.80

  30 hour. adult credit in FC

  10.55

  10.80

  Expenses for subtenants

  furnished or unfumished

  4.00

  4.00

  where heating is included, additional

  9.25

  9.25

  193

  Schedule of main proposed Social Security Benefit Rates—April 1998 (Weekly rates unless otherwise shown)

  Old rates 1997

  New rates 1998

  Incapacity Benefit

  Long-term incapacity benefit

  62.45

  64.70

  Short-term incapacity benefit (under pension age)

  lower rate

  47.10

  48.80

  higher rate

  55.70

  57.70

  Short-term incapacity benefit (over pension age)

  lower & higher rate

  59.90

  62.05

  Increase of long-term incapacity

  benefit for age

  higher rate

  13.15

  13.60

  lower rate

  6.60

  6.80

  Invalidity Allowance (Transitional)

  higher rate

  13.15

  13.60

  middle rate

  8.30

  8.60

  lower rate

  4.15

  4.30

  Income Support

  Personal Allowances

  single

  under 18—usual rate

  29.60

  30.30

  under 18—higher rate payable in specific circumstances

  38.90

  39.85

  18 to 24

  38.90

  39.85

  25 or over

  49.15

  50.35

  lone parent

  under 18—usual rate

  29.60

  30.30

  under 18—higher rate payable in specific circumstances

  38.90

  39.85

  18 or over

  49.15

  50.35

  couple

  both under 18

  58.70

  60.10

  one or both 18 or over

  77.15

  79.00

  dependent children

  birth to September following 11th birthday

  16.90

  17.30

  from September following 11th birthday to September

  following 16th birthday

  24.75

  25.35

  from September following 16th birthday to day before 19th birthday

  29.60

  30.30

  Residential Allowance

  except Greater London

  56.00

  57.50

  Greater London

  62.00

  64.00

  Premiums

  family

  10.80

  11.05

  family (lone parent rate)

  15.75

  15.75

  pensioner

  single

  19.65

  20.10

  couple

  29.65

  30.35

  pensioner (enhanced)

  single

  21.85

  22.35

  couple

  32.75

  33.55

  pensioner (higher)

  single

  26.55

  27.20

  couple

  38.00

  38.90

  disability

  single

  20.95

  21.45

  couple

  29.90

  30.60

  severe disability

  single

  37.15

  38.50

  couple (one qualifies)

  37.15

  38.50

  couple (both qualify)

  74.30

  77.00

  disabled child

  20.95

  21.45

  carer

  13.35

  13.65

  194

  Schedule of main proposed Social Security Benefit Rates — April 1998 Weekly rates unless otherwise shown)

  Old rates 1997

  New rates 1998

  Maximum amounts for accommodation and meals in residential care homes old age

  208.00

  213.00

  very dependent elderly

  240.00

  247.00

  mental disorder (not handicap)

  220.00

  225.00

  drug/alcohol dependence

  220.00

  225.00

  mental handicap

  250.00

  257.00

  physical disablement

  (a) (under pension age)

  285.00

  292.00

  (b) (over pension age)

  208.00

  213.00

  others

  208.00

  213.00

  maximum Greater London increase

  41.00

  44.00

  nursing homes

  mental disorder (not handicap)

  312.00

  319.00

  drug/alcohol dependence

  312.00

  319.00

  mental handicap

  318.00

  325.00

  terminal illness

  311.00

  318.00

  physical disablement

  (a) (under pension age)

  352.00

  359.00

  (b) (over pension age)

  311.00

  318.00

  others (including elderly)

  311.00

  318.00

  maximum Greater London increase

  46.00

  49.00

  Amounts for meals where these cannot be purchased within the accommodation (Daily Rate)

  breakfast

  1.10

  1.10

  midday meal

  1.55

  1.55

  evening meal

  1.55

  1.55

  Allowances for personal expenses for claimants in

  private and voluntary residential care and nursing homes

  personal expenses

  14.10

  14.45

  dependent children

  (a) under 11

  5.80

  5.95

  (b) 11 to 15

  8.45

  8.65

  (c) 16 to 17

  9.80

  10.05

  (d) age 18

  14.10

  14.45

  hospital

  higher rate

  15.60

  16.20

  lower rate

  12.50

  12.95

  local authority (Pt III)

  accommodation

  62.45

  64.70

  of which, personal expenses

  14.10

  14.45

  Allowances for personal expenses for claimants in:

  the Polish home Ilford Park maximum amount for accommodation and meals

  352.00

  359.00

  personal expenses for claimant

  17.35

  17.35

  personal expenses for partner

  17.35

  17.35

  personal expenses for dependent children

  (a) under 11

  5.80

  5.95

  (b) 11 to 15

  8.45

  8.65

  (c) 16 to 17

  9.80

  10.05

  (d)18

  15.55

  15.55

  Housing costs deduction for non-dependants: aged 25 and over, in receipt of income support

  aged 18 or over, not in work or —gross income less than £78

  7.00

  7.00

  aged 18 or over and in remunerative work:

