Written Answers of 9 July 1997

PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL

  Privy Council
  Mr. Mitchell
  To ask the President of the Council if she will list the names of those who have resigned from the Privy Council since 1967, indicating the reasons they have given. [6481]

  Mrs. Ann Taylor
  Since 1967, Mr. John Stonehouse and Mr. Jonathan Aitken have asked for their names to be removed from the list of Privy Counsellors. In both cases, the reasons given were personal.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

  Council of Europe
  Mr. David Atkinson
  To ask the President of the Council if she will arrange for the yellow Demand Form for European Printed Papers to include reports, recommendations, resolutions and orders adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. [7105]

  Mrs. Ann Taylor
  The yellow Demand Form lists only titles which are held in stock in the Vote Office. Stocks of publications from the Council of Europe are not held but copies may be ordered through the Vote Office by use of the green Demand Form. Reference copies of many such publications are held in the House of Commons Library.

  Division Lobbies (Alterations)
  Mr. Forth
  To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what was the cost of the alterations to the division lobbies. [6948]

  Mr. Kirkwood
  The total cost of the alterations to the division lobbies was sonic £2,500.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Electoral Register
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints(a) his Department and (b) electoral registration offices received from those whose names did not appear on registration lists for the last General Election; and if he will make a statement. [6020]
  466
  Mr. George Howarth
  [holding answer 1 July 1997]: (a) We have received around 400 complaints about non-registration for the last General Election. (b) Information on the number of complaints received by electoral registration officers is not compiled centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of homeless people who fail to qualify for electoral registration because of the residence requirement; and if he will make a statement. [6013]

  Mr. Howarth
  [holding answer 1 July 1997]: Information on the number of homeless people who are not included on the electoral register is not available. The guidance issued to electoral registration officers makes it clear that no one should be denied the right to register simply because they are homeless. Although an elector must be registered at an address at which he or she is resident, that address need not be a conventional one.

  Altcourse Prison
  Mrs. Curtis-Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if category A prisoners will be housed in Altcourse Prison. [7046]

  Ms Joyce Quin
  It is planned that Altcourse prison, Liverpool, will house up to 25 category A prisoners.

  Young Offenders
  Ms Kelly
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persistent young offenders in Bolton, West he estimates will be affected by the Government's plans for fast-track punishment. [6474]

  Mr. Michael
  It is not possible to give an estimate of how many persistent young offenders in Bolton, West will be affected by the Government's commitment to halving the time between arrest and sentence for persistent young offenders. We are taking early action to encourage all youth agencies to deal with cases more speedily and will be monitoring progress in achieving this aim.

  We also believe that certainty and speed of outcome will send a clear message which will help deter some youngsters from offending. We are also encouraging the police and local authorities together to assess accurately the level of crime and disorder affecting the public in their area as a basis for a strategic partnership. It is hoped that this will provide a more accurate assessment of youth crime than basing a local estimate on an extrapolation from national averages.

  Mr. Rendel
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to expand the number of non-custodial schemes to divert convicted youths from further crime. [5544]

  Mr. Michael
  [holding answer 7 July 1997]: It is the Government's policy to "nip things in the bud" with young offenders. For example, we have signalled an intention that offenders will be punished by ending the practice of repeat police cautions, introducing a new Final Warning which will trigger effective intervention by the new locally based Youth Offender Teams.
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  We will require the police and local authorities to identify local problems of crime and disorder and to develop a strategy to tackle local problems. This will build on best practice in preventing crime and diverting young offenders from further offending.

  We will also introduce reparation orders and a new action plan order and will introduce Youth Offender Teams to plan and supervise community sentences aimed at changing offending behaviour.

  Police Act 1997
  Mr. Beith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he plans to implement Part III of the Police Act 1997. [6926]

  Mr. Michael
  We will implement these provisions as quickly as possible, but a number of issues need to be addressed first. In particular, Part III cannot be implemented until a code of practice has been approved by Parliament. I hope to announce shortly the start of a consultation exercise on a draft of the code.

  Rohypnol
  Mr. Beith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what evidence he has evaluated of the illegal use of the drug Rohypnol; and what plans he has to warn people of the dangers of this drug. [6920]

  Mr. George Howarth
  Rohypnol (which is the proprietary name for the benzodiazepine drug flunitrazepam) is controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 as a Class C drug. Statistical data on seizures and offenders and on those presenting for treatment do not separately identify Class C drugs, but there is anecdotal evidence of the misuse of flunitrazepam in Scotland and in the London area. There were three police seizures of the drug reported to the Forensic Science Service in 1996 which implies that there is little flunitrazepam misuse in the United Kingdom.

  In accordance with a decision by the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs to control flunitrazepam more tightly under the United Nations Convention on Psychotropic Substances 1971, we intend bringing forward later this year amendments to the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 1985 to increase the controls on the drug in the United Kingdom.

  Government funded publicity campaigns about the risks of drug misuse warn of the dangers associated with the benzodiazepines, such as valium and temazepam, generally. There are no current plans to highlight this particular drug within these campaigns.

  Attendance Centres
  Mr. Beith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to improve the facilities in attendance centres. [6921]

  Mr. Michael
  Attendance centres are operated from accommodation rented from local authorities, usually schools, with the centre making use of the facilities available at the location. The Officer in Charge of the centre can apply to the Home Office for funds to purchase additional equipment to ensure that the centre is able to offer a constructive and challenging regime.

  CS Gas
  Mr. Beith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to review the guidance given to the police on the use of CS gas. [6923]

  Mr. Michael
  We will review guidance to chief officers on the use of CS for dealing with public disorder in the light of any proposals resulting from current consideration of the subject by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO). Guidance to chief police officers on the use of CS spray for self-defence is issued by ACPO, which keep it under continuous review.

  Urban Disturbances
  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many serious youth-led urban disturbances have occurred in the United Kingdom in the past 10 years; and when and where each such disturbance occurred. [7049]

  Mr. Michael
  The information is not available in the form requested. The available information indicates that serious disturbances have occurred at:

  Location

  Date

  Wellington

  12 August 1991

  Cardiff

  30 August–3 September 1991

  Oxford

  30 August–4 September 1991

  Handsworth

  2 September 1991

  North Shields

  9 September 1991

  Bristol

  12 September 1991

  Harlesden, London

  27 April 1992

  Coventry

  12–14 May 1992

  Coventry

  22–24 May 1992

  Stockton

  14–16 June 1992

  Salford

  2–6 July 1992

  Luton

  6–8 July 1992

  Bristol

  16–17 July 1992

  Carlisle

  21 July 1992

  Burnley

  19–23 July 1992

  Blackburn

  22–23 July 1992

  Huddersfield

  22–23 July 1992

  London

  30 January 1993

  Welling

  8 May 1993

  Lincoln

  3–4 June 1993

  Whitechapel, London

  10 September 1993

  Welling

  16 October 1993

  London

  15 January 1994

  Nottingham

  15 January 1994

  Downing Street, London

  24 July 1994

  Leeds

  15 October 1994

  Hyde Park, London

  9 October 1994

  Westminster, London

  19 October 1994

  Bradford

  9–11 June 1995

  Luton

  5–6 July 1995

  Leeds

  10–11 July 1995

  Trafalgar Square, London

  12 April 1997

  Leeds

  16 May 1997

  Leeds

  18 June 1997

  Rehabilitation of Offenders
  Mr. Beith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to amend SI 1975/1023 relating to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. [6925]
  469
  Mr. Michael
  I expect to lay a new Exceptions Order before the House by the end of this year. This will replace SI 1975/1023, rationalise the present categories of exceptions and include those new ones that meet the criteria of:national security;
  the protection of particularly vulnerable members of society, such as the handicapped, elderly, young or sick;
  maintaining confidence in the administration of the law and in certain licensing systems; and
  ensuring probity in the areas of banking and financial services.

  Consultations are now under way on all outstanding requests for new categories of exceptions.

  Blind and Partially Sighted Voters
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment his Department has made of the advantages of a trial use of large print ballot papers and braille templates for elections; and what meetings officials from his Department have held with organisations representing blind and partially sighted people to discuss this issue. [6454]

  Mr. George Howarth
  Officials from this Department last met representatives of the Royal National Institute for the blind (RNIB) on 20 March 1997 to discuss proposals to help blind and partially sighted voters to vote in person. RNIB's clear print guidelines, which include advice on the use of large print and the typeface for ballot papers, were circulated by the Home Office to Acting Returning Officers in February. There is no provision in legislation for the use of templates carrying the details of candidates in braille and large print, to be used in conjunction with the ballot paper available to all other voters at the polling station. Further research would be required to test the practical and timetabling implications of such templates and to ensure that they could be used without becoming subject to error or abuse.

  Drink Driving
  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will assess the advantages of introducing legislation to increase the penalties for drunken driving and related offences; [6619]

  (2) if he will increase the penalties for drivers exceeding the permissible limits for alcohol in the blood. [6620]

  Mr. Michael
  The offence of driving when unfit through drink attracts a maximum penalty of six months' imprisonment or a fine of £5,000 or both, obligatory disqualification and endorsement of the offender's driving licence. Driving with excess alcohol in the blood attracts the same maximum penalty. We have no plans to increase these penalties or the maximum penalties for related offences.

  Handguns (Compensation)
  Mr. Frank Cook
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he has taken to ensure that(a) his officials and (b) police forces provide detailed information to firearms certificate holders about the levels
  470
  of compensation they are entitled to receive for handguns and handgun accessories surrendered in accordance with the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997. [7126]

  Mr. Michael
  By now, all firearm certificate holders and registered dealers should have received from their local police force copies of an information pack, including the full text and annexes to the Compensation Scheme as debated and approved by Parliament on 9 June. The levels of compensation are clearly set out in these documents. The pack also includes the claim form, a leaflet on how to complete the form and advice on where and when to surrender their weapons. In addition, the Home Office has written to clubs about the arrangements.

  Perjury
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) pursuant to his answer of 26 June,Official Report, column 574, how many convictions for perjury since 1979 resulted in (a) a custodial sentence, (b) a fine and (c) a conditional discharge; [6426]

  (2) pursuant to his answer of 26 June, Official Report, column 574, how many convictions for perjury since 1979 arose from court proceedings in an action for defamation. [6427]

  Mr. Michael
  The table below shows a breakdown of the number of convictions for perjury offences by type of sentence given.

  Court data held centrally by the Home Office do not separately identify actions for defamation.

  Number of persons convicted and sentenced1 at all courts for offences of perjury2 by type of disposal, 1979–1995

  England and Wales

  Type of sentence

  Year

  Total convicted

  Total sentenced

  Conditional discharge

  Fine

  Immediate custody

  1979

  135

  135

  8

  35

  47

  1980

  174

  174

  11

  59

  50

  1981

  145

  146

  6

  36

  52

  1982

  131

  133

  5

  44

  55

  1983

  139

  142

  12

  48

  47

  1984

  186

  186

  6

  54

  79

  1985

  162

  159

  17

  37

  55

  1986

  124

  125

  3

  28

  61

  1987

  167

  167

  7

  68

  52

  1988

  203

  204

  14

  49

  77

  1989

  195

  197

  11

  47

  66

  1990

  160

  161

  16

  42

  47

  1991

  166

  166

  16

  45

  51

  1992

  164

  165

  26

  46

  59

  1993

  150

  150

  25

  36

  51

  1994

  144

  144

  23

  40

  55

  1995

  193

  194

  15

  37

  94

  1 Includes persons convicted at magistrates' courts but committed for sentence at the Crown Court. Therefore some people may be convicted in one calendar year and sentenced in the next.

  2 An offence under the Perjury Act 1911 and Criminal Justice Act 1925 Sec. 36, Criminal Justice Act 1967 Sec. 89, Mines and Quarries (Tips) Act 1969 Sec. 12(2) (in part), Magistrates' Courts Act 1980 Sec. 106, Mental Health Act 1983 Sec. 126(4), County Courts Act 1984 Sec. 133 and Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 Sec. 75.

  Voting (Residential Homes)
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans his Department has to introduce voting points in residential homes, sheltered housing and hospitals at elections on a trial basis. [6455]

  Mr. George Howarth
  We have no plans to do so at this time.

NATIONAL HERITAGE

  Royal Fine Art Commission
  Sir Patrick Cormack
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will define the roles of(a) the Royal Fine Art Commission and (b) English Heritage in commenting on major proposals for new buildings in historically and environmentally sensitive areas. [6634]

  Mr. Fisher
  Local planning authorities were advised in a DoE letter of 17 March 1997 to seek the advice of the Royal Fine Art Commission (RFAC) on development schemes of national or major regional importance. The Royal Fine Art Commission is able to examine about 140 such schemes each year, not all of which have an impact on historic environments. The Royal Fine Art Commission will examine the design quality of a building itself and its impact on its surroundings. Its recommendations have no statutory force but there is a good record of their being adopted.

  English Heritage is the Government's statutory adviser on the management of the historic environment in England. Local Authorities are advised in PPG 15 to consult English heritage on all planning applications for developments affecting the setting of grade I and II* buildings and of grade II buildings in Greater London, and on major applications for development in conservation areas. In order to give advice about the impact of new buildings on their historic environment, English Heritage must take a view on both the quality and the appropriateness of proposed extensions or new buildings. English Heritage saw over 5,000 such applications in 1995–96.

  There is some degree of overlap between these functions and the staff of the Royal Fine Art Commission and English Heritage liaise to avoid duplication.

  Seaside Piers
  Mr. Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage for which seaside piers national lottery funding has been applied for; which have been successful; and what amounts have been allocated to those successful applicants. [7182]

  Mr. Banks
  I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 4 July 1997,Official Report, column 292.

  Old Documents
  Mr. Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what is the date and title of the oldest document or archival unit retained by his Department which has not been passed on to the Public Record Office for release for public inspection. [7209]
  472
  Mr. Tom Clarke
  [holding answer 8 July 1997]: The oldest document, dated 1895/6, comprises loose correspondence and drawings relating to the erection of a memorial in Windsor Castle. These were recently found in my Department and will shortly be transferred to the Public Record Office or the Royal Archivist. There is only one other registered record of papers over 30 years old retained by this Department.

  Sporting Events (Television Coverage)
  Mr. Grogan
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will make a statement on the absence of terrestrial television coverage of the British Lions tour of South Africa; and if this represents a breakdown of the unbundling agreement between the satellite and terrestrial television broadcasters. [7153]

  Mr. Fisher
  I understand that the South African Rugby Union own the television rights to the British Lions tour of South Africa. Consequently those rights were not covered by the voluntary code of conduct for the broadcasting of sports events which a number of UK sports organisations have adopted. However, rights to show highlights of the matches were acquired by S4C. The review of listed events will need to assess the effectiveness of the voluntary arrangements for unbundling the various types of broadcasting rights as a substitute form of access to some events.

