Written Answers of 21 January 1998

PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL

  IT Equipment
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the President of the Council what is her Department's policy regarding the recycling of information technology equipment within her Department and relevant agencies and to other government departments or agencies; and what arrangements have been made in this respect. [23247]

  Mrs. Ann Taylor
  My Department's policy for the recycling and disposal of information technology equipment is to determine the most cost effective option. Consideration is given to retention for spares, or sale to staff or to commercial or charitable organisations. I am not responsible for any agencies.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

  IT Equipment
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Attorney-General what is his Department's policy regarding the recycling of information technology equipment within his Department and relevant agencies and to other Government departments or agencies; and what arrangements have been made in this respect. [23238]

  The Attorney-General
  The policy regarding the recycling of information technology equipment in the Departments for which I am responsible is to redeploy the equipment within the relevant Department or, if it is past its useful life, to destroy it. Surplus equipment which is of value may be sold. All data are erased for security purposes.

TREASURY

  Business Angels
  Mr. David Heath
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to introduce tax incentives for business angels to put loan capital into small private companies. [23554]

  Mr. Geoffrey Robinson
  [holding answer 20 January 1998]: Business angels already receive tax incentives to invest in small companies through the Enterprise Investment Scheme and Venture Capital Trusts.

  Interest Rates
  Mr. Redwood
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what interest rate increase would be needed to keep to the inflation target if earnings rise by 1 per cent. more than the Government's forecast. [24296]
  524
  Mrs. Liddell
  [holding answer 20 January 1998]: Interest rates are set by the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC)of the Bank of England to meet the Government's inflation target of 2½ per cent. The MPC bases its interest rate decisions on a range of evidence, and its response to higher than expected earnings growth would depend on how it affected the outlook for inflation.

  Pension Returns
  Mr. Robathan
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his oral answer of 15 January 1998,Official Report, column 478, if he will publish the figures his Department has collated on pension returns for (a) 1996 and (b) 1997. [24129]

  Mrs. Liddell
  [holding answer 20 January 1998]: I refer to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for East Ham (Mr. Timms) on 16 January 1997, Official Report, column 322–24. The Treasury did not publish any pensions returns figures for 1996.

  Scottish Executive
  Mr. Swinney
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Scotland to produce a concordat setting out arrangements for relations between his Department and the Scottish Executive after the establishment of a Scottish Parliament; and if he will make a statement. [23550]

  Mr. Gordon Brown
  [holding answer 20 January 1998]: Officials from my Department and the Scottish Office are discussing the need for a non-statutory agreement between the Treasury and the Scottish Executive covering the exchange of information, advance notification and joint working in line with the principles set out the White Paper, "Scotland's Parliament".

  Financial Services Authority
  Mr. Colman
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the mandate of the Financial Services Authority will include those who have neither a current bank account nor one with a building society. [23354]

  Mrs. Liddell
  The Financial Services Authority will be responsible for all aspects of financial regulation. It will acquire the regulatory responsibilities currently exercised by the Bank of England, the three Self-Regulating Organisations (the Investment Management Regulatory Organisation, the Personal Investment Authority and the Securities and Futures Authority), the Insurance Directorate of Her Majesty's Treasury, the Building Societies Commission, the Friendly Societies Commission and the Registry of Friendly Societies. The Financial Services Authority will also be given responsibility for the authorisation of those currently authorised to do investment business by virtue of their membership of a Recognised Professional Body.

  Charity Trustees
  Mr. Loughton
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on the Trustee Investment Act 1961; and what plans he has to change the current investment powers of charity trustees. [24423]
  525
  Mrs. Liddell
  The Treasury has received a number of representations on reform of the Trustee Investments Act.

  The Government understand and accept in principle the case for reform. But any reform must provide a complete and lasting solution. It is unlikely that this could be achieved without primary legislation.

  The Government are committed to reform in a number of areas and already have a full programme of legislation implementing its key policy priorities. Primary legislation to reform the TIA would need to compete for a space in this programme. The Government will keep the position under review and seek to make progress at the earliest opportunity.

  Poor People
  Mr. Pond
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will carry out an assessment of the impact of his Department's current policies on the(a) income, (b) employment opportunities and (c) living standards, of the poorest 30 per cent. of the population. [23345]

  Mrs. Liddell
  Our society is more divided than it has been in generations: over the last 20 years the proportion of households without work has more than doubled from 9 per cent. Our policies are aimed at mending these divisions. Our objective is to raise the living standards of the many, not just of the few, and to offer education and employment opportunities for all.

  The Government believe that the best way of improving the living standards of those with the poorest living standards is to help them into work. We are implementing a range of policies under the New Deal to help move those people from welfare into work in order that their living standards may rise.

  The Government have also established a Social Exclusion Unit to help co-ordinate action across Government to find new and more integrated ways of tackling the worst problems. We continually evaluate our policies using a variety of methods.

  Insurance Companies
  Dr. Cable
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which registered United Kingdom insurance and reinsurance companies have ceased underwriting since January 1992; and which are paying less than 100 per cent. of claims. [23985]

  Mrs. Liddell
  Information on the status of UK authorised insurance companies as at 31 December 1996 is given in the Insurance Annual Report 1996 published by The Stationery Office, copies of which are in the Library. Appendix 3A indicates whether a company's authorisation to effect contracts of insurance has been withdrawn under section 11 of the Insurance Companies Act 1982, and if a company is in liquidation, provisional liquidation, or scheme or arrangements under section 425 of the Companies Act 1985. Companies in the last three 526
  categories will generally not be meeting claims in full. Other companies which remain authorised may in practice have ceased underwriting, but it is not possible to give a definitive list as the circumstances of each company differ.

  Bank of England Bill
  Ms Lawrence
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement about the Explanatory Memorandum to the Bank of England Bill. [24941]

  Mr. Darling
  The Explanatory Memorandum to the Bank of England Bill will be altered to reflect new guidance on the treatment of cash ratio deposits in the National Accounts. On the basis of advice from Eurostat, the Bank of England's income on cash ratio deposits will not score as General Government Expenditure. This does not affect the position for the Financial Services Authority, whose costs will be General Government Expenditure.

  Lloyd's
  Ms Lawrence
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the future regulation of Lloyd's. [24942]

  Mrs. Liddell
  In her statement of 23 July 1997,Official Report, column 676, my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade announced that the supervision of insurance business, including that carried on at Lloyd's, would ultimately become a responsibility of the proposed Financial Services Authority (FSA). Since then, I have been considering the options for the future regulatory arrangements for Lloyd's in the context of the comprehensive reforms which we will implement in the forthcoming financial services reform Bill. As we have already made clear, we intend to publish a draft Bill for consultation in the Summer.

  Holders of insurance policies underwritten at Lloyd's should enjoy the benefits of the same kind of supervisory regime as those with policies issued by other insurers. I intend as part of the modernisation of the prudential supervision powers currently available to the Treasury under the Insurance Companies Act 1982, that the FSA will have much more extensive supervisory powers in relation to Lloyd's. I intend that these should include enhanced powers of intervention and a requirement for authorisation by the FSA of managing agents, who are responsible in practice for running underwriting syndicates. I also intend that the FSA should have reserve power to undertake direct authorisation and supervision of Members of Lloyd's, should that prove to be appropriate in due course.

  Certain activities at Lloyd's are similar to business which is currently regulated by the Financial Services Authority under the Financial Services Act 1986. Members' agents advise Members of Lloyd's about which syndicates they should participate in and I intend that their activities should be subject to authorisation by the FSA. In addition, the emerging secondary market in syndicate capacity resembles markets subject to control under

  527
  the 1986 Act. I intend that the FSA should oversee the operation of the market under a regime similar to that currently in place for recognised investment exchanges.

  These arrangements will continue to allow scope for a major role by the Council of Lloyd's in ensuring that Lloyd's continues to be a well-regulated, successful and important part of the UK financial services industry. They will however provide, for the first time in many areas, a major element of external regulatory accountability.

  Deaths
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total number of deaths in each of the last five years resulting from ingesting(a) heroin, (b) alcohol, (c) ecstasy, (d) speed, (e) nicotine, (f) glue, (g) Temazepam, (h) cannabis and (i) LSD. [23390]

  Deaths in England and Wales, 1992–96

  1992

  1993

  1994

  1995

  1996

  (a) Heroin

  —

  52(10)

  88(9)

  130(21)

  186(35)

  Alone

  —

  41(7)

  68(7)

  106(17)

  147(32)

  With other drugs2

  —

  11(3)

  20(2)

  24(4)

  39(3)

  (b) Alcohol5

  3,565

  3,550

  3,853

  4,235

  4,489

  (c) Ecstasy

  —

  5(2)

  22(1)

  7(-)

  10(2)

  Alone

  —

  3(1)

  15(1)

  4(-)

  8(2)

  With other drugs2

  —

  2(1)

  7(-)

  3(-)

  2(-)

  (d) 'Speed' (Amphetamines)

  —

  22(3)

  18(1)

  37(3)

  29(2)

  Alone

  —

  8(-)

  6(-)

  18(-)

  14(1)

  With other drugs2

  —

  14(3)

  12(1)

  19(3)

  15(1)

  (e) Nicotine (Tobacco-related)4

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  120,000

  n/a

  (f) Glue3

  75

  57

  49

  57

  n/a

  (g) Temazapam

  —

  169(62)

  157(47)

  133(40)

  92(22)

  Alone

  —

  60(25)

  66(26)

  37(16)

  32(15)

  With other drugs2

  —

  109(37)

  91(21)

  96(24)

  60(7)

  (h) Cannabis

  —

  10(3)

  10(2)

  10(3)

  4(2)

  Alone

  —

  2(2)

  2(-)

  l(-)

  -(-)

  With other drugs2

  –

  8(1)

  8(2)

  9(3)

  4(2)

  (i) LSD

  —

  -(-)

  1(-)

  -(-)

  -(-)

  Alone

  —

  -(-)

  -(-)

  -(-)

  -(-)

  With other drugs2

  —

  -(-)

  1(-)

  -(-)

  -(-)

  The figures in brackets are those deaths with a mention of alcohol and are included in the non-bracketed figures.

  1 The route of administration (i.e., whether swallowed, injected, inhaled etc.) of toxic substance is not usually specified on the death certificate. The data above represent all mentions of drugs, however administered, where the death was certified is due to poisoning, drug dependence or non-dependent abuse of drugs.

  2 If, for example, both heroin and cannabis are mentioned on a death certificate, the death will occur twice in the table, once under 'Heroin with other drugs' and once under 'Cannabis with other drugs'.

  3 Data supplied by St. George's Hospital Medical School and are those deaths involving all volatile substances, including glue.

  4 Data relate to United Kingdom. This is the latest Department of Health estimate.

  5 Deaths certified as due to alcoholic psychoses, alcohol dependence syndrome, non-dependent abuse of alcohol, alcoholic cardiomyopathy, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, and toxic effects of alcohol.

  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of(a) alcohol-related deaths, (b) tobacco-related deaths and (c) cannabis-related deaths in each of the last three years. [23182]

  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.
  528
  Mrs. Liddell
  [holding answer 19 January 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 Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 21 January 1998:
  The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me, as Director of the Office for National Statistics, to answer your recent question asking for the total number of deaths in each of the last five years resulting from ingesting1 (a) heroin, (b) alcohol, (c) ecstasy, (d) speed, (e) nicotine, (f) glue, (g) temazepam, (h) cannabis and (i) LSD.
  Data for 1992 may be obtained from Table 10 of "Mortality Statistics: Injury and Poisoning 1992", Series DH4 no. 18, copies of which are available in the House of Commons Library. This table lists all substances mentioned in the records of deaths assigned to accidental and other poisoning by solid or liquid substances.
  The attached table shows the remaining data for 1992 and also data for 1993–1996.

  Letter from Tim Holt to Mr. Harry Cohen, dated 21 January 1998:
  The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me, as Director of the Office for National Statistics, to answer your recent question asking for an estimate of the numbers of (a) alcohol-related deaths, (b) tobacco-related deaths and (c) cannabis-related deaths occurring in each of the last three years.
  529
  The following table shows the data for the latest three years for which figures are available:

  Deaths occurring in England and Wales, 1994–96

  1994

  1995

  1996

  Alcohol-related deaths1

  3,853

  4,235

  4,489

  Tobacco-related deaths2

  n/a

  120,000

  n/a

  Cannabis-related deaths3

  10(2)

  10(3)

  4(2)

  Cannabis alone

  2(-)

  1(-)

  —(-)

  In combination with other drugs

  8(2)

  9(3)

  4(2)

  1 Includes deaths assigned to codes 303, 305.0, 291, 425.5, and 980 of the International Classification of Diseases (9th Revision).

  2 United Kingdom figures, based on the latest Department of Health estimate.

  3 Figures in brackets are those cannabis-related deaths with a mention of alcohol and are already included in the non-bracketed figures. Thus, in 1994, there were 10 deaths of which 2 had a mention of alcohol.

  Dr. Cable
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how may people have died in the United Kingdom in each of the last 20 years for which figures are available from(a) tobacco-related illness, (b) alcohol-related illness, (c) road traffic accidents and (d) vitamin B6 overdoses; and if he will make a statement. [23512]

  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 Dr. Vincent Cable, dated 21 January 1998:
  The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me, as Director of the Office for National Statistics, to reply to your question concerning the numbers of people in the United Kingdom who have died in the last 20 years from (a) tobacco related illness, (b) alcohol related illness, (c) road traffic accidents and (d) vitamin B6 overdoses.

  The information requested is shown in the following table.

  Deaths in the United Kingdom 1977–1996

  Year

  Tobacco related1

  Alcohol realted

  Road traffic accidents

  Vitamin B6 overdoses

  1977

  n/a

  2,718

  6,976

  n/a

  1978

  n/a

  2,903

  7,856

  n/a

  1979

  n/a

  3,259

  7,024

  n/a

  1980

  n/a

  3,297

  6,861

  n/a

  (a) Distribution of households for each income quartile of individuals in Great Britain, split by region

  Standard region

  Bottom quartile

  Second quartile

  Third quartile

  Top quartile (percentages)

  Total households (=100 per cent.) (millions)

  Before housing costs

  North (including Cumbria)

  30

  29

  24

  16

  1.4

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  29

  27

  24

  21

  2.0

  North West

  28

  26

  25

  21

  2.5

  East Midlands

  27

  26

  25

  22

  1.7

  West Midlands

  27

  26

  24

  23

  2.1

  East Anglia

  23

  25

  25

  27

  0.9

  Greater London

  22

  24

  20

  34

  3.0

  South East—excluding London

  19

  22

  24

  35

  4.4

  South West

  25

  27

  23

  24

  2.0

  England

  25

  25

  24

  27

  20.0

  Wales

  31

  28

  22

  18

  1.3

  Scotland

  29

  24

  24

  22

  2.0

  Great Britain

  25

  25

  24

  26

  23.4

  530

  Deaths in the United Kingdom 1977–1996

  Year

  Tobacco related1

  Alcohol related

  Road traffic accidents

  Vitamin B6 overdoses

  1981

  n/a

  3,275

  5,053

  n/a

  1982

  n/a

  3,195

  6,266

  n/a

  1983

  n/a

  3,175

  5,979

  n/a

  1984

  n/a

  3,349

  5,883

  n/a

  1985

  n/a

  3,662

  5,698

  n/a

  1986

  n/a

  3,643

  5,681

  n/a

  1987

  n/a

  3,833

  5,615

  n/a

  1988

  110,000

  4,028

  5,324

  n/a

  1989

  n/a

  4,265

  5,601

  n/a

  1990

  n/a

  4,405

  5,705

  n/a

  1991

  n/a

  4,402

  5,168

  n/a

  1992

  n/a

  4,277

  4,729

  n/a

  1993

  n/a

  4,316

  3,974

  0

  1994

  n/a

  4,742

  3,794

  0

  1995

  120,000

  5,220

  3,668

  0

  1996

  n/a

  5,663

  3,675

  0

  n/a = data not available.

