Written Answers of 3 February 1998

TREASURY

  Labour Market Statistics
  Ms Lawrence
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes are planned to labour market statistics. [27823]

  Mr. Willetts
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Government expects to publish the conclusions of the Office of National Statistics review of unemployment statistics. [27185]

  Mrs. Liddell
  The Office for National Statistics is announcing today a new approach to the presentation of labour market statistics following widespread public consultation. This will deliver a more rounded assessment of the UK's increasingly complex labour market.

  From April, one news release a month will present a coherent picture of the labour market. It will use all available statistics. There will be no change to any definition of unemployment. But greater weight than previously will now be given to the Labour Force Survey which uses internationally agreed definitions as recommended by the International Labour Organisation. The release will focus on people in employment, on unemployed people who are seeking work and, people who are economically inactive. All three sectors are equally important in understanding the labour market.

  The programme of improvements is designed to make labour market statistics both user relevant and user friendly, and includes: an extension of the range of indicators on a monthly basis; LFS information will be released every month as an average of the latest three months' data; for the first time whole economy employment and ILO unemployment statistics will be published monthly on a consistent basis; the publication of labour force survey data on a UK basis; the incorporation of labour force survey data in the regional labour market first releases; the publication of new indicators relating to jobs and businesses derived from employers' survey; improved earnings data to reduce the number of revisions.

  The ONS will be organising a series of workshops and seminars. These will build on recently published articles explaining how the various statistical measures inter-relate.

  The announcement follows an extensive period of consultation with data users. Independent academic experts have been consulted about changes to the methodology ONS uses in producing its labour market statistics.

  Personal Tax Allowance
  Mr. Prior
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the total reduction in annual tax revenue, if the personal tax allowance was increased to £10,000. [26528]

  Dawn Primarolo
  The estimated cost at 1998–99 levels of increasing both the non-aged personal allowance and the aged personal allowance to £10,000 is £29 billion.

  Bank of England
  Sir Teddy Taylor
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment Her Majesty's Government have made of the argument advanced by the Bank of England in the papers circulated at the symposium from 20 January on the application of regulations stemming from Article 109I of the Maastricht Treaty to the United Kingdom and their treatment by English courts; and if he will make a statement. [26720]

  Mrs. Liddell
  [holding answer 2 February 1998]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 27 January 1998, Official Report, column 158.

  Far East (Economic Instability)
  Mr. Redwood
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what has been the cost to United Kingdom public funds of support to Asia in respect of the recent economic problems; [26382]

  (2) if he will list the total cost to UK public funds of financial aid to the Far East arising from economic instability. [27061]

  Mrs. Liddell
  [holding answer 30 January 1998]: To date, there has been no direct cost to the Exchequer of support to Asia in respect of the recent financial difficulties. The UK contribution to the financial assistance provided to several Asian countries has been through loans from the international financial institutions.

  Pensions
  Mr. Fallon
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many senior staff employed on short-term contracts with regulatory bodies established under the Financial Services Act 1986 are entitled to the full benefits of the public service final year salary pension scheme; and for what reasons they are so entitled. [26484]

  Mrs. Liddell
  There are no senior staff working in the Financial Services Authority or any of the Self-Regulatory Organisations who are entitled to benefits under the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme.

  Personal Investment Authority
  Mr. Fallon
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what date the Chief Executive of the Personal Investment Authority gave notice of her resignation; on what date it took effect; what was the basis of her financial settlement with the Authority; and what would have been the saving to public funds if she had been paid within the strict terms of her contract. [26486]

  Mrs. Liddell
  The Personal Investment Authority is a private body. No public funds are involved.

  Individual Savings Accounts
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if lone parents will be allowed to hold ISAs in excess of £50,000 in the event of transfer of savings or resources from an absent parent as part of a divorce or separation settlement. [22972]

  Mr. Geoffrey Robinson
  No such proposal is included in the consultative document on the individual savings account (ISA) published on 2 December.

  Mr. Fallon
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the holder of the new individual savings account who invests up to the proposed £50,000 limit and whose investment increases beyond the limit will be able to withdraw the excess and re-invest it irrespective of the limit on annual contributions. [26235]

  Mr. Geoffrey Robinson
  The £50,000 overall limit for the ISA is a limit on contributions. An ISA will be able to grow to over £50,000 and full tax relief will be given on it. As proposed, any amounts withdrawn from the ISA will be able to be re-invested subject to the annual and overall investment limits.

  Mr. Fallon
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the revenue implications if(a) 50 per cent. and (b) 75 per cent. of those holding more than £50,000 in TESSA and PEP investments transferred into the new individual savings account transferred the excess into tax-favoured national savings products. [26232]

  Mr. Geoffrey Robinson
  The cost would depend on the amounts individuals held above the proposed £50,000 overall investment limit for individual savings accounts, and the extent to which they were able to take advantage of the different limits for the various tax favoured national savings products.

  Dr. Cable
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he has taken to establish the level of savings providers' proposed administrative and selling charges to savers of up to(a) £100, (b) £250 and (c) £1,000 per annum under the ISA scheme. [25226]

  Mr. Geoffrey Robinson
  Charges will depend on the final form of the scheme. In designing the ISA we have sought to replicate so far as possible existing PEP and TESSA procedures, and we intend to keep costs to providers as small as possible.

  Dr. Cable
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to recruit additional staff in the Inland Revenue to administer the ISA scheme. [25231]

  Mr. Geoffrey Robinson
  The number of staff required by the Inland Revenue will depend on the final form of the scheme.

  Mrs. Lait
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much tax the Treasury expects to forgo annually with the introduction of ISAs and what tax has been forgone on an annual basis since the introduction of PEPs and TESSAs. [22570]

  Mr. Geoffrey Robinson
  The Government are planning to spend at least as much on the introduction of individual savings accounts as on PEPs and TESSAs, and have budgeted accordingly. The estimated annual costs of PEPs and TESSAs since their introducion are as follows.572

  £ million

  Year

  PEPs1

  TESSAs

  Total

  1986–87

  Negligible

  —

  Negligible

  1987–88

  5

  —

  5

  1988–89

  15

  —

  15

  1989–90

  20

  —

  20

  1990–91

  65

  25

  90

  1991–92

  120

  200

  320

  1992–93

  170

  250

  420

  1993–94

  230

  300

  530

  1994–95

  325

  350

  675

  1995–96

  450

  450

  900

  1996–972

  600

  350

  950

  1997–982

  800

  450

  1,250

  1 Including the CGT cost of capital gains within personal equity plans.

  2 Provisional.

  Economic and Monetary Union
  Mr. Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the amendments required to legislation on(a) banknotes and (b) the Bank of England in the event of the UK adhering to stage 3 of EMU. [26071]

  Mrs. Liddell
  Under Article 105a(1) of the Treaty (Article 16 of the ESCB Statute) the Governing Council of the ECB has the exclusive right to authorise the issue of banknotes within the Community. The ECB and the national central banks may issue such notes. Banknotes issued by the ECB and the national central banks shall be the only such notes to have the status of legal tender within the Community. In the event of the UK proceeding to Stage Three of EMU, Article 105a(1) would apply to the UK.

  The Treaty requirements for central banks in Stage Three of economic and monetary union are described in Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty and in the ESCB Statute (Protocol No. 3 to the Treaty). In the event of the UK joining EMU, national legislation, including the Statutes of the Bank of England, would have to be made compatible with the Treaty and the Statute. The Bank of England would also have to meet the Treaty specification for central bank independence.

  Own Share Purchases
  Mr. Gibb
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many public limited companies bought back their own shares between(a) 1 July and 31 December 1997, (b) 1 July and 31 December 1996 and (c) 1 July and 31 December 1995. [22892]

  Mr. Geoffrey Robinson
  Companies House does not record share buy-backs by type of company. The London Stock Exchange records "purchases of own securities" by listed companies, but these include other securities as well as shares.

  Companies House does not provide a break-down by type of company for those who have bought back their own shares. It does, however, have a form ("Section 169") which a company is required to return to Companies House when it undertakes the purchase of its own shares.

  Total returns from all companies (including private as well as public limited companies) recorded under "Section 169s", for the dates asked for were as follows:
  1 July—31 December 1997: 1,610

  573
  1 July—31 December 1996: 1,349
  1 July—31 December 1995: 1,470.

  The London Stock Exchange records the number of announcements made by listed companies identified as "purchases of own securities". These include other securities as well as shares. The announcements for the dates asked for were as follows:
  1 July—31 December 1997: 576
  1 July—31 December 1996: 306
  1 July—31 December 1995: 228.

  Civil Servants
  Mr. Forth
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many civil servants in his Department at grade 3 or above have(a) resigned, (b) retired before pensionable age and (c) moved to different responsibilities within the Department since 1 May 1997; if he will indicate the Ministers to whom each was responsible; and if he will make a statement. [26918]

  Mrs. Liddell
  The information requested is as follows in respect of Treasury officials:

  (a) one has resigned;

  (b) none have retired before pensionable age; and

  (c) two have moved to different responsibilities within the department.

  All are responsible to the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

  Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative
  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on progress to date in implementing the Highly Indebted Poor Countries Initiative. [27170]

  Mrs. Liddell
  The Executive Boards of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank have reached decisions on the timing and scale of relief for four countries under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative. Uganda will be provided with relief in April this year. Bolivia will benefit in September, and Guyana will be the third beneficiary in December. Agreement has also been reached that Burkina Faso will be granted HIPC relief in April 2000 if it too continues with its IMF-backed economic reform programmes. Decisions by the Boards in favour of granting HIPC relief to Mozambique, Cote d'Ivoire, Mali and Mauritania are expected to be made soon.

  National Register of Assets
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assets have been identified in the National Register which are surplus to requirements; and what is the timetable for their disposal. [26808]

  Mr. Geoffrey Robinson
  It will be for each department individually, as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review, to identify those assets which are surplus to requirements and make arrangements for their disposal.

  TESSAs and PEPs
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate (i) the revenue forgone in the operation of(a) PEPs and (b) TESSAs in each full year of their
  574
  existence, (ii) the take up of TESSAs and PEPs in (1) each decile of income and (2) each region and nation of the United Kingdom and (iii) the revenue forgone in respect of CGT separately. [23659]

  Mr. Geoffrey Robinson
  Available information is in the tables. The regional distribution of take-up is based on current estimates that about 4 1/2, million people have a TESSA, and over 3 million people have one or more PEP, representing 10 per cent. and 8 per cent. of the UK adult population respectively.

  Estimated cost of tax relief for PEPs and TESSAs

  £million

  Year

  Income tax

  PEPs CGT

  Total

  TESSAs

  1986–87

  neg

  neg

  neg

  —

  1987–88

  5

  neg

  5

  —

  1988–89

  15

  neg

  15

  —

  1989–90

  20

  neg

  20

  —

  1990–91

  45

  20

  65

  25

  1991–92

  90

  30

  120

  200

  1992–93

  120

  50

  170

  250

  1993–94

  140

  90

  230

  300

  1994–95

  200

  125

  325

  350

  1995–96

  300

  150

  450

  450

  1996–971

  400

  200

  600

  350

  1997–981

  500

  300

  800

  450

  1 Provisional.

  neg=negligible.

  Per cent.

  Region

  Estimated regional take-up1 of

  TESSAs

  PEPs

  United Kingdom

  10

  8

  England

  11

  8

  North

  10

  7

  North West

  9

  7

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  11

  7

  East Midlands

  10

  6

  West Midlands

  10

  7

  East Anglia

  12

  9

  South East

  11

  9

  South West

  10

  10

  Wales

  10

  7

  Scotland

  8

  7

  Northern Ireland

  10

  5

  1Based on the population aged 18 and over.

  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the number of void(a) PEPs and (b) TESSAs identified in each year of the last three years and the average number of years of tax liability recovered in respect of each void PEP or TESSA. [23658]

  Mr. Geoffrey Robinson
  Numbers of PEPs and TESSAs made void because the holder had subscribed to more than one PEP or TESSA in a tax year are as follows:

  PEPs

  TESSAs

  1994–95

  1,118

  1,406

  1995–96

  1,028

  473

  1996–97

  1,954

  905

  575
  Figures for PEPs and TESSAs made void for other breaches of the PEP and TESSA Regulations, and for the average number of years of tax liability recovered, are not available.

  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the distribution of (i) TESSA and (ii) PEP holders and the tax revenue forgone to those holders amongst the regions and nations of the United Kingdom. [23660]

  Mr. Geoffrey Robinson
  Regional distributions of PEP and TESSA holders based on Inland Revenue records for 1995–96 are given in the table. The value of funds held in TESSAs follows the same pattern as the distribution of holders, and the regional distribution of the cost of tax relief is expected to be broadly similar. The regional distribution of the value of funds held in PEPs is not available from Inland Revenue records.

  Per cent.

  Region

  Regional distribution of holders of

  TESSAs

  PEPs

  United Kingdom

  100

  100

  England

  86

  86

  North

  5

  4

  North West

  10

  10

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  9

  7

  East Midlands

  7

  6

  West Midlands

  9

  8

  East Anglia

  4

  4

  South East

  34

  36

  South West

  8

  11

  Wales

  5

  4

  Scotland

  7

  8

  Northern Ireland

  2

  2

  Earnings
  Ms Squire
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will list the average weekly earnings(A) including and (B) excluding overtime for part-time workers in (a) Scotland, (b) each of the unitary local authority areas in Scotland and (c) Great Britain, broken down for men and women in (i) manual employment, (ii) non-manual employment and (iii) in total; [27331]

  (2) if he will list the proportion of full-time workers in (a) Scotland, (b) each of the unitary local authority areas in Scotland and (c) Great Britain with hourly gross earnings (A) including and (B) excluding overtime below (i) £6.61, (ii) £6.15 (iii) £4.61 and (iv) £3.80 broken down by (1) male manual, (2) male non-manual, (3) all male workers, (4) female manual, (5) female non-manual, (6) all female workers, (7) all manual, (8) all non-manual and (9) all workers; [27328]

  (3) if he will list the percentage of workers on adult rates of pay in part-time employment whose hourly earnings (A) including and (B) excluding overtime pay are less than (i) £4.61 per hour, (ii) £6.15 per hour, (iii) £6.60 per hour and (iv) average weekly earnings in (a) Scotland, (b) each of the unitary local authority areas in Scotland and (c) Great Britain, broken down by (1) male manual, (2) male
  576
  non-manual (3) all male workers, (4) female manual, (5) female non-manual, (6) all female workers (7) all manual, (8) all non-manual and (9) all workers; [27330]

  (4) if he will list the percentage of full-time workers in
  (a) Scotland, (b) each of the unitary local authority areas in Scotland and (c) Great Britain earning in gross (A) including and (b) excluding overtime less than (i) £249.97 per week, (ii) £233.13 per week and (iii) £174.85 per week broken down by (1) male manual (2) male non-manual, (3) all male workers, (4) female manual, (5) female non-manual, (6) all female workers, (7) all manual, (8) all non-manual and (9) all workers; [27327]

  (5) if he will list the average gross weekly earnings (i) including and (ii) excluding overtime for full-time workers in (a) Scotland, (b) each of the unitary local authority areas in Scotland and (c) Great Britain for (1) all manual, (2) all non-manual and (3) all workers; [27326]

  (6) if he will list for (a) Scotland, and (b) each of the unitary local authority areas in Scotland and (1) average weekly earnings, (2) weekly median earnings and (3) the distribution of earnings for those earning (a) under the point below which 10 per cent. of earners fall, (b) the point above which 10 per cent. of earners exceed, broken down by (i) manual, (ii) non-manual and (iii) all workers. [27329]

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

  Letter from Tim Holt to Ms Rachel Squire, dated 3 February 1998:
  The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me to reply, as the Director of the Office for National Statistics, to your recent questions (27326, 27327, 27328, 27329, 27330 and 27331) on earnings in the unitary local authority areas in Scotland, Scotland as a whole and in Great Britain.
  The information requested can only be provided at disproportionate cost. There is a considerable amount of data available in the House of Commons library. This provides various distribution ranges of hourly earnings excluding overtime, by location. Areas covered range from parliamentary constituencies and local authority districts to Government Office regions and Great Britain.

  Lone Parents
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the numbers of lone parents in(a) 1980, (b) 1985, (c) 1990 and (d) 1995 in each region and nation, together with an estimate of what proportion of families with children such lone parents represent; and what proportion are (i) under 18 years, (ii) under 25 years, (iii) 26 to 40 years and (iv) 40 years and above. [26942]

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

  Letter from Tim Holt to Mr. Jim Cousins, dated 3 February 1998.
  The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me to reply, as Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), to your question on numbers of lone parents.

  577
  Estimates of the number of lone parents are not regularly available by region and nation, although estimates of the number of one-parent families with dependent children, OPFs, in Great Britain have been made:

  1980

  1985

  1990

  1995

  Number of OPFs (thousands)

  830

  970

  1,230

  11,570

  OPFs as a percentage of all families with dependent children

  12

  14

  18

  22

  1 Provisional estimate.

  Estimate of the numbers of one-parent families in the countries, regions, and counties of Great Britain in 1991, derived from census data, were published in Population Trends, 78 (Table 8, page 15)a copy of which is available in the House of Commons Library.