  —gross income: £78 to £115.99

  13.00

  16.00

  —gross income: £116 to £151.99

  17.00

  22.00

  —gross income: £152 to £199.99

  33.00

  36.00

  —gross income: £200.00 to £249.99

  33.00

  41.00

  —gross income: £250.00 and above

  33.00

  45.00

  195

  Schedule of main proposed Social Security Benefit Rates—April 1998 (Weekly rates unless otherwise shown)

  Old rates 1997

  New rates 1998

  Deduction for direct payments arrears of housing, fuel and water costs

  council tax and fines default, and

  2.50

  2.55

  deductions for child maintenance (standard)

  5.00

  5.10

  deductions for child maintenance (lower)

  2.50

  2.55

  Arrears of Community Charge

  court order against claimant

  2.50

  2.55

  court order against couple

  3.90

  3.95

  Maximum rates for recovery of over payments

  ordinary overpayments

  7.50

  7.65

  where claimant convicted of fraud

  10.00

  10.00

  Reduction in benefit for strikers

  26.50

  27.00

  Capital

  upper limit

  8,000.00

  8,000.00

  amount disregarded

  3,000.00

  3,000.00

  child's limit

  3,000.00

  3,000.00

  upper limit for permanent resident of RC/NH

  16,000.00

  16,000.00

  amount disregarded for permanent resident of RC/NH

  10,000.00

  10,000.00

  Tariff income

  £1 for every complete £250 or part thereof between amount of capital disregarded and capital upper limit

  Disregards

  standard earnings

  5.00

  5.00

  couples' earnings

  10.00

  10.00

  higher earnings

  15.00

  15.00

  war disablement pension and war widow's pension

  10.00

  10.00

  voluntary and charitable payments

  20.00

  20.00

  student loan

  10.00

  10.00

  student's covenanted income

  5.00

  5.00

  income from boarders: disregard the fixed amount (£20) plus 50 per cent. of the balance of the charge

  20.00

  20.00

  Expenses for subtenants

  furnished or unfurnished

  4.00

  4.00

  where heating is included, additional

  9.25

  9.25

  Industrial Death Benefit

  Widow's pension

  higher rate

  62.45

  64.70

  lower rate

  18.74

  19.41

  Industrial Disablement Pension

  18 and over, or under 18 with dependants

  100 per cent.

  101.10

  104.70

  90 per cent.

  90.99

  94.23

  80 per cent.

  80.88

  83.76

  70 per cent.

  70.77

  73.29

  60 per cent.

  60.66

  62.82

  50 per cent.

  50.55

  52.35

  40 per cent.

  40.44

  41.88

  30 per cent.

  30.33

  31.41

  20 per cent.

  20.22

  20.94

  Under 18

  100 per cent.

  61.90

  64.15

  90 per cent.

  55.71

  57.74

  80 per cent.

  49.52

  51.32

  70 per cent.

  43.33

  44.91

  60 per cent.

  37.14

  38.49

  50 per cent.

  30.95

  32.08

  40 per cent.

  24.76

  25.66

  30 per cent.

  18.57

  19.25

  20 per cent.

  12.38

  12.83

  196

  Schedule of main proposed Social Security Benefit Rates—April 1998 (Weekly rates unless otherwise shown)

  Old rates 1997

  New rates 1998

  Maximum life gratuity (lump sum)