  1 Health Education Authority estimates supplied by the Department of Health.

  Taxpayers
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the distribution of(a) households and (b) taxpayers in each quartile of income in the United Kingdom and in each of the regions and nations of the United Kingdom. [22978]

  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 21 January 1998:
  The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me to reply, as Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), to your recent question asking for the distribution of (a) households and (b) taxpayers in each quartile of income in the United Kingdom and in each of the regions and nations of the United Kingdom.
  The figures requested are in the attached tables. Owing to the nature of the question, it has been necessary to use two different data sets to produce the answer. This means that the figures for the two parts of the answer are compiled on different bases and are not strictly comparable.
  531

  (a) Distribution of households for each income quartile of individuals in Great Britain, split by region

  Standard region

  Bottom quartile

  Second quartile

  Third quartile

  Top quartile (percentages)

  Total households (=100 percnt.)(millions)

  After housing costs

  North (including Cumbria)

  30

  27

  25

  18

  1.4

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  27

  27

  24

  23

  2.0

  North West

  28

  26

  25

  22

  2.5

  East Midlands

  24

  26

  25

  24

  1.7

  West Midlands

  25

  26

  25

  24

  2.1

  East Anglia

  24

  24

  25

  28

  0.9

  Greater London

  31

  19

  17

  33

  3.0

  South East—excluding London

  21

  20

  24

  34

  4.4

  South West

  27

  26

  23

  24

  2.0

  England

  26

  24

  23

  27

  20.0

  Wales

  29

  26

  26

  19

  1.3

  Scotland

  27

  26

  24

  23

  2.0

  Great Britain

  26

  24

  24

  26

  23.4

  Notes:

  1. The data come from the Department of Social Security's Households Below Average Income (HBAI) Series, based on the Family Resources Survey (FRS) for the 1995–96 financial year and covering Great Britain. Data from the FRS were used to answer this question because it has a considerably larger sample size than the alternative data source, the Family Expenditure Survey (FES), enabling statistically more precise results to be obtained. The FRS covers only Great Britain, so no estimates are available for Northern Ireland.

  2. The income measure used is weekly net (disposable) equivalised household income. The definition of income used follows that in the HBAI series for FRS based results; figures are given both before and after housing costs in line with usual HBAI practice.

  3. It should be noted that the HBAI series does not take regional price differences into account.

  4. Each quartile of the income distribution contains exactly 25 per cent, of all individuals in Great Britain. Due to different household sizes, each quartile group does not necessarily contain 25 per cent. of all households.

  Source:

  Households Below Average Income (HBAI)

  (b) Distribution of taxpayers for each income quartile of households in the United Kingdom

  Bottom quartile

  Second quartile

  Third quartile

  Top quartile (percentages)

  Total taxpayers

  United Kingdom

  9

  21

  33

  37

  100

  Notes:

  1. In this part of the answer, each quartile group contains 25 per cent. of the households. The figures show the proportion of all taxpayers in the households in each of the quartile groups.

  2. The data come from the Office for National Statistics' Effects of Taxes and Benefits on Household Income series, based on the Family Expenditure Survey for the 1995–96 financial year and covering the United Kingdom.

  3. Data from the FES were used to answer this part of the question as the information about taxpayers was not available on the FRS database. Accurate estimates of the distribution of taxpayers by quartile for the regions and countries of the United Kingdom could not be obtained from the FES because of its small sample size.

  4. The income measure used to rank the households is equivalised disposable household income. For a complete definition, see Economic Trends, Number 520, March 1997.

  Source:

  Family Expenditure Survey.

  Employment (Northumberland)
  Mr. Ronnie Campbell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many males aged 50 to 65 years were in full-time employment in Northumberland in each of the last three years; and what percentage this was in each year of all males in that age group in that area. [24034]

  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. Ronnie Campbell, dated 21 January 1998:
  The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me to reply, as Director of the Office for National Statistics, to your recent question on men aged 50–65 working full time in Northumberland.
  The figures are shown in the table below. Please note that the analysis is based on men aged 50–64. Sixty five year olds have been excluded because they are above the minimum state retirement age for men
  532
  Please note that estimates from the Labour Force Survey, as in the case of any sample survey, are subject to sampling variability

  Men aged 50–64 living in Northumberland working full-time1 as an employee or in self-employment

  Spring to winter of each year

  Working full-time (000s)

  Working full-time as percentage of all aged 50–64

  1994

  11

  46

  1995

  13

  51

  19962

  14

  57

  Notes:

  1Full-time is based on the respondent's self assessment.

  2Provisional.

  Source:

  ONS, Labour Force Survey.

  Women Earners
  Mrs. Ballard
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of women of child-bearing age in the United Kingdom who earn more than(a) £100,000 and (b) £1 million annually. [23792]

  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 Mrs. Jackie Ballard, dated 21 January 1998:
  The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me to reply, as the Director of the Office for National Statistics, to your recent question on number of child-bearing age women by annual earnings.
  For the purposes of this response, I have taken child-bearing age as 15–44 years. The number of women in this range earning more than £100,000 per annum is too small to allow a precise estimate from statistical sources. The New Earnings Survey for April 1997 collects information on female employees and these data suggest that the number is unlikely to exceed 1500, and is likely to be much less. I cannot be more precise. Also, I cannot provide an estimate for the self-employed, nor for earnings in excess of £1 million per annum.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Overseas Visits
  Mr. Wilshire
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list all overseas visits made since 1 May 1997 on which he or any other Minister in his Department has been accompanied under Rule 83 of the Ministerial Code, indicating(a) who accompanied him or her, (b) the cost to public funds of each such visit. [23256]

  Mr. Robin Cook
  [holding answer 15 January 1998]: The rules and practice on foreign travel by Ministers have not changed and are the same as those followed under the previous Administration.

  I was accompanied to Hong Kong for the handover from 27 June to 1 July by my wife at a cost to public funds of £2,901.

  I was accompanied to Dublin on 3 November by my partner, Ms Gaynor Regan. There was no cost to public funds.

  My hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, North (Mr. Henderson) was accompanied by his partner, Miss Geraldine Daly, to Luxembourg from 25–26 October at a cost to public funds of £571.24.

  My hon. Friend the Member for Leeds, Central (Mr. Fatchett) was accompanied by Mrs. Fatchett to Australasia and the Pacific from 12–22 September at a cost to public funds of £7,558.

  Mr. Wilshire
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list each overseas journey he has made at public expense since 1 May 1997 and indicate the date, purpose and cost of each journey. [24133]

  Mr. Robin Cook
  For details of my overseas visits undertaken during the period 1 May to 10 November 1997, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the 534
  hon. Member for Gordon (Mr. Bruce) on 11 November 1997, Official Report, column 502–04. My visits overseas since then are listed in the following table:

  Date

  Venue

  Purpose of visit

  Total cost(£)

  November

  19–20

  Geneva

  P4 Meeting on Iraq

  35,140.15

  20–21

  Luxembourg

  Extraordinary European Council Meeting on Employment

  24

  Brussels

  General Affairs Council

  6,216.00

  25–28

  Budapest

  Bilateral

  45,694.00

  Prague

  Warsaw

  December

  7–8

  Brussels

  General Affairs Council

  2,019.93

  8–10

  Bonn

  Peace Implementation Conference

  8,613.20

  11–13

  Luxembourg

  European Council

  30,000.00

  16–17

  Brussels

  NAC Ministerial and Related Meetings

  11,895.09

  January

  14

  Strasbourg

  European Parliament

  9,478.09

  15–17

  Washington

  Bilateral and EU

  150,000.00

  Ottawa

  Presidency

  18–21

  Hong Kong

  Bilateral

  1100,000.00

  China

  1 Estimate only.

  Schengen Agreement
  Mr. Bercow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he was informed that procedures for joining the Schengen Agreement under the Treaty of Amsterdam would be subject to unanimity. [24054]

  Mr. Doug Henderson
  We learnt of the change to the text when we received the revised Treaty text (CONF 4001/ 97) on 19 June.

  Mr. Bercow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the conclusions of the investigations by the presidency of the European Council on the circumstances surrounding the negotiations at Amsterdam, pertaining to voting procedures used in the admission of states to the Schengen area. [24052]

  Mr. Doug Henderson
  The Presidency's view was that the treaty text (CONF 4001/ 97) was an accurate reflection of discussions at the Amsterdam Summit. This text was deposited in the Libraries of the House at the time of receipt.

  Mr. Bercow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the negotiations at Amsterdam, pertaining to the voting procedures used in the admission of states to the Schengen area, have been raised(a) at the Council of Ministers and (b) bilaterally; and by whom. [24055]

  Mr. Doug Henderson
  This issue was raised at all levels on a number of occasions following the Amsterdam Summit, including in several bilateral exchanges with other Member States, in particular the Presidency.

  BBC World Service
  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received in favour of the placing of BBC World Service programmes on the Internet. [24051]

  Mr. Fatchett
  Some World Service output is already available on the Internet. In collaboration with BBC News, the World Service has launched an online news service in English, and is developing other online news services in Arabic, Mandarin, Russian and Spanish. In addition, World Service programmes can now be heard live in English, Spanish and German as a result of various rebroadcasting agreements.

  Algeria
  Mr. David Atkinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his Minister's recent visit to Algeria on behalf of the European Union; and what new initiatives he proposes. [24477]

  Mr. Fatchett
  The European Union (EU) Troika visited Algeria on 19 and 20 January in order to open up the current political dialogue between the EU and the Algerian Government; to provide a public demonstration of the European people's sympathy for the suffering of their neighbours in Algeria; to emphasise the EU's condemnation of terrorism and to improve our understanding of the situation in Algeria. The mission made progress in achieving those objectives.

  Foreign Minister Attaf agreed in principle to accept my invitation to visit the UK during our Presidency to continue the dialogue. The Troika urged the Algerian Government to be open about the situation in Algeria, and in particular to allow an early visit from the UN Special Rapporteurs. It was disappointing that the Algerian Government have so far been unable to agree to the latter. We agreed with the Algerian Government to increase the number of parliamentary exchanges. The EU' s offer of humanitarian assistance to the Algerian people was not taken up but remains on the table. I will also be reporting to the General Affairs Council who will consider further how the EU might help Algeria.

  Ann Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Algerian government to accept initiatives of the international community to end human rights abuses in Algeria. [24442]

  Mr. Fatchett
  My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary urged Mr. Attaf, the Algerian Foreign Minister, to accept a visit by UN Special Rapporteurs when they spoke on the telephone on 16 January. During the EU Troika mission to Algiers on 20 January, I reinforced that message with Mr. Attaf and Prime Minister Ouyahia.

  Ann Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what advice his Department is giving to the Home Office about the human rights situation in Algeria in relation to people seeking asylum from that country. [24444]

  Mr. Fatchett
  The Home Office is familiar with the human rights situation in Algeria and seeks FCO advice in relation to specific circumstances that affect asylum 536
  applications. That advice covers the internal security situation in particular areas and any threat to particular sectors of society.

  IT Equipment
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his Department's policy regarding the recycling of information technology equipment within his Department and relevant agencies and to other Government departments or agencies; and what arrangements have been made in this respect. [23278]

  Mr. Fatchett
  This Department and its one agency aim to recycle as much material as is cost justified. Classified elements of surplus information technology equipment which cannot be redeployed within the Department are destroyed. Unclassified elements are sold either in working condition or for scrap.

  Antarctica
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Governments of(a) South Africa, (b) Spain and (c) Panama concerning illegal fishing around Antarctica; and if he will make a statement. [24131]

  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  The question of illegal fishing was discussed extensively at the annual meeting in November 1997 of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), of which both South Africa and Spain are Members. Through the Chairman of the Commission, and on a bilateral level, approaches have been made to the authorities in Panama.

  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made on the siting of the Antarctic Secretariat. [24132]

  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  Antarctic Treaty Parties have made no further progress since the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting in New Zealand in May last year when issues relating to the Secretariat were discussed.

  Official London Residence
  Mr. Wilshire
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who has stayed in his official London residence since 1 May 1997. [24135]

  Mr. Robin Cook
  The public rooms at 1 Carlton Gardens are used for a variety of official business. I have a private flat at the top of the building in which no official guests have stayed since 2 May.

  Mr. Wilshire
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what improvement works are planned for his official London residence; and what is the estimated cost of each item. [24136]

  Mr. Robin Cook
  The exterior paintwork of 1 Carlton Gardens was refurbished over the summer at a cost of £45,000. The decision to undertake this work was made in early 1997 under the previous Government.

  The FCO are obliged under the terms of the lease from the Crown Estate to maintain the building according to a set timetable and strict standards and to comply with statutory requirements in respect of its Grade I listing status.
  537
  The budget inherited from the previous Government included provision for £70,000 for internal redecoration. None of this has been spent and there are no current plans for internal redecoration.

  Preliminary work is currently in hand to bring the ventilation of the gas fires in the building into line with recent statutory safety legislation. Costs are not yet available for this work. There are no other plans for improvement works.

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

  Lottery Awards
  Mr. Leslie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of all the Lottery Capital Scheme awards value has been granted to(a) the London region and (b) the Yorkshire and Humber region. [23378]

  Mr. Banks
  To date £3.18 billion has been awarded to Lottery capital projects. Of these, awards to the London region account for 17 per cent. (£543.8 million). Capital awards to the Yorkshire and Humber region (£214.7 million) account for 6.7 per cent. of the total.

  Information on successful Lottery applicants can be found on the Department's website www.lottery.culture.gov.uk.

  Rugby League
  Mr. Hoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what is his assessment of the effect on amateur and junior rugby league of the recent changes to the management of the Super League. [23499]

  Mr. Banks
  The structure and management of rugby league is a matter for the rugby league authorities. The English Sports Council are working closely with the rugby league authorities, through a Joint Policy Board, which has overseen the establishment of a Youth Commission to develop and promote opportunities for young people to play the game at all levels.

  Mr. Hoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of participation levels in rugby league at all levels of the sport. [23500]

  Mr. Banks
  According to the governing bodies for rugby league, there are around 1,000 professional rugby league players at 34 professional clubs, and approximately 35,000 amateur rugby league players at 400 amateur clubs in this country. The Government, through the English Sports Council, actively encourage all governing bodies of sport to have programmes in place which promote our policy of "sport for all" and increase participation levels in all sports, from grass roots through to elite competitors.

  Mr. Hoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the current state of rugby league in the light of the recent changes to the senior management of the Super League; and if he will make a statement. [23498]

  Mr. Banks
  The structure and management of rugby league is primarily a matter for the rugby league authorities, who establish and implement rules and 538
  regulations which they consider to be in the best interests of the game as a whole. I am certain my hon. Friend will make his views known and I am always ready to listen to them.