  Freedom of Information
  Mr. Keetch
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will publish his Department's submissions relating to freedom of information legislation. [6033]

  Mr. Tom Clarke
  [holding answer 2 July 1997]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 4 July 1997, Official Report, columns 293–94.

  English Heritage Grants
  Mr. Gordon Marsden
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans he has to discuss with English Heritage ways in which greater regional input can be achieved in respect of its grant-making procedures. [6575]

  Mr. Banks
  None at present. Though English Heritage's Conservation staff are based in London, they are organised in regional teams, spend much time in those regions, and liaise closely with local authorities and Government Offices for the Regions.

  Dance and Drama Students
  Mr. Luff
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what assessment he has made of the response by local authorities to the new arrangements for the funding of dance and drama students; and if he will make a statement. [6927]

  Mr. Fisher
  On 6 March the Arts Council of England announced the terms of its interim scheme for assisting the funding of professional training for dance and drama students. The scheme is administered by the Arts Council which is monitoring the level of response by local authorities to the new arrangements. As at 2 July the Council had received responses from 44 local education authorities, of which 30 had confirmed that they intended
  473
  to participate in the scheme or had agreed to provide awards, and a further four were still considering their position.

  Royal Parks
  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what proposals he has for additional public funding for the Royal Parks. [5888]

  Mr. Tom Clarke
  My Department is reviewing all its expenditure within the overall spending plans set by the previous Government for 1997–98 and 1998–99. Spending on the Royal Parks will be considered alongside the Department's other responsibilities.

  Computers (Century Date Change)
  Mr. David Atkinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will make a statement on his Department's timetable for dealing with the Year 2000 Computer Problem; who is in charge of the project; how many staff are working on it; what is the projected cost of resolving the problem; and whether the project is on schedule. [7134]

  Mr. Tom Clarke
  The Department of National Heritage is currently auditing all computer systems that it uses for Year 2000 compliance. This audit should be complete by the autumn and it is intended to complete any remedial work by the summer of 1998. The project is being managed by the Department's Information Systems Branch with one member of staff co-ordinating the work which is being carried out by Sema Group, the Department's outsourced service provider. The Department is making use of the recent guidance from CCTA "Tackling the Year 2000". The cost of resolving the problem will be known by the autumn. The project is currently on schedule.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

  Debt
  Mr. Dawson
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will take steps to cancel the debt of poor countries. [7233]

  Clare Short
  The Government is pushing for full and rapid implementation of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. We believe that debt relief should accompany a wider commitment by debtors to create the conditions necessary for sustainable economic growth and lasting poverty reduction. The Government has already forgiven over £1.2 billion of old loans to many of the poorest countries. We will be prepared to consider cancelling aid loans to other low-income countries where necessary, on a case-by-case basis.

  United Nations Industrial Development Organisation
  Mr. Rowlands
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of the role of the UN Industrial Development Organisation. [7188]

  Clare Short
  During the last four years UNIDO has undertaken a comprehensive and impressive reform programme. Fundamental change has been made,474
  substantial staff reductions achieved and new management procedures introduced. I greatly welcome these changes and it is because of these changes that I announced on 3 July our decision to remain a member of UNIDO.

  Mr. Rowlands
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what are her future plans in respect of support for the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation. [7189]

  Clare Short
  We will continue to support the process of narrowing and refocusing UNIDO'S activities into high priority areas which meet the changing needs of developing countries.

TREASURY

  Unemployment
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many persons aged under 25 years in the constituency of Stoke-on-Trent, North and nationally(a) are registered unemployed and (b) have never been employed. [6863]

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

  Letter from Tim Holt to Ms Joan Walley, dated 8 July 1997:
  The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me to reply as Director of the Office for National Statistics to your recent question on how many persons under 25 are (a) registered unemployed and (b) have never been employed nationally and in the parliamentary constituency of Stoke-on-Trent North.
  The measure of unemployment, derived from the quarterly Labour Force Survey (LFS), is defined on a consistent and internationally recognised basis set out by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and counts as unemployed people who are: a) without a paid job; b) available to start work within the next two weeks and c) have either looked for work in the last four weeks or are waiting to start a job already obtained. However, largely because it is a sample survey, information is not available from the LFS in as much geographical detail as from the claimant count measure described below.
  ONS also publishes the monthly claimant count, which is based on the administrative system and includes all people claiming unemployment-related benefits (i.e. Jobseekers Allowance, Income Support or National Insurance credits) at Employment Service offices on the day of the monthly count, who on that day had signed on as unemployed and available to do any suitable work. Essentially, all people who attend an Employment Service office to sign are counted, irrespective of whether they arc actually receiving benefit.
  Data for the number of registered unemployed can only be derived from the claimant count. However, the claimant count does not have information on the numbers of people who have never been employed.
  The data you have requested for Stoke-on-Trent North can only be derived from the claimant count, as the LFS does not give details down to constituency level.
  The winter 1996/7 LFS shows that there were 1,592,000 people aged 16–24 who have never been employed (other than in casual or holiday jobs) in the United Kingdom. To put this information into context the attached table shows the total breakdown by educational and economic status. For example, you can see that, from the total of 1,592,000 nearly 83 per cent (1,322,000) were economically inactive, that is they had not looked for work in the past four weeks

  475
  or were neither available to start work in the next two weeks nor waiting to start a job they had already obtained. 1,186,000 of the total were full-time school, college or university students.
  The claimant count in April 1997 showed that there were 575 claimants under 25 in the Stoke-on-Trent North parliamentary constituency. This compared to a figure of 440,028 claimants under 25 in the United Kingdom in April 1997.

  People aged 16–24 in the Untied Kingdom who have not had a paid job, winter 1996–97, not seasonally adjusted

  Thousands

  All

  Full-time student

  Not full-time student

  All of which:

  1,592

  1,186

  406

  ILO unemployed

  270

  93

  177

  Economically inactive

  1,322

  1,093

  230

  Source:

  ONS, LFS.

  Drugs
  Mr. Leigh
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list by department the total amount allocated to tackling problems relating to drugs for the five most recent years for which figures are available. [4798]

  Mr. Darling
  The Treasury does not yet hold this data centrally and information on total Government and individual departments' expenditure on tackling drug misuse is not recorded on an annual basis. The Government recognises the importance of greater clarity of information relating to drugs related issues and will therefore be appointing a "drug czar" to co-ordinate action against drugs. The drug czar will he working to the President of the Council as Chair of the Cabinet's co-ordinating committee on drug misuse. One of his or her first tasks will be to review urgently the existing drugs strategy, and put forward proposals for tackling the problem with renewed vigour. This review will include evaluating current Government expenditure.

  The most recently available estimates we currently hold were published in the White Paper "Tackling Drugs Together" in May 1995. They show that at least £526 million of expenditure in 1993–94 could be directly attributable to drug programmes and activities across the UK.

  Bereavement Allowance
  Mr. Garnier
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his Department's policy on equalising the treatment of sexes in respect of the bereavement allowance; and if he will make a statement. [6320]

  Dawn Primarolo
  [holding answer 1 July 1997]: There are no plans to extend the widows bereavement allowance to widowers.

  Insurance Premium Tax
  Mr. Fearn
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will review the rates of insurance premium tax charged on travel insurance sold by(a) travel agents and (b) other outlets. [7184]
  476
  Dawn Primarolo
  As is usual with new tax measures, the impact of the higher rate of insurance premium tax of 17.5 per cent. which front 1 April 1997 has been applied to certain specified insurance sales, including travel insurance sold by travel agents and tour operators, will be kept under review.

  Hotels (VAT)
  Mr. Fearn
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will establish a review of the imposition of VAT charged on tourist rates for hotel accommodation. [7257]

  Dawn Primarolo
  VAT is payable under EC legislation on hotel accommodation, and this is accurately reflected in United Kingdom law.

  Double Taxation
  Mr. Wilkinson
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the annual loss of revenue to the British Exchequer from the requirement under the UK/Danish Double Taxation Convention and Protocol that retired Danish citizens permanently resident in the United Kingdom pay only Danish tax upon their Danish pensions. [6449]

  Dawn Primarolo
  [holding answer 8 July 1997]: The Double Taxation Convention and Protocol permit Denmark to charge its normal tax regime on pensions paid to persons in the UK who formerly lived in Denmark. The UK will allow credit for that Danish tax when assessing the pension to UK tax. The cost to the UK exchequer will be negligible, because of the small number of pensioners who will be affected.

  Mr. Wilkinson
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received from the Commission of the European Union that double taxation conventions between member states be harmonised.[6447]

  Dawn Primarolo
  [holding answer 8 July 1997]: I have received no such representations.

  Mr. Wilkinson
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the harmonising of double taxation conventions between the United Kingdom and other EU nations. [6448]

  Dawn Primarolo
  [holding answer 8 July 1997]: Bilateral double taxation agreements are a matter for the member states concerned. There is no process of harmonisation of double taxation conventions between the United Kingdom and other EU nations under way, nor is there a need for any such harmonisation.

  Public Expenditure
  Sir Teddy Taylor
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the total amount of public expenditure per head of population in each of the constituent nations of the United Kingdom in the most recent year for which figures are available. [6655]

  Mr. Darling
  [holding answer 8 July 1997]: The latest breakdown of expenditure per head of population for countries of the UK was published in table 7.1 of the Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 1997–98, Cm 3601.

  Budget Leaks
  Mr. Cash
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the Ministers who(a) gave interviews to (b) made statements to and (c) answered questions from journalists or representatives of the Financial Times in the period of 48 hours before the Budget Statement. [7265]

  Mr. Gordon Brown
  [holding answer 8 July 1997]: No Treasury Minister gave interviews to, made statements to or answered questions from journalists or representatives of the Financial Times in the 48 hours before the Budget Statement.

  Windfall Tax
  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Inland Revenue staff will be required to administer and collect the windfall tax. [7387]

  Dawn Primarolo
  [holding answer 8 July 1997]: The additional staffing requirement will be negligible.

  Private Finance Initiative
  Mr. Timms
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library the latest list of major signed PFI/Public Private Partnerships deals; and if he will update that list at regular intervals. [7903]

  Mr. Geoffrey Robinson
  I will arrange for the list to be placed in the Library, and for it to be updated every six months.

  Personal Pensions (Misselling)
  Mr. Timms
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made towards providing redress for the victims of misselling of personal pensions. [7904]

  Mrs. Liddell
  In my earlier reply to my hon. Friend the Member for East Ham (Mr. Timms) on 24 June,Official Report, columns 454–55 I undertook to publish information each month about the cases handled by the 24 firms which have most cases to review. These are the firms for which the regulators (the Securities and Investments Board and the Personal Investment Authority) have published targets for completion of case reviews. Below is a table containing the information provided to me by these firms about progress with their casework to end June.

  The figures in the table, which are those submitted by the 24 firms themselves, provide a benchmark from which future progress can be measured.

  The volume of cases cleared is extremely disappointing. All the firms in the table have a great deal more work to do. Some appear hardly to have begun.

  It is now imperative that all firms—not just these 24—which have sold personal pensions should make serious efforts to improve their performance in completing their caseloads. This is not only in the interests of their customers but also of their own reputations with the general public. The regulators will continue to monitor the firms' performance against the targets they have been set.

  I will decide once I have seen some further figures to measure progress what further action may be called for.
  478

  A

  B

  C

  D

  E

  F

  Hogg Robinson

  602

  50

  8

  2

  1

  0

  Colonial

  6,754

  152

  663

  503

  32

  0

  Gan

  8,358

  43

  133

  79

  63

  1

  Sedgwick

  6,731

  359

  436

  262

  64

  1

  Abbey Life

  15,993

  950

  1,116

  238

  169

  1

  Allied Dunbar

  16,422

  1,177

  761

  281

  182

  1

  Lincoln National

  12,301

  830

  541

  203

  148

  1

  Windsor Life

  7,830

  0

  164

  157

  131

  2

  London & Manchester

  6,944

  64

  493

  399

  117

  2

  Cooperative Insurance

  41,762

  1,025

  7,195

  1,280

  825

  2

  Equitable Life

  10,761

  4,097

  3,788

  437

  307

  3

  Britannic

  12,360

  0

  1,355

  728

  443

  4

  Sun Life of Canada

  25,682

  1,628

  1,279

  1,161

  1,002

  4

  NatWest

  13,192

  2,657

  1,801

  1,059

  573

  4

  United Assurance

  12,648

  382

  1,521

  783

  585

  5

  Pearl

  39,548

  897

  4,486

  3,040

  2,076

  5

  Prudential

  58,606

  35

  13,829

  12,861

  3,128

  5

  Royal London

  9,357

  138

  1,280

  748

  532

  6

  Legal & General

  33,282

  12,147

  3,442

  2,590

  2,046

  6

  Norwich Union

  6,772

  1,824

  1,009

  548

  428

  6

  Lloyds/TSB

  46,562

  4,662

  6,836

  5,166

  3,310

  7

  Royal & Sun Alliance

  14,995

  927

  1,933

  1,605

  1,213

  8

  Guardian

  8,255

  264

  1,511

  1,175

  855

  10

  Barclays Life

  16,700

  5,134

  4,413

  3,121

  2,315

  14

  A= Cases identified as requiring review, B = Of A, cases where investor was informed that information gained during assessment excluded cases for review.

  C = Number of assessments completed.

  D = Cases where redress has been offered.

  E = Cases where redress has been accepted. This is a subset of assessments completed.

  F = Cases where redress has been accepted as a percentage of cases identified for review.

  Some further cases will have been completed without redress being due.

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

  Small Claims Procedure
  Mr. Gordon Marsden
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will review the operation of the small claims procedure in respect of the requirement for cases to be heard in the place of residence of the person against whom a claim is being pursued. [6579]

  Mr. Hoon
  There is, in fact, no such requirement. In the county courts, liquidated claims are transferred to the defendant's home court on receipt of a defence. However, the plaintiff may apply for the claim to be returned to a court more convenient to him or her. The Lord Chancellor's Department is undertaking consultation on judicial case management, of which choice of venue is one element. Comments are sought by 26 September 1997.

EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT

  Benefits
  Mr. Chaytor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the costs and benefits of extending the relaxation of the 16 hour rule to all adults unemployed for(a) more than six months, (b) more than 12 months and (c) more than 18 months. [7111]
  479
  Mr. Alan Howarth
  No such assessment has been made. The New Deal announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 3 July will provide a range of quality options for unemployed people to help them make the transition back into work, with a strong emphasis on the importance of education and training.

  The New Deal for people aged 25 and over, who have been unemployed for two years or more will include opportunities for full-time study while receiving JSA.

  In addition, and subject to Parliamentary approval, we will be expanding Workskill Pilots to four more areas of Britain so that those unemployed for six months or more will be able to take up education or training and remain on Jobseeker's Allowance. The pilots will provide us with valuable information on the extent to which allowing people to study on benefit affects their chances of gaining and remaining in employment.

  Primary Teaching
  Mrs. Curtis-Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps he is taking to ensure that primary school teachers are fully able to teach technology to five to eight-year-olds; and if he will make a statement. [7055]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  The Government has announced that proceeds from the National Lottery will be made available to support in-service training for teachers in information technology. On 26 June I announced new requirements for initial teacher training, which will require all newly qualified teachers to demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of information technology, and asked the Teacher Training Agency to develop a curriculum for information technology in initial teacher training.

  Deal Primary School
  Mr. Prosser
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he has been able to determine the public notice issued by the Governors of the Deal Parochial CE Voluntary Aided Primary School (Kent) on 20 June 1996 to reduce the standard number from 40 to 27. [7262]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  The application is still under consideration, but a decision is expected shortly.

  Class Sizes
  Mr. Coaker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list by local education authority the(a) numbers and (b) percentages of pupils according to the January 1997 Form 7 for (i) key stage 1 and (ii) key stage 2 in classes of (1) 31 or more, (2) 35 or more and (3) 40 or more; and if he will list the corresponding figures for 1996. [6559]

  Mr. Byers
  The available information is shown in a table, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.

  Pupil Exclusions
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many children throughout England and Wales with severe learning 480
  disabilities have been excluded from schools on (a) a temporary and (b) a permanent basis (i) at present and (ii) in the last 12 months. [6621]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  In 1994–95 some 1,800 pupils with statements of special educational need were permanently excluded from schools in England. Details of exclusions in 1995–96 are currently being collated and will be available later in the year. Information of fixed period exclusions is not collected centrally.

  Data on exclusions from schools in Wales are matters for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Departmental Advisers
  Mr. Alan Simpson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list each person advising or assisting his Department who has(a) membership of and (b) involvement in (i) the European Round Table of industrialists, (ii) the European Centre for Infrastructure Studies, (iii) the Competitiveness Advisory Group, (iv) Transatlantic Business Dialogue, (v) the Association for the Monetary Union of Europe, (vi) Union of Industrial and Employers Confederations of Europe, (vii) Europa Bio and (viii) the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. [5310]

  Mr. Doug Henderson
  Membership of the European Round Table of Industrialists, the Competitiveness Advisory Group and the Transatlantic Business Dialogue is on a personal basis. No advisers to this Department have reported membership of these bodies.

  Membership of the European Centre for Infrastructure Studies, the Association for the Monetary Union of Europe, the Union of Industrial and Employers' Confederations of Europe, Europa Bio and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development is on a corporate basis. Representatives from companies and organisations involved with these groups may advise Departments from time to time.

  Bermuda
  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement of British relations with Bermuda. [6937]

  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  Britain has an excellent relationship with Bermuda—its oldest and now its most populous Dependent Territory. Although Bermuda is self-governing, Britain has retained responsibility for its external affairs and security. Independence, which was rejected in a referendum held in 1995, remains a matter for the Bermudian people to decide.

  Plutonium
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what response the Government have made to the international plutonium disposition initiatives undertaken by President Clinton's administration; and if he will make a statement. [7317]
  481
  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  International expert discussions on the disposal of surplus US and Russian military plutonium have concluded that the two most promising options are the conversion of plutonium into MOX (mixed oxide of both plutonium and uranium) fuel and its subsequent consumption in nuclear power reactors, and the immobilisation of plutonium through vitrification. The UK was involved in these discussions and supports these conclusions. Future discussions are likely to focus on the most effective means of implementing these disposal options in the US and Russia. The UK will continue to participate fully in international consideration of this issue.

  EU Social Agreement
  Mr. Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which words(a) are in the Social Agreement attached to Protocol 14 of the treaty on Economic Union signed at Maastricht and have not been transposed into the social chapter of the draft Treaty of Amsterdam and (b) have been added to draft articles in that draft treaty and do not appear in the current Social Agreement; and what are the reasons for the changes specified in (a) and (b) above. [7378]

  Mr. Doug Henderson
  A copy of the draft Treaty of Amsterdam has been placed in the libraries of the House. The Social provisions, which incorporate the Social Agreement, are on pages 59–66 (Articles 117–120). The changes that have been made to the Social Agreement text are intended to: incorporate elements of the existing Articles 117–120 TEC; replace co-operation with co-decision as the mechanism for consulting the European Parliament when legislation is adopted by QMV; allow the adoption by QMV of measures to encourage co-operation between Member States on combatting social exclusion; slightly broaden the provisions on the equality of men and women.

  Russia
  Ann Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what are the outstanding issues delaying the setting up of a permanent joint council between NATO and Russia; and when the inaugural meeting will take place. [7258]

  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  The NATO/Russia Founding Act which was signed on 27 May provided for the establishment of a NATO/Russia Joint Permanent Council as a forum for members of the Alliance and Russia to discuss matters of European security. The Act provides for the Council to meet within four months of signature. We expect the inaugural meeting to take place before the end of September.

  NATO
  Ann Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the consequence for the excluded European countries of US and British decisions to support a limited enlargement of NATO. [7259]

  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  Decisions on the membership of NATO are taken collectively by The Alliance. NATO's door will remain open to the applicant countries not invited to begin accession negotiations in Madrid. We are 482
  determined that NATO enlargement will not mean a reduction in security for others or the creation of new dividing lines in Europe.

  NATO's 27 Partner countries will also benefit from the new opportunities for cooperation provided by the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council and the enhanced Partnership for Peace Programme. These encourage Partner countries to draw closer to the Alliance.

  Arms Exports
  Mr. Brady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress he has made with his review of the mechanics and detailed criteria used in the issuing of licences for exports of conventional arms; and when he expects to reach conclusions on individual countries. [7240]

  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  The review of detailed criteria used in considering licence applications to export conventional arms, which was announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on 22 May,Official Report, column 135, is being taken forward as a matter of urgency. The new criteria will be made available to the House when the review is complete. The aim of the review is not to focus on individual countries but to draw up criteria applicable to all destinations.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

  Computers (Century Date Change)
  Mr. David Atkinson
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on his Department's timetable for dealing with the Year 2000 Computer problem; who is in charge of the project; how many staff are working on it; what is the projected cost of resolving the problem; and whether the project is on schedule. [7139]

  Mr. Kilfoyle
  Whilst the Year 2000 Computer problem effect on computer systems generally may be significant, within the Cabinet Office and its Agencies, it is likely to be minimal. It has therefore not been necessary to establish a project team to deal with the issue.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Regional Aid
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps she has taken to review the existing criteria in determining eligibility for European Union regional aid; and if he will make a statement. [5376]

  Mrs. Roche
  [holding answer 26 June 1997]: The regulations setting out the criteria for eligibility for the European Structural and Cohesion Funds are due to be re-examined before the end of 1999 by the Council of Ministers, acting on proposals from the Commission. The Commission are likely to give an initial indication of their ideas for the future of the Funds in a communication in July, with detailed proposals for amending the regulations

  483
  coming at a later date. The Government is looking for a package which is affordable, simple and more efficient, and fair.

  Minister for Trade and Competitiveness in Europe
  Mr. Letwin
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade in which departments the Minister for Trade and Competitiveness in Europe has private offices; how many officials are employed in those private offices; and if she will list his special advisers. [5998]

  Mrs. Beckett
  [holding answer 30 June 1997]: The Minister for Trade and Competitiveness in Europe, Lord Simon, has one private office which serves him in both the DTI and in the Treasury. The private office consists of a Private Secretary, and Assistant Private Secretary, a Diary Secretary, a Correspondence Manager and a Personal Secretary. Lord Simon has office facilities in both departments. He has no political advisers.

  Strategic Defence Review
  Mr. Wilkinson
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what part her Department will play in the Strategic Defence Review, with particular reference to representing the interests of manufacturing industry. [5630]

  Mr. Battle
  [holding answer 1 July 1997]: Several departments and other interested bodies will be involved in the Government's Strategic Defence Review. My Department will participate fully in aspects where the competitiveness of UK industry, and its contribution to the wider economy, arc being considered.

  Nuclear Power
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will take steps to ensure that Euratom does nto impede the work of the IAEA in carrying out its verification inspections. [6402]

  Mrs. Roche
  My Department will continue to work closely with the IAEA and Euratom in order that nuclear safeguards inspections are undertaken in an effective and cost efficient manner which enables each inspectorate to draw its own independent conclusions.

  Mr. Taylor
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the minimum quantity of fissile material that would be required for a criticality in an underground nuclear waste repository. [6403]

  Mr. Battle
  The minimum quantity of fissile material required for criticality in an underground nuclear repository would be the same as that in any other nuclear facility. This quantity is dependent on a number of factors including the geometry of the fissile material, the presence of moderating materials which reduce the velocity of neutrons, the presence of reflecting materials retaining neutrons within the system, and the presence of materials such as uranium-238, iron, and calcium, which absorb neutrons.

  Limits and conditions of authorisation for any repository being developed in the UK would be based on "Guidance on Requirements for Authorisation" which has been issued by the Environment Agencies. This states that a developer would "need to demonstrate that the possibility of a local accumulation of fissile material such
  484
  as to produce a neutron chain reaction is not a significant concern." This would be achieved by e.g. the establishment of fissile material limits on waste packages, constraints on packaging, provision of backfill and the maintenance of a high pH to suppress the solubility of plutonium.

  Car Boot Sales
  Mr. Kidney
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations she has received in support of the licensing of car boot sales. [6444]

  Mr. Nigel Griffiths
  My Department has received one representation about car boot sales since the election. ITSA and LACOTS have also made me aware of concerns about certain practices. I am of course willing to consider any further representations that are made. Car boot sales can raise a number of different issues, some of which would come within the responsibility of other Government Departments.

  Climate Change
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what reports she has received from the British Antarctic Survey on the rate of temperature rises and the effect on ice melting. [6345]

  Mr. Battle
  holding answer 3 July 1997]: All of the climatically sensitive ice shelves on the Antarctic Peninsula have suffered major disintegration, which is significant and unique within recorded history and results from the fact that summer temperatures now regularly exceed 0°C. Given a continued warming, the ice shelves are predicted to disintegrate further in the coming decades.

  The British Antarctic Survey has continuous records which begin in the 1940s and show a warming of 0.5°C per decade in the Antarctic Peninsula. This is interpreted to be a regional effect, and has not been observed to the same extent elsewhere in Antarctica. It will he some time before it can he established whether these observed trends are part of a wider manifestation of global warming.

  European Patent System
  Mrs. Curtis-Thomas
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what proposals she has to consult industrialists over the proposals contained in the EU green paper on a European patent system based on a single patent application; and if she will make a statement. [7048]

  Mr. Battle
  The European Commission's Green Paper is in the form of a questionnaire seeking views from European industry, including that of the United Kingdom, on a wide range of issues concerning the development of the patent system in Europe. We are taking steps to ensure that UK industry is aware of the Commission's initiative so that it can make its views known to the Commission and at the same time advise the Department of its position. The Green Paper will be discussed by the Standing Advisory Committee on Industrial Property which was established so that not only industrialists, representing large to small industries, but also consumer representatives and legal and professional bodies can advise the Government on all aspects of industrial property policy.

  Newspaper Publishing
  Mr. Livingstone
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment she has made of a recent report, a copy of which has been sent to her, in respect of the imposition of margins by newspaper publishers and the reduction in the amount of space available for minority titles; and if she will make a statement. [6945]

  Mr. Nigel Griffiths
  My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade has recently received copies of reports from the Committee for Diversity and Pluralism and the National Federation of Retail Newsagents. All those with concerns about the distribution of magazines and newspapers must make them known to the Director General of Fair Trading. It is for the Director General to consider whether action under the competition legislation is appropriate.

  Bank of Credit and Commerce International
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many set off cases she has approved in the liquidation of BCCI; what is the total amount outstanding in respect of such cases; and what representations she has received on this subject. [7051]

  Mr. Nigel Griffiths
  The application of the rules as regards mutual credits and set off, set out in Rule 4.90 of The Insolvency Rules 1986 is mandatory in any liquidation and is not subject to any form of official approval. Once an account has been taken of what is due to and from the liquidating company as a result of mutual dealings the process of set off is automatic.

  Solar Energy
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans the Government have to support the solar energy industry in the United Kingdom. [7345]

  Mr. Battle
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Stoke on Trent, North (Ms Walley) on 10 June 1997.Official Report, column 417.

  Public Records
  Mr. Baker
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the date and title of the oldest document or archival unit retained by her Department which has not been passed on to the Public Record Office for release for public inspection. [7207]

  Mr. Nigel Griffiths
  [holding answer 8 July 1997]: The earliest known file, selected for the Public Record Office, but still retained in the Department under the provisions of the Public Records Act 1958 for the retention of records on grounds of continuing sensitivity, is dated 1952, title: Atomic Energy Board: minutes and papers.

  The general arrangements for retaining public records are set out in Chapter 9 of the White Paper Open Government of July 1993 (Cm 2290).

  Post Office
  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade when the Government intends to publish its plans for the future of the Post Office; and if she will make a statement. [7651]

  Mr. Ian McCartney
  It is too early yet to say when the review of the Post Office will he completed or when we will he in a position to announce our future plans.

  EU Internal Market Council
  Mr. Mike Hall
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what decisions were taken at the EU Ministerial Council on the Internal Market on 21 May; and what matters were voted upon. [7983]

  Mrs. Beckett
  My right hon. Friend the Minister for Trade and Competitiveness in Europe represented the UK at the Internal Market Council in Brussels on 21 May.

  The Council reached political agreement by qualified majority voting on proposals on the free movement of lawyers and in vitro diagnostic medical devices. A Common Position was agreed by qualified majority on a proposal on foodstuffs treated with ionising radiation.