  6,720.00

  6,960.00

  Unemployability Supplement

  62.45

  64.70

  plus where appropriate an increase for early incapacity

  higher rate

  13.15

  13.60

  middle rate

  8.30

  8.60

  lower rate

  4.15

  4.30

  Maximum reduced earnings allowance

  40.44

  41.88

  Maximum retirement allowance

  10.11

  10.47

  Constant attendance allowance

  exceptional rate

  81.00

  84.00

  intermediate rate

  60.75

  63.00

  normal maximum rate

  40.50

  42.00

  part-time rate

  20.25

  21.00

  Exceptionally severe disablement allowance

  40.50

  42.00

  Invalid Care Allowance

  37.35

  38.70

  Jobseekers Allowance

  Contribution based JSA—rates

  under 18

  29.60

  30.30

  18 to 24

  38.90

  39.85

  25 or over

  49.15

  50.35

  Income-based JSA—personal allowances

  under 18

  29.60

  30.30

  18 to 24

  38.90

  39.85

  25 or over

  49.15

  50.35

  lone parent

  under 18—usual rate

  29.60

  30.30

  under 18—higher rate payable in specific circumstances

  38.90

  39.85

  18 or over

  49.15

  50.35

  couple

  both under 18

  29.60

  30.30

  both under 18, one disabled

  38.90

  39.85

  both under 18, with responsibility for a child

  58.70

  60.10

  one under 18, one 18–24

  38.90

  39.85

  one under 18, one 25+

  49.15

  50.35

  both 18 or over

  77.15

  79.00

  dependent children

  birth to September following 11th birthday

  16.90

  17.30

  from September following 11th birthday to September following 16th birthday

  24.75

  25.35

  from September following 16th birthday to day before 19th birthday

  29.60

  30.30

  Residential Allowance

  except Greater London

  56.00

  57.50

  Greater London

  62.00

  64.00

  Premiums

  family

  10.80

  11.05

  family (lone parent rate)

  15.75

  15.75

  pensioner

  single

  19.65

  20.10

  couple

  29.65

  30.35

  pensioner (enhanced)

  couple

  32.75

  33.55

  pensioner (higher)

  single

  26.55

  27.20

  couple

  38.00

  38.90

  disability

  single

  20.95

  21.45

  couple

  29.90

  30.60

  197

  Schedule of main proposed Social Security Benefit Rates—April 1998 (Weekly rates unless otherwise shown)

  Old rates 1997

  New rates 1998

  severe disability

  single

  37.15

  38.50

  couple (one qualifies)

  37.15

  38.50

  couple (both qualify)

  74.30

  77.00

  disabled child

  20.95

  21.45

  carer

  13.35

  13.65

  Maximum amounts for accommodation and meals in residential care homes

  mental disorder (not handicap)

  220.00

  225.00

  drug/alcohol dependence

  220.00

  225.00

  mental handicap

  250.00

  257.00

  physical disablement (a) (under pension age)

  285.00

  292.00

  others

  208.00

  213.00

  maximum Greater London increase

  41.00

  44.00

  nursing homes

  mental disorder (not handicap)

  312.00

  319.00

  drug/alcohol dependence

  312.00

  319.00

  mental handicap

  318.00

  325.00

  terminal illness

  311.00

  318.00

  physical disablement

  (a) (under pension age)

  352.00

  359.00

  others (including elderly)

  311.00

  318.00

  maximum Greater London increase

  46.00

  49.00

  Amounts for meals where these cannot be purchased within the accommodation (Daily Rate)

  breakfast

  1.10

  1.10

  midday meal

  1.55

  1.55

  evening meal

  1.55

  1.55

  Allowances for personal expenses for claimants in

  Private and Voluntary residential care and nursing homes

  personal expenses

  14.10

  14.45

  dependent children

  (a) under 11

  5.80

  5.95

  (b) 11 to 15

  8.45

  8.65

  (c) 16 to 17

  9.80

  10.05

  (d) age 18

  14.10

  14.45

  hospital

  higher rate

  15.60

  16.20

  lower rate

  12.50

  12.95

  local authority (Pt III) accommodation

  62.45

  64.70

  of which, Personal Expenses

  14.10

  14.45

  Housing costs

  deduction for non-dependents: aged 25 and over, in receipt of income support or income based job seekers allowance;

  aged 18 or over, not in remunerative work or

  —gross income: less than £78

  7.00

  7.00

  aged 18 or over and in remunerative work

  —gross income: less than £78.00

  7.00

  7.00

  —gross income: £78 to £115.99

  13.00

  16.00

  —gross income: £116 to £151.99

  17.00

  22.00

  —gross income: £152 to £199.99

  33.00

  36.00

  —gross income: £200.00 to £249.99

  33.00

  41.00

  —gross income: £250.00 and above

  33.00

  45.00

  Deduction for direct payments

  Deductions from JSA (IB)

  arrears of housing, fuel and water costs council tax and fines default, and

  2.50

  2.55

  198

  Schedule of main proposed Social Security Benefit Rates—April 1998 (Weekly rates unless otherwise shown)

  Old rates 1997

  New rates 1998

  Deductions for Child Maintenance deductions for child maintenance (standard)

  5.00

  5.00

  deductions for child maintenance (lower)

  2.50

  2.50

  Arrears of Community Charge

  court order against claimant

  2.50

  2.50

  court order against couple

  3.90

  3.95

  Deductions from JSA (continued)