  The available information on the age profiles of lone parents is as follows (based on 1992–95 data for Great Britain):

  Percentages

  Age group

  Lone mothers

  Lone fathers

  16–19

  2

  1

  16–24

  16

  2

  25–39

  59

  34

  40–59

  25

  64

  Under-fives
  Mrs. Gillan
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many children under five years of age there are in the United Kingdom; and what are the projections for such numbers in(a) 1998, (b) 1999 and (c) 2000. [27073]

  Mrs. Liddell
  [holding answer 2 February 1998]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Chief Executive of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from Tim Holt to Mrs. Cheryl Gillan, dated 3 February 1998:
  The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me, as Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), to reply to your recent question on the number of children under five years of age.
  There were an estimated 3.763 million children aged under five in the United Kingdom in 1996. The Government Actuary's 1996-based projections are for (a) 3.673 million in 1998, (b) 3.631 million in 1999 and (c) 3.611 million in 2000.

  Government Surveys
  Mr. Swinney
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what use is made of (i) computer-aided personal interviewing and (ii) remote telephone or postal interviewing in(a) the Family Expenditure Survey, (b) the Family Resources Survey, (c) the British Household Panel Survey, (d) the New Earnings Survey, (e) the General Household Survey, (f) the Social Attitudes Survey and (g) other government surveys. [26086]

  Inactivity by age and whether available to start work within two weeks

  Great Britain

  All working age1

  16–24

  Age 25–44

  45–54

  55–59

  60–64 (men)

  Total economically inactive (thousands)

  7,174

  1,452

  2,670

  1,360

  1,059

  635,000

  of which

  Available

  741

  189

  317

  116

  66

  52

  578
  Mrs. Liddell
  The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Chief Executive of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from Tim Holt to Mr. John Swinney, dated 3 February 1998:
  The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me to reply, as Director of the Office for National Statistics, to your recent question on types of interviewing used in surveys.
  All main interviewing on the Family Expenditure Survey, the Family Resources Survey and the General Household Surveys are carried out by computer assisted personal interview (CAPI). Neither telephone nor postal methods are used on any of these surveys except occasionally to follow up queries or to carry out routine probity checks. Telephone interviewing is used for interviewing on waves 2–5 of the Labour Force Survey wherever possible although the initial wave is carried out by CAPI. Most other surveys carried out by ONS are done by CAPI. The main exceptions are the National Food Survey and the International Passenger Survey. From time to time there are also some ad hoc surveys for which the most appropriate design involves telephone or postal interviewing methods.
  The New Earnings Survey is carried out by postal questionnaire to employers. At present there is no use of CAPI and there are no plans to introduce it in the immediate future.
  Information regarding the British Household Panel Survey can be obtained from Nick Buck (01206 873 066) at the ESRC Research Centre on Micro-Social Change at the University of Essex.
  The Social Attitudes Survey is conducted independently by Social and Community Planning Research. Information regarding the survey can be obtained from Lindsay Brook (0171 250 1866) at Social and Community Planning Research.

  Economically Inactive People
  Ms Perham
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of people of working age who are economically inactive who are aged(a) 25 or under, (b) 26 to 45, (c) 46 to 54, (d) 55 to 59 and (e) 60 to 65 years who are (i) available for work, (ii) long-term sick/disabled, (iii) looking after family home, (iv) carers, (v) students, (vi) early retired and (vii) other. [26185]

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

  Letter from Tim Holt to Ms Linda Perham, dated 3 February 1998:
  The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me to reply, as Director of the Office for National Statistics, to your recent question on those who are economically inactive.
  The latest estimates from the quarterly Labour Force Survey are shown in the table. Please note that the age groups shown are slightly different from those requested in order to be consistent with standard age groups. For example the upper age band has been taken as 60–64 (and refers only to men) because men aged 65 and all women aged 60 and above are over working age.
  579

  Inactivity by age and whether available to start work within two weeks

  Great Britain

  Age

  All working age1

  16–24

  25–44

  45–54

  55–59

  60–64 (men)

  Not available2

  6,434

  1,262

  2,352

  1,244

  993

  583

  Long term sick/disabled

  1,988

  73

  548

  600

  473

  295

  Looking after family/home

  2,266

  254

  1,424

  377

  194

  17

  Students

  919

  767

  140

  12

  3—

  3—

  Retired

  477

  3—

  3—

  54

  191

  232

  Others

  779

  168

  239

  202

  132

  38

  Total inactive (per cent.)

  100

  100

  100

  100

  100

  100

  of which

  Available (per cent.)

  10.3

  13.0

  11.9

  8.6

  6.3

  8.2

  Not available2 (per cent.)

  89.7

  87.0

  88.1

  91.4

  93.7

  91.8

  Long term sick/disabled (per cent.)

  27.7

  5.0

  20.5

  44.1

  44.7

  46.4

  Looking after family/home (per cent.)

  31.6

  17.5

  53.4

  27.7

  18.3

  2.6

  Students (per cent.)

  12.9

  52.8

  5.2

  0.9

  3—

  3—

  Retired (per cent.)

  6.7

  3—

  3—

  3.9

  18.1

  36.6

  Others (percent.)

  10.9

  11.6

  9.0

  14.8

  12.4

  6.0

  1 Working age is defined as men age 16–64 and women aged 16–59.

  2 Not available to start work in the next two weeks including a few people who could not state whether or not they are available. Includes all those not wanting work.

  3 Sample size too small for reliable estimate.

  Source:

  Labour Force Survey, summer 1997.

  Carers, defined here are those who are inactive because they look after a dependent adult, are a subset of those looking after family/home.

  Information about carers is only collected in the autumn LFS. In autumn 1996 in Great Britain an estimated 6 per cent. of those who were unavailable for work because they are looking after family/home were carers.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

  Child Prostitution
  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Attorney-General what was the cost of prosecuting children under the age of 16 years for soliciting in the last year for which figures are available. [26167]

  The Attorney-General
  The information sought is recorded only on individual case files and is not collected or collated centrally. This information requested could therefore be collected by the Crown Prosecution Service only at disproportionate cost. Home Office statistics from 1989 and 1994 show a decline in convictions for this offence in the 14 to 17 year old age group.

  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Attorney-General if he will cease the prosecution of children under the age of 16 years who engage in prostitution; and if he will make a statement. [26168]

  The Attorney-General
  Prostitution itself is not a criminal offence. However, a person who loiters or solicits for the purposes of prostitution does commit a criminal offence. The overriding principle is that the young person is protected from harm. In such cases the public interest may require the prosecution of a young person who persistently and voluntarily returns to prostitution. Each case is considered on its own merits.

PRIME MINISTER

  Ministerial Visits
  Mr. Wilshire
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to use the same definition of partner 580
  when deciding whether a Minister can be accompanied on an overseas visit at public expense by someone other than his or her spouse as is used in immigration cases. [25866]

  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 27 January 1998]: No. Where a Minister wishes to be accompanied on an overseas visit at the public expense it must be for official purposes; it must be in the public interest; and it must receive my prior approval.

  Mr. Forth
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will state, for the purpose of authorisation of ministerial travel, the definition of partner. [26691]

  The Prime Minister
  The key principle governing travel remains the same as that which applied under the previous Administration: anyone who accompanies a Minister at a cost to the public purse, be they spouse, partner or official, must do so for official purposes; it must be in the public interest; and it must be with my prior approval. The Government will continue to adhere to this principle.

  Mr. Wilshire
  To ask the Prime Minister when permission was first given under paragraph 83 of the Ministerial Code for someone not married to a Minister making an overseas trip to accompany him or her at public expense. [25772]

  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 27 January 1998]: It is not the practice to disclose details of Ministerial correspondence.

  Security and Intelligence Services
  Mr. Baker
  To ask the Prime Minister for what reason he does not identify budget heads separately for MI5, MI6 and GCHQ within the Cabinet Office (Security and Intelligence Services) Class XVIII Vote 2. [26281]
  581
  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 29 January 1998]: The individual budgets for the Intelligence and Security Agencies have not been identified within the Single Intelligence Vote for reasons of national security. I keep this under review.

  Special Advisers
  Mr. Tyrie
  To ask the Prime Minister how many career civil service posts have been filled by special advisers since 1 May 1997. [26938]

  The Prime Minister
  Two Special Advisers in my office-Jonathan Powell and Alastair Campbell-are employed under the terms of the amended Civil Service Order in Council allowing them to undertake some duties which would previously have been performed by career civil servants.

  Green Ministers
  Mr. Baker
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will ensure that the Minister responsible for co-ordinating the green Ministers is a member of the Cabinet. [26788]

  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 2 February 1998]: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions leads our "greening Government" initiative, and chairs the Cabinet Committee on the Environment.

  Correspondence
  Sir Teddy Taylor
  To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 26 January 1998, Official Report, column 67, relating to the letter sent to him by Mr. Graham Horwood of 66 St. Andrews Road, Shoeburyness, on 17 August 1997, when the letter was forwarded to the Minister for Science, Energy and Industry; and when a reply was sent by that Minister to Mr. Horwood. [26509]

  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 2 February 1998]: The letter was inadvertently forwarded to the Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions before being passed to the Department of Trade and Industry for reply at official level. Unfortunately, there is no record of receipt of this letter, but action was initiated on receipt of Mr. Horwood's later letter and I understand a response has been sent.

  European Council Meetings
  Mr. Flight
  To ask the Prime Minister what representations he has received from other member states concerning note-keeping procedures at European Council meetings. [27258]

  The Prime Minister
  None.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Police Grant
  Mr. Cawsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how he plans to allocate police grant in 1998–99. [27704]
  582
  Mr. Straw
  I laid before the House yesterday the Police Grant Report (England and Wales) 1998–99 (HC 492). The Report sets out my determination for 1998–99 of the aggregate amount of grants that I propose to pay under section 46(2) of the Police Act 1996, and the amount to be paid to each police authority including the Receiver for the Metropolitan Police District.

  Allocations for each police authority are set out in the table. The table also shows allocation approved by Parliament for 1997–98.

  £ million

  Police authority

  1997–98 allocation1

  1998–99 allocation1

  English Shire forces

  Avon and Somerset

  158.7

  164.3

  Bedfordshire

  58.9

  60.9

  Cambridgeshire

  68.2

  71.9

  Cheshire

  101.1

  104.7

  Cleveland

  75.2

  80.4

  Cumbria

  58.6

  59.0

  Derbyshire

  95.3

  97.7

  Devon and Cornwall

  158.6

  167.4

  Dorset

  66.6

  67.8

  Durham

  73.3

  78.1

  Essex

  155.9

  158.4

  Gloucestershire

  60.1

  61.5

  Hampshire

  180.0

  189.1

  Hertfordshire

  92.4

  94.1

  Humberside

  105.9

  110.6

  Kent

  168.5

  178.9

  Lancashire

  167.7

  174.9

  Leicestershire

  97.3

  99.1

  Lincolnshire

  61.5

  60.7

  Norfolk

  78.1

  80.9

  North Yorkshire

  71.9

  75.6

  Northamptonshire

  60.0

  62.8

  Nottinghamshire

  119.3

  123.0

  Staffordshire

  111.8

  111.1

  Suffolk

  63.4

  66.0

  Surrey

  91.8

  84.2

  Sussex

  155.2

  162.6

  Thames Valley

  208.2

  219.3

  Warwickshire

  50.6

  51.1

  West Mercia

  106.3

  110.0

  Wiltshire

  62.2

  63.4

  English Metropolitan forces

  Greater Manchester

  351.2

  364.8

  Merseyside

  227.3

  233.3

  Northumbria

  193.4

  205.4

  South Yorkshire

  158.8

  165.4

  West Midlands

  353.4

  371.9

  West Yorkshire

  267.5

  279.5

  London forces

  Metropolitan Police2

  1,688.0

  1,715.3

  City of London3

  61.6

  57.1

  English total

  6,483.9

  6,682.6

  Welsh forces

  Dyfed-Powys

  49.9

  51.1

  Gwent

  64.5

  67.3

  North Wales

  71.2

  73.2

  South Wales

  155.1

  161.3

  Welsh total

  340.8

  353.0

  Total

  6,824.7

  7,035.5

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

  583
  2 Figure for the Metropolitan Police does not include funding allocated to the Receiver under the Other Services Block SSA for school crossing patrols, Magistrates' Courts and the Probation Service.

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

  Rohypnol
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the percentage of rapes in 1997 which involved the drug Rophypnol. [26469]

  Mr. George Howarth
  There are insufficient data on which to make such an estimate.

  Parliament (State Opening)
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the costs of policing the state opening of Parliament in each of the last five years; and how many police manpower hours were used. [26477]

  Mr. Michael
  The policing costs for the state opening of Parliament for 1993 are not available. The policing costs for 1994 to 1997, at current rates, are as follows:

  £

  Police manhours

  1997

  376,328

  14,712

  1996

  345,293

  13,384

  1995

  350,390

  13,536

  1994

  350,709

  13,544

  These costs reflect the direct opportunity policing costs incurred on the day. They exclude the costs incurred by the Metropolitan Police in providing the permanent security service within the grounds and buildings of the Palace of Westminster but include an estimate of the overtime costs incurred by these officers. They also include catering costs and erection of barriers. They do not include the opportunity costs involved with pre-event planning and post-event debriefs.

  Cannabis offences dealt with by type of offence, United Kingdom, 1986–1995

  Type of offence and how dealt with

  Unlawful possession

  Procession with intent to supply unlawfully

  Unlawful supply

  Year

  Caution

  Prosecution

  Fine

  Custody

  Caution

  Prosecution

  Fine

  Custody

  Caution

  Prosecution

  Fine

  Custody

  1986

  4,048

  11,493

  7,998

  983

  16

  954

  141

  598

  31

  849

  166

  495

  1987

  5,778

  11,878

  8,130

  929

  9

  1,122

  152

  676

  48

  1,046

  216

  522

  1988

  8,273

  14,049

  9,752

  987

  10

  1,146

  185

  660

  55

  943

  200

  441

  1989

  11,674

  17,654

  12,329

  1,145

  53

  1,514

  266

  758

  58

  1,101

  244

  513

  1990

  16,185

  19,281

  12,975

  909

  43

  1,638

  340

  685

  129

  1,277

  294

  519

  1991

  19,256

  18,470

  11,514

  1,041

  60

  1,605

  338

  631

  145

  1,212

  262

  470

  1992

  21,824

  14,875

  8,828

  717

  101

  1,648

  291

  619

  203

  1,045

  197

  389

  1993

  30,404

  18,846

  10,010

  614

  207

  2,292

  282

  686

  313

  1,405

  191

  384

  1994

  38,602

  24,025

  13,358

  769

  234

  2,883

  351

  873

  394

  1,532

  190

  450

  1995

  40,391

  24,386

  13,355

  930

  271

  3,294

  299

  1,125

  349

  1,893

  220

  575

  Note:

  "Dealing" has been taken to mean possession with intent to supply unlawfully and unlawful supply.

  Source:

  Home Office Research and Statistics Directorate, Crime and Criminal Justice Unit.

  Cannabis
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what assessment he has made of the changes in the numbers of(a) cautions for cannabis possession or dealing, (b) prosecutions for cannabis possession or dealing, (c) fines for cannabis possession or dealing and (d) prison sentences for cannabis possession or dealing in each of the past 10 years; and if he will make a statement; [26482]

  (2) how many (a) cautions for cannabis possession or dealing, (b) prosecutions for cannabis possession or dealing, (c) fines for cannabis possession or dealing and (d) prison sentences for cannabis possession or dealing there were in each of the past 10 years. [26481]

  Mr. George Howarth
  Information for 1986 to 1995 (the latest available) is given in the table. Data are not available in the form requested before 1986.

  Between 1986 and 1995, the number of cautions for possession of cannabis increased nine-fold. The number of prosecutions doubled. The use of fines went up by two-thirds and the number of custodial sentences stayed much the same but with variations from year to year.

  The use of cautions for possession with intent to supply cannabis unlawfully increased sixteen-fold and the number of prosecutions went up two and a half times. The use of fines and custodial sentences for such offences about doubled over the period covered with variations from year to year.

  Cautioning for the unlawful supply of cannabis showed a ten-fold increase, while prosecutions doubled. Like offences for possession with intent to supply unlawfully, the use of fines and custodial sentences varied from year to year but essentially stayed about the same over the period.

  As a proportion of those dealt with for possession of cannabis, the use of cautioning increased from 35 to 62 per cent. The equivalent figures for possession with intent to supply unlawfully rose from less than 2 per cent. to just under 8 per cent.; for unlawful supply the respective figures were less than four and less than 16 per cent. The use of fines for simple possession offences fell from just over a half in 1986 to about one fifth in 1995.

  Employment Offers
  Mr. Beith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications to accept offers of outside employment have been made by officials of his Department which have been(a) approved, (b) approved with conditions and (c) disapproved; how many offers of employment have been reported (i) in total, (ii) by officials in procurement and contract work where there was an intention to take up the offer and (iii) by officials in procurement and contract work where there was no intention to take up the offer; if he will set out the information by category of employer; and if he will make a statement. [25980]

  Mr. Straw
  The Business Appointment Rules in their current form were introduced with effect from 1 April 1996. Since then, 24 applications to accept offers of employment have been approved, two of which were approved with conditions. No applications have been refused.

  There have been reports of offers of employment (which did not lead to applications) from five members of staff across the Department and the agencies (but comprehensive information is not available from the Prison Service). No applications have been received in the period from staff engaged exclusively in procurement and contract work.