  The Council discussed the Single Market Action Plan, Legislative Simplification, Reform of Customs Transit Regime, European Company Statute, Electronic Commerce, the Green Paper on Public Procurement and, in Any Other Business, attacks on Spanish produce in France, anti-dumping duties on cotton fabric and medical device safety.

  EU Telecommunications Council
  Mr. Heppell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will make a statement on the outcome of the EC Telecommunications Council on 27 June. [7982]

  Mrs. Roche
  I represented the UK at the Telecommunications Council held in Luxembourg on 27 June.

  The Council agreed a resolution on the further development of a policy for numbering in the European Community. Following European Commission presentations, the Council adopted conclusions on three Commission communications: on the further development of mobile and wireless communications in Europe (universal mobile telecommunications systems); a Commission action plan for satellite communications; and on implementation by Member States of Community legislation in the telecommunications sector. There were also lunchtime presentations by the Commission on its communication on the World Radiocommunications Conference 1997, and on its interim report on Member States' initiatives concerning illegal and harmful content on the internet.

  Trade Associations
  Mr. Page
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade when she intends to allocate ministerial responsibility for trade associations. [2870]

  Mrs. Beckett
  The Minister for science, energy and industry, John Battle MP, is responsible for policy towards trade associations.

DEFENCE

  Defence Postal and Courier Services
  Mr. Bob Russell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if the Defence Review will cover the Defence Postal and Courier Services of the Royal Logistic Corps; how many commissioned ranks there are in the Defence Postal and Courier Services; what is the number in each rank; and what are the corresponding figures for an average line regiment; [6768]

  (2) how many disciplinary cases within the Defence Postal and Courier Services have been initiated by military line management against civilian Defence couriers in each of the past 10 years; [6769]

  (3) for what reason civilian staff in the Defence Postal and Courier Services have been replaced by serving military personnel; and how many posts which fell vacant in the past two years were filled by serving military personnel instead of civilian (service retired) personnel. [6767]

  Mr. Spellar
  This is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Defence Postal and Courier Services. I have asked the Chief Executive to write to the hon. Member.

  Letter front T. McG Brown to Mr. Bob Russell, dated 9 July 1997:
  I have been asked to reply to your three Parliamentary Questions to the Secretary of State for Defence regarding staffing and other matters related to the Defence Postal and Courier Service. As Chief Executive of the Defence Postal and Courier Services Agency (DPCSA) I am responsible for the management within my Agency and I am therefore providing the details you have requested.
  Taking each question in turn:
  1. "For what reason civilian staff in the Defence Postal and Courier Service have been replaced by serving military personnel; and how many posts which fell vacant in the past two years were filled by serving military personnel instead of civilian (service retired) personnel?"
  Overall, no civilian posts falling vacant in the last two years have been filled with military personnel. It is in fact the case that a number of military posts have been filled by civilians.
  2. "How many disciplinary cases within the Defence Postal and Courier Service have been initiated by military line management against civilian Defence Couriers in each of the past 10 years?"
  The management of the Defence Courier Service, which is a part of DPCSA, rests with military personnel. As all disciplinary cases are initiated by line management all cases against civilian Defence Couriers have therefore been initiated by military personnel. There have been 25 cases initiated in the past 10 years. The breakdown by year, from available records, is as follows:

  1987: 2

  1990: 1

  1991: 3

  1995: 9

  1996: 5

  1997: 5

  Records are readily available only for those presently employed or who have recently left.
  3. "Will the Defence Review cover the Defence Postal and Courier Service of the Royal Logistic Corps; how many commissioned ranks there are in the Defence Postal and Courier Service; what is the number of each rank; and what are the corresponding figures for an average line regiment?"
  488
  The Review will be wide ranging and all aspects of defence will be considered in this process. In addition to issues of policy and strategy, the Review will look at how we should get the best possible output from defence resources and the contribution of our defence effort to the wider economy. As part of the MOD, the Defence Postal and Courier Service will no doubt be included in this review.
  The number of commissioned ranks within the DPCSA, an average Infantry Line Regiment (which is not easy to define) and a typical RLC regiment is as follows:

  DPCSA

  Average ILR

  General service regiment RLC

  Brigadier

  1

  0

  0

  Colonel

  2

  0

  0

  Lt. Colonel

  5

  1

  1

  Major

  9

  9

  8

  Captain

  7

  11

  21

  Lieutenant/2nd Lt.

  0

  14

  10

  24

  35

  40

  I hope this information is helpful.

  Defence Industry
  Mr. Rapson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proposals the Government have to improve co-operation with the United Kingdom defence industry. [6463]

  Mr. Spellar
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 16 June to the hon. Member for Barrow and Furness (Mr. Hutton)(Official Report, column 78).

  Challenger Tanks
  Mr. Key
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Challenger 2 tanks have been(a) ordered from the manufacturer, (b) delivered and (c) accepted for service. [6667]

  Mr. Spellar
  Three hundred and eighty-six Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks have been ordered from Vickers plc. To date 36 have been delivered and these have been accepted for service.

  Low Flying
  Mrs. Ray Michie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will review the number of low-flying sorties over Scotland. [6984]

  Mr. Spellar
  As reported to the House on 20 March(Official Report, column 860), Scotland has received less military low flying than most other parts of the United Kingdom. The geographic distribution of this activity is reviewed annually.

  Mrs. Michie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many operational low-flying sorties were authorised in(a) the Highlands, (b) Argyll and Bute and (c) Scotland in each of the last 12 months. [6985]

  Mr. Spellar
  Operational low flying is only permitted in three specially designated Tactical Training Areas (TTAs) located in the Borders (which covers southern Scotland and part of northern England and is called Low Flying Area 20T), northern Scotland (called Low Flying Area 14T) and central Wales (Low Flying Area 7T). Argyll and Bute is not located within a TTA and does not see operational low flying. The numbers of operational
  489
  low flying movements, which equate to sorties in this context, authorised in each of the last 12 months are detailed below. Figures for the movements flown within the part of LFA 20T in Scotland are not recorded separately.

  Northern Scotland TTA (LFA 14T)

  Borders TTA (LFA 20T)

  1996

  July

  15

  84

  August

  6

  0

  September

  54

  3

  October

  130

  2

  November

  44

  1

  December

  47

  1

  1997

  January

  0

  0

  February

  23

  88

  March

  32

  61

  April

  150

  83

  May

  96

  36

  June

  7

  16

  Mrs. Michie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures he is taking to reduce the need for low-flying sorties through the use of flight simulators. [6986]

  Mr. Spellar
  Flight simulators are extensively used in training but at present they can only complement, not replace, actual experience of low flying. We do, however, continue to monitor closely all developments in simulator technology.

  Eurofighter
  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he next expects to meet German Ministers to discuss the Eurofighter project. [6684]

  Mr. Spellar
  I can assure the hon. Member that very close and frequent contact at ministerial level has been and will be maintained with German Defence Ministers on Eurofighter. The Government is determined to secure a four nation commitment to move to the production phase of the Eurofighter programme as soon as possible.

  Ghurka Soldiers
  Mrs. Ballard
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will review the pensions of Ghurka soldiers who have served in the British Army. [7348]

  Dr. Reid
  Pensions paid to ex-British Army Gurkhas are regularly reviewed. Each year both new and existing pensions are increased in line with the rate of inflation in Nepal. This review, which is currently being undertaken, is effective from April each year. In addition to this, and in accordance with our responsibilities under the Tri-Partite Agreement 1947 which links the pensions paid to ex-British Army Gurkhas to pensions paid in the Indian Army, pensions paid to our Gurkhas are reviewed in the light of any changes that the Indian Army may make to ensure that equity of treatment is maintained. The results of the latest 10 year review undertaken by the Indian Government are expected to be announced later this year.

SCOTLAND

  NHS Trust Executives
  Mr. Hood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many executive positions there are in each Scottish health trust; and what the salary is for each post. [2670]

  Mr. Galbraith
  [holding answer 11 June 1997]: Information relating to current salary of Executive Directors at Board level is shown in the table below, starting with the Chief Executive. Full information is already given in many Trust Annual Reports.

  Trust

  Number of Executive Directors

  Salary of posts £ thousand

  Aberdeen Royal Hospitals NHS Trust

  5

  78; 76; 52; 52; 44

  Angus NHS Trust

  5

  61; 90; 51; 43; 38

  Argyll and Bute NHS Trust

  5

  52; 92; 42; 38; 38

  Ayrshire and Arran Community Healthcare NHS Trust

  5

  61; 74; 53; 47; 43

  Borders Community Health Services NHS Trust

  4

  59; 71; 46; 41

  Borders General Hospital NHS Trust

  5

  62; 83; 49; 40; 38

  Caithness, and Sutherland NHS Trust

  5

  45; 62; 41; 35; 33

  Central Scotland Healthcare NHS Trust

  5

  81; 67; 48; 46; 44

  Dumfries and Galloway Acute and Maternity Hospitals NHS Trust

  5

  55; 84; 41; 40; 39

  Dumfries and Galloway Community Health NHS Trust

  5

  55; 54; 44; 42; 40

  Dundee Healthcare NHS Trust

  5

  75; 71; 56; 49; 44

  Dundee Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

  5

  85; 92; 54; 53; 52

  East and Midlothian NHS Trust

  5

  61; 53; 46; 46; 18

  Edinburgh Healthcare NHS Trust

  5

  72; 63; 57; 53; 49

  Edinburgh Sick Children's NHS Trust

  5

  53; 81; 44; 26; 20

  Falkirk and District Royal Infirmary NHS Trust

  5

  71; 89; 47; 46; 41

  Fife Healthcare NHS Trust

  5

  66; 56; 46; 45; 39

  Glasgow Dental Hospital and School NHS Trust

  5

  56; 42; 42; 37; 5

  Glasgow Royal Infirmary University NHS Trust

  5

  83; 75; 61; 57; 51

  Grampian Healthcare NHS Trust

  5

  90; 72; 66; 61; 56

  Greater Glasgow Community and Mental Health Services NHS Trust

  5

  80; 87; 58; 53; 51

  Hairmyres and Stonehouse Hospitals NHS Trust

  5

  66; 72; 49; 45; 45

  Highland Communities NHS Trust

  4

  54; 40; 40; 36

  Inverclyde Royal NHS Trust

  5

  62; 75; 52; 42; 42

  Kirkcaldy Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

  5

  62; 87; 54; 45; 38

  Lanarkshire Healthcare NHS Trust

  5

  71; 46; 46; 45; 43

  Law Hospital NHS Trust

  5

  68; 78; 50; 48; 47

  Lomond Healthcare NHS Trust

  5

  52; 76; 45; 38; 38

  Monklands and Bellshill Hospitals NHS Trust

  5

  63; 54; 54; 45; 43

  Moray Health Services NHS Trust

  5

  58; 80; 43; 42; 40

  North Ayrshire and Arran NHS Trust

  5

  73; 83; 56; 47; 44

  Perth and Kinross Healthcare NHS Trust

  5

  65; 86; 48; 44; 42

  Queen Margaret Hospital NHS Trust

  5

  71; 79; 47; 46; 46

  Raigmore Hospital NHS Trust

  5

  61; 66; 46; 40; 39

  Renfrewshire Healthcare NHS Trust

  5

  74; 72; 54; 45; 43

  Royal Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust

  5

  62; 60; 45; 41; 39

  491

  Trust

  Number of Executive Directors

  Salary of posts £ thousand

  Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh NHS Trust

  5

  91; 69; 69; 67; 66

  Scottish Ambulance Service NHS Trust

  5

  72; 63; 57; 57; 45

  South Ayrshire Hospitals NHS Trust

  5

  66; 98; 62; 52; 48

  Southern General Hospital NHS Trust

  5

  82; 83; 55; 55; 55

  Stirling Royal Infirmary NHS Trust

  5

  64; 48; 46; 38; 17

  Stobhill NHS Trust

  5

  71; 57; 54; 53; 44

  Victoria Infirmary NHS Trust

  5

  62; 92; 46; 43; 40

  West Glasgow Hospitals University NHS Trust

  5

  81; 66; 62; 54; 51

  West Lothian NHS Trust

  5

  78; 85; 48; 47; 41

  Western General Hospitals NHS Trust

  5

  75; 89; 50; 48; 42

  The Yorkhill NHS Trust

  5

  76; 92; 55; 53; 41

  Monktonhall Colliery Site
  Mr. Eric Clarke
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if the Coal Authority will transfer the cleared Monktonhall Colliery Site to the ownership of Midlothian Council. [6774]

  Mr. Wilson
  This is a matter for the Coal Authority. Under Section 3(4) of the Coal Industry Act 1994, it is the duty of the Authority to secure the best terms reasonably available for disposal of the site if a buyer cannot be found to keep the mine operational.

  Beaufort's Dyke
  Mr. Russell Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will initiate(a) a further detailed survey of Beaufort's Dyke and the surrounding area and (b) a public inquiry into the matters raised by the survey. [6643]

  Mr. Dewar
  The levels of radioactivity throughout the Irish Sea are routinely monitored by the Centre for Environment. Fisheries and Aquaculture Science an executive agency of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The most recent report, which is entitled "Radioactivity in Food and the Environment 1995", is available in the Library of the House of Commons. The monitoring undertaken since the early 1960s has not detected any measurable effect on radioactivity levels in the Beaufort's Dyke area, which remain well within internationally agreed safety levels. At the moment I see no need to initiate any additional surveys or a public inquiry.

  Mr. Salmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will commission the Aberdeen Marine Research Laboratory to conduct an investigation into radiation levels in the Beaufort's Dyke area. [6830]

  Mr. Dewar
  The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, an executive agency of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, carried out comprehensive monitoring for levels of radioactivity throughout the Irish Sea. Such monitoring takes place on a regular basis and will continue. Involvement of the Marine Laboratory Aberdeen would therefore not be justified.