  Arrears of Community Charge, Council Tax and fines

  Age 16–17

  9.86

  10.10

  Age 18–24

  12.96

  13.28

  Age 25+

  16.38

  16.78

  Maximum deduction for arrears of Child Support Maintenance

  Age 16–17

  9.86

  10.10

  Age 18–24

  12.96

  13.28

  Age 25+

  16.38

  16.78

  Maximum rates for recovery of overpayments

  ordinary overpayments

  7.50

  7.65

  where claimant convicted of fraud

  10.00

  10.00

  Reduction in benefit for strikers

  26.50

  27.00

  Capital

  upper limit

  8,000.00

  8,000.00

  amount disregarded

  3,000.00

  3,000.00

  child's limit

  3,000.00

  3,000.00

  upper limit for permanent resident of RC/NH

  16,000.00

  16,000.00

  amount disregarded for permanent resident of RC/NH

  10,000.00

  10,000.00

  Tariff income

  £1 for every complete £250 or part thereof between amount of capital disregarded and capital upper limit

  Disregards

  standard earnings

  5.00

  5.00

  couples earnings

  10.00

  10.00

  higher earnings

  15.00

  15.00

  war disablement pension and war widow's pension

  10.00

  10.00

  voluntary and charitable payments

  20.00

  20.00

  student loan

  10.00

  10.00

  student's covenanted income

  5.00

  5.00

  income from boarders:

  disregard the fixed amount (£20) plus 50 per cent. of the balance of the charge

  20.00

  20.00

  Expenses for subtenants

  furnished or unfurnished

  4.00

  4.00

  where heating is included, additional

  9.25

  9.25

  Maternity Allowance

  lower rate

  48.35

  50.10

  higher rate

  55.70

  57.70

  Pneumoconiosis Byssinosis, Workmen's Compensation and other schemes

  Total disablement allowance and major incapacity allowance (maximum)

  101.10

  104.70

  Partial disablement allowance

  37.35

  38.70

  Unemployability supplement plus where appropriate increases for early incapacity

  62.45

  64.70

  higher rate

  13.15

  13.60

  middle rate

  8.30

  8.60

  lower rate

  4.15

  4.30

  199

  Schedule of main proposed Social Security Benefit Rates—April 1998 (Weekly rates unless otherwise shown)

  Old rates 1997

  New rates 1998

  Constant attendance allowance

  exceptional rate

  81.00

  84.00

  intermediate rate

  60.75

  63.00

  normal maximum rate

  40.50

  42.00

  part-time rate

  20.25

  21.00

  Exceptionally severe disablement allowance

  40.50

  42.00

  Lesser incapacity allowance

  maximum rate of allowance

  37.35

  38.70

  based on loss of earnings over

  49.50

  51.30

  Retirement Pension

  Category A or B

  62.45

  64.70

  Category B(lower)—husband's insurance

  37.35

  38.70

  Category C or D-non—contributory

  37.35

  38.70

  Category C(lower)-non—contributory

  22.35

  23.15

  Additional pension

  Increase by: 3.60 per cent.

  Increments to:

  Basic and additional pensions

  Increase by 3.60 per cent.

  Contracted out deductions (CODs)

  (Pre April '88 earnings)

  Graduated Retirement Benefit (GRB)

  Increments to CODs (April 1988-April 1996 earnings)

  Additional increase 0.6 per cent. to that paid by schemes

  [3.0 per cent, paid by schemes]

  Graduated Retirement Benefit (unit) (pence)

  8.11

  8.40

  Graduated Retirement Benefit (Inherited)

  Increase by: 3.60 per cent.

  Addition at age 80

  0.25

  0.25

  Severe Disablement Allowance

  Basic rate

  37.75

  39.10

  Age-related addition (from December 1990)

  higher rate

  13.15

  13.60

  middle rate

  8.30

  8.60

  lower rate

  4. 15

  4.30

  Statutory Maternity Pay

  Earnings threshold

  62.00

  64.00

  Lower rate

  55.70

  57.70

  Statutory Sick Pay

  Earnings threshold

  62.00

  64.00

  Standard rate

  55.70

  57.70

  War Pensions

  Disablement Pension (100 per cent. rates)

  officer (£ per annum)

  5,594.00

  5,797.00

  other ranks

  107.20

  111.10

  Age allowances

  40 per cent.-50 per cent.

  7.15

  7.40

  over 50 per cent, but not over 70 per cent.

  11.05

  11.45

  over 70 per cent, but not over 90 per cent.

  15.75

  16.30

  over 90 per cent.