  The variety of prospective employers is such that they do not fall into readily identifiable categories for purposes of presenting this information.

  Asylum Seekers
  Mr. Singh
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers have been waiting for(a) more than one year, (b) more than three years and (c) more than five years for an initial decision on their asylum applications. [26711]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  As at 31 December 1997, there were 51,795 applications for asylum in the United Kingdom, excluding dependants, awaiting an initial decision. The available breakdown of these cases, by year of application, is given in the table.

  Asylum applications awaiting an initial decision as at 31 December 1997, by year of application1

  Year of application

  Percentage

  Pre 1994

  25

  1994

  15

  1995

  25

  1996

  15

  1997

  20

  Total

  51,795 (100)

  1Estimates rounded to the nearest 5 per cent.

  Lewes Prison
  Mr. Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the dates of recorded attempted suicides in Lewes Prison since 1 January 1997. [26826]

  Ms Quin
  [holding answer 2 February 1998]: There have been no incidents of attempted suicide reported at Lewes prison from 1 January 1997 to date.
  586
  Since 1 April 1997, attempted suicide has not been used as an incident reporting category. These incidents are now subsumed under the category of deliberate self-harm. There has been a number of incidents of self-harm recorded at the prison between 1 January 1997 to date. The dates of these incidents are given in the table.

  Incident date

  7 April 1997

  10 April 1997

  20 June 1997

  28 June 1997

  12 July 1997

  27 August 1997

  29 August 1997

  15 December 1997

  14 January 1998

  19 January 1998

  27 January 1998.

  Firearms (Compensation)
  Mr. Whittingdale
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the total value of compensation claims made under option C for the surrender of handguns; and how many claims are outstanding. [26341]

  Mr. Michael
  On 21 January 1998, there were 10,411 claims awaiting processing under Option C, the great majority of which came from claimants who have made mixed claims on which the Option A and B elements have been paid. In addition, a proportion of the 18,482 claims received but not yet examined will be mixed claims containing an Option C element. The total value of Option C claims will not be known until they have all been examined and the evidence of value provided is assessed under the terms of the compensation scheme.

  Mr. Levitt
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will announce a date by which all outstanding payments under the compensation for handguns scheme will have been completed. [26731]

  Mr. Michael
  It is impossible to be precise at this stage, but we are on target to satisfy the projections which I reported to the House on 26 November 1997,Official Report, column 542–43. The great majority of claims submitted under Options A and B will have been settled by the end of March 1998, and the great majority of claims submitted under Option C will be paid by end of 1998.

  Correspondence
  Mr. Ian Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long on average it takes his Department to answer letters from hon. Members; what target date his Department sets; what percentage receive replies within the target date; and what assessment he has made of how long it takes to deliver a letter after it has been typed. [27037]

  Mr. Straw
  [holding answer 2 February 1998]: On average it currently takes my Department 35 days to reply to letters from hon. Members. Taking the Home Office, Immigration Service and United Kingdom Passport Agency together, 13 per cent. of replies meet the target

  587
  time of 15 days to answer. Her Majesty's Prison Service answers 18 per cent. of letters within its target of 20 days. The delivery of a reply depends, among other things, upon the availability of a Minister for its signature upon return from typing. Signed replies are then delivered to the House. There has been a significant increase in correspondence since last May, and one result is that average times have increased.

  I am not satisfied with the way my Department deals with correspondence from hon. Members, and a project to improve the handling of correspondence is therefore underway, which should ensure a more timely and efficient service both to hon. Members and to the public.

  Immigration
  Dr. Harris
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his policy on the immigration status of those same-sex couples in registered partnerships from Denmark, Greenland, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands(a) where both of the partners are EU citizens, (b) where one partner is of non-EU origin, (c) where one partner is of non-EU origin and has gained the right of abode in an EU country by virtue of the registered partnerships and (d) where one partner is of non-EU origin and has been granted citizenship of an EU country by virtue of the registered partnership; and if he will make a statement. [26778]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  All couples wishing to reside in the United Kingdom by virtue of their unmarried relationship must meet the requirements of the unmarried partners concession which was announced on 10 October 1997. This includes couples whose partnerships have been registered in Denmark, Greenland, Norway, Sweden or the Netherlands. The concession would not necessarily apply to them because European Economic Area (EEA) nationals who are in the United Kingdom by virtue of the provisions of the Immigration (European Economic Area) Order 1994 may reside here freely as long as they continue to be covered by the 1994 Order. This means that where the couple are both EEA nationals (regardless of their origins) they may both reside here by virtue of their nationality and would not have to qualify under the concession. Where one partner is of non-European Union origin they will need to qualify for admission under the concession even if they have gained a right to permanent residence in another EEA country.

  World Cup
  Mr. Hoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures the Government are taking in advance of the World Cup 1998 to ensure that crowd trouble at the event is avoided; what estimate he has made of the number of British fans who will travel to France for the World Cup; and how many tickets are available to English football fans for the World Cup games. [26491]

  Mr. Michael
  The Government are determined to do everything possible to protect the interests and enjoyment of the respectable British football supporter attending the World Cup in France this summer and to prevent disruption of the tournament by hooligans. For this purpose, we have established a World Cup Co-ordination Group which brings together official, policing and football representatives from both England an Scotland. They are working closely with the French authorities, who 588
  are responsible for the management and security of the tournament, to ensure a co-ordinated approach to preventing crowd trouble among England and Scotland fans during the tournament.

  My right hon. Friend will also be hosting a seminar in Blackburn on the policing of football which will bring together relevant experts from across the European Union to discuss policing, safety and securing arrangements for the World Cup.

  There is no reliable estimate at this stage of how many supporters may travel to France. The strong advice of the Government to supporters is that they should not travel to France unless they have a ticket for the match. French legislation against touting is strict, and supporters should not expect to buy a ticket in France.

  The overall ticket allocation by the French Organisation Committee (CFO) has been as follows:
  60 per cent. have been sold to the public in France;
  12 per cent. CFO corporate sponsors and other commercial affiliates;
  8 per cent. for sale through 12 authorised tour operators;
  20 per cent. for the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to allocate to member associations, including those playing in the relevant matches.

  We understand that FIFA intend to divide the great majority of their allocation for each month between the football associations of the competing teams. We expect FIFA to announce details of the allocation soon.

  Asylum Applications (Turkish Cypriots)
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum applications by Turkish Cypriots for entry into the United Kingdom have been submitted in each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement. [26349]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  I regret that Turkish Cypriots are not separately identifiable within the statistics. The available information relates to all asylum applications submitted by nationals of Cyprus.

  During 1997, a total of 495 applications for asylum in the United Kingdom were lodged by nationals of Cyprus. Of these, 455 were made at the port of arrival and 40 were made in-country. Equivalent information for the years 1993 to 1996 is given in table 2.2 of the Home Office Statistical bulletin "Asylum Statistics United Kingdom 1996" issue 15/97, a copy of which is available in the Library.

  Security Service Files
  Dr. Julian Lewis
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many representations he has received in favour of the destruction of Security Service files from(a) Labour hon. Members, (b) Labour Peers, (c) Ministers, (d) trade union officers and (e) journalists; [23672]

  (2) what representations he has received from the Minister without Portfolio for his MI5 file to be destroyed; and if it is to be destroyed. [23621]

  Mr. Straw
  If I receive any representations from individuals about the possible existence of Security Service files, my practice is to explain the approach of the
  589
  Security Service to destroying files. It is not my practice to give information about any representations from hon. Members or Ministers or from the other sources listed any more than it would be for me to disclose whether the Service holds or has held files on any individuals.

  Non-career Civil Servants
  Mr. Burns
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many non-career civil servants have been appointed to his Department since 1 May 1997. [25852]

  Mr. Straw
  The number of casual, fixed term appointees and special advisers appointed since 1 May 1997 is 1,842. These figures include those appointed to Her Majesty's Prison Service, the United Kingdom Passport Agency, the Immigration and Nationality Directorate, the Fire Service College and the Forensic Science Service as well as the central Home Office.

  Sustainable Development
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what mechanisms he has put in place to ensure the Government's objective of promoting sustainable development is reflected in the outcome of the comprehensive spending reviews for his Department. [25903]

  Mr. Straw
  The policy aims of the Comprehensive Review, including enhancing sustainable economic growth, are reflected in the terms of reference for the Comprehensive Spending Review of the Home Office spending programme.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Milk
  Mr. Baker
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in which regions or part of members states of the EU the sale of unpasteurised milk is banned. [27189]

  Mr. Rooker
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for North Cornwall (Mr. Tyler) on 2 February 1998,Official Report, column 549.

  Milk
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the present number of milk quotas in England and Wales. [26049]

  Mr. Rooker
  As at 28 January 1998, there were 23,468 registered milk producers in England holding 10,053 million litres of milk quota. In Wales, 5,085 registered producers hold 1,443 million litres of quota.

  Vitamin Supplements
  Mr. Tredinnick
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions he has had with the President of the Board of Trade on representations from United States senators about his proposed new restrictions on vitamin B6 supplements. [26356]
  590
  Mr. Rooker
  Officials from the Ministry have discussed with officials from the Department of Trade and Industry the representations received from the US senators on the Government's proposed new restrictions on vitamin B6 supplements.

  Tobacco Production
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much was paid by(a) the EU and (b) the UK to subsidise the tobacco growing and marketing industries in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [26472]

  Mr. Rooker
  In 1996 the EU spent 1,026 million ecu (£852 million)' on subsidies under the EU tobacco regime. None of these payments were made in the UK. There are no EU subsidies to the tobacco marketing industries.

  Note:

  11996 exchange rate used: £1=1.204 ecu.

  Over-thirty-months Scheme
  Mr. Drew
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proposals he has to change current arrangements for OTMS cattle, with particular reference to the Meat Hygiene Service clean cattle strategy. [25625]

  Mr. Rooker
  The Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) Clean Livestock Policy is aimed at improving the standard of cleanliness of livestock presented for slaughter at all slaughterhouses in Great Britain. The slaughter of dirty and/or wet livestock can compromise the hygienic operation of the slaughterhouse. Appropriate action will be taken by MHS staff if dirty or wet animals are presented for slaughter.

  Action has been taken to implement the Clean Livestock Policy within the Over Thirty Months Slaughter Scheme. Slaughterhouses processing OTMS cattle are expected to work to the same hygiene standards as those killing for human consumption. This includes the application of the Clean Livestock Policy. However in the case of OTMS animals that would have been rejected for slaughter as too dirty or wet, these are not returned to the farm, but on animal welfare grounds are permitted to be slaughtered.

  This approach works well in practice and I have no plans to change the current arrangements as regards the application of the Clean Livestock Policy to OTMS cattle.

  Beef and Sheep Producers
  Mr. Levitt
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what rates of aid will be paid to beef and sheep producers as a result of the package announced on 22 December; and if he will make a statement. [27628]

  Dr. John Cunningham
  I indicated in my statement that consultation with the Commission would be necessary. The Commission was not able to approve my proposals for an increase in HLCA rates for one year only, but Commissioner Fischler has co-operated with me in devising an acceptable alternative which maintains the overall value of the package at £85 million and divides
  591
  the benefit between sheep and beef producers as I had originally proposed. I shall now therefore be utilising £85 million of the EU compensation available to off-set the effects of sterling green rate revaluations. £72.5 million will go to suckler cow producers on the basis of their 1996 claims; £12.5 million will go to sheep producers on the basis of their 1997 ewe premium claims. The latter sum will be drawn from compensation to be calculated in respect of the livestock headage payments whose rate is determined each year by the green rate applying on 1 January.

  For suckler cows, the rate of aid will be £44.20 per head. Precise figures for sheep will be determined shortly but I expect them to be around 50p per head at the basic rate and 73p per head in the LFA.

  I will separately be laying an order maintaining HCLA rates for 1998 at their 1996 levels.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

  Brazilian Rainforest
  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with her G7 counterparts on the deforestation in the Brazilian rainforests. [27084]

  Mr. Foulkes
  As active participants in the G7 Pilot Programme to Conserve the Brazilian Rain Forest, we maintain a regular and extensive dialogue with our G7 counterparts, both at routine programme review meetings and on a continuous basis through our programme co-ordination office in Brasilia.

  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with the International Monetary Fund regarding the misuse of funds allocated to regulate the logging of the Brazilian rainforest. [27088]

  Mr. Foulkes
  We have had no discussions with the International Monetary Fund on this subject.

  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with the World Bank regarding the destruction of the Brazilian rainforest. [27089]

  Mr. Foulkes
  Discussions with the World Bank and other participating agencies are held regularly in the context of the G7 Pilot Programme to Conserve the Brazilian Rain Forest, for which the World Bank has a co-ordinating role. The most recent Pilot Programme participants' meeting took place in Manaus, Amazonia, in October 1997.

  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will take steps to ensure that the funding that(a) the United Kingdom and (b) other EU Governments provide to Brazil to regulate the logging companies in the Amazonian rainforest is not directed to other purposes. [27095]

  Mr. Foulkes
  We seek to ensure that our (co-operation) programmes, both bilaterally and through the G7 Pilot 592
  Programme, assist the Brazilian Government to strengthen environmental policy and effectively implement Brazilian laws regulating logging in the Amazonian rainforest. This is done by the exercise of project management procedures which monitor progress against agreed objectives, and through partnerships with the EU and other donors. However, neither we nor, to our knowledge, other EU governments provide development funds directly for the purpose of regulating logging companies in Brazil.

  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what new proposals she has to prevent the destruction of the Amazonian rainforest. [27085]

  Mr. Foulkes
  In addition to our substantial existing programme of environmental assistance to Brazil, involving commitments of some £22 million, we are currently in the process of identifying new technical assistance proposals to help provide further help in preventing destruction of the Amazonian rain forest. This assistance will be provided under the UK's bilateral co-operation programme with Brazil, and also under the G7 Pilot Programme to conserve the Brazilian Rain Forest. The recent publication of the latest deforestation figures by the Brazilian Government has emphasised the importance of effective international co-operation in this area.

  Civil Servants
  Mr. Forth
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many civil servants in her Department at each grade for grade 3 or above have(a) resigned, (b) retired before pensionable age and (c) moved to different responsibilities within the department since 1 May 1997; if she will indicate the Minister to whom each was responsible; and if she will make a statement. [26930]

  Mr. Foulkes
  (a) None, (b) none, (c) three, each of whom reports to the Secretary of State and myself.

  Development Education
  Sir Alastair Goodlad
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what extra resources she proposes to make available to finance development education. [26747]

  Mr. Foulkes
  As outlined in the recent White Paper on International Development, the Government attach great importance to increasing development awareness in the UK, and the first meeting of the new Development Awareness Working Group will take place in March. The question of financial resources is currently being considered as part of the Resource Allocation Round within the Department.

  Burma
  Sir Alastair Goodlad
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid her Department is giving to Burma. [26745]
  593
  Mr. Foulkes
  Under the terms of a European Union common position agreed in 1988, assistance is provided only for humanitarian aid and activities through NGOs. Our assistance for Burma came to £314,000 in 1996–97. Of this amount, £272,000 was in the form of emergency assistance, including relief for flood victims and support for refugees from Burma in border areas of neighbouring countries. Support is also being provided for an integrated community health project run by World Vision. A number of other proposals from non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are presently being considered.

  Bananas
  Mr. Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to her answer of 21 January 1998,Official Report, column 563, relating to her discussions with Commissioner Pinheiro concerning the marketing of bananas, (a) which rule of the World Trade Organisation prevents the continuation of the previous Lome arrangements for this market, (b) when and by which body that rule was agreed, (c) who represented the United Kingdom and interested Commonwealth Caribbean States, (d) who represented the United Kingdom and interested Commonwealth Caribbean States on the occasion when the World Trade Organisation appeal was decided and (e) what was the time and place of that appeal hearing. [27021]

  Mr. Foulkes
  The Appellate Body of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) found that a number of the provisions of the EU regime were incompatible with the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and of the General Agreement on Services (GATS). The reports of the Dispute Settlement Panel and Appellate Body of the WTO on the EU's arrangements for banana imports are lodged in the House of Commons Library. The two aforementioned Agreements were signed by all Contracting Parties to the Marrakech Agreement establishing the WTO in April 1994.

  As in all WTO cases where the EU's arrangements are challenged, the European Commission acted in defence of EU interests. The Commission represented the EU both in the Panel proceedings and in the subsequent appeal to the WTO Appellate Body; the hearings were attended by UK officials. The Commonwealth Caribbean States were represented by the Ambassadors to the WTO of Jamaica and the Eastern Caribbean and their lawyers. The hearing before the Appellate Body was held in Geneva on 21–23 July 1997.

  AIDS Vaccines
  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what contribution her Department is making towards the international effort to test existing AIDS vaccines. [27247]

  Mr. Foulkes
  Our collaboration with UK groups such as the Medical Research Council, with researchers in developing countries and with multilateral agencies (such as UNAIDS, the World Health Organisation and the EC) involves the generation, disseminating and sharing of new knowledge important in the development of a vaccine against HIV strains prevalent in poorer countries. Such work does not yet extend to vaccine testing.