  Mr. Hoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the financial and participative future of First and Second division rugby league clubs. [23501]

  Mr. Banks
  I have not yet made an assessment and believe it is primarily a matter for the rugby league authorities although I would be interested in discussing the matter at an appropriate All Party Group meeting.

  Digital Television
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the number and location of sites in Wales that will provide digital television services; and if he will indicate how many television viewers in Wales will not be covered by digital service transmitters. [23825]

  Mr. Fisher
  The BBC and the Independent Television Commission's plans for the launch of digital terrestrial television services are based on 81 transmission sites in the UK. In Wales, the following sites are included in the launch plan: Wenvoe, Blaen Plwyf, Llanddona, Moel y Parc, Aberdate, Kilvey Hill, and Pontypool. It is not possible to provide a precise number of television viewers in Wales who will not be able to receive an adequate digital service from these transmitters until the transmissions begin. However, the ITC estimates that approximately 766,000 people in Wales (26 per cent. of the total population of Wales) may be unserved from the 81 site plan.

  Following the completion of the launch phase of digital terrestrial television, the BBC and ITC, in consultation with my Department, will determine how best to extend digital television services to those remaining unserved, whether by additional terrestrial transmitters or by other means.

  Mr. Brady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if the Government will subsidise the provision of set-top boxes to allow(a) the elderly and (b) the disabled to continue receiving television signals after the cessation of analogue broadcasts. [23686]

  Mr. Fisher
  Digital terrestrial broadcasting has yet to begin and the Government have no plans to subsidise the provision of set top boxes. However, multiplex licences granted to British Digital Broadcasting plc by the Independent Television Commission contain conditions relating to the promotion of the acquisition of digital receivers and this may include direct subsidy. Analogue terrestrial transmissions will not be discontinued until the spread of digital receivers throughout the population is as universal as that of analogue terrestrial services now.

  Television Broadcasting
  Mrs. Ballard
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with satellite television broadcasters on the inclusion of terrestrial television channels in their services. [23941]
  539
  Mr. Fisher
  Government have no authority to determine which services are carried by satellite broadcasters. It is for the broadcasters, including those currently broadcasting their signals terrestrially, to discuss carriage of their services direct with satellite operators. I understand, however, that the BBC and Channel 5 intend that their terrestrial services should be available on digital satellite once transmissions begin.

  "Integrity in Football"
  Mr. Caplin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if the findings of Sir John Smith's report "Integrity in Football" will be acted upon by the Government's Football Taskforce. [24062]

  Mr. Banks
  The issues raised in Sir John Smith's report do not fall within the Taskforce's remit. Rather, they are matters for the Football Association to consider in the first instance. I have written to the FA's Chairman, Mr. Keith Wiseman, welcoming Sir John's report, and encouraging the FA to respond as early as possible.

  IT Equipment
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what is his Department's policy regarding the recycling of information technology equipment within his Department and relevant agencies and to other Government departments or agencies; and what arrangements have been made in this respect. [23282]

  Mr. Tom Clarke
  DCMS and its agencies all operate a policy of reusing IT equipment where this is practicable. Equipment which cannot be reused internally is sold for reuse or recycling or passed to organisations which can dispose of unusable products such as old toner cartridges.

  DCMS has an arrangement with its IT contractors to undertake the disposal of IT equipment. Its two agencies, the Historic Royal Palaces Agency and the Royal Parks Agency both have, at present, informal arrangements for disposal of their equipment through various organisations. It is expected that these will be formalised in the coming year.

  Accommodation Register
  Mr. McNulty
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has to introduce a statutory register of accommodation; and if he will make a statement. [24944]

  Mr. Chris Smith
  The new, harmonised accommodation rating schemes, which are being introduced in 1998 for full implementation by 2000 by the English Tourist Board, the Automobile Association and the Royal Automobile Club, represent a big step forward.

  We intend to assess the impact of these voluntary measures before deciding whether statutory registration is also needed. We shall do so on the basis of consultation with the Tourism Forum. The strategy for tourism, which I am currently developing in consultation with the Forum, will specifically consider how to raise and maintain quality in all aspects of tourism, including accommodation.

  Welsh Language Television
  Mr. St. Aubyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what is his estimate of the cost to his Department of providing Welsh language television in the latest year for which figures are available. [21988]

  Mr. Fisher
  The Welsh Fourth Channel Authority (S4C), is funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The grant is paid on a calendar year basis and, for 1998, it is £74.895 million. The level of the grant is determined by a statutory formula set out in the Broadcasting Act 1996.

ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS

  Power Stations Emissions
  Dr. Tony Wright
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what were(a) the total annual emissions in kilotonnes and (b) the emissions per unit of electricity generated, in g/kWh, of (i) carbon dioxide, (ii) sulphur dioxide, (iii) oxides of nitrogen, (iv) hydrogen chloride, (v) dust and (vi) other substances, for the last 10 years from each of the coal or gas-fired power stations in the United Kingdom. [22860]

  Angela Eagle
  I have placed the tables which provide the data requested insofar as they are available in the Library of the House. The data have been obtained primarily from records held by the Environment Agency in England and Wales, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the Northern Ireland Department of the Environment. Where there are gaps in the data from Agency sources, they have been filled in a number of ways.

  Data have also been obtained from reports published by the power generators, and from correspondence between those companies and the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory. In some cases emissions have been estimated by combining reported or derived fuel use estimates and aggregate emission factors. Where carbon dioxide emissions were not recorded they have been estimated using the relationship with the emissions of oxides of nitrogen.

  There are still many gaps in the tables. For the most part, this is because many power stations have closed down during the last ten years while others have opened only relatively recently. In other cases, such as for many of the pollutants in 1988, no data were recorded and no estimates can be made. Finally, emissions for some pollutants from stations fuelled by certain fuels are not considered significant and are not included in the tables, e.g. data are recorded for hydrogen chloride from coal fired stations only.

  Particulate matter emissions have been reported in place of those requested for "dust", as the former is what is actually measured. Gas fired power stations do not emit significant quantities of particulate matter and therefore do not figure in the tables for this pollutant.
  541
  No other pollutant data are regularly collected for each power station, and therefore no tables have been provided for "other substances".

  Air Traffic Control
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list for each month for the last 12 months the dates and times that the air traffic control centre at West Drayton failed, together with the length of the system failure, the estimated number of aircraft involved and the reason for the failure. [23197]

  Ms Glenda Jackson
  National Air Traffic Services Ltd., who are responsible for operations at the London Area and Terminal Control Centre (LATCC) at West Drayton, inform me that there were no system failures within the last 12 months.

  There were, however, two engineering related occurrences which resulted in short term capacity reductions. Neither incident resulted in a degradation of safety levels.

  On 5 August 1997 two sectors at LATCC had to be temporarily combined following reports of an electrical problem on one of the consoles. The duration of the incident

  Heathrow

  1997

  Take-offs

  Landings

  Total

  Number delayed

  Percentage delayed

  Total

  Number delayed

  Percentage delayed

  January

  18,085

  1,522

  8.4

  18,095

  2,671

  14.8

  February

  16,680

  1,195

  7.2

  16,679

  3,557

  21.3

  March

  18,333

  1,904

  10.4

  18,328

  3,394

  18.5

  April

  18,148

  2,293

  12.6

  18,151

  4,098

  22.6

  May

  18,845

  3,657

  19.4

  18,806

  4,923

  26.2

  June

  18,589

  4,311

  23.2

  18,597

  5,598

  30.1

  July

  18,389

  3,806

  20.7

  18,403

  4,179

  22.7

  August

  18,243

  3,326

  18.2

  19,223

  3,975

  20.7

  September

  18,750

  3,390

  18.1

  18,748

  3,891

  20.8

  October

  19,171

  3,301

  17.2

  19,151

  4,640

  24.2

  November

  17,932

  2,159

  12.0

  17,968

  2,494

  13.9

  December

  17,706

  1,656

  9.4

  17,687

  2,125

  12.0

  Total

  218,871

  32,520

  14.9

  219,836

  45,545

  20.7

  Gatwick

  1997

  Take-offs

  Landings

  Total

  Number delayed

  Percentage delayed

  Total

  Number delayed

  Percentage delayed

  January

  8,370

  225

  2.7

  8,329

  878

  10.5

  February

  7,810

  249

  3.2

  7,775

  592

  7.6

  March

  9,132

  287

  3.1

  9,138

  929

  10.2

  April

  9,351

  278

  3.0

  9,347

  921

  9.9

  May

  10,756

  926

  8.6

  10,751

  1,335

  12.4

  June

  10,723

  1,061

  9.9

  10,693

  1,534

  14.3

  July

  11,378

  968

  8.5

  11,338

  1,321

  11.7

  August

  11,688

  879

  7.5

  11,687

  1,271

  10.9

  September

  11,159

  794

  7.1

  11,167

  1,164

  10.4

  October

  10,798

  602

  5.6

  10,791

  1,183

  11.0

  November

  8,946

  470

  5.3

  8,957

  619

  6.9

  December

  9,091

  358

  3.9

  9,080

  405

  4.5

  Total

  119.202

  7,097

  5.9

  119,053

  12,152

  10.2

  542
  was 148 minutes and no flights were delayed by more than 30 minutes. On 2 September a software problem caused a partial system failure lasting 68 minutes—24 flights were held up for over an hour, and 107 flights for between 30 and 59 minutes. Statistics for flights delayed by less than 30 minutes are not kept for performance review purposes because such delays could be attributable to a range of factors, not just air traffic control problems.

  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list for each month for the last 12 months the number of aircraft delayed in(a) taking off and (b) landing as a result of air traffic control delays at (i) Heathrow Airport and (ii) Gatwick Airport. [23198]

  Ms Glenda Jackson
  National Air Traffic Services Ltd., who are responsible for Air Traffic Control operations at Heathrow and Gatwick, have provided the following statistics relating to the total number of flights, and the number and percentage experiencing delays on take-off and landing at the two airports for each of the past twelve months. It should be noted that these statistics relate to flight delays on departure and arrival for whatever reason (e.g. weather, runway capacity, late passengers, as well as Air Traffic Control). A breakdown to show delays exclusively attributable to Air Traffic Control could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Air Misses
  Mr. Brake
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many air misses took place in the United Kingdom in each of the last 10 years; and how many fatalities resulted from air traffic control errors in the last 10 years in the United Kingdom. [23580]

  Ms Glenda Jackson
  The Civil Aviation Authority, who are responsible for air space management in the United Kingdom, have supplied figures for Risk-Bearing Airprox incidents which are given in the table below. There were no fatalities resulting from air traffic control errors in the last 10 years in the United Kingdom.

  Year

  Risk-Bearing Airprox(P)

  Risk-Bearing Airprox(C)

  1987

  65

  —

  1988

  81

  —

  1989

  71

  —

  1990

  69

  —

  1991

  61

  25

  1992

  49

  24

  1993

  69

  21

  1994

  64

  20

  1995

  48

  30

  1996

  59

  —

  1. A Risk-Bearing Airprox incident is one categorised as A (real risk of collision), B (possible risk of collision) or C (slight risk of collision).

  2. 1997 figures have not yet been verified as to whether they are Risk-Bearing.

  3. Airprox (P) are incidents reported by pilots, Airprox (C) are incidents reported by air traffic controllers.

  4. Airprox (C) data have been collected only since 1991.

  Car Driving Test Failures
  Dr. Cable
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what was the percentage of failures in car driving tests in(a) 1996 and (b) 1997; and in what proportion a reason for failure was that driving was too slow. [23508]

  Ms Glenda Jackson
  The percentage of failures in car driving tests in 1996 was 56 per cent. Figures for 1997 are available only from the period January to June because of problems with the computer system collating test data at the Driving Standards Agency. During that period the failure rate was 53 per cent. The Agency hopes to have rectified the problems relating to the IT systems in the near future.

  Statistics showing what proportion of failures was caused by driving too slow are not currently available. The Agency is developing management information systems that will allow comprehensive analyses to be undertaken of faults committed by candidates. It is hoped that this facility will be operational from early next month.

  Rail Services (Penalty Fares)
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) if he will list for each of the train operating companies serving Greater London(a) the number of penalty fares issued and (b) the income generated by penalty fares since the companies began operating; [23656]
  544
  (2) if he will list for each of the train operating companies serving Greater London the number of appeals against penalty fares and the proportion of these that were successful for each year since the companies began operating. [23657]

  Ms Glenda Jackson
  This information is not held centrally. Information supplied by or on behalf of Train Operating Companies is set out in the table. This shows the number of penalty fares issued by the Train Operating Companies serving greater London, the number of appeals received and the proportion of these that were successful.

  Company

  Penalty fares issued 1996–97

  Appeals received

  Total appeals successful per cent.

  LTS Rail

  9,330

  745

  57

  Great Eastern Railway

  43,717

  5,083

  53

  Connex South Central

  42,789

  2.317

  59

  Connex South Eastern

  100,031

  11,203

  63

  Silverlink Train Services1

  10,031

  1,113

  61

  South West Trains

  49,227

  4,160

  47

  Thameslink

  20,855

  1,007

  81

  Thames Trains

  23,979

  1,967

  65

  Chiltern Railway

  4,475

  344

  62

  West Anglia and Great Northern

  50,000

  2,660

  20

  1 Denotes a company which no longer applies penalty fares.

  Figures for income generated by penalty fares since the companies have been operating are unavailable. The primary purpose of penalty fares is not to generate income but to address the problem of ticketless travel. I understand that in 1990 the ticketless travel rate was four per cent. The implementation of penalty fares has, for most companies, driven down ticketless travel to 1.5 per cent. or less.

  Roadside Trees
  Mr. Hanson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to review circular 52/75 regarding inspection of trees. [23297

  Ms Glenda Jackson
  Circular Roads 52/75 will be withdrawn upon the issue of new and revised advice in the Trunk Road Maintenance Manual. These revisions are planned for publication later this year.

  The manual is provided to the managing agents for the trunk road network in England under the direction of the Highways Agency. The requirements for the inspection of trees are set out in volume 2, part 1, chapter 11 and are broadly similar to the advice given in the Circular 52/75.

  Mr. Hanson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many people have(a) died and (b) been injured as a result of falling roadside trees in each of the last five years. [23296]

  Ms Glenda Jackson
  The Statistical Branch of DETR produces a number of annual publications which incorporate a wide variety of accident data, but because of the inevitable limit on the number of categorisations of accidents, no separate statistics are maintained on injury accidents resulting from falling trees. There are no
  545
  immediate plans to identify this data but this will be reconsidered when an overall review is undertaken within the next five years.

  Insulin-dependent Drivers
  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on those very exceptional circumstances referred to in Point 10, Annexe III, of EC Directive 91/439/EEC wherein insulin-dependent drivers might be granted licences to drive minibuses and transit vans. [23355]

  Ms Glenda Jackson
  The relevant provision in the Directive, relating to the driving of vehicles in group 2 (lorries over 3.5 tonnes and vehicles with more than eight passenger seats), says that"only in very exceptional cases may driving licences be issued to or renewed for applicants or drivers in this group suffering from diabetes mellitus and requiring insulin treatment, and then only where duly justified by authorised medical opinion and subject to regular medical check-ups."

  The advice of the Secretary of State's Honorary Advisory Panel on Diabetes and Driving is that there are, in their judgment, no exceptional cases which medical opinion would recognise as being lower risk than others. The Panel have recently confirmed their considered view that granting licences to drive Group 2 vehicles to those who are insulin-treated is not in the interests of road safety.