  22.10

  22.90

  Disablement gratuity

  specified minor injury (minimum)

  682.00

  707.00

  specified minor injury (maximum)

  5,100.00

  5,284.00

  unspecified minor injury (minimum)

  284.00

  294.00

  unspecified minor injury (maximum)

  6,632.00

  6,871.00

  Unemployability allowance personal

  66.25

  68.65

  adult dependency increase

  37.35

  38.70

  increase for first child

  9.90

  9.90

  increase for subsequent children

  11.20

  11.30

  Invalidity allowance higher rate

  13.15

  13.60

  200

  Schedule of main proposed Social Security Benefit Rates—April 1998 (Weekly rates unless otherwise shown)

  Old rates 1997

  New rates 1998

  middle rate

  8.30

  8.60

  lower rate

  4.15

  4.30

  Constant attendance allowance

  exceptional rate

  81.00

  84.00

  intermediate rate

  60.75

  63.00

  normal maximum rate

  40.50

  42.00

  part-time rate

  20.25

  21.00

  Comforts allowance

  higher rate

  17.40

  18.00

  lower rate

  8.70

  9.00

  Mobility supplement

  38.55

  39.95

  Allowance for lowered standard of occupation (maximum)

  40.44

  41.88

  Exceptionally severe disablement allowance

  40.50

  42.00

  Severe disablement occupational allowance

  20.25

  21.00

  Clothing allowance (£ per annum, maximum)

  137.00

  142.00

  Education allowance (£ per annum) (maximum)

  120.00

  120.00

  War widow's pension

  Widow (private)

  81.00

  83.90

  Widow (NCO)

  81.25

  84.20

  Widow—Officer (£ per annum maximum)

  5,010.00

  5,190.00

  Childless widow u-40 (private)

  18.74

  19.41

  Childless widow u-40 (NCO)

  19.02

  19.70

  Childless widow u-40 (Officer maximum £s per annum)

  5,010.00

  5,190.00

  Supplementary Pension age allowance

  52.80

  54.70

  (a) age 65 to 69

  9.25

  9.60

  (b) age 70 to 79

  17.75

  18.40

  (c) age 80 and over

  26.45

  27.40

  children's allowance

  increase for first child (adjusted for child benefit increase)

  14.15

  14.25

  increase for subsequent children

  15.45

  15.65

  Orphan's pension

  increase for first child (adjusted for child benefit increase)

  15.90

  16.05

  increase for subsequent children

  17.20

  17.45

  Unmarried dependant living as (spouse maximum)

  78.95

  81.85

  Rent allowance (maximum)

  30.65

  31.75

  Adult orphan's pension (maximum)

  62.45

  64.70

  Widower's pension private (maximum)

  81.00

  83.90

  officer (£ per annum) maximum

  5,010.00

  5,190.00

  Widow 's Benefit

  Widow's payment (lump sum)

  1,000.00

  1,000.00

  Widowed mother's allowance

  62.45

  64.70

  Widow's pension

  standard rate

  62.45

  64.70

  age-related

  age 54 (49)

  58.08

  60.17

  53 (48)

  53.71

  55.64

  52 (47)

  49.34

  51.11

  51 (46)

  44.96

  46.58

  50 (45)

  40.59

  42.06

  49 (44)

  36.22

  37.53

  201

  Schedule of main proposed Social Security Benefit Rates—April 1998 (Weekly rates unless otherwise shown)

  Old rates 1997

  New rates 1998

  48 (43)

  31.85

  33.00

  47 (42)

  27.48

  28.47

  46 (41)

  23.11

  23.94

  45 (40)

  18.74

  19.41

  Note:

  For deaths occurring before 11 April 1988 refer to age-points shown in brackets.

  Earnings top-up (ETU) rates

  Old rates 1997

  New rates 1998

  Scheme A

  Credit

  Couple

  47.65

  48.80

  Single 25 and over

  28.75

  29.45

  Single under 25

  23.35

  23.90

  For working 30 hrs + pw

  10.55

  10.80

  Applicable amount (i.e., taper threshold)

  Couple

  77.15

  79.00

  Single 25 and over

  59.70

  61.15

  Single under 25

  49.45

  50.65

  Scheme B

  Credit

  Couple

  57.50

  58.90

  Single 25 and over

  28.75

  29.45

  Single under 25

  23.35

  23.90

  For working 30 hrs + pw

  10.55

  10.80

  Applicable amount (i.e., taper threshold)