  Development Assistance
  Sir Alastair Goodlad
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of GNP she will commit Her Majesty's Government to spending on official development assistance by the end of the present parliament. [26744]

  Mr. Foulkes
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 2 February 1998 to my hon. Friend the Member for Bradford, West (Mr. Singh),Official Report, column 472–73.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

  Empty Government Property
  Mr. Dismore
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much vacant office space, by reference to(a) the number of offices and (b) floor space, is unoccupied in (i) the Treasury building, (ii) the old MAFF building and (c) other Government buildings within the range of the House of Commons Division bell; and if he will make a statement. [26262]

  Mr. Kilfoyle
  Responsibility for this matter has been delegated under the terms of the Framework Document to the Property Advisers to the Civil Estate. I have asked its Chief Executive, Mr. John Locke, to write to my hon. Friend.

  Letter from John C. Locke to Mr. Andrew Dismore, dated 3 February 1998:
  I have been asked by the Parliamentary Secretary, Office of Public Service to reply to your question about vacant office space at the Treasury Building (Government Offices Great George Street); the MAFF building at Whitehall Place West and other Government buildings within the House of Commons division bell area.
  Since April 1996 departments have been responsible for their own accommodation. Under the terms of the Civil Estate Coordination Agreement PACE is required to maintain a database of Civil Estate properties. Data is provided by Departments whose responsibility it is to keep PACE informed of both surplus space and new requirements. There is currently no vacant space available in the Treasury Building or the old MAFF buildings.
  In answer to the final part of your question I enclose a schedule of Civil Estate properties within the sound of the division bell showing the amount of recorded vacant space.

  List of vacant properties within reach of the House of Commons division bell

  Property address

  Vacant area in m2

  Allington Towers Allington Street London SW1E 5EB

  600—available for 6 months prior to reoccupation by a government department

  Bridge Place 88–89 Eccleston Square London SW1P 1PT

  6,942

  Romney House 43 Marsham Street London SW1P 3PY

  14,956

  2 Marsham Street London SW1P 3EB

  56,085—due to be demolished prior to sale

  Old Admiralty Building Spring Gardens London SW1A 2AH

  20,554—impending major refurbishment prior to reoccupation by a government department

  Steel House 11 Tothill Street London SW1H 9LJ

  487

  595

  Property address

  Vacant area in m2

  Admiralty Arch The Mall London SW1A 2BE

  10,156—in need of major refurbishment prior to occupation

  Mr. Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) what is his estimate of the value of empty Government properties in(a) 1995–96, (b) 1996–97 and (c) 1997–98; and if he will make a statement; [26402]

  (2) what percentage of Government accommodation in (a) the SW1 postal district of London and (b) the remainder of the United Kingdom, is vacant; if he will estimate vacant space in square metres; and if he will make a statement. [26403]

  Mr. Kilfoyle
  Responsibility for these matters have been delegated under the terms of the Framework Document to the Property Advisers to the Civil Estate. I have asked its Chief Executive, Mr. John Locke, to write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from John C. Locke to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 3 February 1998:
  I have been asked by the Parliamentary Secretary, Office of Public Service, to reply to PQ 26402 and 26403 relating to the value of empty Government properties; and the percentage of vacant space both in the SW1 postal district of London and the remainder of the UK.
  From 1 April 1996, responsibility for individual properties was transferred to government departments. At the same time, PACE inherited wholly vacant properties that were at that time surplus to departments needs. Departments retain responsibility for all accommodation subsequently declared surplus.
  PACE only retains value information for the properties transferred to it for disposal; the remaining information rests with individual departments and is not held centrally. Our Annual Report and Accounts spells out the value of the surplus property for which we are responsible. Many of these properties are leaseholds with a nil or negative asset value. At 1/4/96 this stood at a negative value of £486m and at 31 March 1997 at £433.3m. So far as freeholds are concerned the opening valuation was £80.2m at I April 1996 reducing to £67.6m at 31 March 1997. This takes account of the disposals achieved during the year. Copies of our Annual Report and Accounts have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses of Parliament. Our second Annual Report and Accounts will report the position at 31 March 1998.
  So far as the percentage of vacant space is concerned we do maintain a data base of all Civil properties i.e. excluding MOD, NHS and the Prison Estate. To assist our role in providing advice to departments in managing their property they are required to keep us informed of both surplus space and new requirements. Our records show that in the SW1 postal district of London 10.5% (95,990m2) is vacant and for the remainder of the UK 9.5% (859,4832) is vacant.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

  Office Accommodation
  Mr. Dismore
  To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee how many(a) hon. Members, (b) hon. Members' staff and (c) House of Commons staff are placed in office accommodation without natural light. [26770]
  596
  Sir Sydney Chapman
  Twenty-five of the rooms in the Parliamentary estate, which are allocated to hon. Members and their staff, do not have the benefit of natural light. A further 39 rooms have natural light only via a skylight. The number of Members' staff using the rooms cannot be separately identified. Some 100 staff of the House of Commons are placed in office accommodation without natural light.

  Research Assistants (Passes)
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee what was the number of House of Commons passes issued to research assistants working for hon. Members at 1 January 1998. [27406]

  Mrs. Marion Roe
  390.

  Compliance Cost Assessments
  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  To ask the President of the Council if she will publish a compliance cost assessment for each(a) public bill, (b) statutory instrument and (c) proposed EU directive or regulation, which affects business costs. [26197]

  Mrs. Ann Taylor
  It is already a requirement that a Compliance Cost Assessments is published alongside all draft primary, secondary and EC legislation having an impact on business when it is presented to Parliament. CCAs are placed in the Library of both Houses and a Command Paper is published every six months listing the CCAs published in the previous six months.

  Disabled Members
  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the President of the Council what additions to hon. Members' allowances are paid to hon. Members with disabilities. [26293]

  Mrs. Ann Taylor
  None, although certain Members with disabilities are entitled to a higher limit of the Office Costs Allowance.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Sustainable Development
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what mechanisms he has put in place to ensure the Government's objective of promoting sustainable development is reflected in the outcome of the comprehensive spending review for his Department. [25905]

  Mr. Fatchett
  My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary revised the Department's objectives in line with his Mission Statement at the start of the CSR. These include objectives to improve economic opportunities for a prosperous UK through development and implementation of arrangements to further free, fair and sustainable international trade and economic relations: and to improve the quality of life worldwide
  597
  through effective international action to protect the environment. The CSR is tasked with looking at ways to improve the delivery of these objectives.

  EU Information Projects (Funding)
  Mr. Streeter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what funds are available from the European Commission to(a) the United Kingdom Government and (b) other organisations within the United Kingdom for information projects on (i) the EU and (ii) the euro; and if he will make a statement. [26521]

  Mr. Doug Henderson
  In the 1998 EC budget a total of 79.35 million ecu (£52.96 million at current exchange rates) is available for different types of information activity within the EU (budget lines B3–300, B3–301, B3–304 and B3–306). These budget lines are not broken down by Member State. It is therefore not possible to give an overall figure for the funds available for information projects in the UK.

  We believe that people have a right to accurate and easily accessible information about the EU's policies and activities. The Community budget has a legitimate role in the provision of such information.

  East Timor
  Ann Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to send an ambassadorial mission to East Timor during the British presidency of the EU. [26843]

  Mr. Fatchett
  We are discussing with our EU partners detailed arrangements for an EU Troika Ambassadorial visit to East Timor during our Presidency. The timing has yet to be decided.

  Ogonis
  Mr. Fitzpatrick
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on inter-ethnic disputes and difficulties with the security forces involving Ogonis outside Ogoniland. [26750]

  Mr. Fatchett
  We have received no recent reports of inter-ethnic disputes and difficulties with the security forces involving Ogonis outside Ogoniland.

  Mr. Fitzpatrick
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth what reports he has received on persecution of the Ogonis by the Nigerian authorities solely on account of their origin or membership of MOSOP. [26751]

  Mr. Fatchett
  We have received reports that suggest that high profile members and MOSOP activists can be subject to harassment and persecution. However there is no evidence to suggest that Ogonis face persecution solely on their ethnic origin or membership of MOSOP.

  Nicaragua
  Mr. Fitzpatrick
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the United Kingdom's relations with Nicaragua. [26752]

  Mr. Fatchett
  Bilateral relations with Nicaragua are good. Through the EU/San José process, in which Nicaragua participates, we have given substantial economic and political support to the peace process in Central America. My hon. Friend the Minister of State, the hon. Member for Manchester, Central (Mr. Lloyd) will meet the Foreign Minister, Dr. Emilio Alvarez, at the EU/San José Group meeting in San José on 10–11 February 1998.

  An investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (IPPA) was signed with Nicaragua in 1996. The value of Nicaraguan exports to the UK rose significantly in 1997, although UK exports to Nicaragua remain relatively low, valued at pounds 3.54 million in 1997.

  Civil Servants
  Mr. Forth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many civil servants in his Department at grade 3 or above have(a) resigned, (b) retired before pensionable age and (c) moved to different responsibilities within the Department since 1 May 1997; if he will indicate the Ministers to whom each was responsible; and if he will make a statement. [26917]

  Mr. Fatchett
  No civil servants in this Department at grade 3 or above have resigned since 1 May 1997. Four people have retired before pensionable age since 1 May as part of an ongoing programme of senior management structure retirements on structural grounds; they reported to four different Ministers. All of these early retirements were approved before 1 May 1997. About a quarter of the officers at grade 3 and above have changed jobs since 1 May either as part of the normal rotation of ambassadors and other senior staff, interchange with other Government Departments or on promotion. Such moves are planned up to a year in advance especially to/from foreign postings or where training is required. A high level of mobility is a feature of FCO work and roughly a third of all UK based FCO staff change jobs in any given year. Statistics on the precise number of moves and which Ministers had responsibility for the posts and Departments people left could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Xinjiang
  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received on the treatment of detainees in the ethnic riots that took place in Xinjian in 1997. [26771]

  Mr. Fatchett
  This Department has received no representations on this issue.

  Religious Freedom (China)
  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will encourage
  599
  the Chinese Government to accept the right to religious freedom in China, with particular reference to Xinjiang and Tibet. [26772]

  Mr. Fatchett
  During his recent visit to China, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed human rights with Chinese leaders. We believe that the Chinese authorities should look upon religious freedom as fulfilling a basic human need, and not as a threat.

  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the extent of religious freedom in China. [26773]

  Mr. Fatchett
  This Department constantly monitors the human rights situation in China, including the freedom of religion, and has discussed the issue with the Chinese authorities. We believe that they should look upon religious freedom as fulfilling a basic human need, and not as a threat.

  Slovenia
  Dr. Harris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when his Department expects the Republic of Slovenia to be admitted to full membership of the European Union; and at what stage Slovene citizens will acquire the right of abode in the United Kingdom. [26777]

  Mr. Doug Henderson
  The Luxembourg European Council Decided that Slovenia will start EU accession negotiations this spring. The timing of Slovenia's accession will depend on the progress made in these negotiations.

  Upon joining the EU, Slovene nationals will be subject to the same immigration rules as citizens of the current Member States.

  Correspondence
  Mr. Ian Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how long on average it takes his Department to answer letters from hon. Members; what target date his Department sets; what percentage receive replies within the target date; and what assessment he has made of how long it takes to deliver a letter after it has been typed. [27039]

  Mr. Fatchett
  [holding answer 2 February 1998]: In the last quarter of 1997 Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers replied to 2,215 letters from hon. Members, of which 95 per cent were replied within the target of 10 working days.

  Every effort is made to have letters copied, dispatched and delivered within 24 hours of signature.

  EU Presidency
  Mr. Flight
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 27 January 1998,Official Report, column 136, what proposals are under consideration for changes in the note-keeping procedures of the EU presidency to address the problems noted in his evidence to the Foreign Affairs Committee on 4 November (Q18) HC305-i of Session 1997–98. [27196]
  600
  Mr. Doug Henderson
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 27 January 1998,Official Report, column 136, which he cites.

DEFENCE

  Food Procurement
  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what sums his Department has expended on the purchase of(a) beef, (b) sheepmeat, (c) pigmeat, (d) poultry and (e) fish in each of the last three years or financial years and the current year to the latest available date; how much in each case has been spent on (a) United Kingdom procedure and (b) imported produce; from which countries the imported food came; and what was the cost of the imports from each country. [26805]

  Mr. Spellar
  This is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Naval Bases and Supply Agency (NBSA). I have asked the Chief Executive to write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from John Trewby to Mr. William Ross, dated 3rd February 1998:
  The Secretary of State for Defence has asked me to reply to your Question about the supply of meat, poultry and fish to the armed forces.
  The procurement of food for the armed forces is contracted to Booker Foodservice who took over the contract from NAAFI on 1 October 1997. I regret that the information you request on past expenditure is not available. However, the breakdown of country of origin for beef, lamb and pork for the expected purchases for the 12 month period ending September 1998 was given in the answer to the hon. Member for Montgomeryshire (Mr. Öpik) on 13 January 1998, Official Report column 157. The value of those purchases is estimated at £6.7M, £4.6M and £3.7M respectively. The estimates for the values of gammon and bacon, poultry and fish are given below. All figures are subject to variation dependent upon markets providing the best value for money.

  Commodity

  Value (£ million)

  Country of Origin (percentage by value)

  Gammon and Bacon

  4.5

  UK: 50

  Danish: 30

  Dutch: 20

  Poultry

  3.0

  France: 70

  UK: 30

  Fish1

  1.0

  n/a

  1 Excluding processed products e.g. fish fingers.

  n/a Not available.

  Microbiological Agents
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what tests he has carried out on the dangers to humans resulting from the bombing of installations containing(a) Bacillus Anthracis (Cohn), (b) Bacillus Subtilis (Ehrenburg), (c) Clostridium botulinum Type A, (d) Clostridium Tetan, (e) Brucella abartus Biotype 3 and (f) Escherichia coli; and if he will place his evaluation in the Library. [26285]

  Mr. Spellar
  [holding answer 29 January 1998]: This is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA). I have asked the Chief Executive to write to my hon. Friend.
  601
  Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Tam Dalyell, dated 3 February 1998.
  As Chief Executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research agency (DERA) I have been asked to reply to your question about what tests have been carried out to look at the dangers resulting from bombing installations containing harmful bacteria.
  No specific field trials have been carried out to look at this subject. DERA's Chemical and Biological Defence Sector (CBD) at Porton Down carries out theoretical risk assessments on a range of micro-organisms that might be used as a biological weapon by an aggressor. It would, therefore, be possible to assess very quickly the specific risk associated with the release of bacteria from a bombed installation from the data already available.
  During the Gulf War, CBD conducted theoretical modelling, based on the worst case scenario, on the risk to military operations which might result from the destruction of enemy biological production and storage facilities. Such modelling is intended to ensure that the operational effectiveness of the UK Armed Forces is not compromised.
  I hope this information is helpful.

  Asbestos
  Sir John Stanley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to reach a conclusion on the issue of financial assistance for ex-service personnel who were affected by asbestos while serving in the Armed Forces prior to 1987. [27312]

  Dr. Reid
  Ex-Service personnel who contract asbestos related diseases as a result of their service in the Armed Forces can claim a war pension. It is not easy to assess whether this provides the same compensation as former Civilian personnel, who can bring a claim for negligence and be awarded lump sum compensation.

  Nevertheless, I hope to reach a conclusion within the next few months.

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

  Correspondence
  Mr. Ian Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how long on average it takes his Department to answer letters from hon. Members; what target date his Department sets; what percentage receive replies within the target date; and what assessment he has made of how long it takes to deliver a letter after it has been typed. [27034]

  Mr. Chris Smith
  [holding answer 2 February 1998]: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has taken 14.75 days on average to answer letters from hon. Members for the period 1 April 1997 to 31 December 1997. The Department's target for replying to this type of correspondence is 18 working days, and it achieves this target in 71 per cent. of cases. No information is available for the length of time it takes to deliver a letter after it has been typed.

  Official England Supporters Club
  Mr. Hoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent contacts the Government have had with the Official England Supporters Club. [26492]
  602
  Mr. Banks
  The England Supporters Club, formally known as the England Members Club, is part of The Football Association. I have regular meetings with senior representatives of the FA to discuss issues of mutual interest, most recently on 20 January.

  Overseas Conference Visitors
  Mr. Fearn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what was the average amount spent by overseas conference visitors to Britain in each year since 1992. [26849]

  Mr. Tom Clarke
  The average amount spent by overseas conference visitors to the UK in each year from 1992 is as shown in the table.

  Average amount spent per visit by overseas conference visitors to the UK

  Year

  (£)

  1992

  600

  1993

  603

  1994

  602

  1995

  634

  1996

  656

  Source:

  British Tourist Authority, from International Passenger Survey, Office for National Statistics.

  Mr. Fearn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many overseas conference visitors there were to the United Kingdom in each year since 1992. [26841]

  Mr. Tom Clarke
  The number of visits made by overseas residents to conferences in the UK in each year from 1992 is as shown in the table.