  Hedgerows
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what discussions he has had, and with which bodies, on the protection of hedgerows in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement. [23288]

  Angela Eagle
  The official group set up to review the Hedgerows Regulations 1997 comprises representatives from a wide range of interests, including statutory agencies, local authorities and the main farming and conservation bodies.

  The protection of hedgerows in England and Wales is raised from time to time in Ministerial discussions with these and other interested groups.

  I will write to my hon. Friend with a full list of the review group's membership.

  Office of Water Services
  Mr. Blizzard
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the water regulator; [23696]

  (2) if he will take steps to strengthen the regulatory powers of OFWAT. [23698]

  Mr. Meacher
  My overall assessment of OFWAT is that they do a good job within the existing framework of regulation. The Government are currently undertaking a review of the regulation of the utility industries with the objective of setting a long-term stable framework for utility regulation which is seen as fair by all the interest groups involved, particularly by consumers. Among other issues, the review has been considering whether any 546
  legislative changes are required to meet this objective. Our proposals will be published in a Green Paper in due course.

  MV Gaul
  Mr. Alan Johnson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 16 December 1997,Official Report, columns 151–52, concerning the 13 reports received on the possible location of the wreck of the Gaul, what were the dates of each report; and if he will publish the reports in full. [23947]

  Ms Glenda Jackson
  Dates are recorded on existing files only for the following reports of the possible location of the Gaul:

  Poseidon: 21 May 1974

  HMS Rhyl: 22 May 1974

  Lord Nelson: 31 May 1974

  Rairo: 15 November 1975

  Marbella: 2 March 1977

  Ella Hewitt: 19 September 1997.

  The other reports of location are undated, being referred to only in official correspondence and file notes. The references to reported locations are not in a form suitable for publication.

  But if my hon. Friend would like to contact the Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents he will be happy to make arrangements for my hon. Friend to have access to the relevant files at his offices in Southampton.

  Coach Seat Belts
  Mr. David Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what grants are available to enable coach operators to fit seat belts in coaches used in transporting children to and from school; and if he will make a statement. [23995]

  Ms Glenda Jackson
  There are no grants available to coach operators to cover the coasts of fitting seat belts in their vehicles. Operators can, of course, take these costs into account, along with other overheads, when tendering for transport contracts. The additional costs to local authorities of implementing the new requirements on safety of school transport has been taken into account when determining the Education Standard Spending Assessment (SSA) in local government finance settlements since 1995–96.

  Footpath (Barrow upon Soar)
  Mr. Reed
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what representations he has received about footpath I18 in Barrow upon Soar, Leicestershire; and if he will make a statement. [23830]

  Angela Eagle
  Ten representations have been received about Leicestershire County Council's temporary closure of footpath I18. I understand that the closure is necessary because a retaining wall next to the footpath is in a dangerous condition but that there is a legal dispute between the County Council, Railtrack and private residents about who is responsible for the works. I also understand that the County Council is considering taking
  547
  legal proceedings to require the works to be carried out and in the meantime is considering interim engineering proposals that may enable the footpath to be reopened pending those works.

  New Motorway Construction Costs
  Sir Sydney Chapman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is the present average cost of constructing one mile of new motorway; and what are the figures in cash terms for(a) 1988, (b) 1978 and (c) 1968. [24226]

  Ms Glenda Jackson
  The average cost of constructing one mile of new, dual three lane motorway is £17.1 million. The figures in cash terms for 1988, 1978, and 1968 are £11.8 million, £6.1 million and £1.7 million respectively.

  Commission for Local Administration
  Mr. Stringer
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the performance of the Commission for Local Administration. [24242]

  Ms Armstrong
  [holding answer 20 January 1998]: A fundamental review of the Commission for Local Administration in England concluded in 1996 that the Commission was cost-effective in its determination of complaints. A number of the review's recommendations required legislation and we shall be considering how to take these forward. In determining individual complaints, the Commissioners, appointed by Her Majesty on the recommendation of the Secretary of State, are wholly independent of central and local government.

  IT Equipment
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his Department's policy regarding the recycling of information technology equipment within his Department and relevant agencies and to other Government departments or agencies; and what arrangements have been made in this respect. [23243]

  Angela Eagle
  The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions follows internal procedures for the redeployment of information technology equipment within the Department and the Agencies. Surplus equipment is disposed of in accordance with Treasury Guidelines.

  Millennium Compliance
  Mr. Brake
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the Year 2000 compliance of the CAA's computer systems. [24786]

  Ms Glenda Jackson
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Crewe and Nantwich (Mrs. Dunwoody) on 19 June 1997,Official Report, column 277, and to the reply the Minister for Roads gave to the noble Lord Gainford on 10 December 1997, Official Report, House of Lords, columns 30–31.

  Aviation Movements
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what was the total number of civil aviation movements over the last five years in United Kingdom controlled airspace. [24484]

  Ms Glenda Jackson
  National Air Traffic Services Ltd. (NATS) have provided us with the following figures for the total number of aircraft movements handled at each of their Area Control Centres for each of the last five years:

  Aircraft movements handled by NATS Units (Year to 31 March)

  (000s)

  Centre

  1993

  1994

  1995

  1996

  1997

  LATCC

  1,288

  1,331

  1,411

  1,494

  1,560

  MACC

  264

  273

  361

  374

  394

  ScACC

  380

  390

  405

  404

  415

  Oceanic

  224

  231

  235

  252

  265

  Note:

  The figures are subject to a degree of double-counting where aircraft are passed from one centre to another.

  Key:

  LATCC = London Area and Terminal Control Centre

  MACC = Manchester Area Control Centre.

  ScACC = Scottish Area Control Centre.

  Source:

  NATS Annual Report and Accounts 1997.

  Civil Aviation Authority Report and Accounts 1995 and 1996.

  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the rate of change of the impact of aviation movements on airprox incidents over the last five years. [24482]

  Ms. Glenda Jackson
  The Civil Aviation Authority, who are responsible for air space management in the United Kingdom, have supplied figures expressed in terms of Commercial Air Transport Aircraft Reported in Risk-Bearing Airprox incidents per 100,000 hours flown as an illustration of the impact of aviation movements on airprox incidents. The figures, for each of the last 5 years for which figures are available, have remained relatively constant despite significant increases (over 20 per cent.) in air movements over the period and are given in the table.

  Commercial Air Transport Aircraft Reported in Risk-Bearing Airprox incidents per 100,000 hours flown

  Year

  Airprox (P)

  Airprox (C)

  1991

  0.7

  2.9

  1992

  0.4

  2.5

  1993

  0.9

  2.2

  1994

  1.5

  2.0

  1995

  1.0

  2.8

  19961

  0.7

  2.8

  1 1996 figures are provisional and cover the first nine months of the year.

  1. Airprox (C) are incidents reported by Air Traffic Controllers, and Airprox (P) are incidents reported by pilots.

  2. Risk-bearing Airprox incidents are those falling in categories A (real risk of collision), B (possible risk of collision) and C (slight risk of collision). It excludes category D (no risk of collision) incidents.

  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the number of airprox incidents in United Kingdom controlled airspace for the last five years. [24483]
  549
  Ms Glenda Jackson
  The Civil Aviation Authority, who are responsible for air space management in the United Kingdom, have supplied the following figures for the total number of airprox incidents reported in the United Kingdom for each of the past five years.

  1993: 217

  1994: 212

  1995: 208

  1996: 211

  1997: 209.

  Note: The above figures cover pilot-reported—Airprox(P)-incidents, and controller-reported—Airprox(C)—incidents and in the case of Airprox(P) incidents not just in controlled airspace (to obtain the breakdown would involve disproportionate cost). All reported incidents are given—i.e. both Risk-Bearing and Non Risk-Bearing.

  Road Safety (Variable Speed Limits)
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the value of variable speed limits in the M25 controlled motorway pilot scheme, in terms of(a) overall journey times and (b) road accidents and casualties. [24480]

  Ms Glenda Jackson
  The value of variable speed limits in the M25 controlled motorway pilot schemes is being monitored by the Transport Research Laboratory. The results from their first year assessment, the report for which was released in February 1997, indicate that:(a) during the first 12 months of operation of the pilot, the scheme had accommodated traffic increases in weekdays of 1.3 per cent. during the morning peak period on the clockwise carriageway, and of 3.7 per cent. during the afternoon peak period in the anticlockwise carriageway, without measurable increase in journey times. However, the natural variability of traffic behaviour had masked any overall reduction in journey times; and
  (b) police records up to August 1996 showed a 30 per cent. reduction in injury incidents and a 25 per cent. reduction in damage only accidents compared to the previous year.

  The results from the second year of operation are expected to be available in about two months' time. Indications are that the pilot is continuing to provide worthwhile benefits to motorists in terms of both traffic operation and safety, while contributing to pollution reductions through smoothing traffic flow.

  Vessels (Fire Services)
  Mr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many vessels sought the assistance of fire services in(a) territorial waters and (b) international waters in each of the past five years; of those what was the proportion of (i) bulk-carriers, (ii) coastal vessels, (iii) tankers, (iv) warships, (v) fishing vessels and (vi) pleasure craft; and if he will make a statement. [23033]

  Ms Glenda Jackson
  The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, we can advise that, during the last ten years, fire fighting teams have been deployed on 61 occasions in the UK Search and Rescue Region.

  Traffic Calming (Colchester)
  Mr. Bob Russell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what sums were contributed from Government funds through(a) the Highway Authority, (b) English Heritage and (c) others towards the traffic calming measures undertaken in Colchester High Street; and what proportion of these represent the total cost of the measures. [24488]

  Ms Glenda Jackson
  We have awarded Essex County Council £1.2 million towards the Colchester local transport package in each of the last two years, with a further allocation of £600,000 in the 1998–99 local transport settlement announced in December last year. Resources allocated to packages for minor works are not targeted on specific projects. It is therefore for the County Council to determine the most appropriate use for their allocations within the package area. I understand from the County Council that in 1996–97 some £302,000 of the package allocation was spent on the High Street scheme. In addition, the County and Borough Councils provided £390,000 while English Heritage contributed £100,000. In 1997–98, £150,000 of the allocation is being spent on High Street works, with the Councils contributing £418,000. The total costs of the High Street works are estimated at £2.4 million.

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

  Administration of Justice Act
  Mr. Kidney
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when the Government plan to bring into force sections 23 to 28 of the Administration of Justice Act 1982. [22991]

  Mr. Hoon
  There are no plans to bring these sections into force. I understand that the present system for the deposit and safe-keeping of the wills of living persons operated by the Principal Registry of the Family Division under section 126 of the Supreme Court Act 1981 is effective, efficient and increasingly widely used.

  Solicitors
  Ms Perham
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to review the legislation concerning solicitors' fees; and if he will make a statement. [22987]

  Mr. Hoon
  I have no present plans to review the legislation concerning solicitors' fees. If the hon. Lady has any particular changes in mind perhaps she would care to write to me.

  Ms Perham
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will review the regulations governing the appointment by solicitors as executors for an estate of their own firm to carry out the administration. [22986]

  Mr. Hoon
  This is a matter for the Law Society. The Department has no plans to review this area.

  Mr. Jonathan Aitken
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, pursuant to his answer of 22 December 1997,Official Report, column 397, if he will take steps to recover from Jonathan Aitken the full costs of laying on the trial arising from the libel action he brought against The Guardian newspaper; and if he will make a statement. [23036]

  Mr. Hoon
  I have no powers to take steps to recover from Jonathan Aitken the full costs of laying on the trial. The appropriate court fee was paid as required under the Supreme Court Fees Order 1980 (as amended).

  Judges
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what proposals he has made to eliminate discrimination in the selection of judges. [23178]

  Mr. Hoon
  The Lord Chancellor's policy is to appoint to judicial office on merit those who appear to him to be best qualified regardless of ethnic origin, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, political affiliation, religion or (subject to the physical requirements of the office) disability.

  The Lord Chancellor recognises the value of consultations with judges and the profession but has taken steps to modernise and improve procedures. He has arranged that allegations of misconduct must be made known to the individual concerned and has made clear that sexual orientation is not a relevant consideration. He has announced his intention to invite applications for appointment to the High Court Bench, and to provide for appropriate flexibility in part-time sittings arrangements where, for example, women or men have taken career breaks for family reasons. He will increase the upper age limit for appointment as an Assistant Recorder from 50 to 53. He is looking too at longer term improvements, for example an ombudsman to examine complaints from anyone who feels unfairly treated by the appointments process. In the meantime, he will himself investigate any claim of discrimination. He will be working with the judiciary to develop more effective forms of appraisal and assessment for part-time office-holders.

  Officials are to develop a scheme whereby an individual can 'work shadow' a judge to find out what it would be like to sit judicially, and a mentoring scheme in which more senior members of the judiciary will advise and guide their more junior colleagues. The Lord Chancellor regards discrimination as wholly unacceptable and supports the joint working group on equal opportunities (on which there are officials from LCD, Bar and Law Society and groups representing women and ethnic minority lawyers) and awaits their proposals with interest.

  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what data the Lord Chancellor has collated about judges who are Freemasons; what assessment he has made of the influence of Freemasonry on the appointment of new judges; and if he will make a statement. [23177]
  552
  Mr. Hoon
  Information from the United Grand Lodge about the number (but not names) of Lords of Appeal in Ordinary, Judges of the Supreme Court and Circuit Judges on the North-Eastern and Midland and Oxford Circuits belonging to the Freemasons was supplied by the then Lord Chancellor to the Home Affairs Select Committee in February 1997 for its inquiry on Freemasonry in the Police and the Judiciary and published in the Committee's report. No other information on this subject has been collated. The Lord Chancellor has no grounds for believing that Freemasonry has had any influence on the appointment of new judges. Judicial appointments are made strictly on merit and are in no way affected by membership or non-membership of the Freemasons.

  Coroners Service
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what are the Lord Chancellor's functions in relation to the Coroner's Service. [23105]

  Mr. Hoon
  The Lord Chancellor's functions in relation to the Coroners Service are set out in sections 3, 11 and 32 of the Coroners Act 1988. Section 3(4) provides that the Lord Chancellor may, if he thinks fit, remove any coroner from office for inability or misbehaviour in the discharge of his duty. Section 11(5)(c) provides that an inquisition leading to the removal of a coroner shall be in such a form as the Lord Chancellor may by rules made by statutory instrument from time to time prescribe. Section 32(1) provides that the Lord Chancellor may, with the concurrence of the Home Secretary, make rules for regulating the practice and procedure at or in connection with inquests and post-mortem examinations. The Lord Chancellor has no function regarding the appointment of Coroners, which is a matter solely for the Home Secretary.

  Lord Chancellor's Speech
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will place in the Library a copy of the Lord Chancellor's speech of November 1997 to the Minority Lawyers' Conference; and if the speech represents Government policy. [23179]

  Mr. Hoon
  A copy of the speech will be placed in the Library. The speech represents Government policy.