  Couple

  77.15

  79.00

  Single 25 and over

  77.15

  79.00

  Single under 25

  77.15

  79.00

  Both schemes

  Capital

  upper limit

  8,000.00

  fixed rates

  amount disregarded

  3,000.00

  Tariff income

  £1 for every complete £250 or part thereof between amount of capital disregarded and capital upper limit

  fixed rate

  War Pensions
  Mr. Ben Chapman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many United Kingdom civilians employed in war-related work have received war pensions for asbestosis since 1967; and what factors led to their award. [16714]

  Mr. Denham
  The information is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  It is unlikely that any award of War Pension in respect of asbestosis has been made to any civilian. However, a civilian may be entitled to a war pension if he was disabled as a result of his work as a member of a civil defence organisation or under the other provisions of the Personal Injuries (Civilians) Scheme.
  202
  Broadly, under those other provisions, an award of war pension may be made where disablement is caused either by enemy action or by action taken to combat or repel an imagined attack by the enemy during World War Two.

  Compensation might be available under the industrial injuries scheme, via an employer's liability insurance or, for an ex-civilian employee of the Ministry of Defence, from that Department.

  Benefit Reviews
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if the conclusions of the Department's benefit by benefit review will be taken into account in(a) the Department's study of public expenditure and (b) the Treasury's review of tax and benefits. [17037]

  Mr. Field
  The Government are committed to a far-reaching overhaul of the Social Security system that will modernise the welfare state and prepare it to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century.

  My right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury announced the Comprehensive Spending Review being co-ordinated across Government on 11 June 1997, Official Report, column 1143–57. The Department of Social Security's review will be based on our clear objectives of promoting work incentives, reducing poverty and welfare dependency and strengthening community and family life. It will also consider how best the system can be reformed to contribute to the achievement of Government objectives including the need for restraint in public expenditure. The Review is expected to take about a year to complete.

  The review of tax and benefits, headed by Martin Taylor, Chief Executive of Barclays Bank, involves officials from the Treasury, the Department for Education and Employment, the Inland Revenue and the DSS. There has been close liaison between the tax benefit review and the DSS Comprehensive Spending Review.

  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security which Minister is responsible for co-ordinating her Department's benefit by benefit review; and when, and by what means, she expects its conclusions to be reported to the House. [18810]

  Mr. Field
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister gave to him on 20 November 1997,Official Report, columns 406–07.

  Income Support
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how the extra money for pensioners on income support will be distributed. [18738]

  Mr. Denham
  Precise operational arrangements will depend on the Regulations currently being drafted. Regulations will be laid as soon as possible.

  "The Law Relating to Social Security"
  Mr. Rooney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when "The Law Relating to Social Security" was withdrawn from circulation; and what are her plans for replacing it. [18833]

  Mr. Field
  "The Law Relating to Social Security", or "Blue Books", is still available from the Stationery Office and bookshops. Three amendments have been issued this year.

  Ex-servicemen (Hearing Review)
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what representations she has received on her review of the Government's decision on the aging effect of bilateral sensori-neural hearing in respect of former members of the armed forces. [18839]

  Economic planning region1

  Full-time employees2

  Part-time employees3

  Employees under personal contract4

  Lowest hourly rate £

  Grade

  Lowest hourly rate

  Grade

  Lowest hourly rate £

  Grade

  Scotland

  3.26

  Administrative assistant

  3.43

  Administrative assistant

  3.26

  Administrative assistant

  Northern

  3.26

  Administrative assistant

  3.39

  Administrative assistant

  3.26

  Administrative assistant

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  3.26

  Administrative assistant

  3.26

  Administrative assistant

  3.26

  Administrative assistant

  North West

  3.26

  Administrative assistant

  3.26

  Administrative assistant

  3.26

  Administrative assistant

  East Midlands

  3.35

  Administrative assistant

  3.43

  Administrative assistant

  3.26

  Administrative assistant

  West Midlands

  3.26

  Administrative assistant

  3.28

  Administrative assistant

  3.26

  Administrative assistant

  Wales

  3.26

  Administrative assistant

  3.36

  Administrative assistant

  3.26

  Administrative assistant

  East Anglia

  3.26

  Administrative assistant

  3.95

  Administrative assistant

  3.26

  Administrative assistant

  South East

  3.26

  Administrative assistant

  3.26

  Administrative assistant

  3.26

  Administrative assistant

  South West

  3.28

  Administrative assistant

  3.28

  Administrative assistant

  3.26

  Administrative assistant

  North Ireland

  4.93

  Administrative assistant

  4.45

  Support Grade Band 2

  —

  Overseas

  3.72

  Administrative assistant

  4.14

  Support Grade Band 2

  3.42

  Administrative assistant

  1. Hourly rates include allowances and includes staff on payroll as at 30 September 1997 in their current substantive grade.