  Year

  Number of visits made by overseas residents to conferences in the UK

  1992

  417,000

  1993

  471,000

  1994

  482,000

  1995

  569,000

  1996

  720,000

  Source:

  British Tourist Authority, from International Passenger Survey, Office for National Statistics.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Ministerial Announcements
  Mr. Webb
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how ministerial announcements have not been made in the first instance to the House; and of those how many were(a) speeches to outside bodies, (b) press releases, (c) press briefings and (d) made by other means, since 1 May; and if she will make a statement about her Department's policy in respect of making public ministerial announcements. [18902]
  603
  Mr. Paul Murphy
  [holding answer 3 December 1997]: The most important announcements of Government Policy are made, in the first instance, to Parliament. Since 1 May, other announcements have been made in a variety of ways reflecting the nature of the announcement. The information for the Northern Ireland Office and the Northern Ireland Departments is as follows:

  Number

  (a) Speeches

  25

  (b) Press releases

  72

  (c) Press briefings

  12

  (d) Other means

  2

  Public Bodies
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will publish the perceived religious affiliation by(a) number, (b) percentage and (c) gender for each public body to which her Department makes appointments. [25264]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  Monitoring information on the religious background of appointees to public bodies in Northern Ireland has been collected only for those appointed from 1 July 1996.

  The Secretary of State's first Annual Report on Public Appointments in Northern Ireland, due to be published soon, will provide a statistical analysis on the community background by gender of those appointed to public bodies during 1996–97, in line with the Commissioner for Public Appointment's Guidance. The Report, when published, will be available in the Library.

  Terrorist-related Murders
  Mr. Amess
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will list the number of terrorist-related murders in Northern Ireland(a) since the most recent IRA ceasefire and (b) in each of the last 20 years. [25272]

  Mr. Ingram
  Since the most recent IRA ceasefire, from 1200 hours on 20 July 1997 to 25 January 1998, there have been 14 murders connected to the security situation.

  The tables provide the number of murders in Northern Ireland due to the security situation in each of the last 20 years.

  Year

  Number of deaths

  1978

  70

  1979

  108

  1980

  65

  1981

  83

  1982

  85

  1983

  67

  1984

  49

  1985

  48

  1986

  55

  1987

  82

  1988

  84

  1989

  57

  1990

  68

  1991

  88

  1992

  79

  604

  Year

  Number of deaths

  1993

  82

  1994

  61

  1995

  9

  1996

  14

  1997

  20

  1998 (until 25 January)

  6

  Ministerial Visits
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many times each Minister at the Northern Ireland Office stayed overnight in Northern Ireland between 1 July and 31 December 1997. [26348]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  The information is as follows:

  Ministerial overnights in Northern Ireland (1 July–31 December 1997)

  Number

  Dr. Mowlam

  76

  Mr. Murphy

  76

  Mr. Ingram

  51

  Mr. Worthington

  57

  Lord Dubs

  51

  Community Groups
  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will list the community groups with whom her Department has had contact since 1 May and indicate the amount of any public funding given to each such group (i) directly and (ii) via NILVA. [26795]

  Mr. Worthington
  [holding answer 2 February 1998]: The information requested is not held centrally. To gather the information would involve an extensive administrative exercise generating a disproportionate cost.

  Police Authority
  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many members of the police Authority are perceived to be a member of each Northern Ireland political party. [26794]

  Mr. Ingram
  [holding answer 2 February 1998]: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Hull, North (Mr. McNamara) on 18 December 1997, Official Report, column 293.

  Family Expenditure Survey
  Mr. Swinney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate she has made of the cost of increasing the size of the Family Expenditure Survey sample to allow for accurate family expenditure statistics disaggregated to a Northern Ireland geographical level. [26092]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has not made any estimate of the cost of increasing the size of the Family Expenditure Survey. Northern Ireland, because of its small population size, already has a larger sample than that required for the United Kingdom
  605
  Family Expenditure Survey. Separate family expenditure statistics are produced for Northern Ireland and are accurate for the purposes to which they are put.

WALES

  NHS Trusts
  Mr. Key
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if the appointment of a chief executive to an NHS trust in Wales requires the approval of the NHS Trust Board. [26196]

  Mr. Win Griffiths
  The regulations for the appointment of a chief executive to an NHS trust in Wales are contained in The National Health Service Trusts (Membership and Procedure) Regulations 1990, which stipulate that an NHS trust shall appoint a committee comprising the chairman and non-executive directors of the trust for the purpose of appointing a chief executive.

  Waiting Lists
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what further measures he proposes to tackle waiting lists; and if he will make a statement. [26698]

  Mr. Win Griffiths
  I have recently announced plans to develop a new approach to the problems of waiting lists and to deliver our manifesto commitment to reduce the length of time people have to wait for treatment.

  Information to the end of September 1997 shows that 92 per cent. of people waiting for an outpatient appointment are seen within 6 months and 90 per cent. waiting for hospital inpatient or daycase treatment received it within 12 months.

  Community Hospitals
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the role of community hospitals. [26699]
  606
  Mr. Win Griffiths
  "Community Hospitals in Wales—the Future", issued in October 1996, provided health authorities and trusts with advice regarding the potential of community hospitals.

  Community hospitals may be used to reduce the pressure on acute hospitals by providing outreach clinics, admitting patients who do not require the specialist facilities of acute hospitals and receiving patients from acute hospitals for rehabilitation and recovery.

  It is for each health authority, working with NHS trusts, to decide each hospital's precise function and the development of a precise, locally agreed role is vital to the future of each individual hospital.

  Hospitals (Violence)
  Mr. Ruane
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the number of violent incidents in each Welsh hospital in each of the past five years. [26845]

  Mr. Win Griffiths
  This information is not held centrally. Responsibility for monitoring and preventing violent incidents in Welsh hospitals rests with individual NHS trusts.

  Modern Apprenticeships
  Mr. Rowlands
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the number of starts for modern apprenticeships in 1998–99(a) in total and (b) in each TEC area within Wales. [27083]

  Mr. Hain
  I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 18 December 1997,Official Report, column 285.

  Welsh Assembly
  Mr. Alan Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will place in the Library copies of all the bids to be the site for the Assembly for Wales. [27188]

  Mr. Ron Davies
  For reasons of commercial confidentiality, I will not place copies of private developer proposals in the Library. I will with consent make available copies of bids received from Local Authorities as soon as I have sufficient copies available.

  However, I have placed a list of the bids in the Library of the House.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Nuclear Fuel
  Mr. Baker
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is her policy in respect of the importation of spent nuclear fuel for reprocessing; and if she will make a statement. [26982]

  Mr. Battle
  [holding answer 2 February 1998]: The question of whether to reprocess or to seek alternative options to deal with spent fuel should be a matter for the commercial judgment of the owners of the spent fuel, subject to meeting the necessary requirements laid down by the United Kingdom's regulatory authorities. Since 1976 all contracts for the reprocessing of overseas spent fuel have included options for the return of waste arising from reprocessing. The United Kingdom Government intend that these options should be exercised.

  Electricity Industry
  Mr. Boswell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if the conclusions of the Review Panel on Electricity Trading announced on 28 January to report by July 1998 will be taken into account in her Department's implementation of its commitment to introduce electricity competition by September 1998. [27184]

  Mr. Battle
  The plans for the introduction of electricity supply competition are already in place. The overall purpose of the above review is to consider whether and what changes should be made to wholesale electricity trading arrangements in England and Wales. The conclusions of the Review Panel will not have any effects on the introduction of competition in electricity supply.

  Magnox Electric (Merger)
  Mr. Russell Brown
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to her answer of 22 December 1997, to the hon. Member for Halton (Mr. Twigg),Official Report, columns 514–16, if the transfer of the Government's shareholding in Magnox Electric to British Nuclear Fuels has yet been effected. [27868]

  Mr. Battle
  I am pleased to report that the Government's shareholding in Magnox Electric was transferred to BNFL on 30 January 1998. Magnox is now a wholly owned subsidiary of BNFL. Full integration of the combined businesses of the companies is expected to be completed early in 1999, subject to the companies meeting the requirements of the relevant regulators. I am today placing in the Library of the each House a copy of the financial undertaking which the Government have given to BNFL reflecting the arrangements presented to Parliament on 22 December.

  Offshore Oil and Gas Activity
  Mr. Quinn
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade when regulations to implement the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive (85/337/EEC) as it applies to offshore oil and gas activity will be laid before Parliament. [27867]
  608
  Mr. Battle
  The text of draft regulations to implement the 1985 Environmental Impact Assessment Directive (85/337/EEC) as it applies to the offshore industry has been revised following consultation in 1997.

  The revised text includes changes designed to ensure that the regulations are workable and enforceable. It simplifies the process for deciding when environmental statements are required and lengthens the minimum time available for public comments on such statements from fourteen days to four weeks. It also introduces penalties for knowingly providing inaccurate information in connection with an environmental statement or for failure to obtain consent or to observe conditions attached to a consent.

  I announced on 10 September 1997 that I saw no reason to wait until 1999 to introduce the thresholds introduced in the 1997 amending Directive above which environmental assessment will become compulsory for certain development and pipeline projects. The revised text therefore uses a provision in the 1985 Directive which allows Member States to select appropriate thresholds above which projects covered by the Directive must be subject to environmental assessment, to require assessments of relevant projects which exceed these daily production or pipeline size thresholds. The draft Regulations do not implement the 1997 Directive, which Member States are required to adopt by mid-March 1999.

  The revised draft is being circulated by Government Departments and to other organisations which responded to the consultation draft of 1997. The regulations will now be laid as soon as possible after this second round of consultation has been completed, probably in March this year.

  Emission Limits
  Mr. Boswell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what consultations she held with power generators prior to the Environment Agency's recent announcement of accelerated emissions limits. [25483]

  Mr. Battle
  [holding answer 26 January 1998]: No consultations were held with power generators prior to the issue of the Environment Agency's consultation document proposing new emission limits. It is an Independent Body and does not necessarily inform the DTI in advance of its consultative documents.

  Overseas Visits
  Mr. Wilshire
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to her answer of 20 January 1998, Official Report, column 473, if she will publish the programme of Lady Clinton-Davis when she accompanied her husband to Korea and Japan at public expense. [25597]

  Mrs. Beckett
  [holding answer 26 January 1998]: Lady Clinton-Davis accompanied the Minister for Trade on a number of engagements in his own programme and in addition undertook a number of separate official engagements.

  Mr. Wilshire
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to her answer of 20 January 1998,Official Report, 1998 column 473, if she will publish the

  609
  programmes of her husband when he accompanied her to (a) India and Australia and (b) China, Hong Kong and Pakistan at public expense. [25596]

  Mrs. Beckett
  [holding answer 26 January 1998]: Along with a British business delegation in India, China and Pakistan, Mr. Beckett accompanied me on my own programme, except for a small number of meetings with overseas Ministers where matters were discussed in confidence.

  Insolvency Practitioners
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if the insolvency practitioner whose name has been sent to her is currently on the register maintained by the Insolvency Service. [25353]

  Mr. Nigel Griffiths
  [holding answer 27 January 1998]: If the hon. Member is referring to matters I answered on 27 January 1998, Official Report, column 162, the liquidator of GSW Stewart Ltd., Mr. S. P. J. White, is on the register.

  Export Licences
  Mrs. May
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many export licence applications are outstanding; and how many have been outstanding for(a) one month, (b) three months and (c) more than three months. [24117]

  Mrs. Roche
  At 24 December 1997, a decision had not yet been taken on 1,674 applications for new individual export licences received since 2 May 1997. These are broken down as follows:

  Applicants received between 2 May 1997 and 24 September 1997

  Applicants received between 25 September 1997 and 24 November 1997

  Applicants received between 25 November 1997 and 24 December 1997

  Standard individual export licenses

  457

  442

  599

  Open individual export licenses

  93

  58

  25

  However, this information should be considered in light of my answer of 30 October 1997 to my hon. Friend the Member for Don Valley (Caroline Flint), Official Report, columns 256–58.

  Fishermen (Redundancies)
  Mr. Mitchell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what estimate she has made of the amount contributed annually to the redundancy fund by the fishermen made redundant as a result of the loss of Icelandic fishing in 1976. [23460]

  Mr. Ian McCartney
  I am not aware of any such estimate by this Department. However, statistics on National Insurance contributions are a matter for the Secretary of State for Social Security.

  Domestic Gas
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations she has received from(a) gas consumers and (b) organisations
  610
  representing consumers concerning the marketing techniques used by new entrants into the domestic gas supply market. [26243]

  Mr. Battle
  I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington (Mr. Brake), on 29 January 1998,Official Report, column 358.

  Technology Foresight
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the President of the Board of trade if she will report to Parliament annually on the work of the technology foresight groups setting out details of their current work, any recommendations which they have made and the Government's response to them. [26733]

  Mr. Battle
  Information on these lines is already provided in the annual report on DTI Expenditure Plans and in OST publications. In addition, in publishing the report on the Foresight Audit, my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade announced last October that the Government have set up a Ministerial Foresight Group, under my chairmanship, to provide top-level co-ordination of the Foresight Programme across Whitehall. The Group has asked for progress reports at six month intervals which I would expect to publish.

  Dart Engine
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much the Government have received in repaid launch aid from their investment in the dart engine. [26814]

  Mr. Battle
  The total sum of levies received to date from sales of the Dart engine is £6,958,475.74.

  Power Cuts (Christmas Period)
  Mr. Ruane
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many households in the MANWEB supply area qualified for compensation due to electricity cuts over the Christmas period; and how many households actually claimed this compensation. [26844]

  Mr. Battle
  The Office of Electricity Regulation cannot provide the information to enable this question to be answered at this stage. I have asked the Director General of Electricity supply to write to the hon. Member when it is available.

  Photocopier Industry
  Mr. Redwood
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade when and where the Minister for Competition and Consumer Affairs last met representatives of Copywatch. [24765]

  Mrs. Margaret Beckett
  [holding answer 22 January 1998]: On 14 January, in Parliament, with the editor and assistant editor of "What to Buy for Business", during which they discussed the failure of—the BEUA—the photocopying advisers of the right hon. Member for

  611
  Workingham (Mr. Redwood)—to comply with company law in relation to its accounts, which were filed late, incurring a penalty of £250.

EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT

  Pupil Statistics
  Mr. St. Aubyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) how many children are in year 3 in maintained schools; and how many of those children are in classes where a majority of the children belong to another school year; [26857]

  (2) how many children are in year 2 in maintained schools; and how many of those children are in classes where a majority of the children belong to another school year; [26858]

  (3) how many children are in year 1 in maintained schools; and how many of those children are in classes where the majority of the children belong to another school year. [26860]

  Mr. Byers
  The information requested is not collected centrally.

  Astra Group Pension Scheme
  Mr. Loughton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the performance of the Trustees of the Astra Group Pension Scheme; if he will make a statement on the timetable for producing the accounts of the Astra Group Pension Scheme for the years ended April(a) 1994, (b) 1995, (c) 1996 and (d) 1997; if he will review the actuarial valuation of the pension fund (i) before and (ii) after privatisation; and if he will make a statement on the privatisation. [27139]

  Dr. Howells
  The current pension fund trustees of the former Astra Group were appointed by Receivers following the collapse of the Company in 1993. Questions about the performance of the trustees should be addressed to the Liquidators. Production of the Company's accounts and any produced separately for the Pension fund following receivership are not matters for the Department for Education and Employment. The Secretary of State is unable to review any actuarial valuation of the former Company pension fund.

  The sale of a large element of the Skills Training Agency and its former Skillcentres to the former Astra Group was part of the previous Government's privatisation programme. No such set programme exists under the present Government, though privatisations continue where appropriate, subject to rigorous handling and detailed consideration by Departments. The Secretary of State is doing everything possible to assist former Department staff who lost their jobs with the Astra collapse and are still experiencing major problems with this and their Pensions values.

  Education Spending
  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was the expenditure on 612
  education (a) in current prices and (b) as a percentage of United Kingdom gross domestic product in the relevant year in (i) 1968, (ii) 1979 and (iii) 1996–97. [26094]

  Dr. Howells
  The information requested is set out in the table:

  1968–69 estimate

  1978–79 outturn

  1996–97 provisional outturn

  Spending in real terms at 1997–98 prices

  £21½ billion

  £28.7 billion

  £37.9 billion

  Spending as a proportion of GDP

  5 per cent.

  5.4 per cent.

  4.9 per cent.

  1. Figures for 1978–79 and 1996–97 are from PESA March 1997.

  2. Cash figures for 1968–69 are not readily available. The spending figure for that year is an estimate based on a provisional outturn figure at 1969 survey prices which appears in Public Expenditure 1968–69 to 1973–74, December 1969. This figure includes spending on local authority libraries. Because of the difficulties in estimating a cash figure and in repricing to current prices, the spending figure for this year is rounded to the nearest half billion and the figure for spending as a proportion of GDP is rounded to the nearest ¼ per cent.

  Dearing Report
  Helen Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to implement recommendation 66 of the Dearing Report. [26799]

  Dr. Howells
  We are considering our response to the recommendations of the Dearing Report, including recommendation 66, and will announce our response in due course.

HEALTH

  Atomic Test Veterans
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will investigate the complaints of long-standing illness claimed by atomic test veterans and their families and forwarded to him by a national Sunday newspaper. [23810]

  Ms Jowell
  The Department of Health has not received correspondence from a national Sunday newspaper about illnesses claimed by atomic test veterans and their families. The Ministry of Defence is responsible for issues involving atomic test veterans.