  IT Equipment
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is his Department's policy regarding the recycling of information technology equipment within his Department and relevant agencies and to other Government departments or agencies; and what arrangements have been made in this respect. [23242]

  Mr. Hoon
  Information technology equipment used in Lord Chancellor's Department Headquarters and the Court Service is now owned and maintained by the private sector suppliers of IT services, procured under Private Finance Initiative contracts. It is their responsibility to recycle and dispose of their own equipment. For other organisations reporting to the Lord Chancellor, a variety of methods are used, such as the re-use of some
  553
  equipment for other purposes, public auction, disposal of very old equipment to authorised dealers and the recycling of reusable components such as printer cartridges.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Investment
  Mr. Redwood
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if the Government will amend the Scotland Bill to clarify the powers of the(a) Secretary of State for Scotland, (b) the first Minister of the Scottish Executive and (c) the DTI concerning inward investment. [22651]

  Mrs. Beckett
  [holding answer 12 January 1998]: The Bill as introduced already gives effect to the undertakings in the White Paper 'Scotland's Parliament' (Cm 3658 para 2.4) that financial assistance to industry and inward investment including the functions of Locate in Scotland would be devolved in Scotland. My Department's Invest in Britain Bureau will remain the national agency promoting the UK as a location for inward investment and will continue to work in partnership with Locate in Scotland under the Committee on Overseas Promotion. As also set out in the White Paper operation of these various powers will be subject to common UK guidelines and consultation arrangements to be set out in a published concordat.

  Official Functions
  Mr. Redwood
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the annual budget for the services provided for the President's Admiralty flat. [23688]

  Mrs. Beckett
  The Service charge payable to the Cabinet Office for Flat 1, Admiralty House for the financial year 1997–98 is £84,166.80 plus VAT of £14,729.19.

  Industrial and Manufacturing Base
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what actions she is taking to strengthen the industrial and manufacturing base in the Greater London area. [24076]

  Mr. Ian McCartney
  My Department supports a wide range of programmes and initiatives aimed at strengthening the industrial and manufacturing base of Greater London.

  Examples include the DTI Smart programme, London Manufacturing Initiative (LMI), Made in London, and the Business Link and TEC led programmes that are designed and delivered locally.

  London Art Market
  Mr. Gibb
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations she has received concerning the impact of European regulations on the London art market. [21456]

  Mr. Ian McCartney
  [holding answer 19 January 1998]: The London art market has a turnover of around £2.2 million which makes it the largest art market in the European Union, and the second largest in the world. However, although the London art market continues to prosper, there are indications of an overall decline in the
  554
  UK's share of world trade. This may, in some part, be attributable to changing market trends, which are difficult to isolate. However, I am concerned that the London art market should not lose its competitive edge, in particular as a result of new legislative burdens, and that this should be taken into account in current discussions on EU Single Market measures which impact upon the art market.

  Newspaper Industry
  Mr. Radice
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what representations she has received in respect of potential abuses of a dominant position in the United Kingdom newspaper industry; and what action she proposes to take; [23981]

  (2) if she will refer the newspaper industry to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission in respect of predatory pricing; [23980]

  (3) what representations she has received on predatory pricing in the United Kingdom newspaper industry; and if she will make a statement. [23979]

  Mr. Nigel Griffiths
  The Department of Trade and Industry has received a number of representations on alleged predatory pricing and abuse of a dominant position in the newspaper industry.

  Under the competition legislation, responsibility for considering allegations of anti-competitive practices, abuse of monopoly power and restrictive trade practices lies with the Director General of Fair Trading, who is passed copies of all representations.

  The decision on whether to make a reference to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission is also a matter for the Director General of Fair Trading.

  IT Equipment
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is her Department's policy regarding the recycling of information technology equipment within her Department and relevant agencies and to other Government departments or agencies; and what arrangements have been made in this respect. [23276]

  Mr. Nigel Griffiths
  In arranging for the disposal of surplus IT equipment, the Department firstly considers whether the equipment could be used elsewhere within the Department to replace older equipment or to meet new business requirements. If this is not feasible, the equipment may be part-exchanged for new equipment, sold to staff at market value or sold to specialist companies which either refurbish the equipment for resale or use the parts for spares or recycling.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

  Indonesia
  Sir Alastair Goodlad
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on assistance given by her Department to Indonesia. [24230]

  Clare Short
  We are providing support for sustainable forestry management with an increased emphasis on benefits to poor people living in forest areas. In addition, we are developing proposals for a programme of support
  555
  to trade unions in Indonesia and to NGOs in East Timor. Commitments entered into by the previous government, some of which run until the year 2000, are being honoured. These relate to technical co-operation projects in public administration, natural resources, the environment, energy and education and to support under the Aid and Trade Provision for projects in transport, energy and education. Expenditure in the current year, largely in respect of previous commitments, will be of the order of £30 million.

  Kenya
  Sir Alastair Goodlad
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what democracy building programmes her Department has commissioned in Kenya since 1 May 1997. [24229]

  Clare Short
  We have funded four civic and voter education programmes run by Kenyan non-government organisations (total cost £182,000); two projects aimed at improving media coverage of the Kenya elections (total cost £28,000); and a national election observing programme by three Kenyan non-government organisations (British contribution £351,000).

  Mr. Stinchcombe
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the human rights component of the training provided to senior management in the Kenyan police. [24330]

  Clare Short
  This assistance aims to improve the content and quality of training for police officers in human rights issues. Preparatory training of trainers and curriculum design is underway.

  Montserrat
  Sir Alastair Goodlad
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress has been made in implementing the aid measures outlined in the joint statement between Her Majesty's Government and the Government of Montserrat. [24236]

  Clare Short
  I presume that the right hon. Gentleman is referring to the statement made on 16 September. 105 houses will be completed by the end of February. This has released school buildings enabling full secondary education to resume in January. A Department for International Development mission to Montserrat last week discussed the composition of the next tranche of 50 housing units and the details of the soft mortgage scheme. An initial draft of the Sustainable Development Plan has been discussed at official level and a final draft will be circulated publicly in the next few weeks. A draft feasibility study for an airstrip is underway and we are in discussion with the Government of Montserrat on what further work is needed to produce the final report.

  Non-governmental Organisations
  Sir Alastair Goodlad
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list by country the projects funded by the United Kingdom aid programme administered by non-governmental organisations. [24232]
  556
  Clare Short
  Information on projects funded by Department for International Development which are administered by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) is not held centrally in the format requested. A full answer to the question could therefore be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  I will arrange for a list to be made available in the Library giving details by country of around 1,800 UK NGO development projects funded through the Joint Funding Scheme.

  Mixed Credits
  Sir Alastair Goodlad
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when she expects the system of mixed credits to replace the aid-for-trade provision to be introduced; and if she will make a statement. [24234]

  Clare Short
  No separate scheme will be launched. Mixed credits could be one of a range of instruments deployed to deliver an agreed aid programme in any particular developing country. As the White Paper makes clear, to avoid the abuses of the past, any mixed credits will be managed within agreed country strategies with the primary aim of helping to reduce poverty.

  North Korea
  Sir Alastair Goodlad
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to help alleviate the famine in North Korea. [24228]

  Clare Short
  Details of our humanitarian assistance to North Korea were provided in my Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State's answer to the hon. Member for Altrincham and Sale, West (Mr. Brady) on 18 December 1997,Official Report, column 288. We are considering the latest reports on humanitarian needs in the current year and are discussing further assistance, including the latest World Food Programme appeal with the European Commission.

  China
  Sir Alastair Goodlad
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if her Department has received requests for assistance following the earthquake in Zhangbein, China; and if she will make a statement. [24227]

  Clare Short
  Following a request for international assistance from the Government of China, we have contributed £200,000 to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) for the procurement and distribution of relief items, such as food, shelter, medicines and quilts to 110,000 needy earthquake victims in Hebei Province. The IFRC are working with the Chinese Red Cross to manage this relief programme.

  Bananas
  Mr. Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she had with members of the European Commission on the presidency's policy on future markets for Associated African and Caribbean States of the European Community, concerning the marketing of bananas; and what estimates Her Majesty's Government have made of
  557
  the likely loss of income to small farmers arising from recent negotiations conducted by the Commission with the World Trade Organisation. [24050]

  Clare Short
  I have discussed this issue with Commissioner Pinheiro during his recent visit to London at the start of the UK Presidency and my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has also had discussions with the Commission.

  Although it was disappointing that some parts of the regime have been found incompatible with World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules, the ruling did not exclude all preferences for the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) banana producers. Work undertaken by the Government shows that the impact of the WTO ruling on the ACP banana producing countries will vary according to the details of the new arrangements which are put in place to comply with the WTO ruling.

  The Commission has recently put forward some proposals to modify the EU banana regime; these are now being considered by member states. It is therefore not yet possible to make an estimate of the impact of the WTO ruling. None the less it seems likely that the Caribbean banana industry will face rather increased competition. There are plans to improve the competitiveness of the banana industry in the Windward islands and to provide EU funding to assist this adjustment.

  Bilateral Assistance
  Sir Alastair Goodlad
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement concerning the proportion of the United Kingdom aid programme to be devoted to bilateral assistance. [24231]

  Clare Short
  In 1996–97, bilateral aid comprised 50 per cent. of external assistance programmes (excluding administration). The proportion in future years will be determined by decisions taken in our current Resource Allocation Round.

  Great Lakes Region
  Sir Alastair Goodlad
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans her Department has to promote democracy and good government in the Great Lakes region of Africa. [24235]

  Clare Short
  Efforts to build sound and accountable government which gives the poor a voice are at the heart of my Department's implementation of the White Paper in the Great Lakes. We are working bilaterally and will also use our Presidency of the EU to encourage greater cohesion in the area of governance. We will take forward the EU joint action in support of democratisation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Head of the EU Electoral Unit, Professor Vasconcelos, will visit Kinshasa later this month to see how we might best help the democratisation process. The EU Special Envoy, Ajello, has produced some useful and constructive ideas on governance issues in the Great Lakes. We will pursue these during the Presidency.

  IT Equipment
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what is her Department's policy regarding the recycling of information technology 558
  equipment within her Department and relevant agencies and to other Government departments or agencies; and what arrangements have been made in this respect. [23245]

  Clare Short
  We have recently replaced virtually all our printers and desk-top computers throughout the Department for International Development following our change to the Windows 95 operating environment, and as a result of the introduction of resource accounting. We negotiated buy-back clauses for our old equipment with the suppliers of the new equipment. The suppliers are then responsible for selling the equipment on or recycling it.

  For more ad hoc exercises where buy-back is not an option, we are in contact with RECOMMIT, the recycling organisation, which specialises in recycling Information Technology equipment in the public sector.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Child Maintenance
  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when she intends to introduce a disregard of child maintenance payments when assessing a parent with carers income support entitlement. [23147]

  Mr. Keith Bradley
  The receipt of regular maintenance is a key part of this Government's strategy for helping lone mothers move off Income Support into work. We are looking closely at all aspects of the child support scheme to see where improvements can be made. We aim to bring forward proposals by the summer.

  Mr. Davidson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) when the child maintenance bonus was introduced; how many awards have been made to date; what publicity has been provided to ensure that staff and clients were aware of this scheme; and if she will make a statement; [23368]

  (2) what steps she has taken to ensure that information leaflets on the child maintenance bonus are available in Benefit Agency offices throughout the country and that staff are briefed thereon. [23369]

  Mr. Keith Bradley
  The receipt of regular maintenance is a central part of the Government's strategy for helping lone parents move off income support into work. The Child Maintenance Bonus provides extra cash help towards the costs associated with starting work.

  The Child Maintenance Bonus was introduced on 7 April 1997. At the end of December 1997, some 3,000 awards of the bonus has been made.

  Everyone who joins the scheme receives a letter of welcome which explains how they can make a claim. Every six months the person with care of the child also receives a statement giving her an estimate of the amount the bonus would be if she returned to work at that time. Publicity for potential clients is provided through a general work incentives leaflet, the work incentives helpline and through leaflets and posters in Benefits Agency offices. All Benefits Agency offices received a supply of Child Maintenance Bonus leaflets before the scheme commenced in April 1997. Each office is responsible for ensuring that it maintains stocks of the leaflet.
  559
  The bonus has been publicised to Benefit Agency Staff using a variety of methods, including bulletins, articles in internal publications and the inclusion of the bonus in various Benefits Agency general information guides. In addition, there have been seminars to raise staff awareness. A Question and Answer briefing will also be issued shortly to remind staff of the scheme.

  Family Resources Survey
  Mr. Webb
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate of the number of higher rate tax paying(a) mothers and (b) fathers is provided by her Department's Family Resources Survey. [23108]

  Mr. Keith Bradley
  The Family Resources Survey (FRS) does not provide direct information on the number of mothers and fathers who are higher rate taxpayers. An estimate for 1997–98 from the 1995–96 FRS-based Policy Simulation Model suggests there are around

  Lone Mother Labour Participation

  Country

  Lone mothers

  Married cohabiting mothers

  Employment Paricipation rates

  Percentage of employed lone mothers working part-time

  Employment participation rates

  Percentage of employed married/cohabiting mothers working part-time

  Belgium (1992)

  68

  16

  61

  22

  Denmark

  69

  10

  84

  20

  Germany (1992)

  67

  —

  57

  —

  Greece

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Spain (1991) Activity rates

  68

  —

  38

  —

  France (1992)

  82

  15

  68

  20

  Ireland (1993)

  23

  —

  32

  —

  Italy (1993)

  69

  11

  41

  12

  Luxembourg (1992)

  73

  13

  45

  13

  Netherlands (1994)

  40

  24

  52

  39

  Austria (1993)

  58

  15

  46

  18

  Portugal (1991)

  50

  7

  55

  7

  Finland (1993)

  65

  4

  70

  8

  Sweden (1994)

  70

  29

  80

  38

  United Kingdom (1990–92)

  41

  24

  62

  41

  Notes:

  1. For these figures part-time is up to 30 hours.

  2. Figures used for Germany are updated figures and have not been published, therefore any interpretation of these figures should be treated with caution. The updated figures for the percentage of employed lone mothers and married/cohabiting mothers working part-time are not available.

  3. The information for Greece is not available in the form requested. For 51 per cent. of women in the likely age group were economically active and 5 per cent. of working women worked part-time.

  4. The figure for employment participation rates in Austria excludes 20 per cent. of lone mothers and 13 per cent. of married/cohabiting mothers who are on parental leave.

  5. There are no data available on the percentage of working lone mothers and married/cohabiting mothers working part-time in Spain and Ireland.

  Source:

  The employment of loan parents: a comparison of policy in 20 countries' by J. Bradshaw, S. Kennedy, M. Kilkey, S. Hutton, A. Corden, T. Eardley, H. Holmes and J. Neale.

  IT Equipment
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is her Department's policy regarding the recycling of information technology equipment within her Department and relevant agencies and to other Government departments or agencies; and what arrangements have been made in this respect. [23246]
  560
  120,000 mothers and 850,000 fathers who are higher rate taxpayers. The estimates should be treated with some caution as they are based on survey data which use current weekly income which may not accurately represent current annual tax liabilities. Estimates may also be influenced by sampling error and response rates.

  Working Mothers
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate she has made of the employment participation rate of(a) lone mothers and (b) mothers in two-parent families in each European Union country; and if she will estimate what percentage of working lone mothers and working two-parent household mothers are working part-time. [23666]

  Mr. Keith Bradley
  The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table.

  Mr. Keith Bradley
  The policy regarding recycling of information technology equipment is that in all items of equipment which become surplus in one area are redeployed elsewhere in the Department, subject to being fully operational and Year 2000 compliant.

  Invalid Care Allowance
  Mr. Laurence Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she intends to introduce a
  561
  fast-track scheme for carers of terminally ill people to claim invalid care allowance; and if she will make a statement. [24138]

  Mr. Denham
  There is already a prompt turn-around time, averaging some 19 working days, on all claims for Invalid Care Allowance (ICA). If, whilst waiting for ICA, carers are in financial hardship, they may be entitled to income-related benefits.