  2. Except for staff in the Senior Civil Service the department does not employ staff on a personnel contractual basis. Staff shown in column four are casual staff and those on fixed term appointments.

  New Deal
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the allocations in each of the next four years for programmes under the New Deal for Disabled People. [18809]

  Mr. Denham
  No decisions have been taken on the allocation, in each of the next four years, of the £195 million set aside for the New Deal for Sick and Disabled People.

  Wisconsin Project
  Mr. Burns
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to her answer of 25 November 1997,Official Report, column 538, (1) if she will make a statement on her discussions with an official from Wisconsin on matters relating to (a) welfare and (b) compulsion for lone parents seeking work; [18673]

  (2) if she will publish the agenda and minutes to her meeting with an official from Wisconsin about welfare policy. [18674]

  Mr. Gibb
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will make a statement on the meetings with officials from Wisconsin that she had during the summer. [15755]
  204
  Mr. Denham
  We have received 36 representations from hon. Members and 46 from national organisations and members of the public.

  Low Pay
  Mr. Chidgey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will list, by regions defined by the boundaries of the regional government offices, the lowest hourly rate paid by her Department to(a) full-time employees, (b) part-time employees, (c) persons employed under personal contract and (d) persons employed by firms undertaking contracted-out services for central government offices, defining the job title in each case. [18111]

  Mr. Field
  The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is as follows:

  Mr. Keith Bradley
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State had one meeting with an official from Wisconsin who was in this country for a Conference at which both were due to speak. There was no formal agenda. The official concerned described the various changes made to the welfare system in Wisconsin over the past several years, gave an informal assessment of their effect and described what she saw as the main lessons to be drawn about the process of implementing major change in this area.

  Child Support Agency
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will ensure the Child Support Agency does not reply to an hon. Member's inquiry relating to a constituent's case with a copy of its response to the constituent. [18225]

  Mr. Keith Bradley
  We are determined to ensure that the Child Support Agency provides an efficient and effective service to all its customers, including their representatives.

  The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mrs. Faith Boardman. She will write to my hon. Friend.
  205
  Letter from Mrs. Faith Boardman to Mr. David Hinchliffe, dated 1 December 1997:
  I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about replies from the Child Support Agency to inquiries from Members of Parliament.
  The Agency's policy in dealing with an inquiry from an MP is to provide a full, up-to-date and accurate reply to the issues raised. Each case is treated individually and the Agency aims to answer correspondence in line with the Departmental target of responding within 20 days.
  In the course of dealing with children's maintenance, correspondence between the Agency and customers is to be expected, and indeed necessary. Where this coincides with an inquiry from the customer's MP on their behalf, in order to be as helpful as possible and to ensure that the full facts are available, the Agency may copy relevant letters to the MP particularly where an identical issue has been raised by the constituent both directly with the Agency and through their MP. This has proved to be a useful, cost-effective and efficient mechanism, which helps avoid any misunderstanding and ensures that the MP is fully aware of what has been said to their constituent.
  I am very conscious that there are still far too many justified complaints about the standards of basic customer contact and the service we provide. Over the next few years, I am committed to bringing high quality levels of performance to every part of our operation as a matter of routine, thereby reducing the number of complaints received and enhancing the public perception of the Agency.
  I hope this is helpful.

  National Insurance Contributions
  Mr. Trickett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she has completed her review of national insurance contributions of 1998–99. [19162]

  Ms Harman
  I have completed the annual review under Section 141 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992. My proposals will take effect from 6 April 1998.

  Employers and employees
  In line with the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992, the lower earnings limit for Class 1 contributions is to be raised to £64 a week. It is set at the level of the Basic Retirement Pension rate for a single person from April 1998, rounded down to the nearest pound.
  The upper earnings limit is to be raised to £485 a week which is slightly less than 7½ times the new basic pension rates as provided by the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992. These new earnings limit will replace the current ones of £62 and £465 respectively.
  Employees whose earnings reach the lower earnings limit will continue to pay an initial contribution of 2 per cent. of that limit and standard rate contributions of 10 per cent. on that portion of their earnings which exceeds the lower but not the upper earnings limit.
  The contribution rates for employers will remain unchanged at 3 per cent., 5 per cent., 7 per cent. and 10 per cent. respectively, as will the earnings brackets for the three lower rates.