  Haemophiliacs
  Mr. Syms
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what representations he has received in respect of compensation for haemophiliacs who have been infected with hepatitis C through contaminated blood products; [24586]

  (2) if he will make a statement on Government policy towards haemophiliacs infected with hepatitis C by contaminated blood products. [24669]

  Mr. Boateng
  Since 2 May 1997 there have been five Parliamentary Questions, in addition to this one, and Ministers have received approximately 70 letters about the
  613
  issue of special payments for haemophiliacs infected with hepatitis C through National Health Service blood products. Ministers have also met representatives of the Haemophilia Society to discuss the issue.

  This is a complex matter which needs full and careful consideration. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has promised to write to the Haemophilia Society about it, and he hopes to be in a position to do so shortly.

  London Hospitals
  Mr. Maples
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Turnberg Committee submitted its report on London Hospitals to him. [25894]

  Mr. Milburn
  November.

  Waiting Lists
  Mr. Letwin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to expedite the collation of statistics relating to(a) reductions and (b) increases in waiting lists in the NHS. [26146]

  Mr. Milburn
  We are using the well established quarterly collection, and publication, of waiting list statistics from health authorities and trusts to monitor changes in the numbers of patients awaiting admission to National Health Service hospitals in England.

  Dental Services
  Mrs. May
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what initiatives the Government have taken since 1 May 1997 to increase the number of dentists offering NHS treatment, with particular reference to Berkshire. [26158]

  Mr. Milburn
  In September 1997 we launched our Investing in Dentistry initiative, with £9 million of new money. This initiative focuses help on those areas of the country where the problems of access to National Health Service dentistry and oral health inequalities are most acute by providing grants to enable dentists to expand existing practices and set up new ones. On 1 January we announced a further £10 million for 1998–99 to continue the Government's drive to tackle these issues through the initiative.

  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has recently approved funding under section 56 of the NHS Act 1977 to help a dentist set up a multi-surgery in Maidenhead.

  Mr. Loughton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dentists practise in West Sussex; what is the average number of people registered with each NHS dental practitioner in(a) West Sussex and (b) nationally; and what is the current average waiting time for routine dental treatment with NHS dentists in West Sussex. [27138]

  Mr. Milburn
  There were 300 General Dental Service dentists on West Sussex Health Authority's list on 30 September 1997. At the same date the average number of registered patients per dentist in West Sussex was 1,367 and in England the average was 1,599.

  Information is not kept on waiting times for dental treatment either locally or nationally.
  614
  Mr. Loughton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the availability of NHS dental services in West Sussex. [27137]

  Mr. Milburn
  There were 300 General Dental Service dentists on West Sussex Health Authority's list on 30 September 1997. The health authority can refer patients to a dentist willing to register them for National Health Service treatment.

  Drugs
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the percentage of young people who have used an illegal drug by the time they have reached the age of 24 years. [26480]

  Mr. Boateng
  Information from the 1996 British Crime Survey shows that 49 per cent. of people in England and Wales aged 20–24 had taken drugs.

  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the numbers of cannabis users who(a) first use tobacco cigarettes as a gateway to cannabis and (b) use cannabis as their first gateway drug. [26475]

  Ms Jowell
  Although most problematic drug users will also have used cannabis and other substances, the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology report of May 1996 states that the vast majority of cannabis users do not progress to drug abuse or dependency, and most never try another drug. In the absence of clear evidence, the extent to which some substances may act as a gateway to others remains a matter of debate.

  NHS Care (Failures)
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health the deaths of how many people have been found to have been caused by failures of NHS care in each of the past six years. [26479]

  Mr. Milburn
  The information is not available in the format requested.

  Mortality statistics are collected by the Office for National Statistics, but the information on cause of death is taken from death certificates which specify only the precise illness or injury. It is impossible to identify from that whether there was any indication of the death resulting from a failure in care or treatment.

  Residential Homes (Treatments)
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will assess the advantages of the electronic monitoring of the confused elderly in residential homes as an alternative to the use of anti-psychotic drugs. [26485]

  Mr. Boateng
  There are currently no plans to assess the advantages of the electronic monitoring of the confused elderly in residential homes as an alternative to the use of anti-psychotic drugs. It is for local authorities to decide, as part of their regulatory responsibilities, whether electronic monitoring is appropriate in any particular circumstances.

  Mental Health Care
  Mr. Hesford
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to establish a mental health commission to oversee delivery of mental health care through community services; and if he will make a statement. [26782]

  Mr. Boateng
  We have established an Independent Reference Group (IRG) to give Ministers advice to help shape credible mental health services and build up public confidence. The IRG will advise Ministers from time to time on a range of important mental health matters. Their first task is to consider long stay hospital closure plans to help ensure that alternative care is in place before closures go ahead.

  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the benefits for Alzheimer's sufferers from the drug Aricept; and if he will make a statement on the availability of Aricept in the United Kingdom; [27115]

  (2) what plans he has to issue guidance on the prescription of Aricept for Alzheimer's suffers; and if he will make a statement. [27116]

  Mr. Milburn
  The Standing Medical Advisory Committee is currently considering the benefits of the drug Aricept. Health authorities and clinicians already have access to a number of sources of information on Aricept, on which they can make decisions about the use of this drug.

SCOTLAND

  Waste Materials
  Mr. Salmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what controls are in place to monitor the(a) transportation and (b) dumping of waste materials; and how many cases of breaches of these controls have been recorded in the last five years. [22942]

  Mr. Dewar
  [holding answer 15 January 1998]: The following controls are in place to monitor the transportation of wastes:
  The Controlled Waste (Registration of Carriers and Seizure of Vehicles) Regulations 1991;
  The Environmental Protection (Duty of Care) Regulations 1991;
  The Special Waste Regulations 1996, as amended;
  The Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations 1994.

  The following controls are in place to monitor the dumping of waste materials:
  The Environmental Protection (Duty of Care) Regulations 1991;
  The Sludge (Use in Agriculture) Regulations 1989;
  The Animal By-Products Order 1992;
  The Specified Risk Material Regulations 1997.

  Figures are not held centrally on breaches in respect of the spreading of sludge on agricultural land, or in respect of the Animal By-Products Order 1992. Information on breaches of legislation in respect of controlled waste is available from "The Scottish Office Statistical Bulletin on Waste Collection, Disposal and Regulation," copies of which are placed in the House Library. Statistics are
  616
  available for the years 1992, 1993 and 1994. The number of prosecutions for breaches of controlled waste legislation which resulted in a guilty verdict is as follows:

  1992:2

  1993:13

  1994:22.

  Mr. Salmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the level of(a) sewage, (b) abattoir and (c) factory waste being transported by road; if he will make a statement on trends in such transportation; and if he will make a statement on the Government's policy on waste management. [22941]

  Mr. Dewar
  [holding answer 15 January 1998]: The amount of factory waste estimated to have been transported by road in Scotland in 1994 (the most recent year for which statistics are available) is approximately 4 million tonnes. This indicated an upward trend at that time. Figures are not held centrally for the amounts of sewage and abattoir waste transported by road.

  The Government are committed to the European Strategy on Waste and the principle of sustainable waste management. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency is currently preparing the National Waste Strategy for Scotland, the final draft of which will be available by the end of the year.

  HIV-AIDS Drug Therapies
  Mr. Gerrard
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what eligibility criteria have been drawn up for access to combination drug therapies for people with HIV-AIDS living in Scotland; and how these differ from guidelines in use in the rest of the United Kingdom. [26005]

  Mr. Galbraith
  [holding answer 27 January 1998]: It is for individual clinicians to determine the appropriate treatment in consultation with the patients concerned and having regard to any locally agreed treatment protocols. I have recently set up an expert group, part of whose remit is to recommend appropriate treatment protocols for combination therapy for HIV patients.

  Edinburgh Royal Infirmary
  Mr. Chisholm
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much has been paid in capital charges by the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh in each of the last five years; and what will be the unitary charge to the private sector in each of the next 20 years under the PFI scheme for the new Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. [27096]

  Mr. Galbraith
  The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh has paid capital charges only since it was established as an NHS Trust on 1 April 1994. The sums paid by the Trust on its interest bearing debt and dividends on its Public Dividend Capital in the last three years is given in the table.

  £000

  1994–95

  6,010

  1995–96

  6,324

  1996–97

  6,167

  617
  Since the PFI contract for the New Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh has not yet reached financial close, details of the unitary charge payable to the private sector are still being negotiated.

  Family Expenditure Survey
  Mr. Swinney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of the cost of increasing the size of the Family Expenditure Survey sample to allow for accurate family expenditure statistics disaggregated to a Scottish geographical level. [26093]

  Mr. Wilson
  The sample size and coverage of the Family Expenditure Survey is regarded as sufficient to support present uses of information from the survey, including analysis at Scotland level.

  The Scottish Office is currently considering carefully the need for survey and other statistical information to support the development and monitoring of the Government's policies in Scotland.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Benefit Integrity Project
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps are taken by her Department to ensure consistency in the conduct of Benefit Integrity Project interviews and assessments. [26422]

  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. Benefits should go to those who are properly entitled to benefit. This is why we have continued with Benefit Integrity Project.

  The administration of this programme is a matter for Peter Mathison, Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with further details.

  Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Paul Burstow, dated 2 February 1998:
  The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what steps are taken by her Department to ensure consistency in the conduct of Benefit Integrity Project (BIP) interviews and assessments.
  The BIP is looking again at some awards of Disability Living Allowance (DLA). Information is collected either by visiting the disabled person at home or by sending them a questionnaire by post. In the interests of fairness and effective administration, it is important that visiting officers carry out interviews to a common standards and to this end they have been selected against common criteria and have all attended a specially designed training. The training course covers all aspect of visiting techniques, including a session prepared and delivered by members of the Disability Income Group.
  A further important source of consistency is that the information obtained from our enquiries, both by post and at visits, is recorded on the same form, DLA 250, which has been designed to ensure that, when completed, it provides a comprehensive picture of a person's circumstances and how their disability affects their daily life.
  As with all aspects of the work of the Benefits Agency (BA), checks are carried out to ensure that high standards are maintained. In the case of BIP, managers at the Disability Benefit Centres, where the visiting officers are located, are required to monitor the standard of completion of BIP questionnaires and to accompany visiting officers on a number of visits.
  618
  Once BIP enquiries are complete, an adjudication officer may be required to review the award of DLA. Adjudication on BIP cases is subject to the same rules and controls as any other DLA case, which means that cases are checked by the BA's Adjudication, Checking and Advice Team.
  I hope you find this reply helpful.

  Winter Fuel Payments
  Mr. Rendel
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what will be the impact on the timetable for winter fuel payments of the need to send out new payments to those pensioners whose first payments were wrongly dated; [27069]

  (2) how many pensioners will still be due to receive this year's winter fuel payments after March 1998. [27072]

  Mr. Denham
  Winter Fuel Payments are one of a number of initiatives the Government have taken to help vulnerable people, especially the elderly, keep warm in the winter. This is the first time that any Government have made a payment to all pensioners towards their heating costs.

  This is an enormous and unprecedented exercise, involving the making of around 10 million payments to over 7 million pensioner households at a total cost of around £200 million.

  The administration of winter fuel payments is a matter for Peter Mathison, Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. David Bendel, dated 2 February 1998:
  The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions asking; what will be the impact on the timetable for winter fuel payments, of the need to send out new payments to those pensioners whose first payments were wrongly dated; and how many pensioners will still be due to received this year's winter fuel payments after March 1998.
  There will be no impact on the original timetable for Winter Fuel Payments. Arrangements were made to ensure those pensioners, whose first payments were wrongly dated, received replacement girocheques by 31 January 1998.
  Priority has been given to issuing payments to the poorest pensioners—those who are receiving Income Support or income based Jobseekers Allowance. A total of 1,441,614 payments of £50 have been issued, as at 31 January 1998. This does not include the small number of clerical payments made locally.
  It is estimated that almost a further 8.5 million pensioners will be entitled to payment of £20 or £10. Where there is only one eligible pensioner in a household, or they are of no fixed abode, they will receive £20; otherwise each eligible pensioner will receive £10.
  Around fifteen million computer records will be matched to identify each eligible pensioner and determine the correct amount due. Based on current planning assumptions, we expect this process to be completed by the beginning of March. The process of producing a payment for each eligible pensioner will then begin. The intention is to issue the payments as quickly as possible, but at the same time manage both capacity and continue to deliver normal benefit services. The great majority of payments will be made by the end of March, but we will continually review the project plan, with the aim of improving on the delivery timescales, if at all possible.
  Thank you for the opportunity to explain the position and I apologise for any inconvenience caused.

  Disability Living Allowance
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans she has to implement each of the recent recommendations made by the Disability Living Allowance Advisory Board. [26426]

  Mr. Denham
  Disability benefits are included in this Department's Comprehensive Spending Review which was announced on 11 June last year. The review is a first step in our plan to modernise and improve the Social Security system, so that it helps people to work as far as they are able, provides appropriate support to those who cannot work, and makes the most effective use of resources available. We have received a number of suggestions and recommendations from a range of bodies with an interest, including the Disability Living Allowance Advisory Board, and they are being considered as part of the review.

  When we have identified specific proposals for disability benefits we will consult disabled people, their organisations and others with an interest. We will not implement any changes without first consulting them.

  Cold Weather Payments
  Mrs. Ewing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will list the number of cold weather payments triggered in the current financial year by(a) weather station and (b) total value. [26797]

  Mr. Denham
  The information requested is set out in the table:

  Weather station

  Number of triggers this financial year

  Estimated number of payments made

  Estimated total cost (£)

  Loch Glascarnoch

  1

  1,904

  16,184

  Sennybridge

  1

  44,318

  376,703

  Eskdalemuir

  1

  3,587

  30,490

  Totals

  3

  49,809

  423,377

  European Parliament (Women's Rights Committee)
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will make a statement on her appearance before the Women's Rights Committee of the European Parliament; and if she will place in the Library a copy of her address to the EP Committee. [26984]

  Ms Harman
  On 2 February I made a speech to the Women's Rights Committee of the European Parliament which was well received. I have placed a copy in the Library.

  Pensioners
  Mr. Swinney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will estimate the annual ratio between workers and pensioners in the United Kingdom for each year up to 2030; and if she will make a statement. [26088]
  620
  Mr. Denham
  The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is set out in the table.

  Ratio between people of working age and people over pensionable age in Great Britain

  Number of people of working age per pensioner

  1996

  3.4

  2001

  3.4

  2011

  3.2

  2021

  3.3

  2031

  2.6

  Notes:

  Working age is defined as between 16 and State Pension Age. The figures take account of the change in State Pension Age for women which will take place between 2010 and 2020.

  Source:

  Government Actuary's Department 1996—based national population projections.

  Benefits (Take-up)
  Mr. Swinney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if she will list the Government and Government-commissioned research into the factors affecting take-up of benefits specifically in rural areas, listing those who undertook the research and when; [26089]

  (2) if she will list the Government measures designed specifically to encourage take-up of benefits in rural areas.
  [26090]

  Mr. Keith Bradley
  We would encourage anyone who thinks that they may be entitled to benefit to make a claim, wherever they live in Britain.

  We are particularly concerned about the million pensioners who are not claiming the Income Support to which they are entitled, and from April we will be running a number of pilot projets, costing a total of £15 million, to find out how best to get help to them.

  We have also commissioned research to identify the most important barriers faced by pensioners not claiming their Income Support entitlement. This will look at any factors which may explain their reluctance to make a claim, including the type of area in which they live. It is being carried out this year by Social and Community Planning Research (SCPR).

  A review of research on the take-up of benefits which covered aspects of benefit take-up in rural areas amongst others was commissioned by the Department and published in 1995. (Corden, A., 1995, Changing Perspectives on Benefit Take-up, London: HMSO).

  Pensions
  Mr. Webb
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people aged under 30 years are currently accruing rights under(a) the state earnings related pension scheme, (b) an occupational pension scheme, (c) a personal pension scheme and (d) no second tier pension; and what recent initiatives she has taken to encourage second tier provision aamong this group. [25544]

  Mr. Denham
  [holding answer 26 January 1998]: For most people security in retirement comes from having two pensions, the basic State pension and a secure, funded second pension. That is why the Government have set out

  621
  clearly our plans for developing new Stakeholder Pensions for those who cannot join an occupational scheme or for whom personal pensions are not suitable. We will publish an initial framework for change in the first half of this year.

  In the tax year 1995–96, the latest year for which figures are available, the estimated number of people in Great Britain aged 16 to 29 was 11 million1. Of these, 5.1 million accrued no rights to a second tier pension, in most cases because they were in full-time education, employed with low earnings, unemployed or caring for children. The remaining people accrued pension rights as follows22.6 million people accrued rights under the State Earnings Related Pension Scheme (SERPS) based on their full National Insurance Contributions3.
  1.8 million people were in a contracted-out occupational pension scheme4.
  2.1 million people held Appropriate Personal Pension (APP) plans5.
  1 Source: Mid 1995 estimate from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Population Estimate Unit.
  2 Source: Numbers accruing rights to second rights to second pensions are from the Lifetime Labour Market Database, a 1 per cent. sample of the National Insurance Recording System taken at February 1997. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred thousand. People may accrue rights to more than one type of pension.
  3 A further 2.7 people accrued negligible amounts of SERPS. These were mainly people who chose to contract out of SERPS into other second tier provision. Also, prior to the 1995 Pensions Act provisions which changed the SERPS formulae for awards from April 2000, it was possible for the self-employed and those paying voluntary contributions to accrue small amounts of SERPS.
  4 Figures are not available for the number of people accruing rights in occupational pension schemes not contracted out of SERPS.
  5 An APP plan is a personal pension used to contract out of SERPS. This figure includes 0.7 million people where no minimum contributions were made by the Department into the plan in 1995–96. Figures are not available for the number of people accruing rights in non-appropriate personal pensions, i.e., personal pensions not contracted out of SERPS.