  Low Pay
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will estimate the numbers and distribution of workers earning less than the lower earnings limit for national insurance contributions(a) by gender and (b) by region and nation. [24354]

  Employees earning less than the lower limit for National Insurance contributions1, average of four quarters, autumn 1996 to summer 1997

  Thousands

  As a percentage of all employees

  All

  Men

  Women

  All

  Men

  Women

  Great Britain

  2,494

  562

  1,932

  11

  5

  18

  England

  2,156

  489

  1,667

  11

  5

  18

  North East

  119

  2—

  97

  13

  2—

  22

  North West and Merseyside

  297

  64

  233

  11

  5

  18

  North West

  246

  57

  189

  12

  6

  18

  Merseyside

  51

  2—

  44

  9

  2—

  15

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  234

  54

  181

  12

  6

  20

  East Midlands

  205

  38

  167

  12

  4

  20

  West Midlands

  232

  50

  183

  11

  5

  18

  Eastern

  261

  51

  209

  12

  4

  20

  London

  194

  63

  131

  8

  5

  11

  South East

  363

  86

  278

  11

  5

  18

  South West

  250

  61

  189

  13

  6

  21

  Wales

  147

  31

  116

  15

  6

  24

  Scotland

  191

  42

  149

  9

  4

  15

  Notes:

  1 £61 per week for the 1996–97 tax year and £62 for 1997–98.

  2Sample size too small to provide a reliable estimate.

  Source:

  ONS, Labour Force Survey.

PRIME MINISTER

  Ministerial Visit
  Mr. Baldry
  To ask the Prime Minister when he next expects to visit Banbury. [22010]

  The Prime Minister
  I have no immediate plans to do so.

  Departmental Staff
  Mr. Hawkins
  To ask the Prime Minister how many(a) special advisers, (b) task force members and (c) review body members his Department employs; what is the total salary and benefits of (a) to (c); and what was the equivalent cost prior to 1 May. [19310]

  The Prime Minister
  My office employs 17 full-time and two part-time Special Advisers. It does not employ any Task Force or Review body members on a salaried basis, the same position as before 1 May.
  562
  Mrs. Liddell
  I have been asked to reply.

  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 21 January 1998:
  I have been asked to reply, as the Director of the Office for National Statistics, to your recent question on workers earning less than the lower earnings limit for National Insurance contributions.
  Estimates from the Labour Force Survey are shown in the attached table. The average of the last four quarters have been used in order to provide a larger sample and therefore more reliable estimates than could be obtained from only one quarter. Earnings estimates for Northern Ireland are not available from the Labour Force Survey.

  A direct comparison of costs is not sensible, as the roles that my Special Advisers undertake are different from those of the previous Administration. For example I do not employ an Efficiency Adviser in No. 10, nor is there a Head of the Policy Unit, and some Special Advisers in the Policy Unit deal with areas which in the past have been covered by civil servants. Similarly the figures include a Special Adviser in the Strategic Communications Unit which has been funded by savings across Government Departments.

  The projected cost of the No. 10 Special Adviser paybill for 1997–98 is £849,894. The figure includes Special Advisers in the Strategic Communications Unit who like all members of the Unit are funded by contributions from all Departments. The cost of the 7–8 Special Advisers in 1996–97 was £434,249.

  Cabinet Committees
  Mr. Healey
  To ask the Prime Minister what new Ministerial Committees of the Cabinet have been established since 9 June 1997. [24434]

  The Prime Minister
  I have set out below the names and membership of the Cabinet Committees established since 9 June. In addition to the members listed, other Ministers are invited to attend meetings as necessary.

  MINISTERIAL SUB COMMITTEE ON ENERGY POLICY [EA(N)]

  Composition:

  Chancellor of the Exchequer (Chairman)

  Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions

  President of the Board of Trade and Secretary of State for Trade and Industry

  Paymaster General

  Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth

  Minister of State, Department of Trade and Industry

  Minister of State, Scottish Office

  Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office

  Minister without Portfolio

  Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Welsh Office

  Terms of Reference: "To consider the principles and objectives which should underlie the United Kingdom's energy strategy; and make recommendations for an energy strategy to the Ministerial Committee on Economic Affairs."

  MINISTERIAL SUB-COMMITTEE ON HOUSE OF LORDS REFORM
  [CRP(HL)]

  Composition:

  Lord Chancellor (Chairman)

  Secretary of State for the Home Department

  President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons

  Lord Privy Seal

  Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury

  Captain of the Gentlemen at Arms

  Minister without Portfolio

  Terms of Reference: "To consider policy and other issues arising from the Government's plans for reform of the House of Lords and to make recommendations to the Ministerial Committee on Constitutional Reform policy."

  MINISTERIAL SUB-COMMITTEE ON FREEDOM OF INFORMATION
  [CRP (FOI)]

  Composition:

  Lord Chancellor (Chair)

  Chancellor of the Exchequer

  Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

  Secretary of State for the Home Department

  Secretary of State for Education and Employment

  President of the Board of Trade and Secretary of State for Trade
  and Industry

  Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food

  Secretary of State for Scotland

  Secretary of State for Defence

  Secretary of State for Health

  President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons

  Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

  Secretary of State for Social Security

  Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

  Secretary of State for Wales

  Secretary of State for International Development

  564

  Lord Privy Seal

  Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

  Minister of Transport

  Attorney-General

  Lord Advocate

  Parliamentary Secretary, Treasury

  Minister without Portfolio

  Terms of Reference: "To consider policy and other issues arising from the Government's decision to legislate on freedom of information; to promote and oversee progress of the relevant legislation through Parliament and its subsequent implementation; and to report as necessary to the Ministerial Committee on Constitutional Reform Policy."

  MINISTERIAL GROUP ON YOUTH JUSTICE [MISC2]

  Composition:

  Secretary of State for the Home Department (Chair)

  Chief Secretary, Treasury

  Solicitor-General

  Minister of State, Home Office

  Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions

  Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Employment

  Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health

  Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department

  Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Scottish Office

  Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Welsh Office

  The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and the Minister without Portfolio also receive papers and may attend or be represented as necessary.

  Terms of Reference: "To oversee the Government's programme for reform of youth justice, including the preparation of proposals for agreement by the Ministerial Cabinet Committees on Home and Social Affairs."

  MINISTERIAL GROUP ON UTILITY REGULATION [MISC 3]

  Composition:

  President of the Board of Trade and Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Chair)

  Minister of Transport

  Minister of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions

  Paymaster General

  Minister of State, Department of Trade and Industry

  Minister of State, Scottish Office

  Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office

  Parliamentary Secretary, Office of Public Service

  Terms of Reference: "To oversee an inter-departmental review of regulation of the utility industries, to consider issues arising from the review and to report to the Ministerial Committee on Economic Affairs."

  MINISTERIAL GROUP ON THE MILLENNIUM DATE CHANGE [MISC 4]

  Composition:

  President of the Board of Trade and Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Chair)

  Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

  Paymaster General

  Minister of State, Scottish Office

  Minister of State, Ministry of Defence

  Minister of State, Department of Health

  Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office

  Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions

  565

  Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office

  Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Employment

  Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Trade and Industry

  Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food

  Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Welsh Office

  Terms of Reference: "To drive action across the public and the private sectors to ensure that the national infrastructure is not damaged by the failure of electronic systems related to the year 2000 date change."

  The Chairman of Action 2000 is invited to attend.

  JOINT CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE WITH THE LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY (JCC)
  Composition:
  The Committee is chaired by the Prime Minister. Other Ministers and Liberal Democratic Spokesmen are invited to attend as necessary.
  Terms of Reference: "To consider policy issues of joint interest to the Government and Liberal Democratic Party."

HOUSE OF COMMONS

  Disabled Members
  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the President of the Council what additional allowances are paid to Members with disabilities. [23352]

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

SCOTLAND

  Further Education Colleges
  Mr. Gorrie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will ensure that the funding of further education colleges does not decrease in 1999–2000 because of changes in accounting for fees relating to the summer term 1999. [21876]

  Mr. Wilson
  Public expenditure decisions for 1999–2000, including those relating to further education, will not be taken until the Comprehensive Spending Review is completed later in the year.

  Water Contamination
  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what emergency procedures are in place in respect of(a) the East of Scotland and (b) the West of Scotland water authorities to deal with contamination to local water supplies. [22482]

  Mr. MacDonald
  Both water authorities have detailed emergency procedures to deal with contamination of local water supplies. In terms of East of Scotland Water Authority, these are called the Consolidated Waterborne Hazard Plan and in the West of Scotland Water Authority, these are called the Emergency Procedures Manual.

  Scottish Parliament
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if the Scottish Parliament will have the power to refuse to implement any United Kingdom tax proposals. [23306]

  Mr. McLeish
  [holding answer 16 January 1998]: It would not be for the Scottish Parliament to implement UK tax proposals. Under the proposals in the Scotland Bill, the Scottish Parliament will have full legislative competence over local taxation to fund local authority expenditure. In addition, the Scottish Parliament would be able to exercise the tax-varying power provided by Part IV of the Bill. Otherwise decisions on taxation will be for the United Kingdom Parliament and Government.

  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his current estimate of the costs of temporary accommodation and facilities for a Scottish Parliament in each year before a new building on the Holyrood site is completed. [23850]

  Mr. McLeish
  [holding answer 19 January 1998]: A number of venues are being considered but it is too early to say at this stage what the estimated costs will be. My right hon. Friend intends to make an announcement on temporary accommodation by Easter.

  Mr. Gorrie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many hon. Members were briefed about the details of the proposals for siting the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood before the decision was made on the site. [23538]

  Mr. McLeish
  [holding answer 19 January 1998]: My right hon. Friend had discussions with all the main Opposition Parties in Scotland before reaching his final decision.

  IT Equipment
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his Department's policy regarding the recycling of information technology equipment within his Department and relevant agencies and to other Government departments or agencies; and what arrangements have been made in this respect. [23235]

  Mr. Dewar
  My Department redeploys information technology equipment whenever it is cost-effective to do so. Where it is not cost-effective to redeploy equipment, it is traded in through an equipment broker against new purchases as part of our standard competitive tendering approach to IT procurement. The equipment which is traded in is generally refurbished for resale or is added to spares stock. My Department takes account of the environmental management policies of equipment brokers in deciding where to place this business.

  Lockerbie
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland on what basis the Lord Advocate on 15 January claimed that the Professor of Scots Law in the University of Edinburgh, and a Queen's Counsel, had accepted money from Libyan connected sources concerning the Lockerbie case. [24486]

  Mr. McLeish
  My noble and learned Friend, the Lord Advocate made no such claim.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Abattoirs
  Mr. Öpik
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the factors underlying the transfer of payment of SRM costs from Government to abattoirs. [20260]

  Mr. Rooker
  The Government have concluded that the cost of Specified Risk Material (SRM) enforcement by the Meat Hygiene Service should no longer be borne by the taxpayer. It is in the industry's best interests that controls should be in place, that the costs should be shared fairly, and the industry should contribute towards the cost of enforcement as it already does with hygiene controls. We will be consulting shortly on the legislative proposals to introduce this change from 1 April 1998.

  Vitamin Supplements
  Dr. Cable
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received from(a) consumers, (b) retailers, (c) manufacturers, (d) experts on nutrition and (e) right hon. and hon. Members about his proposals to restrict the retail sale of vitamin B6 supplements; how many and what percentage of those representations have opposed his proposals; what response he has made to those representations; and if he will make a statement. [23514]

  Mr. Rooker
  Since the beginning of July 1997, the Government have received approximately 11,500 items of correspondence, many in standard form, concerning its proposed controls on food supplements containing vitamin B6. Of those, approximately 1,300 have been received from right hon. and hon. Members. No separate record has been kept of the number of representations received from consumers, retailers, manufacturers and experts on nutrition. Nor has any record been kept of the number of representations received which oppose the proposed controls. However, almost all of the letters received have opposed, questioned the basis of, or expressed reservations about the proposed controls.

  The Government's response to these representations will have varied according to the nature of the representation received, but in most cases it will have included an explanation of the background to the issue and a statement of the Government's policy on it.

  The Minister for Public Health and I have met with representatives of certain organisations representing consumers, manufacturers and retailers of dietary supplements and of complementary medicine interests to discuss the proposed controls. I have also met with a number of right hon. and hon. Members to listen to their concerns about this subject.

  Dr. Cable
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the main findings of the compliance cost assessment recently undertaken in connection with the proposed statutory instrument relating to new restrictions on the retail sale of vitamin B6 supplements; and what estimate was made of the cost to the National Health Service of consumers being required to obtain higher dose vitamin B6 supplements from a medical practitioner. [23513]
  568
  Mr. Rooker
  The compliance cost assessment relating to the Government's proposals on food supplements containing vitamin B6 is still being prepared. The assessment will form part of the regulatory appraisal which, together with the draft regulations, will be circulated for consultation.

  It is impossible to estimate the number of people who regularly take any dose of vitamin B6. Therefore, it is not possible to assess the resource implication for the NHS if the number of people seeking higher doses of vitamin B6 were to consult their general medical practitioner.

  Dr. Cable
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the period for consulting with interested parties on the forthcoming draft statutory instrument on the retail sale of vitamin B6; and if he will make a statement specifying the criteria by which he will assess the responses to that consultation exercise. [23516]

  Mr. Rooker
  We hope to issue the draft regulation and the regulatory appraisal for consultation in February. No final decision has yet been taken on the duration of the consultation period. We will consider responses on their merits.

  Over-quota Fish
  Mr. Gill
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the correct procedure for disposing of over-quota dead or dying fish that are caught as a mixture of species. [23744]

  Mr. Morley
  [holding answer 19 January 1998]: Under the conditions set out in UK fishing vessel licences, over-quota fish must not be retained on board, transhipped or landed. Such fish should be returned to the sea. Where the discarding of fish is prohibited in the waters of third countries, any over-quota fish should be discarded immediately on return to Community waters.

  Food Standards Agency
  Mr. Hesford
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what effect the establishment of the Food Standards Agency will have on the current role of local authorities in analysing food for food safety purposes. [24153]

  Mr. Rooker
  Under the proposals in the White Paper, "The Food Standards Agency: A Force for Change", local authorities will retain responsibility for enforcing general food law under the Food Safety Act 1990, and will therefore continue to need access to a high quality analytical service. A review of the structure of the Public Analyst Service in England and Wales, and the provision of scientific services to local authorities in Scotland, will be initiated early this year.

  Mr. Hesford
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what will be the role of local authorities within the remit of the Food Standards Agency. [24154]

  Mr. Rooker
  The White Paper "The Food Standards Agency: A Force for Change" proposes that local authorities retain their current responsibility for the enforcement of general food law under the Food Safety Act 1990. The Government are discussing with local authorities measures to improve consistency and, where necessary, remedy any deficiencies in enforcement
  569
  activity by individual authorities. Local authorities will also retain their current responsibilities for investigating food hazards and outbreaks of food-borne illness in conjunction with the relevant bodies, supported where appropriate by the Agency.