  Highlands and Islands Convention
  Mr. Wallace
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the current members of the Convention of the Highlands and Islands, together with their qualification for membership. [6826]

  Mr. Dewar
  [holding answer 4 July 1997]: Membership comprises all MPs and MEPs whose constituencies lie wholly or partially within the area of operation of Highlands and Islands Enterprise together with nominees of the local authorities and public sector economic development agencies operating in the Highlands and Islands. A list of the current members of the Convention of the Highlands and Islands is set out below:

  Convention of the Highlands and Islands: Membership

  Council/enterprise

  Mrs. Winifred Ewing MEP

  —

  Hugh McMahon Esq. MEP

  —

  Mrs. Margaret Ewing MP

  —

  Charles Kennedy Esq. MP

  —

  Calum MacDonald Esq. MP

  —

  Robert Maclennan Esq. MP

  —

  Mrs. Ray Michie MP

  —

  David Stewart Esq. MP

  —

  Jim Wallace Esq. MP

  —

  Councillor John Wilson (Convener)

  Argyll and Bute Council

  Councillor Dick Walsh (Leader of Council)

  Argyll and Bute Council

  Councillor Peter Peacock (Convenor)

  Highland Council

  Councillor David R. Green (Vice Convenor)

  Highland Council

  Councillor Gordon McDonald (Convener)

  Moray Council

  Councillor George Steven (Convener)

  North Ayrshire Council

  Councillor H. Halcro-Johnston (Convener)

  Orkney Islands Council

  Councillor J. Sinclair (Vice Convener)

  Orkney Islands Council

  Canon Lewis Shand Smith (Convener)

  Shetland Islands Council

  Councillor James L. B. Smith (Vice Convener)

  Shetland Islands Council

  Councillor Donald M. MacKay (Convener)

  Western Isles Council

  Councillor Angus M. Graham (Vice Convener)

  Western Isles Council

  Fraser Morrison Esq. (Chairman)

  Highlands and Islands Enterprise

  Hon. Michael Shaw (Chairman)

  Argyll and the Islands Enterprise

  Jack Watson Esq. (Chairman)

  Caithness and Sutherland Enterprise

  Norman Cordiner Esq. (Chairman)

  Inverness and Nairn Enterprise

  D. Stewart Maclean Esq. (Chairman)

  Lochaber Limited

  Air Vice-Marshal George A. Chesworth (Chairman) Eric G. W. Green Esq. (Chairman)

  Moray Badenoch and Strathspey Enterprise Orkney Enterprise

  Alan J. Whiteford Esq. (Chairman)

  Ross and Cromarty Enterprise

  Brian Anderson Esq. (Chairman)

  Shetland Enterprise

  Dr. Jim Hunter (Chairman)

  Skye and Lochalsh Enterprise

  Mrs. Agnes Rennie (Chairperson)

  Western Isles Enterprise

  Dr. J. Gordon Adams (Director of Planning and Development

  Scottish Tourist Board

  493

  Convention of the Highlands and Islands: Membership

  Council/enterprise

  Alec Mitchell Esq. (Chairman)

  Aberdeen and Grampian Tourist Board

  Councillor William Petric (Chairman)

  Argyll, the Isles, Loch Lomond, Stirling and Trossachs Tourist Board

  Jim Lees Esq. (Arran Trade Director)

  Ayrshire and Arran Tourist Board

  J. Nicol Manson Esq. (Chairman)

  Highlands of Scotland Tourist Board

  Mrs. Lynne Linklater (Chairman)

  Orkney Tourist Board

  Peter Tulloch Esq. (Chairman)

  Shetland Islands Tourism

  Ernest W. Hughson Esq. (Chairman)

  Western Isles Tourist Board

  J. A. MacAskill Esq. (Chairman)

  Crofters Commission

  Bill Ritchie Esq. (Member SNH Board, Chairman NW Regional Board)

  Scottish Natural Heritage

  Councillor Valerie MacIver (Chairman)

  University of the Highlands and Islands Project

  A80
  Mr. Canavan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the upgrading of the existing A80 as the preferred line of route for the M80; and when he expects work to commence. [7183]

  Mr. Chisholm
  Consideration of how the upgrading of the A80 might be taken forward will be included in the Strategic Review of the Trunk Road Programme, which I have announced. This will include the options available for alternative routes.

ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS

  Leyton Relief Road
  Mr. Chidgey
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if it is his policy that the proposed Leyton Relief Road southern section will be funded by public money. [7349]

  Ms Glenda Jackson
  The southern junction of the Leyton Relief Road with Ruckholt Road (locally known as the southern section) will be funded by the landowners: London and Continental Railways.

  Drivers (Alcohol Levels)
  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will consider introducing legislation reducing the permissible alcohol levels for drivers. [6623]

  Ms Glenda Jackson
  We are looking at a number of options for improving road safety. The legal limit for drinking and driving is one of the issues we shall be considering.

  Heathrow Airport (Terminal 5)
  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions pursuant to his answer of 30 June,Official Report, column 57 (1) what assessment he has made of the consistency
  494
  between that answer and the evidence given on 27 February by Mr. Tom Dockerty at the Terminal 5 inquiry on behalf of the Department of Transport regarding the M25 and its relationship with the proposed spur road and Terminal 5; [6617]

  (2) what assessment he has made of the transcript of the evidence given by Mr. Tom Dockerty on behalf of the Department of Transport at the Terminal 5 inquiry on 27 February, including the replies to questions by the Inspector. [6618]

  Ms Glenda Jackson
  My right hon. Friend will assess the evidence in the light of the recommendations made by the Inspector when he submits his report on the Terminal 5 inquiry.

  Zinc Air Batteries
  Mr. Corbett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what recent evaluation has been made by his Department of the suitability of vehicles powered by zinc air batteries for commercial fleet usage. [7358]

  Ms Glenda Jackson
  The Department, in collaboration with other bodies, is evaluating in a three-year field trial, the role that vehicles powered by alternative fuels such as electricity might play in minimising transport emissions. The results will be available later this year.

  In general terms, factors such as battery technology and infrastructure/recharging systems have meant that electric vehicles have not as yet gained customer acceptance due to higher price, inferior performance and range. It is encouraging that industry is responding to this through the development of systems and products such as zinc air batteries which appear to offer improvements in these areas.

  Rivers Wye and Lugg
  Mr. Keetch
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is the estimated cost to the Environment Agency of assuming navigation authority status on the Rivers Wye and Lugg; what has been the cost to date of their assessment of these proposals; and if he will make a statement. [6362]

  Angela Eagle
  The costs incurred to date by the Environment Agency and its predecessor body, the National Rivers Authority, in promoting an Order to become navigation authority on the Rivers Wye and Lugg are estimated at £400,000 since 1995 when the proposals were first put forward. The total cost of assessing these proposals will not be known until the public inquiry into the application for an Order has closed, but the inspector's fees to date are approximately £19,000. The additional costs of managing the navigation function are unlikely to be significant, but the Agency expects to appoint one additional full time member of staff who would have significant navigation responsibilities.

  Mr. Keetch
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions on what statutory basis the Environment Agency is seeking to assume navigation authority status on the Rivers Wye and Lugg; and if he will make a statement. [6363]
  495
  Angela Eagle
  The Environment Agency is seeking to become navigation authority on the Rivers Wye and Lugg by means of an Order under Section 3 of the Transport and Works Act 1992. A public inquiry into the Agency's application is currently taking place. The decision on the application will be a joint one by the Secretaries of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions and for Wales.

  Oil and Gas Exploration
  Mr. Dafis
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will transfer to the Environment Agency responsibility for the regulation and licensing of oil and gas exploration and extraction. [7097]

  Angela Eagle
  The statutory responsibility for the general regulation and licensing of oil and gas exploration and extraction lies with my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade. The Government has no proposals for change.

  Dry Stone Walls
  Helen Jackson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what consultations he has had with(a) the Peak District and (b) the North Yorkshire National Parks about the destruction of dry stone walls; [7100]

  (2) what proposals he has to protect dry stone walls in areas of outstanding national beauty or conservation; and if he will make a statement. [7101]

  Angela Eagle
  Dry stone walls are an important landscape feature. The main threats to their conservation stem from damage and neglect. To help address this, the Government provides grant assistance for the restoration of dry stone walls under the Countryside Stewardship and Environmentally Sensitive Areas schemes operated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Local authorities and National Parks also have powers to operate local environmental grant schemes which may include assistance for the management of dry stone walls and local planning authorities have planning powers to control the demolition of dry stone walls in conservation areas. There are a number of such schemes operated by the Peak District and North Yorkshire National Parks, and information on these is provided to the Secretary of State every year in the context of his discussions of the National Park Authorities' Corporate Financial Plans.

  Helen Jackson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the number of dry stone walls which have been removed from the upland countryside over the past(a) five and (b) 10 years. [7099]

  Angela Eagle
  The latest information on national losses of dry stone walls are derived from a survey of the countryside in 1990(Countryside Survey 1990: Main Report, DOE, London, 1993). The survey estimated that the total length of dry stone walls in the uplands of Great Britain in 1990 was about 103,000 km and that the overall length of dry stone walls had decreased by about 14 per cent. since 1984. However, due to the sample design used in the survey, there were substantial uncertainties attached
  496
  to these estimates. The Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions is currently planning a repeat of this survey in 1998.

  Education Standard Spending Assessment
  Mr. McNulty
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment Transport and the Regions if he will review provision for the additional educational needs index within the education standard spending assessment; and if he will make a statement. [6934]

  Mr. Raynsford
  I am committed to a fair distribution of government grant to local authorities through Standard Spending Assessments (SSAs). As part of our programme of work on SSAs, we intend to review the allowance for additional educational needs within the Education SSA. The review is likely to continue into 1998.

  Hybrid Wolves
  Caroline Flint
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what representations he has received from the RSPCA on the interpretation of the legislation governing hybrid wolves; and what plans he has to meet the RSPCA to discuss these; [6989]

  (2) what plans he has to issue new guidelines to local authorities about the interpretation of the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976, with particular reference to hybrid wolves. [6990]

  Angela Eagle
  My hon. Friend the Minister of State has received a letter from the Director General of the RSPCA expressing the Society's concerns about the legislation covering the keeping of wolf hybrids. Officials from my Department will be meeting the Society shortly to discuss this issue.

  Under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976, a licence is required to keep a wolf or a wolf hybrid where one parent is (or both parents are) of a kind so specified in the schedule to the Act. I appreciate that there are detailed arguments about the make up and characteristics of wolf hybrids and there may be different interpretations of the meaning of "hybrid" and "parent" in the context of the Act. A number of local authorities have sought to clarify the position in the Courts. I am aware that a recent Court ruling has confirmed that a licence is required to keep a wolf hybrid under the Act.

  I have no immediate plans to issue new guidance on the Act and the keeping of wolf hybrids, but I will wish to consider whether further guidance is required in the light of detailed consideration of the Court ruling and the RSPCA meeting.

  Council Houses (Solar Power)
  Mr. Dafis
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will ensure that new council house building schemes incorporate(a) higher insulation standards than have been required up to now and (b) consideration of the applicability of solar power. [7096]
  497
  Mr. Raynsford
  Council house building, in common with private sector house building, has to comply with the Building Regulations which include requirements for the conservation of fuel and power. Strengthened requirements were introduced only two years ago, from July 1995, since when there has been little in the way of council house building. The strengthened requirements should ensure that the annual energy consumption for space and hot water in average new dwellings is 25 per cent. to 35 per cent. lower than before. The requirements represent the minimum compliance level for new housing in England and Wales and my Department is keeping them under review. Local authorities are of course free to apply higher standards in any of their schemes. They and other house builders are encouraged to do so through my Department's Energy Efficiency Best Practice Programme. Local authorities are required by Planning Policy Guidance Note 22 to have regard to renewable energy—including solar energy. Detailed technical guidance is freely available from the DTI and my own Department on how to make the most of this energy source.

  Water Regulations (Health and Safety)
  Mr. Day
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will review the advantages of including health and safety requirements in those water regulations currently subject to public consultation. [6935]

  Angela Eagle
  I understand that the Water Regulations Advisory Committee considered the health and safety of the occupants of premises when formulating its proposals for water regulations. Any representations about the scope and substance of these requirements should be made as a response to the consultation document which the Committee issued on 19 June.

  Computers (Century Date Change)
  Mr. David Atkinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on his Department's timetable for dealing with the Year 2000 Computer Problem; who is in charge of the project: how many staff are working on it: what is the projected cost of resolving the problem; and whether the project is on schedule. [7147]

  Mr. Prescott
  The DETR and its Executive Agencies are undertaking systems audits and holding discussions with product and service suppliers to analyse the problem in detail in order to produce costed plans by October 1997. Details of costs, schedules and resources will be determined when these are produced, but the target is to complete essential changes by December 1998. Approximately, the equivalent effort of 14 staff is employed on the projects at this stage, excluding work in contracted service suppliers.

  Directors and Agency Chief Executives are responsible for addressing the problem in their businesses and in most cases each has appointed a project manager. Government Offices for the Regions are responsible for the Year 2000 compliance of their local applications. GO Central Unit has corporate responsibility for these offices and is setting up a formal project to manage all Year 2000 issues.

  Sustainable Development
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to co-ordinate Local Agenda 21 plans for sustainable development; and if he will make a statement. [6599]

  Angela Eagle
  [holding answer 7 July 1997]: In his recent speech to the UN General Assembly Special Session on the environment my Right hon. Friend the Prime Minister paid tribute to the good record of United Kingdom local authorities on Local Agenda 21 and said that he wanted all authorities to adopt Local Agenda 21 strategies by the year 2000.

  The Government will be working closely with the local authority associations and the Local Government Management Board to encourage local authorities to meet this target. In doing so, we will take care not to take on a "co-ordinating" role because the strength of Local Agenda 21 derives from the ability of local authorities, community groups, businesses and others to work co-operatively for sustainable development in the light of local and regional needs.

  Empty Council Properties
  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the 10 local authorities with the highest number of empty residential council properties. [7225]

  Mr. Raynsford
  The latest available data are for 1 April 1996 when the 10 local authorities in England with the highest numbers of reported management vacants, i.e. dwellings available for letting immediately or after minor repairs, were:

  Management vacants

  Number

  As a percentage of total stock

  Sheffield

  1,505

  2.12

  Birmingham

  1,500

  1.52

  Islington

  1,484

  4.01

  Leeds

  1,434

  1.86

  Manchester

  1,348

  1.67

  Hackney

  1,098

  2.85

  Liverpool

  1,095

  2.28

  Sandwell

  998

  2.30

  Lambeth

  885

  2.07

  Southwark

  817

  1.53

  Source:

  1996 Housing Investment Programme (HIP1) returns.

  Local Authorities (Debt)
  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the 10 local authorities with the highest amount of debt. [7224]

  Mr. Raynsford
  The information requested is as follows. It should be noted that authorities with high levels of debt are generally those which have undertaken capital investment and that longer term borrowing to finance capital expenditure is regulated by Government through the issue of credit approvals.
  499

  Authority

  Outstanding debt at 31 March 1996 £ million

  Birmingham

  1,218

  Manchester

  1,206

  Lambeth

  929

  Islington

  868

  Liverpool

  802

  Sheffield

  802

  Southwark

  788

  Hackney

  762

  Leeds

  697

  Tower Hamlets

  658

  Note:

  The outstanding debt figures include both long term and short term borrowing. Local authorities provide data on outstanding amounts for temporary debt and investments in the Department's regular monthly and quarterly borrowing and lending inquiries, but information on longer term debt is collected as flows i.e. transactions during the relevant period. The Department conducted special surveys in 1991, 1993 and 1994 seeking information on the amount of outstanding longer term debt and investment. The figure for 1996 has been calculated from information supplied to the Department in the 1994 survey and the regular monthly and quarterly surveys, and may include estimated values.