  Not contracted out employees and their employers
  Neither employees nor employers will have to pay any contributions if earnings are less than £64 a week. Employees whose earnings do not exceed £465 (the former upper earnings limit) will pay 16 pence a week less in contributions than at present. This is
  206
  because a further £2 of their weekly earnings will be subject to the 2 per cent. rate rather than 10 per cent. For employees with earnings above £465 the maximum possible increase will be £1.84 a week.
  There will be no change for employers where earnings are £64 or more a week.

  Contracted-out employees and their employers
  Employees whose earnings do not exceed £465 (the former upper earnings limit) will pay 13 pence a week less in contributions than at present. This is because a further £2 of their weekly earnings will be subject to the 2 per cent. rate rather than 8.4 per cent. For employees with earnings above £465 the maximum possible increase will be £1.55 a week.

  Employers who operate a Contracted-Out Salary Related Scheme (COSR)
  Where earnings are between £64 and £465 employers will pay 6 pence a week extra. This is due to the increase in the lower earnings limit which means that a further £2 of earnings is not subject to the contracted-out rebate. Where earnings are more than £465 a week employers will pay £54 pence a week less. This is mainly due to the increase in the upper earnings limit which means that a further £20 of earnings is subject to the contracted-out rebate.

  Employers who operate a Contracted-Out Money Purchase Scheme (COMP)
  Where earnings are between £64 and £465 employers will pay 3 pence a week extra. This is due to the increase in the lower earnings limit which means that a further £2 of earnings is not subject to the contracted-out rebate. Where earnings are more than £465 a week employers will pay 27 pence a week less. This is mainly due to the increase in the upper earnings limit which means that a further £20 of earnings is subject to the contracted-out rebate.

  Self-employed people
  The flat rate Class 2 contribution will be raised by 20p to £6.35 a week.
  Self-employed people with profits less than a specified amount. known as the small earnings exception limit, can apply to be excepted from paying Class 2 contributions. This limit will be raised by £110 to £3,590.
  There will be no change to the rate of Class 4 contributions which will remain at 6 per cent. The annual limits of profits between which Class 4 contributions are paid will be raised to £7,310 and £25,220 from £7,010 and £24,180 respectively.
  Self-employed people who pay only Class 2 contributions will pay an extra £10.40 a year in 1998–99.
  For people with profits between £7,310 and £24,180 (the former upper profits limit) Class 4 contributions will be reduced by £18 a year assuming an unaltered level of profits. For those self-employed people with profits at or above the new upper profits limit the annual charge for Class 4 contributions will be £44.80 higher.

  Class 3 (Voluntary) contributions
  The rate of Class 3 contributions will be raised by 20p to £6.25 a week.

  National health service allocation
  The allocation to the National Health Service is unchanged at 1.05 per cent. from employees and 0.9 per cent. from employers.

  Treasury grant
  Although benefit expenditure from the National Insurance Fund will broadly match income. I need to ensure that the Fund maintains a prudent working balance throughout the coming year and, in accordance with Section 2(2) of the Social Security Act 1993, I propose to do so by means of a grant from the Treasury. I estimate that the maximum grant required will be approximately £800 million.
  I shall by laying a Draft Order before Parliament together with a report by the Government Actuary describing the effects of my proposals.

  Development Education Expenditure
  Development Education Expenditure
  International Criminal Court
  International Criminal Court
  Personal Social Services Grants
  Personal Social Services Grants
  Personal Social Services Standard Spending Assessments
  Personal Social Services Standard Spending Assessments
  Community Care: Special Transitional Grant
  Community Care: Special Transitional Grant
  Victoria Cross: Downgraded Recommendations
  Victoria Cross: Downgraded Recommendations
  Phenylbutazone
  Phenylbutazone
  Pregnant Women and Employment Law
  Pregnant Women and Employment Law
  School Catchment Areas
  School Catchment Areas
  Public Bodies' Borrowings
  Public Bodies' Borrowings
  Lloyd's Underwriters: Tax Payments
  Lloyd's Underwriters: Tax Payments
  Millennium Experience: Legacy
  Millennium Experience: Legacy
  Age Restricted Sales
  Age Restricted Sales
  Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
  Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
  Probation Officers: Car Allowances
  Probation Officers: Car Allowances
  Youth Crime Reduction Projects: Grants
  Youth Crime Reduction Projects: Grants
  Police Grant Allocations
  Police Grant Allocations
  Scottish Parliament: Voting System
  Scottish Parliament: Voting System
  National Insurance Contributions
  National Insurance Contributions
  Benefit Rates
  Benefit Rates
  Unleaded Fuel
  Unleaded Fuel
  Small Cetaceans
  Small Cetaceans
  Non-domestic Rates: Distributable Amount Calculation
  Non-domestic Rates: Distributable Amount Calculation