  IT Equipment
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his Department's policy regarding the recycling of information technology equipment within his Department and relevant agencies and to other Government departments or agencies; and what arrangements have been made in this respect. [23237]

  Mr. Morley
  Wherever possible, information technology equipment is redeployed within the Department and our Agencies, with equipment being upgraded or used (through recycled parts) to upgrade others as the need arises. These activities can take place through ad hoc programmes or during specific information technology upgrade projects. When redundant information technology equipment can be put to no other use, it is disposed of through a Third Party supplier, conforming with environmental protection requirements. Information technology recycling programmes are carried out separately from those of other Government departments or agencies.

  Rendering and Slaughtering Industries
  Mr. Alasdair Morgan
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire on 11 December 1997,Official Report, columns 680–81, (a) what surplus there was after all payments were made from the rendering industry support scheme 1996 and (b) what surplus he expects there to be after all payments are made from the 1997 rendering industry support scheme. [24382]

  Mr. Rooker
  Of the £118 million originally made available under the Rendering Industry Support Scheme 1996, around £97 million of support has been paid.

  The purpose of the scheme was broadly to replace loss of income for the rendering industry in 1996–97 compared with 1995–96 and thereby to ensure that the animal waste chain continued to operate following the loss of the markets for the rendering industry's products in March 1996. This was achieved.

  Support under the Rendering Industry Support Scheme 1997 is based on output of mammalian meat and bone meal and tallow. Of the £59 million made available for this scheme, it is not expected that there will be a significant underspend.

EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT

  Work Force
  Mr. Colman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps he is taking to ensure that the United Kingdom has a highly skilled workforce. [24487]
  570
  Dr. Howells
  Our programme of work for this Parliament is aimed at ensuring that all young people enter employment with the highest possible skills and qualifications and at encouraging people to continue throughout their lives to develop new skills to improve their employability. The School Standards and Framework Bill and the Teaching and Higher Education Bill and our soon to be published White Paper on Lifelong Learning set out some of the key ways in which we plan to raise standards and obtain a highly skilled workforce.

  We are also developing the National Skills Agenda and the Skills Task Force and a Skills Unit to identify where skills gaps exist and how they should be addressed.

  IT Equipment
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is his Department's policy regarding the recycling of information technology equipment within his Department and relevant agencies and to other Government Departments or agencies; and what arrangements have been made in this respect. [23240]

  Dr. Howells
  The Department's policy is to re-use information technology equipment. We so rarely have surplus equipment of any value to other Departments or agencies that no special arrangements are justified.

  We have recently made new arrangements to give surplus desktop equipment to a non-profit organisation to recycle it for use by local education, training and employment bodies or projects. The first items of equipment recycled in this manner will be issued in the near future. Other surplus equipment is sold by public auction.

  School Standards
  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what numerical rating on Ofsted's scale 1 to 7 its inspectors are required to put in their official Judgment Recording Form subject reports, for each subject of the National Curriculum, when they judge the pupils' comparative standards of achievement to be(a) in line with national expectations at any National Curriculum Key Stage and (b) in line with any national average; [24139]

  (2) what are the statistical correlations between Ofsted inspectors' ratings of Year 6 cohorts' comparative standards of achievement (a) on scale 1 to 7 in their official Judgment Recording Form subject reports and (b) on scale 1 to 5 in their PICSI reports in respect of the same cohorts' comparative standards of Key Stage 2 national SAT test achievement in the same year of inspection in (i) English, (ii) maths and (iii) science for all maintained primary schools first inspected in each school year since 1994–95; [24142]

  (3) what proportion of those maintained primary schools first inspected by Ofsted in each school year since 1994–95 and cited as national models of excellence in Her Majesty's Chief Inspector's annual report have a rating on an appropriate statistical scale 1 to 7 in relation to the national averages for their pupils' comparative standards of achievement in attaining the nationally expected level or better in at least one or more of their Key Stage 2 SAT tests in (a) English, (b) maths and (c) science for the year of inspection that is different from the inspectors' ratings on

  571
  Ofsted's scale 1 to 7 in the official Judgment Recording Form subject reports of those same cohorts' comparative standards of achievement in those subjects; [24265]

  (4) what proportion of those maintained primary schools first inspected by Ofsted in each school year since 1994–95 in each year have a rating on an appropriate statistical scale 1 to 7 in relation to the national averages for their pupils' comparative standards of achievement in attaining the nationally expected level or better in at least one or more of their Key Stage 2 SAT tests in (a) English, (b) maths and (c) science for the year of inspection that is different from the inspectors' ratings on Ofsted's scale 1 to 7 in their official Judgment Recording Form subject reports of those same cohorts' comparative standards of achievement in those subjects; [24267]

  (5) what proportion of those maintained primary schools first inspected and also found failing by Ofsted in each school year since 1994–95 in each year have a rating on an appropriate statistical scale 1 to 7 in relation to the national averages for their pupils' comparative standards of achievement in attaining the nationally expected level or better in at least one or more of their Key Stage 2 SAT tests in (a) English, (b) maths and (c) science for the year of inspection that is different from the inspectors' ratings on Ofsted' s scale 1 to 7 in their official Judgment Recording Form subject reports of those cohorts' comparative standards of achievement in those subjects; [24268]

  (6) what are the statistical correlations of all maintained primary schools first inspected and found failing in each school year since 1994–95 between Ofsted inspectors' ratings of their Year 6 cohorts' comparative standards of achievement on Ofsted's scale 1 to 7 in their official Judgment Recording Form subject reports and Ofsted's ratings on its scale 1 to 5 as used in its PICSI reports of those cohorts' comparative standards of Key Stage 2 national SAT test achievement in the same year of inspection in (a) English, (b) maths and (c) science; [24269]

  (7) what are the statistical correlations for all maintained primary schools first inspected in each school year since 1994–95 and cited as a national model of excellence in Her Majesty's Chief Inspector's annual report for that same year, between Ofsted inspectors' ratings of their Year 6 cohorts' comparative standards of achievement on Ofsted's scale 1 to 7 in their official Judgment Recording Form subject reports and Ofsted's ratings scale 1 to 5 as used in PICSI reports of those same cohorts' comparative standards of Key Stage 2 national SAT test achievement in the same year of inspection in (a) English, (b) maths and (c) science; [24270]

  (8) for all Ofsted primary suspections in each separate school year of inspection since 1993–94 to date, what were the officially prescribed calibrated meanings of each of Ofsted's ratings 1 to 7 for the assessment of primary pupils' comparative standards of Key Stage 1 and 2 achievement in each subject of the National Curriculum of the relevant cohorts at the time of inspection, in terms of their proportions attaining the nationally expected levels or better for use in inspectors' official judgment recording form subject reports, all school inspections adhered to those meanings, and, if not, what proportion did not in each year. [24387]

  Mr. Byers
  These are matters for HM Chief Inspector of Schools. I have asked him to write to the hon. Member and place a copy of his letter in the Library.
  572
  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment in what number and proportion of maintained primary schools with Year 2 pupils 100 per cent. of pupils attained National Curriculum level 2 or better(a) in individual and (b) in all Key Stage 1 SAT tests in (i) 1995, (ii) 1996 and (iii) 1997. [24141]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  The number and percentage of maintained primary schools with 100 per cent. of Key Stage 1 pupils achieving National Curriculum level 2 or better(a) in individual and (b) in all Key Stage 1 assessments tests in (i) 1995, (ii) 1996 and (iii) 1997 are shown in the following table:

  1995

  1996

  1997

  Reading

  Number

  1,556

  1,353

  1,454

  Percentage

  10

  9

  9

  Writing

  Number

  1,809

  1,587

  1,513

  Percentage

  12

  10

  10

  Spelling

  Number

  701

  —

  394

  Percentage

  5

  —

  3

  Handwriting

  Number

  2,857

  —

  —

  Percentage

  19

  —

  —

  Mathematics

  Number

  1,688

  2,125

  2,301

  Percentage

  11

  14

  15

  In all subjects

  Number

  404

  792

  329

  Percentage

  3

  5

  2

  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment in what number and proportion of all maintained primary schools with Year 6 pupils 100 per cent. of pupils attained National Curriculum level 4 or better in(a) English, (b) maths, (c) science Key Stage 2 SAT tests and (d) all of (a) to (c) in (i) 1995, (ii) 1996 and (iii) 1997. [24140]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  The number and percentage of maintained primary schools with 100 per cent. of Key Stage 2 pupils achieving National Curriculum level 4 or better(a) English, (b) maths, (c) science and (d) in all Key Stage 2 assessment tests in (i) 1995 (ii) 1996 and (iii) 1997 are shown in the following table:

  1995

  1996

  1997

  English

  Number

  223

  297

  439

  Percentage

  2

  2

  3

  Mathematics

  Number

  244

  320

  497

  Percentage

  2

  2

  3

  Science

  Number

  1,112

  583

  872

  Percentage

  8

  4

  6

  In all subjects

  Number

  102

  122

  224

  Percentage

  1

  1

  2

  573
  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what were the results in(a) English, (b) maths and (c) science Key Stage 2 Sat tests trialed by the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority at The Strand Junior School in Grimsby in (i) 1993–94 and (ii) 1994–95 in terms of the percentages of Year six pupils attaining National Curriculum levels 1 to 6. [24266]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  Information on Key Stage 2 performance for 1993–94 and 1994–95 for named schools is not available.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Domestic Violence
  Dr. Cable
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what initiatives the Government propose to address domestic violence; and what central government funding will be available for local and voluntary projects in this field in 1998–99. [23511]

  Mr. Michael
  The Government are committed to tackling domestic violence and are currently developing a strategy to combat it both through prevention and through support to those who have already been victimised. This will include improving public awareness of the issue and of the help that is available to victims.

  Central Government provide core funding to the Women's Aid Federation in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and capital and revenue funding for women's refuge spaces. Through the Special Grants Programme, funding has also been made available to Women's Aid Federation (England) to develop training opportunities, resources and facilities for local refuges.

  Other central Government provision for local projects includes funding through the Urban Programme for projects in Scotland to help women and children suffering from domestic violence and other forms of abuse: funding from the Welsh Office for local projects in Wales: and funding for local projects in England through the Single Regeneration Budget Challenge Fund.

  Prison Education Budget
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the current prison education budget for prisons in England and Wales; and what was the outturn figure for 1995–96. [23289]

  Ms Quin
  The outturn figure for spend on prison education in 1995–96 was £36,956,000. That is very close to the outturn figure for 1996–97, which was £34,481,000. The Prison Service estimates that in 1997–98, it will have spent just over £36 million.

  Each governor has responsibility for deciding how his or her establishment's budget should be allocated for all purposes, including education. But my right hon. Friend is aware of concerns at planned levels of education spending in some Prison Service establishments. The Government see education in prisons and Young Offender Institutions as an important part of the criminal justice strategy, and all policy priorities and spending plans are subject to the outcome of the Comprehensive Spending Review.
  574
  Meanwhile:
  governors are being encouraged to make education provision more purposeful—targeting it specifically at achieving the overall aim of reducing re-offending;
  education is increasingly being provided as an integral part of a managed sentence with specific aims;
  there is a significant rise in the number of prisoners undertaking nationally accredited courses with clear start and finish points with the result that fewer prisoners are engaged in full-time education;
  alternative ways of delivering basic education are under development, such as training industrial instructional officers to teach basic skills in the workplace.

  Obscene Material
  Mr. Maude
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to ensure that on-line service and access providers, including telecommunications companies, take legal and administrative responsibility for ensuring that material which is transmitted or delivered by them does not include obscene material. [23578]

  Mr. Michael
  Generally, the position in law is that what is illegal off-line is illegal on-line. The Obscene Publications Act 1959 therefore applies to material published via the Internet as does specific legislation relating to child pornography (the Protection of Children Act 1978, as amended). Everyone, including service and access providers and telecommunications companies, bears responsibility for their own conscious acts and omissions and are responsible for the material published to the extent that they are aware of it.

  It follows that there is a strong incentive for service providers to act to uphold the law. The Internet Watch Foundation—a self-regulatory body funded by the United Kingdom Internet industry—was established in September 1996. It provides a "hotline" to which anyone can report material on the Internet which they consider may be potentially illegal. If the material is likely to be illegal under United Kingdom law, and it originates outside the United Kingdom, a report is passed through the National Criminal Intelligence Service to the enforcement authority in the country of origin. If it originates in the United Kingdom, a report is passed to the relevant service provider as well as the relevant United Kingdom police force. Service providers may then ask the user to remove the material or cease the activity on United Kingdom servers; or ultimately may do this directly themselves.

  I understand that service providers are diligent when they are made aware of illegal material and regularly co-operate with the police in the course of any investigation, for example, in identifying the originator of the potentially illegal material or activity.

  Wheel Clamping
  Mr. Mullin
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to regulate the activities of wheel-clamping firms; and if he will make a statement. [23299]

  Mr. Michael
  The Government are considering the regulation of wheel-clamping in the context of the introduction of statutory measures to regulate the private security industry as a whole. We have recently conducted a consultation exercise seeking the views of the industry,
  575
  the police and others on the type and scope of regulation which might be considered for the private security industry. A number of parties who have an interest in wheel-clamping, including the Automobile Association and the Royal Automobile Club, responded to this exercise. We intend to develop practical proposals which will protect the rights and safety of the public without introducing unnecessary bureaucracy.

  Metropolitan Police
  Dr. Cable
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the cost to the Metropolitan Police of supporting the work of(a) the Association of Chief Police Officers and (b) other outside organisations in the last year for which figures are available. [23984]

  Mr. Michael
  The Commissioner tells me that the cost of the Metropolitan police's share of supporting the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) Secretariat in the financial year 1997–98 is £139,033. The cost of time spent by senior officers in the Metropolitan Police on ACPO business is not captured separately. The total cost to the Metropolitan Police of supporting the work of other organisations is not collected centrally. However, the financial cost to the Metropolitan Police of supporting any named organisation can be provided if it is needed.

  Dr. Cable
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the extra training costs(a) in respect of the Metropolitan Police and (b) nationally, as a result of the tenure policy; and what increases are planned in (i) recruitment and (ii) funding to take account of such retraining. [23964]

  Mr. Michael
  The Commissioner informs me that there has been no increase in the Metropolitan Police's training budget as a result of the introduction of the tenure policy and that there are no plans to increase the number of recruits in response to the policy, although he plans to recruit 1,650 officers in the financial year 1998–99 from within existing budgets. Information in respect of other forces in England and Wales could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  No additional funding to police forces to take account of the introduction of tenure policies is planned, nor would we expect there to be any significant implications for training.

  Dr. Cable
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many uniformed officers were on beat duty(a) in London and (b) in Twickenham (i) at the latest available date and (ii) 12 months previously. [23963]

  Mr. Michael
  The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis has provided the available information as follows:

  Uniform Constables performing street duty

  Twickenham

  Metropolitan police service

  Average per day in September 1997

  56.5

  14,155.0

  Average per day in September 1996

  57.1

  14,306.9

  1 As a result of problems with the Metropolitan Police's computer system, these figures do not include the following Divisions: Brixton; Chingford; Forest Gate; Hackney; and Shoreditch and Golders Green.

  576
  Dr. Cable
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the recruitment targets for the Metropolitan Police Service in(a) 1997 and (b) 1998. [23935]

  Mr. Michael
  The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis tells me that he is currently planning the following staffing levels:

  Police officers

  Civil staff

  Traffic wardens

  31 March 1998

  26,800

  13,488

  1,180

  31 March 1999

  26,950

  113,372

  1,020

  The latest figure the Metropolitan Police has on recruitment of officers in the financial year 1997–98 is 1,181 officers. Strength as at 31 March 1997 was 226,677. The Commissioner tells me that in order to replace wastage and reach his 31 March 1999 police target, the Metropolitan Police plan to recruit 1,650 new officers during 1998–99 financial year.