  Source:

  DOE borrowing and lending surveys and PWLB.

  Carers
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps his Department is taking to increase awareness of the discount for council tax bills that is available to carers. [6458]

  Mr. Raynsford
  The Department will be writing shortly to all local authorities to remind them of the need to present information in council tax bills on discount disregards, including the carers disregard, as clearly as possible.

  Capital Receipts Initiative
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions for what reasons organisations of disabled people or representing disabled people have not been sent without request the consultation paper on proposals for implementing the Government's Capital Receipts Initiative. [6979]

  Mr. Raynsford
  The arrangements for issuing the consultation paper setting out proposals for a Capital Receipts Initiative in England focused on local authorities in England and a limited number of other organisations with direct interest in the proposals. However, we have already sent an additional 400 copies of the paper to other organisations or individuals on request.

  Sports Grounds (Wheelchair Spaces)
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment his Department has made of the(a) advantages and (b) disadvantages of modifying Part M of the Building Regulations so as to provide for a smaller proportion of wheelchair spaces in large sports grounds. [7081]
  500
  Mr. Raynsford
  The Approved Document for Part M provides guidance on reasonable provision of wheelchair spaces in sports stadia including an acceptance that it would be reasonable to provide a smaller proportion of wheelchair spaces in large stadia. The Department has made no assessment of either the advantages or the disadvantages of modifying Part M of the Building Regulations so as to provide for a smaller proportion of wheelchair spaces in large sports grounds.

  Postal Votes
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what his Department plans to spend on advertising the availability of postal votes before the proposed referendum on a strategic authority for London. [7085]

  Mr. Raynsford
  No decisions have yet been taken on detailed arrangements in respect of the proposed referendum on a Greater London Authority.

HEALTH

  GP Fundholders
  Mr. Jack
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the differences in the method of operation between GP fundholders and locality commissioning; and when commissioning will be introduced. [6746]

  Mr. Milburn
  General practitioner fundholders are allocated a budget with which to purchase for their patients those health services included in the fundholding List of Goods and Services. A range of approaches to commissioning have already begun to develop locally. Details vary, but the usual pattern is that GP practices, (sometimes including fundholders) collaborate with their health authority to plan the local health strategy, determine priorities, and in some cases also commission services for all patients to ensure that all have equal access to high quality health care.

  I announced on 26 June a programme to evaluate 20 GP Commissioning Group pilots over 2 years from April I998, to complement an assessment of the range of existing activity.

  NHS Appointments (Members of Parliament)
  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the Labour and Liberal Democrat hon. Members of the current House of Commons and of the House of Lords who have served as members of(a) NHS trusts and (b) health authorities in the past seven years. [6651]

  Mr. Milburn
  The Department does not hold all the information on trust and health authority board posts held by current members of the House prior to this Parliament.
  501
  Current Members of the House of Commons, of whatever party, are disqualified from serving as non-executive members of National Health Service trusts or health authorities. Ten Members of the House of Lords are currently also non-executive members of trust and health authority boards. Of these, one takes the Labour Whip, seven take the Conservative Whip and two sit on the cross benches.

  NHS Management
  Mr. Norman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general and senior managers currently work in the NHS hospital and community health services: and how many of these have direct contact with patients. [6941]

  Mr. Milburn
  There were 20,590 whole-time equivalent senior managers and other administrative managers employed by the National Health Service Hospital and Community Health Service at 30 September 1996. Information on how many of these have direct contact with patients is not centrally available. The Government is committed to maximising the proportion of NHS resources devoted to patient care by removing the bureaucratic processes of the internal market and reducing management costs in health authorities and trusts.

  NHS Funding Formula
  Mr. Gunnell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will reconsider the recommendations made in 1994 by University of York health economists who were commissioned to produce new funding formulae for health care; [7228]

  (2) what assessment he has made of the equity of the operation of the market forces factor within the funding formula; [7227]

  (3) what change there has been in the needs weighting element of health authority allocations for 1997–98; [7231]

  (4) when he expects the review of the national distribution of central Government resources to primary and secondary health care to be completed; [7226]

  (5) what assessment his Department has made of the advantages of increasing the weighting for needs in health authority funding allocations. [7230]

  Mr. Milburn
  In 1997–98 an interim needs weighting for Community Health Services was introduced and applied to 11 per cent. of expenditure (leaving 14 per cent. not weighted for need).

  It is the Government's intention to look at how resources are distributed across both secondary and primary care to ensure that these fully reflect local population needs and operate as fairly as possible. Details will be announced in due course.

  Mr. Gunnell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the(a) actual and (b) percentage change in the health resources allocated to each region of England in the financial year following the introduction of the market forces factor in the funding formula. [7229]

  Mr. Milburn
  Allocations are made direct to health authorities and not to regions. Changes to the formula directly affect target allocations rather than actual 502
  allocations. The attached table shows the changes to health authority target allocations which resulted from the implementation of the latest market forces factor:

  Summary of changes to Health Authority target allocations from 1996–97 to 1997–98, resulting from changes to the market force factor

  Health authority

  £000s

  Per cent.

  Bradford

  -930

  -0.47

  Calderdale and Kirklees

  -1,035

  -0.43

  County Durham

  10

  0.00

  East Riding

  -1,098

  -0.46

  Gateshead and South Tyneside

  -580

  -0.40

  Leeds

  -1,687

  -0.57

  Newcastle and North Tyneside

  -881

  -0.45

  North Cumbria

  119

  0.09

  North Yorkshire

  -618

  -0.20

  Northumberland

  -805

  -0.64

  Sunderland

  -534

  -0.44

  Tees

  3,783

  1.67

  Wakefield

  -648

  -0.50

  Barnsley

  -371

  -0.40

  Doncaster

  -761

  -0.63

  Leicestershire

  -1,404

  -0.37

  Lincolnshire

  -528

  -0.21

  North Derbyshire

  -370

  -0.24

  North Nottinghamshire

  -513

  -0.33

  Nottingham

  -917

  -0.35

  Rotherham

  -465

  -0.45

  Sheffield

  -844

  -0.39

  South Derbyshire

  -917

  -0.40

  South Humber

  -408

  -0.32

  Bedfordshire

  -2,690

  -1.11

  Berkshire

  12,619

  3.59

  Buckinghamshire

  1,551

  0.52

  Cambridge and Huntingdon

  5,591

  2.98

  East Norfolk

  -1,287

  -0.51

  North-west Anglia

  1,736

  1.03

  Northamptonshire

  5,571

  2.22

  Oxfordshire

  -1,678

  -0.63

  Suffolk

  2,147

  0.79

  Barking and Havering

  -6,330

  -3.57

  Barnet

  -2,802

  -1.84

  Brent and Harrow

  -104

  -0.05

  Camden and Islington

  3,540

  1.89

  Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow

  9,049

  2.89

  East and North Hertfordshire

  1,086

  0.49

  East London and the City

  1,733

  0.57

  Enfield and Haringey

  -6,281

  -2.74

  Hillingdon

  4,729

  4.10

  Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster

  6,157

  3.30

  North Essex

  -7,924

  -2.03

  Redbridge and Waltham Forest

  -8,631

  -4.05

  South Essex

  -5,602

  -1.80

  West Hertfordshire

  6,937

  2.92

  Bexley and Greenwich

  -8,679

  -4.27

  Bromley

  -5,791

  -4.18

  Croydon

  -258

  -0.17

  East Kent

  -7,011

  -2.67

  East Surrey

  5,653

  3.10

  East Sussex, Brighton and Hove

  -17,524

  -5.42

  Kingston and Richmond

  -1,037

  -0.69

  Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham

  660

  0.18

  Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth

  -3,139

  -1.06

  West Kent

  -11,332

  -2.64

  West Surrey

  8,381

  2.95

  West Sussex

  439

  0.14

  Avon

  13,840

  3.43

  Cornwall and Isles of Scilly

  -750

  -0.38

  Dorset

  1,656

  0.58

  Gloucestershire

  5,280

  2.32

  Isle of Wight

  -3.229

  -5.93

  North and East Devon

  -721

  -0.37

  North and Mid Hampshire

  -2,480

  -1.03

  503

  Summary of changes to Health Authority target allocations from 1996–97 to 1997–98, resulting from changes to the market force factor

  Health authority

  £000s

  Per cent.

  Portsmouth and South East Hampshire

  -4,378

  -1.87

  Somerset

  198

  0.10

  South and West Devon

  -842

  -0.35

  Southampton and South West Hampshire

  -4,905

  -2.08

  Wiltshire

  8,365

  3.39

  Birmingham

  1,027

  0.25

  Coventry

  64

  0.05

  Dudley

  93

  0.07

  Herefordshire

  -59

  -0.09

  North Staffordshire

  -762

  -0.39

  Sandwell

  392

  0.33

  Shropshire

  -606

  -0.35

  Solihull

  -165

  -0.20

  South Staffordshire

  -587

  -0.25

  Walsall

  -121

  -0.11

  Warwickshire

  -865

  -0.42

  Wolverhampton

  98

  0.10

  Worcestershire

  -451

  -0.21

  Bury and Rochdale

  821

  0.51

  East Lancashire

  -1.104

  -0.53

  Liverpool

  2,463

  1.29

  Manchester

  996

  0.56

  Morecambe Bay

  -471

  -0.37

  North Cheshire

  3,173

  2.49

  North West Lancashire

  -721

  -0.37

  Salford and Trafford

  1,639

  0.90

  Sefton

  1,688

  1.42

  South Cheshire

  6,376

  2.32

  South Lancashire

  -329

  -0.26

  St. Helens and Knowsley

  1,997

  1.47

  Stockport

  2,477

  2.07

  West Pennine

  538

  0.28

  Wigan and Bolton

  1,507

  0.64

  Wirral

  1,784

  1.32

  Source:

  1997–98 Health Authority Revenue Cash Limits Exposition Book.

  Vitamin, B6
  Mrs. Ray Michie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to change the recommended daily intake of vitamin B6 for women; and if he will make a statement. [7243]

  Ms Jowell
  The Reference Nutrient Intake is one of several Dietary Reference Values. These estimates of nutritional requirements of healthy people are made by the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition Policy. They were last reviewed in 1991 and there are no plans for a further review. The current Reference Nutrient Intake of around 1.5mg/day for vitamin B6 is enough to meet the nutritional needs of virtually all healthy adults. The British National Formulary says that there is little sound evidence for claims that supplements of vitamin B6 can alleviate the premenstrual syndrome.

  The Government is acting on the advice of the Food Advisory Committee and Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment to control the sales of vitamin B6 products because of the risk of adverse effects following consumption of supplements at doses of 50mg or above of vitamin B6 The levels of vitamin B6 in dietary supplements will be limited to a daily dose of 10mg.
  504
  Products containing higher daily doses will continue to be available as licensed medicinal products, or under the supervision of a pharmacist or doctor.

  Eye Tests
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if eligibility for free NHS eye tests entitles an individual to a free domiciliary visit; and what assessment his Department has made of the availability of domiciliary eye test visits. [6456]

  Mr. Milburn
  Patients eligible for National Health Service sight tests, who are unable to attend an optical practice, are eligible for a free domiciliary visit. There were 222,500 domiciliary visits paid for by health authorities in 1995–96.

  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons statistics on the total number of eye tests performed in Great Britain were not collected between 1989 and 1993. [6459]

  Mr. Milburn
  The Department had never collected any information on numbers of private sight tests and, in 1989, it was Government policy to restrict the amount of information required from the private sector. In 1993 agreement was reached with the optical profession on the introduction of an annual survey of a sample of opticians' workloads, which provides the information on private sight tests currently used to make estimates of the total number of sight tests.

  Basildon and Thurrock General Hospitals NHS Trust
  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what costs relating to(a) legal fees, (b) financial advisers and consultants and (c) other consultants have been incurred by the Basildon and Thurrock General Hospitals NHS Trust in respect of (i) PFI proposals to extend hospital facilities at Basildon Hospital and (ii) the proposed development of land at Orsett Hospital; [6656]

  (2) with which (a) financial institutions, (b) developers and (c) chartered surveyors the Basildon and Thurrock General Hospitals NHS Trust has had discussions with in respect of developing land at Orsett Hospital; [6657]

  (3) with which (a) financial institutions and (b) developers or their agents the Basildon and Thurrock General Hospitals NHS Trust has had discussions in respect of proposals relating to a PFI concerning Basildon Hospital. [6659]

  Mr. Milburn
  Basildon and Thurrock General Hospitals National Health Service Trust has not held discussions with any financial institutions or developers relating to proposals for a Private Finance Initiative project for acute rationalisation at Basildon Hospital and Orsett Hospital. They have held discussions with the Chartered Surveyors Drivers Jonas concerning Orsett Hospital development. As a consequence, no expenditure has been incurred in respect of financial advisers; £14,900 has been incurred in respect of legal advisers; and £29,963 has been incurred in respect of chartered surveyors.

  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 1 July,Official Report column 146, if he will list those consultants on (a) whole-time contracts and (b) maximum part-time

  505
  contracts doing (i) eight and (ii) 10 sessions a week in the Basildon and Thurrock General Hospitals NHS Trust. [7086]

  Mr. Milburn
  The contracts of employment between the trust and individual consultants are matters for the parties concerned.

  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 1 July,Official Report, column 146, which members serve on the remuneration committee of the Basildon and Thurrock General Hospitals NHS Trust Board. [7083]

  Mr. Milburn
  The remuneration committee is made up of all the current non-executive board members, including the trust chairman. They are:

  Mr. Ian Macpherson (Chairman)

  Mr. Derek Harman

  Mrs. Joan Sladden

  Mr. Peter Wallis

  Mr. Melvyn Lambert

  Ms Fiona East

  Community Care
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to increase the community care budget. [6974]

  Mr. Boateng
  The level of resources for community care in 1997–98 was announced in February 1997 as part of the local government settlement. That issue is now closed. My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister will announce the government's plans for local government expenditure in 1998–99, including provision for personal social services, in the autumn.