  Ministerial Cars
  Mr. Stunell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the(a) estimated average fuel consumption and (b) total mileage of ministerial cars travelling on official business in each year since 1989–90. [25796]

  Mr. Kilfoyle
  I have been asked to reply.

  Responsibility for these matters has been delegated under the terms of the Framework Document to the Government Car and Despatch Agency. I have asked its Chief Executive, Mr. Nick Matheson, to write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from Nick Matheson to Mr. Andrew Stunell, dated 3 February 1998:
  Your Questions about (a) the estimated average fuel consumption and (b) the total mileage of ministerial cars travelling on official business in each year since 1989–90 to the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, and the Secretary of State for Social Security have been passed to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. He has asked me in my capacity as the Chief Executive of the government Car and Despatch Agency to reply.
  Based on the usage for the current financial year from 1 April 1997, when the Agency was first formed, I estimate that in a full year ministerial cars allocated to the Department of the
  622
  Environment, Transport and the Regions will have an average fuel consumption of 26 miles per gallon, and will travel 86,000 miles on official business. Using the same basis, I estimate that ministerial cars allocated to the Department of Social Security will have an average fuel consumption of 26 miles per gallon, and will travel 53,500 miles on official business.
  The information for earlier years prior to the formation of the Agency is not readily available and can only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.
  Cars and drivers are allocated for the use of Ministers and their private offices. In addition to ministerial duties, they are also used for several other purposes such as the movement of documents and for use by officials as directed by the ministerial private office.

ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS

  Local Government Finance
  Mr. Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what representations he has received on the local government finance settlement for local authorities in North Yorkshire. [24897]

  Mr. Raynsford
  Written representations on our proposals have been received from North Yorkshire County Council, Harrogate Borough Council, Ryedale District Council, Scarborough Borough Council and York City Council. My hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government and Housing also met North Yorkshire, Harrogate and York to discuss their concerns. I understand that the hon. Member was present at the meeting with York City Council.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what representations he has received on local government funding in Surrey. [24899]

  Ms Armstrong
  Written representations on our proposals were received from Surrey County Council, Epsom and Ewell Borough Council, Runnymede District Council, Spelthorne Borough Council, Waverley Borough Council, and Surrey Heath Borough Council. I also met representatives from Runnymede District Council and my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary with responsibility for the regions met Surrey County Council to discuss their concerns on the provisional settlement.

  Mr. Gray
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he last met representatives of local government in England to discuss local government finance. [24915]

  Mr. Raynsford
  I last met representatives of local government during the recent consultation on our proposals for local government finance in 1998–99.

  Mr. Yeo
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) if he will publish figures for every local authority in England showing the amount of revenue support grant which they would have received had their 1998–99 standard spending assessment increased by 5 per cent., compared with the adjusted SSA figure for 1997–98; and if he will show(a) in cash terms and (b) percentage terms how this differs from the actual amount of revenue support grant which they will receive in 1998–99; [27186]
  623
  (2) if he will publish figures for every local authority in England showing the amount of revenue support grant which they would have received had their 1989–99 standard spending assessment increased by 13 per cent., compared with the adjusted SSA figure for 1997–98; and if he will show (a) in cash terms and (b) in percentage terms how this differs from the actual amount of revenue support grant which they will receive in 1998–99. [27187]

  Mr. Raynsford
  I have placed the information requested in the Library.

  Housing Development
  Mr. Brady
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many square miles of green belt land have been subject to new planning approvals since 1 May 1997. [24898]

  Mr. Caborn
  About 620 hectares of Green Belt have been deleted by development plan changes. Over the same period local authorities have proposed adding some 33,000 hectares to the Green Belt. If they are all adopted that will mean over 32,000 hectares will have been added to the Green Belt—that is about three times the size of Bristol.

  Mr. Loughton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the Government's policy towards housing development in the countryside. [24900]

  Mr. Caborn
  The Government are committed to protection of the countryside. This involves making the best possible use of brownfield sites in urban areas to accommodate new homes. Where development in the countryside is necessary, we have very strict controls on development.

  Sir Paul Beresford
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his Department's policy on the proportion of new homes which should be accommodated on land which has been developed. [24909]

  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps is he taking to encourage the use of brown-field sites. [24914]

  Mr. Boswell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to maximise the use of brown-field sites for housing. [25602]

  Mr. Raynsford
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State hopes to make a statement to the House on the whole issue of household growth later this month. Meanwhile, national planning policy encourages local authorities to use previously developed sites for housing. This helps regenerate our towns and cities and helps to protect our countryside.

  Mr. Bercow
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the number of additional dwellings required by 2018; and on what assumptions his estimate is based. [27135]

  Mr. Raynsford
  My Department has made no estimate of the number of homes that need to be constructed by 2018. The latest 1992-based household projections, published in March 1995, indicate a 4.4 million increase 624
  in the number of households in England in the 25 year period from 1991 to 2016. However, these household projections should not be taken as an estimate of the number of additional houses which have to be built. Rather, they represent just one of the factors to be taken into account by local planning authorities when arriving at figures for housing provision to be included in regional guidance and development plans. The detailed assumptions underlying these projections to 2016 are set out in the Stationery Office "Projections of Households in England to 2016", a copy of which is in the Library. My Department is planning to compile revised, 1996-based. household projections around the end of this year.

  Home Energy Efficiency
  Mr. Stunnell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what action he is taking to improve energy efficiency in low-income households. [24901]

  Angela Eagle
  This year the Home Energy Efficiency Scheme should improve the insulation of 400,000 homes of low income families, and next year reduced VAT within the scheme should boost that by about 10 per cent. Our Capital Receipts initiative and the new Environmental Task Force will further increase activity.

  Mr. Canavan
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to develop the home energy efficiency scheme. [24892]

  Angela Eagle
  A review of the scheme is being carried out to find out if it is helping the right people in the most effective way. I will consider carefully any options for developing the scheme which flow from the review.

  Structure Plan (Hertfordshire)
  Mr. Wilkinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what response he has given to the request from the London Green Belt Council to discuss the Hertfordshire structure plan. [24902]

  Mr. Caborn
  We have declined the London Green Belt Council's request for a meeting because we have indicated to Hertfordshire County Council that we are unlikely to intervene in its Plan if it proceeds to adoption on the basis now proposed. It is now the County Council's responsibility to progress its plan.

  Housing (Repair and Renovation)
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what percentage of housing in England he assesses to be in need of(a) major repair and (b) renovation. [24903]

  Ms Armstrong
  Around 7.5 per cent of dwellings are unfit for habitation and might be considered to be in need of renovation. About 3 per cent. of dwellings are unfit owing to disrepair and might therefore be considered to be in need of major repair.

  London Government
  Mr. Khabra
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he will publish a White Paper setting out proposals for an elected mayor and assembly for London. [24904]
  625
  Mr. Raynsford
  The Government are currently considering the responses they received to the Green Paper "New Leadership for London" and intend to publish their proposals for a Greater London Authority in March.

  Mr. McNulty
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what representations he has received on the proposed referendum on a mayor and assembly for London. [24913]

  Mr. Raynsford
  A number of responses to the "New Leadership for London" consultation mentioned the proposed referendum. It is not possible to index all references in all letters. However, I believe that since the close of the consultation on 24 October, some 25–30 letters have made a reference to the referendum.

  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 15 December 1997,Official Report, column 39, when he expects to receive (a) the first and (b) the final version of the report on the electoral system for the Greater London Assembly, commissioned from Professor Patrick Dunleavy; and if he will place copies of both the first and final versions in the Library. [27300]

  Mr. Raynsford
  A copy of the report, "Electing the London Mayor and the London Assembly", received by the Government from Professor Patrick Dunleavy and Dr. Helen Margetts, has been placed in the Library today.

  Rented Property
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what proposals his Department has to enable local authorities to increase their stock of rented property. [24905]

  Ms Armstrong
  We have already acted to provide additional resources for housing and housing-related regeneration under the Capital Receipts Initiative, and we expect the provision of new social housing in partnership with registered social landlords to be among local authorities' priorities for applying the extra spending power. Future investment in social housing is one of the factors being considered in the Comprehensive Spending Review.

  Regional Development Agencies
  Mrs. Spelman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the representation of rural interests on the boards of the regional development agencies. [24906]

  Mr. Caborn
  Our White Paper "Building Partnerships for Prosperity" made clear that outside of London each RDA Board will include at least one member who can contribute a strong rural perspective.

  Mrs. Ellman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what role he plans for regional chambers in the development of regional policy and regional economic development. [24907]

  Mr. Caborn
  Regional chambers will be a mechanism through which RDAs can take account of regional views and account for their activities. Each RDA will have regard to the chamber's views in preparing its economic 626
  strategy, will consult the chamber on its corporate plan and will give an account of its performance to the regional chamber.

  Smoking
  Mr. Dismore
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement about the work of the Health and Safety Executive in combating smoking and passive smoking in the workplace. [24908]

  Angela Eagle
  The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) enforces prohibitions on smoking where necessary for safety. HSE also recommends employers introduce policies on passive smoking, giving priority to non-smokers' needs. HSE will review policy on workplace smoking when the forthcoming report from the Scientific Committee on Tobacco and Health is published.

  Wildlife Sites
  Mr. Sanders
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans his Department has to improve protection of important wildlife sites. [24910]

  Mr. Meacher
  The Government are currently considering how best to improve the protection and management of Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Officials are preparing a consultation paper seeking views.

  Capital Receipts
  Mr. Hopkins
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on progress in the implementation of the phased release of capital receipts. [24911]

  Mr. Raynsford
  We have notified all local authorities in England that wish to receive resources under the Capital Receipts Initiative of their allocations of Supplementary Credit Approvals for both 1997–98 and 1998–99. £174 million in credit approvals has been allocated for 1997–98 and £569 million for 1998–99. These additional resources will be targeted on housing and housing-related regeneration schemes. Guidance issued on 2 October, which sets out how the Initiative will be taken forward, has been deposited in the Library of the House of Commons.

  Wind Turbines
  Mr. Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his policy towards the siting of wind turbines. [24912]

  Mr. Raynsford
  Advice on the siting of wind turbines is contained in Planning Policy Guidance note 22, "Renewable Energy" (PPG22). This sets out planning policy in relation to renewable energy developments. The annexe to PPG22 on wind energy provides detailed advice on a range of issues that may affect decisions on the siting of wind turbines. That advice covers, among other things, the visual impact of wind turbines, the considerations that apply in designated areas, noise, access and safety.

  Road Safety (Children)
  Mr. Pollard
  To ask the Minister of Transport if he will make a statement on his Department's proposals to increase child safety on roads. [24923]

  Dr. Strang
  Improving child road safety is a key priority. We have a target to reduce the number of children killed on our roads by a quarter by the year 2000 on 1994 levels. We will be bringing forward further measures to improve child safety as part of our new road safety strategy.

  Light Rapid Transport Schemes
  Mr. Alan Simpson
  To ask the Minister of Transport if he will make a statement on funding for light rapid transport schemes. [24925]

  Dr. Strang
  The Government are currently providing funds for the construction of the Midland Metro, Croydon Tramlink and the extension of Manchester Metrolink. We are giving careful consideration to the future funding of light rail schemes in our integrated transport White Paper.

  Channel Tunnel Rail Link
  Mr. Timms
  To ask the Minister of Transport when he last met the chairman of London and Continental Railways to discuss progress on the channel tunnel rail link. [24926]

  Mr. Prescott
  I met Sir Derek Hornby and others from London and Continental Railways last Wednesday, 28 January. I subsequently made a statement to this House about the subject of that meeting.

  Traffic Targets
  Mr. Walter
  To ask the Minister of Transport what is his policy on the introduction of targets to reduce the volume of traffic on the United Kingdom's roads. [24927]

  Ms Glenda Jackson
  Targets will be a significant feature in the Integrated Transport White Paper that we are publishing in the spring. We are considering carefully whether there should be further targets in addition to the range of relevant targets which already exist.

  Passenger Traffic
  Sir Robert Smith
  To ask the Minister of Transport what action he is taking to encourage passenger traffic to use the railways instead of the roads. [24928]

  Ms Glenda Jackson
  The Government's overriding goal is to win more passengers and freight on to the railways. To that end, we will set up a new Rail Authority. Proposals for further action will be published with our Integrated Transport White Paper in the spring.

  Vehicle Emissions
  Mr. Stringer
  To ask the Minister of Transport if he will make a statement on the enforcement of vehicle emissions standards by local authorities. [24930]

  Ms Glenda Jackson
  Seven local authorities have been given powers under regulations which came into force on 26 December 1997 to enforce vehicle exhaust emissions standards at the roadside. The seven authorities are Birmingham, Bristol, Canterbury, Glasgow,628
  Middlesbrough, Swansea and Westminster and offenders will be liable to pay a £60 fixed penalty. We will be reviewing the effectiveness of the regulations over the next twelve months or so with a view to extending the powers to all local authorities.

  Mr. Bradshaw
  To ask the Minister of Transport if he will make a statement on the health effects of pollution from road traffic. [24933]

  Dr. Strang
  The Department of Health Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants published a report on 13 January which attempted to estimate the impact on health of air pollution from all sources, including road traffic. The report estimated that air pollution precipitates the deaths of 12,000–24,000 people a year. A copy of the report is in the House Library. Our review of the national air quality strategy will take account of this report and it will look at the prospects for delivering cleaner air more quickly. Proposals for improving the strategy are due at the end of the year. Air quality issues will also form an integral part of our fundamental review of transport policy.

  Rail Fares
  Mr. Baker
  To ask the Minister of Transport what plans he has to encourage reductions in fares for rail passengers. [24931]

  Ms Glenda Jackson
  The Franchising Director has a statutory duty under the Railways Act 1993 to ensure that the interests of passengers are protected by requiring that rail fares are reasonable. We are conducting a thorough review of rail regulation to identify what improvements are needed to strengthen regulation in the interests of passengers.

  Public Transport (Disabled People)
  Ms Dari Taylor
  To ask the Minister of Transport if he will make a statement on making public transport accessible to disabled people. [24932]

  Ms Glenda Jackson
  We are committed to implementing the transport provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. The regulations we will be making under the Act will require all land-based public transport to be accessible to disabled people, including wheelchair users.

  Our detailed proposals for taxis, buses and coaches have been published. Draft regulations for rail vehicles will follow soon. Copies of all consultation documents are available from the Library.

  A1 (Traffic Volumes)
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Minister of Transport what assessment he has made of traffic volumes on the Al though Newcastle and Gateshead. [24934]

  Dr. Strang
  The traffic flows on the Al are assessed using data collected from automatic traffic counters in the carriageway and on the slip roads onto the A I through Newcastle and Gateshead. The data are collected and collated as an ongoing process by the Highways Agency.

  Vehicles (Fuel Efficiency)
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Minister of Transport what plans he has to increase fuel efficiency in road vehicles. [24935]

  Ms Glenda Jackson
  There are a number of measures in place to increase fuel efficiency in road vehicles, including the 6 per cent. annual fuel duty increases announced by the Chancellor in July, the Cleaner Vehicles Task Force and negotiating a voluntary agreement with motor manufacturers at the European level. We will also be considering further measures as part of the climate change programme that we will be developing later this year.

  Traffic (Wyre Piddle)
  Mr. Luff
  To ask the Minister of Transport if he will visit Wyre Piddle to study local traffic conditions. [24936]

  Dr. Strang
  Owing to other prior commitments I shall be unable to visit Wyre Piddle in the foreseeable future.

  Rail Services
  Dr. Stoate
  To ask the Minister of Transport if he will make a statement on the punctuality performance of route groups of train services in the last quarter of(a) 1997 and (b) 1996. [24937]

  Ms Glenda Jackson
  In the last quarter of 1997 (14 September–6 December 1997) punctuality performance for 28 route groups of train services was better than in the last quarter of 1996 (13 October 1996—4 January 1997); for 27 route groups it was worse; and for two route groups performance was the same. (Changes to the structure of some of the route groups and the addition or deletion of some others mean that comparable information for nine route groups is not available). Details are shown in the quarterly bulletins published by the Office of Passenger Rail Franchising on 15 January 1998 and 4 February 1997, copies of which are in the Library.

  The Franchising Director has expressed his concern about recent performance levels. We look to him to monitor train operators closely, to enforce the terms of the franchise agreements and to seek improvements in performance in the interests of passengers.

  Mr. Jenkins
  To ask the Minister of Transport how many route groups of train services performed with worse punctuality in the last quarter of 1997 than in the same period of 1996. [24940]

  Ms Glenda Jackson
  Twenty-seven route groups out of the 57 for which comparable information is available. Changes to the structure of some of the route groups and the addition or deletion of some others mean that comparable information for nine route groups is not available. Details are shown in the quarterly bulletins published by the Office of Passenger Rail Franchising on 15 January 1998 and 4 February 1997, copies of which are in the House Library.