  Drug Costs
  Ms Hodge
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the average cost to public funds of a course of drugs administered in hospital. [7272]

  Mr. Milburn
  Although it is possible to be specific for costs of some courses of drugs in hospital, the wide range of different drug treatments make it impossible to specify an average cost. However, the total cost of all drugs purchased by hospitals was £874,353 million in 1995–96, the latest year for which the data are available.

  Clinical Effectiveness
  Mr. Jack
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what definition his Department uses of "clinically effective". [7430]

  Ms Jowell
  The Departments's 1996 publication Promoting Clinical Effectiveness defined clinical effectiveness as the extent to which specific clinical interventions, when deployed in the field for a particular patient of population, do what they are intended to do—that is, maintain and improve health and secure the greatest possible health gain from the available resources. This definition is still used.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Live Animal Transport
  Mrs. Ray Michie
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will introduce exemptions for Highlands and Islands farmers from the Welfare of Animals During Transport Order 1997; and if he will make a statement. [7242]

  Mr. Chisholm
  I have been asked to reply.

  The Welfare of Animals (Transport) Order 1997 enables my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland to grant exemption from most of its provisions, to any person transporting animals within the Highlands and Islands Enterprise area. Applications for such exemption will each be considered on the basis of all the relevant circumstances and shall be granted only where the welfare of the animals would not be put at risk as a result.

  Rabies
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he will make a statement on the Government's policy on keeping the United Kingdom rabies free; [6879]

  (2) if he will review the use of (a) rabies vaccinations and (b) microchipping as alternatives to quarantine. [6880]

  Mr. Rooker
  The current arrangements for keeping the United Kingdom rabies free are contained in the Rabies (Importation of Dogs, Cats and Other Mammals) Order 1974 (as amended). This requires certain rabies susceptible mammals to be quarantined for six months on entry to the UK. In the light of our commitment to do so, we are reviewing whether alternatives to quarantine might give equal or better protection against rabies. The review is taking account of the possibilities of vaccination and microchipping of animals.

  Quarantine
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he proposes to improve welfare conditions in quarantine. [6881]

  Mr. Morley
  We are currently inspecting those quarantine kennels which have signed up to a Voluntary Code of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs and Cats in Quarantine Premises to ensure they can meet all its requirements. We would like to put this Code on a statutory basis when parliamentary time can be found.

  Computers (Century Date Change)
  Mr. David Atkinson
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on his Department's timetable for dealing with the year 2000 computer problem; who is in charge of the project; how many staff are working on it; what is the projected cost of resolving the problem; and whether the project is on schedule. [7130]

  Mr. Morley
  The Ministry's Director of IT is co-ordinating a programme of millennium preparations consisting of a number of parallel projects covering different aspects of the Department's computer systems and associated technical infrastructure. Another project
  507
  has been established, within that management framework, to address "non-IT" equipment containing embedded microprocessor chip technology.

  The current rate of progress is consistent with the targets set by the Central IT Unit (CITU) of the Cabinet Office and preparations for all business critical systems are expected to be completed by 31 December 1998, subject, where appropriate, to a final check of end-of-year financial systems by April 1999.

  Headcount details are difficult to estimate precisely because the work is so diverse and involves contributions (some full-time but often involving smaller proportions of individuals' time) from staff in many parts of MAFF and its Executive Agencies, as well as external IT consultants and contractors. The overall cost of millenium preparations, however, is currently estimated to be about £7 million. Prioritised and costed plans will be provided to CITU by October 1997.

  Live Poultry Sales
  Mr. Corbett
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will outlaw the sale of live poultry door-to-door for slaughter and consumption. [7124]

  Mr. Morley
  [holding answer 8 July 1997]: It would be difficult to outlaw this trade without affecting other, legitimate trade. Meat produced in accordance with special religious and cultural requirements is available from regulated outlets, so there is no need for customers to turn to this door-to-door trade. We shall be taking steps to spread awareness of this.

  Cattle Cull (Orkney)
  Mr. Wallace
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on how many occasions in June 1997 the Intervention Board made arrangements for blood from cattle culled in Orkney to be transported to the Scottish mainland for disposal; what was the volume of blood involved in each case and what was the capacity of the vehicle used to transport the blood; and what was the total cost to public funds. [6976]

  Mr. Rooker
  Commission Regulation 716/96, under which the Over Thirty Month Scheme (OTMS), operates, requires the remains of cattle slaughtered under the scheme to be incinerated, or rendered and destroyed. This requirement covers the whole of the animal, other than the hide, and the Intervention Board have instigated a system of collecting OTMS blood from scheme abattoirs by means of tanker round. The blood is taken to one of two rendering plants in Great Britain for processing, prior to destruction.

  Orkney Islands Council (OIC) have a contract with the intervention board to slaughter OTMS cattle offered to the scheme on Orkney, and to destroy the remains, including the blood, in a newly developed gasification facility. Because of difficulties with the chill facilities at the OIC plant in the first few weeks of June, the Intervention Board arranged for the remains of the OTMS animals slaughtered at the plant, including the blood, to be delivered to the renderer at Kintore in Aberdeenshire for processing.
  508
  A total of 4.2 tonnes of OTMS blood was collected from the Orkney cull abattoir on three separate occasions in June by the special tanker used to collect OTMS blood from the other participating abattoirs in scotland. This vehicle has a capacity of around 22 tonnes. All the invoices for this work have not yet been received, but it is estimated that the collection service, including ferry crossing, and rendering will cost in the order of £5,000.

  I am pleased to say that the difficulties with the chills have now been resolved, that the integrated slaughter and gasification process in Orkney is now fully operational again and that the blood from the OTMS animals slaughtered on Orkney is now processed on the island.

  Wild Plant Seeds
  Mr. Corbett
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to ensure that there are adequate supplies of domestic wild plant seed to restore meadows under the Countryside Stewardship Scheme. [7359]

  Mr. Morley
  Domestic supplies of wild plant seed are obtained from harvesting existing species rich grassland meadows. The Countryside Stewardship scheme expects wild plant seed of local provenance to be used in the re-creation of species rich grassland or the restoration of hay meadows thereby generating a market for the material.

  Weald Meadows Initiative
  Mr. Corbett
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what is the minimum amount of grant, and over what period, for which the Weald Meadows Initiative may apply to employ a specialist adviser on the replanting of degraded grass; [7360]

  (2) if he will list (a) the grants applied for and (b) the grants given and their amount on behalf of the Weald Meadows Initiative. [7362]

  Mr. Morley
  This Department has no grant scheme that could offer support for the employment of such an adviser. Last October, shortly before the closure in England of the Marketing Development Scheme, the Weald Meadows Initiative sought a grant for a products co-ordinator and a marketing campaign for its wildflower products. This application did not fit well with the scheme criteria, and with strong competition for the limited funds available, it was not successful.

  Mr. Corbett
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the grants for which application can be made to replant degraded grassland in the area covered by the Weald Meadows Initiative. [7361]

  Mr. Morley
  The re-creation, restoration and maintenance of unimproved grassland can be grant aided through the Countryside Stewardship scheme. Payments of £85 a hectare per year are available for managing lowland hay meadows together with a supplement of £30 a hectare per year for fields of less than 3 ha in size. Many of the remaining valuable grassland meadows are small in size and the additional payment is in recognition of the
  509
  difficulties of managing small fields. A one year supplementary payment is also available (normally for one year but occasionally up to five years) for additional measures to assist with initial grassland management work such as scrub control or spreading hay from species rich grassland to introduce flowers and grasses.

WALES

  Bowel Cancer
  Mr. Hanson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which health authorities currently allow use of CPT-II in the treatment of bowel cancer. [5594]

  Mr. Win Griffiths
  Health Authorities in Wales do not currently allow the routine use of this drug in the treatment of bowel cancer, as they are awaiting further evaluation of its clinical effectiveness.

  Social Housing
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how he proposes to assist unitary authorities in Wales to increase their provision of social housing in Wales; and if he will make a statement. [6100]

  Mr. Win Griffiths
  I have asked Tai Cymru to increase the provision of social housing this year. We will also assist unitary authorities through our capital receipts initiative. This will enable them to increase the provision of social housing which can include partnership arrangements with private and registered social landlords; reduce the number of local authority void properties and make more efficient use of the housing stock. I have issued a consultation paper which encourages Welsh housing authorities to determine the most effective and cost efficient ways of increasing the provision of social housing and improving existing housing stock.

  Pyrethroid Sheep Dips
  Mrs. Golding
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the effect of pyrethroid sheep dips on aquatic life in rivers and streams in Wales. [6387]

  Mr. Wyn Griffiths
  On 13 June the Environment Agency issued a press release about the impact on the aquatic environment, including in Wales, of synthetic pyrethroid sheep dips which describes the action that the Agency is taking. I have arranged for a copy to be placed in the Library of the House.

  Welsh Assembly
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what his Department plans to spend on advertising the availability of postal votes before the proposed referendum on Welsh devolution. [7084]

  Mr. Ron Davies
  I plan to include information on absent voting in the leaflet setting out the Government's proposals which is to be distributed to all households in Wales. These costs will therefore be subsumed within the overall costs of producing the leaflet.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Sinn Fein
  Mr. Clifton-Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will make a statement on the preconditions under which Sinn Fein will be admitted to peace talks with the Government. [5897]

  Mr. Murphy
  There is no need for a further statement on this matter. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister made it clear in his statement of 25 June what Sinn Fein need to do to enter talks, and he published at that time the aide memoire which had been sent to Sinn Fein following their two meetings with officials in May.

  Political Process
  Mr. Mallon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions she has had with representatives of the Irish Government to plan the agenda for negotiations on the three strands of the political process. [5898]

  Mr. Murphy
  The agenda for talks is a matter for the participants. I hope that, in the light of previous discussions in the talks, there will be early agreement on the agenda following a resolution of the decommissioning issue.

  Peace Process
  Mr. Gunnell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will make a statement on progress made in the peace process since 25 June. [5901]

  Mr. Nicholas Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the peace process in Northern Ireland. [5907]

  Dr. Iddon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will make a statement on the Northern Ireland peace process. [5909]

  Dr. Mowlam
  I refer to the oral answer that I gave earlier to my hon. Friends the Members for Luton, South (Ms Moran), Stevenage (Barbara Follett) and North-west Norfolk (Dr. Turner).

  Mr. Gareth R. Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will make a statement on support from the United States Administration for the peace process in Northern Ireland. [5902]

  Mrs. Humble
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will make a statement on support from the United States Administration for the peace process in Northern Ireland. [5918]

  Dr. Mowlam
  The United States administration share this Government's wish to see an end to all violence in Northern Ireland and to reach a lasting political settlement which has the broad support of people on both sides of the community. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minster and the President continue to discuss developments in Northern Ireland on a regular basis. We are grateful for the close personal interest that the President has taken, and for the valuable work of Senator George Mitchell in the Talks process.

  Marches and Parades
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what additional steps she proposes to take to minimise the risk of disorder during the marching season. [5903]

  Dr. Mowlam
  I, my Ministers and senior officials have been involved in intensive discussions with representatives of the Orange Order, residents' groups and others to resolve the problem of contentious parades. These efforts will continue.

  Considerable disorder has followed the Orange Order parade along the Garvaghy Road on Sunday. While recognising the anger felt in the Nationalist community, there can be no justification for the scenes of violence witnessed over the past few days.

  Mr. Home Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will make a statement on the cost of police and military security at marches and parades. [5911]

  Dr. Mowlam
  The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

  Ms Ward
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will make a statement on parades and marches in Northern Ireland. [5914]

  Shona McIsaac
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will make a statement on parades and marches in Northern Ireland. [5919]

  Dr. Mowlam
  The Government will continue to seek a resolution to the difficult problems of contentious marches in Northern Ireland. We remain firmly committed to the principle of local accommodation and dialogue as offering the best solution.

  An agreed settlement could not be reached at Drumcree. The Chief Constable took his decision in the interests of public safety and the Government fully supports him. Decisions on future parades will be made using the criteria set down by the relevant legislation.

  The Government is committed to bringing forward new legislation on parades later this year which will provide the basis for a new approach to this issue.

  Electricity Interconnector
  Dr. Whitehead
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on progress towards the establishment of the electricity interconnector. [5904]

  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress is being made towards the construction of the electricity interconnector. [5912]

  Mr. Ingram
  Progress depends on the outcome of planning applications in Northern Ireland and Scotland. Northern Ireland Electricity plc submitted a second planning application for the Northern Ireland element of the project on 4 April 1997. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland hopes to announce his decision on the application for the Scotland element shortly.

  Unemployment
  Mrs. Organ
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps she is taking to combat long-term and youth employment in Northern Ireland. [5905]

  Mr. Worthington
  I refer my hon. Friend to the oral answer I gave earlier to my hon. Friend the Member for Dartford, (Dr. Stoate).

  Mr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the current number of long-term unemployed claimants; and what was the number in(a) 1991, (b) 1993 and (c) 1995. [5917]

  Mr. Worthington
  The latest available information relates to April 1997 and at that time there were 34,807 long-term unemployed in Northern Ireland. For April of each of the other years requested the numbers were(a) 50,006 in 1991, (b) 56,818 in 1993 and (c) 49,885 in 1995.

  Employment Equality Review
  Helen Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will make a statement on the employment equality review being conducted by the Northern Ireland Standing Advisory Commission on Human Rights. [5908]

  Dr. Mowlam
  I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Greenock and Inverclyde (Mr. Godman) on Thursday 26 June,Official Report, column 623.

  Economy (Expansion)
  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will make a statement on progress to expand the Northern Ireland economy. [5913]

  Mr. Ingram
  We are working with business, the community and the unions to assist companies become more competitive, to attract tourists and high calibre inward investment, and to develop and harness the talents of everyone with a contribution to make to economic development in Northern Ireland. Our task will be immeasurably easier in a peaceful, stable environment.

  Belfast Port
  Mr. Bill O'Brien
  To ask the secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will make a statement on future proposals for the port of Belfast. [5915]

  Mr. Murphy
  Government has not yet had the opportunity to consider the possible options for the future of the port of Belfast. I understand that the Belfast Harbour Commissioners have engaged consultants to advise them on available options and have formed a special committee to consider proposals under the Ports (NI) Order 1994. The Commissioners have not yet submitted any proposals to Government.

  Cross-border Security
  Mr. Robathan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions she has had with the new Irish Government regarding cross-border security. [5916]

  Mr. Ingram
  Maintaining the existing high levels of cross-border security co-operation with the new Irish Government will remain as a high priority. We shall continue to keep this under regular review with the Irish.