  Workplace Car Parking
  Mr. Bercow
  To ask the Minister of Transport what assessment he has made of the cost of policing and monitoring a system of taxing workplace car parking. [24938]
  630
  Ms Glenda Jackson
  The Government are considering whether a levy on non-residential parking should form part of the package of measures that will constitute its integrated transport policy. Among the issues being assessed are the administrative and enforcement implications of any such levy.

  Mr. Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make it his policy to introduce a charge on car parking spaces provided by employers. [27158]

  Angela Eagle
  Greater use of the price mechanism to influence travel choice, which might include a levy on non-residential parking, is one of the range of options being studied as part of the preparation of the forthcoming White Paper that will set out the Government's integrated transport policy.

  Public Transport
  Mr. Bob Russell
  To ask the Minister of Transport what plans he has to increase the percentage of journeys made using public transport. [24939]

  Ms Glenda Jackson
  Promoting the use of public transport, and reducing dependence on the car, is at the heart of the integrated transport policy the Government are developing. Our policies will be set out in detail in our White Paper when we have completed our fundamental transport review.

  Birmingham Northern Relief Road
  Mr. Plaskitt
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if the contracts to build and operate the Birmingham Northern Relief Road have been signed; and if he will make a statement. [25940]

  Ms Glenda Jackson
  Under their concession agreement of February 1992 Midland Expressway Ltd. are responsible for the detailed contractual arrangements for building and operating the road. These are matters they will need to consider further when, very shortly, the Statutory Orders relating to the scheme are made.

  Air Traffic Control Centre, Prestwick
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  to ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the dates that the air traffic control centre at Prestwick has(a) failed and (b) had an engineering-related occurrence during the last 12 months. [25978]

  Ms Glenda Jackson
  I have been informed by National Air Traffic Services Ltd. that there have been no failures at the Scottish Air Traffic Control Centre at Prestwick over the last 12 months. There were three engineering-related occurrences at the centre in the same period, on 17 January, 2 June and 23 October 1997, none of which resulted in either a lowering of safety standards or any delay to air traffic.

  Aviation and Shipping Policy
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will instigate a strategic review of (i) United Kingdom aviation
  631
  policy and (ii) United Kingdom shipping policy as a separate exercise from his overall review of transport. [25965]

  Ms Glenda Jackson
  The Government are carrying out a fundamental review of transport policy leading to the publication of a White Paper later this year. Our aim in the White Paper is to establish the overall framework of an integrated transport policy within which policies relevant to specific modes, including aviation and shipping, can be developed in due course. We believe that UK aviation and shipping have an essential role to play within a fully integrated transport system.

  In addition, the Deputy Prime Minister has established a Shipping Working Group in order to consider measures which could revive the UK shipping industry and increase British seafarer training and employment.

  Water Metering (Mid-Kent Water)
  Mr. Rowe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the continuing study of the effects of tnetering undertaken by Mid-Kent Water with particular reference to its findings as they concern the use of water by lower rateable value property occupants. [26069]

  Angela Eagle
  The Government are aware of the research into metering in Mid Kent and other areas and we will take account of it in our review of the system of charging for water and sewerage services, on which we aim to publish a consultation paper shortly.

  Empty Housing Units (Sunderland)
  Mr. Mullin
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will estimate the number of empty housing units in Sunderland in(a) 1995, (b) 1996 and (c) 1997 (i) in total and (ii) by sector. [26535]

  Mr. Raynsford
  The numbers of vacant local authority and housing associations dwellings in Sunderland on
  1 April are set out below alongside the local authority's estimates of private and other public sector vacant dwellings.

  1995

  1996

  1997

  Local authority1

  507

  592

  663

  Housing association2

  336

  113

  116

  Other public sector1

  3

  3

  2

  Private sector1

  716

  1,008

  1,933

  Total

  1,562

  1,716

  2,714

  1 Source: Annual Housing Investment Programme (HIP1) returns.

  2 Source: Annual HAR10/1 returns.

  Deep Sea Mineral Deposits
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what environmental assessment he has made of proposals for the removal of mineral deposits from the surface of the deep ocean bed. [26489]

  Mr. Raynsford
  The Government's jurisdiction over the seabed extends only to the British share of the European Continental Shelf. Within this area the only mineral deposits being removed from the surface of the 632
  seabed are aggregates which are dredged from a number of off-shore locations around the UK. This dredging is licensed by the Crown Estate as "custodian" of the seabed.

  By agreement, the Crown Estate submits every application for a dredging licence to a "Government View Procedure" ("GVP") which is administered by DETR and which enables the environmental effects of the proposed dredging, particularly on coastal protection, nature conservation and fishing interests to be fully assessed. Principal consultees under the "GV" are MAFF, DNH, the Environment Agency, English Nature and the Coastal Protection Authorities. Every application for a "GVP" is accompanied by a full Environmental Impact Assessment prepared by the applicants. A dredging licence will only be granted by the Crown Estate if a favourable "GV" is issued by DETR.

  The current maximum dredging depth is about 60m. Developing technology could increase dredging depths to 80m but such deeper dredging is not thought to be commercially viable at the present time and is not undertaken.

  Carbon Emission Permits
  Mr. Alan Simpson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans the Government have for pilot projects in relation to United Kingdom carbon emission permits following the Kyoto conference. [26692]

  Mr. Meacher
  The Kyoto Protocol allows developed countries to trade permits for greenhouse gas emissions. Rules will be agreed by the Conference of the Parties to the Climate Change Convention, the next meeting of which is in November 1998. The Government are working hard to ensure that emissions trading could be used constructively to achieve cost effective emission reductions consistent with the environmental objectives of the Kyoto agreement.

  The Government will be consulting on UK participation in emissions trading as part of their wider consultation later this year on measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

  Genetically Modified Organisms
  Mr. Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the signed memoranda sent by Ministers to the Select Committee on European Community Legislation relevant to Community documents on genetic modification of plants, indicating for each the document's title and the date when signed, and the date of the Councils of Ministers meetings when the Community documents were considered. [26342]

  Angela Eagle
  Two Explanatory Memorandums have been sent to the Select Committee on European Community Legislation in respect of Community documents on the genetic modification of plants. They are:
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  12953/96 COM(96)639 Final: Commission report on the review of Directive 90/220/EEC in the context of the Commission's Communication on biotechnology and the White Paper. Signed January 1996. Discussed at the Council of Environment Ministers 3 March 1996.
  7894/96 COM(96)206 Final: Council decision concerning the placing on the market of genetically modified maize (zea mays 1.) with the combined modification for insecticidal properties conferred by the bt-endotoxin gene and increased tolerance to the herbicide glufosinate ammonium pursuant to Council Directive 90/220/EEC. Signed July 1996. Discussed at the Council of Environment Ministers 25 June 1996.

  Ultra-low Sulphur Diesel
  Mr. Fallon
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many more vehicles now run on ultra-low sulphur diesel than in April 1997. [26352]

  Ms Glenda Jackson
  No data are available on the total number of vehicles using ultra-low sulphur diesel. However, very approximate estimates suggest that the ultra-low sulphur diesel share of the diesel fuel market has risen from about 1 per cent. in April 1997 to about 2.5 per cent. today.

  Rate Support Grant (Westminster)
  Ms Buck
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the recent attempt by Westminster City Council to seek leave for judicial review over its proposed RSG settlement. [27325]

  Mr. Raynsford
  Westminster City Council applied to the Court on 28 January for leave to apply for judicial review. The leave application was refused.

  Mr. Dismore
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will give an estimate of the legal costs incurred in the recent court case brought by Westminster City Council against the Government over Westminster's proposed RSG settlement; and if he will make a statement. [27324]

  Mr. Raynsford
  Westminster City Council applied to the Court on 28 January for leave to apply for judicial review. The Secretary of State resisted the application for leave through Counsel. The leave application was refused and the Secretary of State's costs in the matter were awarded against the Applicants. The costs will be taxed by the Court in the usual way in due course.

  Rail Freight
  Mr. Boswell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what actions he will take to encourage rail freight. [25603]

  Ms Glenda Jackson
  The Government want to see more freight go by rail. We have already improved the take-up of freight grants and increased the budget for 1998–99 to £40 million. We have secured commitments from the French Government and Eurotunnel designed to increase international rail freight through the Channel Tunnel and beyond. Our white paper on integrated transport policy, to be published in the spring, will set out further measures to encourage rail freight, including the role of the proposed new Rail Authority.

  Taxis
  Mr. Brake
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the role of taxis in the Government's Integrated Transport Strategy. [24999]

  Ms Glenda Jackson
  Taxis and private hire vehicles are an integral part of public transport and as such their role is part of our review of integrated transport.

  Millennium Experience
  Mr. Brake
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 12 January 1998,Official Report, columns 3–4, on the site for the Millennium Experience, if he will list the pollutants found on the site during the reclamation work. [25044]

  Ms Angela Eagle
  A large proportion of the Greenwich Peninsula site has been chemically contaminated to varying degrees as a result of former industrial activities, principally the generation of coal, gas and associated by-products. By-products included the manufacture of sulphuric acid and ammonium sulphate fertiliser in a dedicated chemical works as well as the production of coal tar and a range of organic chemicals such as benzene and naphtha in a separate tar works.

  As a result, the principal contaminants found on the site are: wastes from tar production and distillation including coal tars and a variety of derivatives; materials from gas purification including foul lime clinker waste and spent oxide; carboniferous materials including coal, coke and clinker.

  The contaminants were identified during a comprehensive site investigation undertaken both by the original site owners, British Gas, and by English Partnerships.

  Remediation has been carried out to ensure that adequate precautions have been taken, in line with legislation and Government policy, to protect ground and surface waters, construction workers, visitors, residents, and general public and building materials from future harm from these contaminants.

  Compulsory Purchase Agreements
  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to introduce a code of practice for developers involved in compulsory purchase agreements, in respect of the interests of the seller. [26836]

  Mr. Raynsford
  The Interdepartmental Working Group on Blight, in presenting its Final Report, submitted a draft Code of Practice on the dissemination of information during the various stages of major infrastructure developments. It is the Group's belief that the uncertainty surrounding major projects, and the disruption to the local property market which may ensue for those whose property may be eventually be subject to compulsory acquisition, or which may be adversely affected by the development, can be significantly reduced if relevant and timely information is made available at all stages. Copies of the draft Code are available in the Library.
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  Statute already provides protection for those whose property may be acquired by compulsion. In particular, the Acquisition of Land Act 1981 sets out the procedure for the making and confirming of compulsory purchase orders, and this includes a statutory right for the person whose property is threatened with compulsory acquisition to object to the Secretary of State and to have that objection heard at a public inquiry. Guidance issued by my Department (particularly DOE Circular 14/94) provides further advice aimed at ensuring that all statutory procedures are followed correctly.

  Whether there is any need for clearer guidance will be considered in the light of responses to current consultation on the research findings on CPO procedures and on blight. However, I do not believe that any Code of Practice could offer further protection to the owner.

  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to review the present system of compulsory acquisition. [26835]

  Mr. Raynsford
  On 17 December 1997 my Department published for consultation two important reports. One is the Final Report of research conducted by the City University into the operation of the compulsory purchase order procedures, the other is the Final Report of the Interdepartmental Working Group on Blight. These are available in the Library. Together, they provide valuable evidence of the way the compulsory purchase arrangements work and identify elements of the system which are perceived by some to be inefficient, damaging to the wider public good or simply unfair.

  The Government wish to see a compulsory purchase system that is efficient in its administration and fair in its operation. We will consider whether changes need to be made to existing arrangements, which have been in place for many years, in the light of responses to the consultation.

  Scottish Devolution
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 18 November 1997,Official Report, column 138, if he will make a statement on the work undertaken by his Department in co-operation with the Scottish Office on the preparation of the legislation in respect of Scottish devolution. [25297]

  Mr. Prescott
  My Department has continued to work closely with the Scottish Office to ensure that the legislation my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland recently introduced will accurately give effect to the proposals set out in the White Paper "Scotland's Parliament".

  Vehicle-mounted Sensors
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to the letter to the hon. Member for Linlithgow H/PSO/12079/97 from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, what reply he has received from the vehicle engineering section relating to sensors mounted on vehicles intended to detect the presence of ice and/or water on the road ahead; and if he will make a statement. [25298]
  636
  Ms Glenda Jackson
  The Department has now considered the article from the New Scientist. The method described detects ice and water only a few centimetres in front of the front tyres, and this seems to be its major limitation. Ideally such a device should measure the grip a hundred metres in front of the vehicle, so allowing the driver to be warned in advance of any danger.

  While it is not the Department's intention at this stage to get involved in any further developments of this device, we will be pleased to hear if further work results in a sensor that can deliver useful benefits.

  Wynchavon Local Plan
  Mr. Luff
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 29 January 1998,Official Report, column 327, if he will place in the Library copies of all representations he has received from residents of Fernhill Heath concerning the adoption of the Wynchavon Local Plan. [27156]

  Mr. Caborn
  Copies of all representations received relating to Fernhill Heath have been placed in the House Library.

  Driving Licences (Diabetics)
  Mr. Maginnis
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Wakefield (Mr. Hinchliffe) of 1 December 1997,Official Report, columns 48–49, on driving licences for insulin-dependent diabetes sufferers, if he will list the scientific evidence which he assessed before reaching his decision. [25783]

  Ms Glenda Jackson
  The Secretary of State is advised by the Honorary Advisory Panel on Diabetes and Driving, comprising experts in this field. The Panel have assessed all the available evidence, including studies on the consequences of insulin treatment and the risk of hypoglycaemia occurring without warning.

  Council Tax
  Miss McIntosh
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimates his Department has made of the average level of council tax increases in 1998–99. [24890]

  Ms Hilary Armstrong
  The level of council taxes will depend on the spending decisions of individual authorities. We are not in a position to know what authorities' decisions will be.

  Fire Safety at Sea
  Mr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to modify the regulations concerning the installation of fire-fighting and safety equipment on(a) merchant vessels and (b) fishing vessels. [24929]
  637
  Ms Glenda Jackson
  Draft regulations are currently in preparation to implement a number of international and European requirements which bear upon the installation of firefighting and safety equipment on board merchant vessels and fishing vessels.

  British Board of Agrément
  Mr. Caplin
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement about the forthcoming financial management and policy review of the British Board of Agrement. [27467]

  Mr. Raynsford
  As part of the Government's programme of five-yearly Financial Management and Policy Reviews of non-departmental public bodies, my Department will this year conduct a thorough review of the British Board of Agrement. The last review was published in 1995 and recommended a further early review in 1998. We have accepted that advice. As with all reviews, the first stage of the review will take the form of a "prior options" study. This will assess the extent to which the Board's functions are necessary for the achievement of the Government's policies, and whether these functions should continue to be carried out as at present, privatised, contracted out or transferred to another body to ensure best value.

  The progress made by the Board since the previous review in 1995 will be examined and the results of that examination and of the prior options study will inform a detailed review by the Department of the future of the Board.

  I expect the prior options study to be completed within four months. The time required for the more detailed review cannot be foreseen, but I would expect it to last no longer than a further six months.

  In carrying out the study my Department will consult widely with those with an interest in the Board's work.

  Ministerial Cars
  Mr. Stunell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what was the(a) estimated average fuel consumption and (b) total mileage of ministerial cars travelling on official business in each year since 1989–90. [25791]

  Mr. Kilfoyle
  I have been asked to reply.

  Responsibility for these matters has been delegated under the terms of the Framework Document to the Government Car and Despatch Agency. I have asked its Chief Executive, Mr. Nick Matheson, to write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from Nick Matheson to Mr. Andrew Stunell, dated 3 February 1998:
  Your Questions about (a) the estimated average fuel consumption and (b) the total mileage of ministerial cars travelling on official business in each year since 1989–90 to the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, and the Secretary of State for Social Security have been passed to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. He has asked me in my capacity as the Chief Executive of the Government Car and Despatch Agency to reply.
  Based on the usage for the current financial year from 1 April 1997, when the Agency was first formed, I estimate that in a full year ministerial cars allocated to the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions will have an average fuel consumption of 26 miles per gallon, and will travel 86,000 miles on official business. Using the same basis, I estimate that ministerial cars allocated to the Department of Social Security will have an average fuel consumption of 26 miles per gallon, and will travel 53,500 miles on official business.
  The information for earlier years prior to the formation of the Agency is not readily available and can only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.
  Cars and drivers are allocated for the use of Ministers and their private offices. In addition to ministerial duties, they are also used for several other purposes such as the movement of documents and for use by officials as directed by the ministerial private office.

  Unlawful Discrimination Complaints: Timely Hearings
  Unlawful Discrimination Complaints: Timely Hearings
  Non-Departmental Public Bodies: Information Access
  Non-Departmental Public Bodies: Information Access
  Higher Education Institutions: Information Access
  Higher Education Institutions: Information Access
  New Deal Regulations
  New Deal Regulations
  Customs and Excise: Diversion Fraud
  Customs and Excise: Diversion Fraud
  Abortion Laws: Private Member's Bill
  Abortion Laws: Private Member's Bill
  Scotland Bill: Judiciary
  Scotland Bill: Judiciary
  Scotland Bill: Schedule 5
  Scotland Bill: Schedule 5
  Mineworkers' Respiratory Disease Claims: Costs
  Mineworkers' Respiratory Disease Claims: Costs