  Irish Language Teaching
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what new proposals he has to increase Irish language. [5906]

  Mr. Worthington
  Steps have been taken to ensure an adequate supply of suitably trained teachers of Irish Medium schools. St. Mary's College of Education now offers a four-year Bed (Primary) course for those wishing to teach in the Irish Medium Sector. Pending the output of teachers from this new course my Department has approved five additional one-year Post Graduate Certificate in Education intake places each year.

  Outside the irish medium sector, where Irish is compulsory, it is a matter for individual schools to decide whether to teach Irish, and I have no plans to change that.

  Punishment Beatings
  Mrs. Gorman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will make a statement on the incidence of punishment beatings over the last six months. [5910]

  Mr. Ingram
  Between 1 January 1997 and 29 June 1997 the number of causalities resulting from paramilitary assaults as recorded by the RUC were:

  Loyalists

  Republican

  Beatings

  40

  48

  Shootings

  32

  4

  Total

  72

  52

  Clearly this type of brutal vigilante activity is barbaric and indefensible. The RUC remains the only legitimate law enforcement agency in Northern Ireland.

  Hospitals (Complaints)
  Rev. Martin Smyth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will make a statement on the number of complaints concerning inadequate care in hospitals in the last year. [6175]

  Mr. Worthington
  The information is not centrally available in the form requested. Information on complaints to HSS Trusts in Northern Ireland is collected by Programme of Care. Of the total number of 3,188 complaints to HSS in Northern Ireland in the year 1996–97, 1,508 were in the Acute Programme of Care and 224 were in the Maternity and Child Health Programme of Care, the two Programmes of Care which are most strongly associated with hospital based rather than community-based care.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Means Testing
  Mr. Fearn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans she has to widen the scope of means testing for benefits. [4599]

  Mr. Field
  Our objective is to reduce poverty and welfare dependency and to promote work incentives. We will develop a system that supports work, savings and honesty. Our first steps are to focus on helping people off welfare and into work and to review the central areas of insecurity for older people.

  Benefit Take-up
  Mr. Todd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps are planned to increase the uptake of benefits by individuals entitled to them who are not currently claiming. [4866]

  Mr. Keith Bradley
  We are concerned that up to one million pensioners currently miss out on the Income Support to which they are entitled. We want to get help to Britain's poorest pensioners and are commissioning research into the reasons why pensioners fail to claim the Income Support which is their due.

  Child Maintenance Bonus
  Mr. Pond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many parents returning to work have been paid a child maintenance bonus since its introduction, and what was the average amount paid. [5441]

  Mr. Keith Bradley
  The information is as follows:

  Child maintenance bonus statistics1

  All claimants2

  Number of bonus payments made from 7 April 1997 to 30 May 19973

  79

  Total amount of bonus payments made from 7 April 1997 to 30 May 19974

  £1,538

  Estimated average bonus payment5

  £19.50

  Notes:

  1The Child Maintenance Bonus allows people to accrue a bonus over a period of time therefore it is difficult to judge its effectiveness on 2 months data.

  2Provisional data based on claims held on the Income Support Computer System (ISCS). Information on clerically processed claims or Jobseeker Allowance (JSA) claimants is not yet available.

  3Claims authorised for payment recorded on ISCS.

  4Total amount authorised for payment recorded on ISCS.

  5Based on total amount authorised for payment recorded on ISCS.

  Source:

  Child Maintenance Bonus management information statistics.

  Back to Work Bonus
  Mr. Pond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people returning to work have been paid a Back to Work Bonus since the scheme's introduction; and what was the average amount of the payment. [5440]
  515
  Mr. Keith Bradley
  We will be evaluating the effectiveness of the Back to Work Bonus scheme in contributing to our welfare to work objectives, which are to provide work incentives and to reduce poverty and welfare dependency.

  The information requested is in the table.

  Back to Work Bonus statistics1

  All claimants

  Number of bonus payments made from October 1996 to May 19972

  15,000

  Total amount of bonus payments made3 from October 1996 to May 1997

  £2,487,450

  Estimated average bonus payment4

  £172.11

  Claimants with an accrued bonus at the end of May 19975

  152,000

  Notes:

  1. These figures are subject to revision.

  1 Provisional data based on claims held on the Income Support Computer System (ISCS) and the Jobseeker's Allowance Payment System (JSAPS). No clerically processed claims included. Numbers are rounded to the nearest thousand.

  2 Claims authorised for payment recorded on JSAPS and ISCS. They include 500 payments made to claimants on reaching an age threshold (age 60 in Income Support, and age 65 for men and age 60 for women in Jobseeker's Allowance).

  3 Total amount authorised for payment recorded on ISCS and JSAPS.

  4 Based on total amount authorised for payment recorded on ISCS and JSAPS.

  5 Live claims on ISCS and JSAPS with a bonus accrual plus claims which have ended with a bonus accrual but no bonus payment has been made (claimants who return to benefit within 12 weeks and have not claimed a bonus retain the amount accrued during the previous claim).

  Source:

  Back to Work Bonus management information statistics.

  Child Support Agency
  Mrs. Ballard
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when the Child Support Agency will be given instructions to act on cases brought to its attention voluntarily by parents with care who are not in receipt of income support, family credit or disability working allowance. [5666]

  Mr. Keith Bradley
  The Government believes that all children are entitled to the support of both parents. Children should only be supported by the taxpayer when their parents are unable to do so.

  The Child Support Agency already takes on cases where the parent with care is not receiving a relevant benefit and there is no court order, or written maintenance agreement which was made before 5 April 1993 for regular payments of child maintenance. Where there is such an order or agreement the parent with care can continue to use the courts to enforce or vary the amounts of maintenance.

  Housing Benefit
  Mr. Cotter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans she has to review housing benefit; and if she will make a statement. [6291]
  516
  Mr. Keith Bradley
  Housing Benefit is one of the major components of the Social Security system. We will be examining it, and links with housing support generally with the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, as part of the comprehensive review of Government expenditure.

  Retirement Pensions
  Mr. Gorrie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans she has to increase the 25p per week augmentation of pensions given when pensioners reach the age of 80 years. [6626]

  Mr. Denham
  We will examine means of delivering more automatic help to the poorest pensioners, many of whom are over 80. We will shortly be announcing details of a review of the central areas of insecurity for older people. We have no plans to increase the 25p weekly age addition in 1997.

  Pensioners' Christmas Bonus
  Mr. Gorrie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans she has to increase the pensioners' £10 Christmas bonus. [6627]

  Mr. Denham
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Colchester (Mr. Russell) on 1 July,Official Report, column 136.

  Widows
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will give priority to the circumstances of widows in her general review of social security; and if she will make a statement. [6988]

  Mr. Denham
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Edinburgh West (Mr. Gorrie) on 23 June,Official Report, column 413.

  Disability Living Allowance
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when the benefits integrity programme in respect of disability living allowance will commence; how many benefit recipients will be subject to face to face interviews; when the programme will be completed; and what is the estimated cost of the programme. [6435]

  Mr. Denham
  One of our key aims is to rebuild integrity in, and public support for, the Social Security system and the way in which public money is spent. Research indicates that we may be paying £0.5 billion a year to people who are not entitled to receive it.

  This is why we have set up the Benefit Integrity Project to focus on those people who are properly entitled to receive it. However, we regard it as essential that disabled people are treated with respect and in an unthreatening way. The administration of this programme is a matter for Peter Mathison, Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.
  517
  Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Paul Burstow, dated 8 July 1997:
  The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Benefit integrity Programme.
  The Benefit Integrity Project formally commenced on 28 April 1997, the first postal enquiries were issued on 6 May 1997. Starting from the end of July a two year programme will commence to visit some 150,000 Disability Living Allowance recipients at home.
  The project is due to be completed by 31 March 1999, the findings of which will help to inform decisions about future integrity work. It is estimated that the cost of the project will be £10 a year.
  I hope you find this reply helpful.

  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security by what means increases in the duty on petrol are incorporated into the mobility component of disability living allowance. [6622]

  Mr. Denham
  Disability Living Allowance is increased every year, by law, by the rate of inflation as measured by the movement in the Retail Prices Index (PRI). The basket of goods used to calculate the RPI includes the cost of petrol as well as other motoring costs.

  Carers
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment she has made of the advantages of sending to each recipient of invalid care allowance information on the discount for council tax bills that is available to carers; and what estimate she has made of the cost of sending such a mailing. [6457]

  Regulated Scheme

  Discretionary fund

  Year

  Maternity payments

  Funeral payments

  Cold weather payments

  Community care grants1

  Budgeting loans1

  Crisis loans1

  1991–92

  101

  706

  6

  281

  217

  62

  1992–93

  101

  789

  6

  314

  226

  65

  1993–94

  101

  873

  6

  322

  239

  64

  1994–95

  101

  924

  7

  340

  255

  65

  1995–96

  101

  791

  8.50

  351

  271

  66

  1 Does not include awards on review.

  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans she has to(a) revise the criteria for awarding and (b) increase the amount of moneys available to the social fund. [6969]

  Mr. Keith Bradley
  The Social Fund is made up of two parts; the regulated and discretionary schemes. The regulated scheme is based on rules of entitlement and payments are not cash limited. Discretionary Social Fund payments are made from a national cash limited budget which is allocated to individual Benefits Agency District Offices.

  The overall size of the gross discretionary Social Fund budget, and its allocation, is decided annually. It depends principally on the size of loan recoveries expected during the course of each coming year plus planned new provision voted for each year.

  Details of the annual gross budget for the discretionary Social Fund and the principles used for its allocation are placed in the Library in March each year. The allocations principles will be reviewed as part of each annual budget setting exercise.
  518
  Mr. Denham
  We will streamline services to provide better, simpler more efficient services to clients.

  There would be little advantage in writing to all recipients of Invalid Care Allowance because, although there may be some overlap, the criteria for entitlement to that benefit and to the council tax discount for carers differ significantly.

  The cost of such an exercise is likely to be in the region of £80,000—£105,000.

  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if foster carers can claim(a) incapacity benefit, (b) invalid care allowance and (c) other non-means tested benefits and in what circumstances. [6968]

  Mr. Denham
  We will streamline services to provide better, simpler more efficient services to clients.

  Foster carers can claim Incapacity Benefit, Severe Disablement Allowance, Invalid Care Allowance, Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance and other non means tested benefits provided they meet the normal eligibility criteria for these benefits.

  Social Fund
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the average award made under the social fund in each of the last five years. [6977]

  Mr. Keith Bradley
  Average Payments for 1991–92 to 1995–96 are in the table. Figures for 1996–97 will be published in the Department of Social Security's Annual Report on the Social Fund later this month.

  Income Support
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will withdraw new instructions issued to social security staff in August 1995 that require them when assessing eligibility for income support in circumstances where the claimant was alleging abuse or significant harm, to probe into the nature and extent of that abuse. [6970]

  Mr. Keith Bradley
  We want a system that supports work, savings and honesty; and provides better, simpler and more efficient services to claimants. The guidance on claims from young people in the circumstances described ensures handling by staff trained in these sensitive matters. The Government has no plans to withdraw the guidance which provides an opportunity to highlight cases of abuse and to take necessary action.

  As Income Support for the unemployed has been replaced by income based Jobseeker's Allowance any

  519
  further consideration of this matter will be for the Secretary of State for Education and Employment.

  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans she has to simplify the process for claiming income support by people who go into residential care for temporary periods. [6973]

  Mr. Keith Bradley
  We will streamline services to provide better, simpler, more efficient services to clients. We fully recognise the importance that temporary placements have in providing respite care for carers and for those needing care. We are examining the current process for dealing with benefit claims to make procedures as simple and straightforward as possible and this will include the particular difficulties which can arise for people who need to claim Income Support for temporary periods in residential care.

  Incapacity Benefit
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when she will be publishing details of the proposals set out in the Budget statement relating to disabled people on incapacity benefit. [7082]

  Mr. Denham
  The Government strongly believes that for people of working age work is the best form of welfare. We are committed to giving opportunities to sick and disabled people who have some capacity for work to do so. Some £200 million from the windfall levy has been set aside to fund this important programme of work and other measures.

  Over the coming months we will be looking to see what changes are necessary to ensure that the particular needs of people who have disabilities or who have lost contact with the labour market because of long-term sickness are provided for. We will make more detailed announcements in due course.

  Community Care Grants
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will list the number of applications for community care grants, the number of applications which were turned down and the number of refusals as a percentage of the total number of applications in each of the last three financial years. [6971]

  Mr. Keith Bradley
  The Social Fund provides lump sum payments to help with exceptional or intermittent expenses. Applications to the discretionary Social Fund are made to the discretionary fund as a whole; not to parts of it. This means that an applicant may receive either a Community Care Grant or a loan depending on the social fund officer's assessment of the nature, extent and urgency of the need and the circumstances of the individual.

  In 1995–96 for example, over half a million applicants who were refused a grant were instead awarded a loan. Similarly over 41,000 applications for budgeting loans were instead awarded a community care grant. Of those applicants who specifically request a Community Care Grant, the vast majority do not satisfy the appropriate criteria to demonstrate a grant is needed to promote care in the community. Over the three years to 1995–96, over 70 per cent. of the 1.25 million applications received annually for community care grants were refused on these grounds.

  Further details can be found in the Department of Social Security's Annual Reports on the Social Fund which are available in the Library. The report for 1996–97 will be published later this month.

  Freedom of Information
  Mr. Keetch
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will publish her Department's submissions relating to freedom of information legislation. [6035]

  Mr. Field
  [holding answer 2 July 1997]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by the Prime Minister on 4 July, Official Report, columns 293–94.

  Titan 3 Pyramid Selling Scheme
  Titan 3 Pyramid Selling Scheme
  Tobacco
  Tobacco
  Wild Mammals (Hunting with Dogs) Bill
  Wild Mammals (Hunting with Dogs) Bill
  Immigration and Nationality Directorate: New Caseworking System
  Immigration and Nationality Directorate: New Caseworking System
  Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme
  Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme
  Pensioners and National Prosperity
  Pensioners and National Prosperity
  Single Mothers and Benefit
  Single Mothers and Benefit
  Young Unemployed People and Housing Benefit
  Young Unemployed People and Housing Benefit
  Child Support Agency
  Child Support Agency
  Harbour Porpoises
  Harbour Porpoises
  Museums: Admission Charges
  Museums: Admission Charges
  Museums and Galleries: Grant-in-Aid
  Museums and Galleries: Grant-in-Aid