  1This includes the effect of major outsourcing contracts.
  2This figure include officers seconded to the Metropolitan Police but not those seconded out to regional crime squads and central services.

  Combined Emergency Service (London)
  Dr. Cable
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on discussions over the creation of a combined emergency service for London, involving the fire and ambulance services. [23932]

  Mr. George Howarth
  There are no discussions taking place about the creation of a combined fire and ambulance service for London. From time to time, the services discuss whether there are opportunities for co-operation, for example, in the use of accommodation or in the provision of emergency assistance to casualties, where a fire appliance is first in attendance at an incident. As part of the Home Office Comprehensive Spending Review, fire service interests in England and Wales have also been asked to consider whether there is greater scope for collaboration with other emergency services.

  Police Stations (London)
  Dr. Cable
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police stations in London(a) ceased operation and (b) ceased to offer a 24–hour service in (i) 1996 and (ii) 1997. [23943]

  Mr. Michael
  The Commissioner has provided the following information:

  Year

  Stations closed

  Stations with reduced "front desk" hours

  1996

  Cobham

  Collier Row

  East Molesey

  Finchley

  Stoneleigh

  Harold Hill

  Hornchurch

  Pinner

  Rainham

  Shooters Hill

  1997

  Hendon

  Albany Street

  Mill Hill1

  Brockley

  Shooters Hill

  Bushey

  Tottenham Court Road

  Earlsfield

  577

  Year

  Stations closed

  Stations with reduced "front desk" hours

  1997

  Vine Street

  Edgeware

  cont

  West Hendon1

  Eltham

  Winchmore Hill

  Esher

  Gipsy Hill

  Lee Road

  New Maiden

  Potters Bar

  Southgate

  Surbition

  Sydenham

  Teddington

  Tower Bridge

  Westcombe Park

  Whetstone

  1 These stations were replaced by a new station at Colindale.

  CS Gas
  Dr. Cable
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the impact of the introduction of CS gas on the number of assaults and injuries to police officers in London. [23934]

  Mr. Michael
  The information is not available to make a full assessment of the impact of the introduction of CS gas on the number of assaults and injuries to police officers in London. Following trials in six operational common units, the Commissioner approved the issue of CS spray across the Metropolitan Police in October 1997. Fifty of the 97 Operational Command Units are now using CS sprays. The remainder are expected to do so by the end of March 1998. The Commissioner informs me that between July 1997 and January 1998, Metropolitan Police officers discharged CS spray on 128 separate incidents. In 102 of those incidents, officers were uninjured.

  Drugs-related Crimes (Northumberland)
  Mr. Ronnie Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drug-related crimes there were in Northumberland in each of the last three years for which figures are available. [24026]

  Mr. Michael
  Figures on the number of drug-related crimes are not available either nationally or for Northumberland because of the difficulty of identifying and separating drug-related offences from other sorts of offending in order to produce dependable statistics. Recorded crime is generally collected and published according to the type of offence as defined by statute.

  Child Safety and Parenting Orders
  Mr. Clappison
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what estimate he has made of the increase in the number of children who will be made the subject of a care order as a result of the operation of the child safety order provisions of the Crime and Disorder Bill; [23972]

  (2) what estimate he has made of the increase in numbers of (a) probation officers, (b) social workers, (c) local authority education staff and (d) health authority staff which will be occasioned by the child safety and parenting provisions of the Crime and Disorder Bill; [23969]
  578
  (3) if he will provide a breakdown of his estimate that the additional costs of child safety orders and parenting orders will not exceed £4 million per annum. [23970]

  Mr. Michael
  The costs of implementing the youth justice measures contained in the Crime and Disorder Bill, including the child safety order and the parenting order, will depend on the use which the courts make of the new powers and the effect of the measures on offending behaviour. The Government have indicated in their White Paper "No more excuses: A new approach to tackling youth crime in England and Wales" (Cmd 3809) that it will pilot many of the youth justice measures, including the child safety order and the parenting order.

  Pilot trials will enable an accurate estimate to be made of the costs and savings that will result when these measures are fully implemented. The financial memorandum of the Crime and Disorder Bill estimated that, depending on how the parenting order and the child safety order are used, additional costs will not exceed £4 million. This is broken down as follows:
  Parenting orders: £3.75 million
  Child safety orders: £0.25 million

  We expect the parenting order to be used more widely than the child safety order because the former will be available in a wider range of circumstances. The parenting order will be available for parents of convicted young offenders, for parents of children who have been made the subject of an anti-social behaviour order, sex offender order or child safety order and for parents who have been convicted of failing to send their children to school.

  The Financial Memorandum of the Crime and Disorder Bill sets out the effects of the Bill on public service manpower. These proposals are not anticipated to have a significant impact on public service manpower. The way that youth justice services are provided within the youth offending teams, established under the Crime and Disorder Bill, will be a matter for local decision by local authorities, the police, the probation service and health authorities. The youth justice plan which the Bill requires local authorities to draw up in consultation with the other agencies will have to set out how youth justice services in their area are to be provided and funded and how youth offending teams are to be composed and funded.

  It is too early to say how many care orders will be made for breach of the requirements for a child safety order. This will be one of the issues about which the pilots will provide information.

  Children (Crime)
  Mr. Clappison
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children, aged(a) 10 and (b) 11 were convicted of offences which would be punishable with imprisonment in the case of a person aged 21 years or over in (i) the last year for which figures are available and (ii) each of the preceding 10 years. [23966]
  579
  Mr. Michael
  The information is given in the table.

  Number of children aged 10 and 11 respectively, convicted at all courts of an offence which is punishable with a custodial penalty1 by type of offence, 1986–1996

  England and Wales

  Convictions by type of offence carrying a custodial penalty1

  Year

  Age

  Indictable offences2

  Summary non-motoring offences

  Summary motoring offences

  Total all offences

  1986

  10

  142

  33

  13

  188

  11

  590

  59

  33

  682

  1987

  10

  76

  17

  3

  96

  11

  445

  53

  2

  500

  1988

  10

  78

  13

  3

  94

  11

  345

  41

  6

  392

  1989

  10

  67

  12

  1

  80

  11

  263

  52

  —

  315

  1990

  10

  61

  14

  5

  80

  11

  276

  52

  8

  336

  1991

  10

  32

  12

  2

  46

  11

  237

  54

  4

  295

  1992

  10

  48

  12

  —

  100

  11

  266

  62

  4

  332

  1993

  10

  45

  9

  —

  54

  11

  271

  56

  —

  327

  1994

  10

  41

  6

  —

  49

  11

  242

  40

  3

  285

  1995

  10

  40

  10

  1

  51

  11

  259

  80

  1

  340

  1996

  10

  25

  14

  —

  39

  11

  221

  60

  —

  281

  1 Under the Criminal Justice Act 1991 custodial penalties are available from the common minimum age of 15 for both boys and girls (previously the minimum age was 14 for boys and 15 for girls).

  2 Children aged 10 and 11 convicted at the Crown Court may be sentenced to be detained for up to the adult maximum, including life,under section 53 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933, as amended by the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.

  Mr. Clappison
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the names of the respondents to his Tackling Youth Crime consultation paper who(a) were in favour of the local child curfew scheme, (b) were against the local child curfew scheme and (c) commented that the age range for the scheme should not be limited to those below 10 years of age. [23971]

  Mr. Michael
  In responding to the consultation paper, "Tackling Youth Crime" by 8 December 1997, organisations commented on the nature and details of proposals to introduce local child curfew schemes. Overall, the responses from the following organisations and individuals:(a) were broadly in favour of the principle of introducing local child curfews schemes.

  Salford City Council

  Stockton on Tees Borough Council

  Leicestershire County Council

  Adhocracy Ltd.

  580

  Rossendale Council

  Berkshire Youth Justice Service

  Berkshire Probation Service

  Canterbury City Council

  Lancashire Police Authority

  Rugby Borough Council

  North Tyneside Council

  Inner London Magistrates Youth Panel

  West Sussex County Council

  Hereford and Worcester County Council

  Sheffield Social Services

  Stockton on Tees Borough Council

  National Association of Social Workers in Education

  Newark and Sherwood District Council

  Tendring District Council

  West Yorkshire Magistrates' Association

  Lee Westlake

  Torfaen County Borough

  South Shropshire District Council

  North Hertfordshire District Council

  Surrey Police Authority

  Pembrokeshire County Council

  Dartford Borough Council

  North East Derbyshire District Council

  Harrogate and Ripon Magistrates' Courts

  Cheshire County Council

  Warwickshire Probation Service

  Nottinghamshire Magistrates' Courts Service

  Middlesbrough Borough Council

  West Yorkshire Probation Service

  Justices' Clerk's Society

  NCH Action for Children

  City and County of Swansea

  Forest of Dean District Council

  Sheffield Magistrates' Court

  K. Lucy

  Slough Borough Council

  Kent County Council

  Hyndburn Borough Council

  North Somerset County Council

  Standing Conference of Principal Youth and Community

  H. Morgan

  Erewash Borough Council

  Inner London Probation Service

  Bristol City Council

  Bromsgrove District Council

  East Hampshire District Council

  Ryedale District Council

  New Forest District Council

  Church of England

  City of Westminster London Borough

  Children's Society

  Vale of Glamorgan Council

  Walsall Social Services

  Public Constituency Consultation by Lorna Fitzsimmon.

  (b) were largely against the principle of introducing local child curfew schemes.

  Manchester Youth Justice Service

  Hertfordshire Police Authority

  National Council of Voluntary Child Care Organisation

  City of Coventry

  Dudley Metropolitan Borough

  Hampshire Youth Justice Committee

  Cheshire County Council Youth Justice Team

  Children's Play Council

  National Children's Bureau

  Crime Concern

  London Association for Youth Justice

  Brighton and Hove Council

  Corporation of London

  Legal Committee of Council of Her Majesty's Stipendiary Magistrates

  London Borough of Harrow

  Association of Teachers and Lecturers

  Birmingham City Council

  581

  Gwent County Borough Council

  British Youth Council

  Inner London Magistrates' Court Service

  Wandsworth London Borough

  National Association of Probation Officers

  East Riding of Yorkshire Council

  D. Parish

  Merton Borough Management Team for Youth Justice

  Society of Education Officers

  Sunderland Social Services

  Somerset County Council

  Halton Intermediate Treatment Scheme

  Save the Children

  Divert Trust

  Dorset Police

  Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council

  Hackney London Borough

  Derby City Council

  Kingston upon Hull City Council

  North East Lincolnshire Council

  Standing Committee for Youth Justice

  Redcar and Cleveland Council

  Hertfordshire County Council

  University College of London

  Royal Philanthropic Society

  Surrey Youth Justice Team

  Nottinghamshire County Council

  North West Surrey Youth Panel

  Redbridge Youth Justice Team

  Bolton Social Services

  Criminal Bar Association

  Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council

  Association of Chief Officers of Probation.

  (c) commented that the age for the scheme should not be limited to those below 10 years of age.

  Rugby Borough Council

  Labour Lawyers (Crime)

  Adhocracy Ltd.

  City of Coventry

  NCH Action for Children

  Chelmsford Borough Council

  Nottinghamshire County Council

  Dartford Borough Council

  West Sussex County Council

  Harrogate and Ripon Magistrates' Courts

  Nottinghamshire Magistrates' Courts Service

  West Sussex County Council

  Sussex Police Authority

  Aylesbury Vale District Council

  Rossendale Council

  Slough Borough Council

  Tonbridge and Mailing Borough Council

  Merton Borough Management Team for Youth Justice

  London Borough of Hounslow

  Middlesbrough Borough Council.

  Mr. Clappison
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what research has been carried out or commissioned by his Department into(a) the need for, and (b) the effects of the imposition of custodial sentences on children aged (a) 10 and (b) 11 years; [23967]

  (2) what representations he has received in favour of the introduction of custodial sentences for children aged (a) 10 and (b) 11 years. [23968]

  Mr. Michael
  The Government's proposals to reform custodial arrangements for 10 to 17–year-olds are set out in the White Paper, "No More Excuses—A new approach to tackling youth crime in England and Wales" (Cmnd 3809). These proposals will provide for a more coherent and effective custodial framework for the sentencing and remand of young offenders, where this is necessary and appropriate.
  582
  The proposals include a new constructive and more flexible custodial sentence for 10 to 17–year-olds, the Detention and Training Order, which will replace the Sentences of Detention in a Young Offender Institution (for 15 to 17–year-olds) and the Secure Training Order. The Government do not propose to change the existing provisions under section 53 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 to impose custodial sentences on 10 to 17–year-olds convicted of "grave crimes". The new Order will be introduced only for 12 to 17–year-olds in the first place. The Government will introduce the Detention and Training Order for 10 and 11–year-olds only should it prove necessary or desirable to do so; this will be subject to Parliamentary approval. The new Detention and Training Order will provide a clear focus on preventing offending in line with proposed new statutory aim for the youth justice system. It will allow young offenders to be placed in secure accommodation appropriate to their age and maturity.

  In developing their proposals on the Detention and Training Order, the Government have taken advice from my right hon. Friend's Task Force on Youth Justice, which is composed of experts with experience of youth justice. A summary of the Task Force's advice was placed in the Library on 2 December.

  There is no Home Office research on the effect of custodial sentences on children of 10 and 11 years old, partly because of the very small number of children in this age group who are sentenced to custody under the existing provisions.

  Immigration and Nationality Directorate
  Mr. Edward Davey
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average time taken by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate to process to completion applications for British citizenship; and if he will make a statement. [23917]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  At 31 December 1997, the Nationality Directorate was taking on average 15.8 months from receipt to completion for Nationality applications.

  Working practices and organisation in the Nationality Directorate are currently being looked at internally in order to improve the service to applicants. Next year, the introduction of the Caseworking Programme in the Immigration and Nationality Directorate will produce efficiency savings which will speed up the processing of these applications.

  Court Welfare Service
  Mrs. May
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to review the operation of the Court Welfare Service. [24116]

  Ms Quin
  Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Production carried out a thematic inspection of the operation of the court welfare service last year, concluding that overall the work was being carried out to a good standard. A copy of the report, which was published in November, is in the Library. I have no present plans to ask the Inspectorate to carry out a further inspection of this aspect of the probation service's work, although we are currently considering it, along with the service's other responsibilities, as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review.

  British Citizenship Applications
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government is taking to reduce the length of time applicants for British citizenship wait before receiving decisions on their cases. [24291]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Northavon (Mr. Webb) on 17 December 1997,Official Report, column 172.

  Performing Animals (Licences)
  Mr. Caplin
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many licences issued under the Performing Animals (Regulation) Act 1925 have been cancelled in the last 10 years; [24065]

  (2) what legal obligation there is on local authorities to hold copies of licences issued under the Performing Animals (Regulation) Act 1925; and what procedure is available for a holder of a licence to cancel a licence when it is no longer needed; [24063]

  (3) how many animals were listed in total on the licences issued under the Performing Animals (Regulation) Act 1925 in each of the last 10 years. [24064]

  Mr. George Howarth
  Regulation of the use of animals under the Performing Animals (Regulation) Act 1925 is undertaken by a system of registration, and not by a system of licensing. A person training or exhibiting animals must register with the relevant local authority.

  Section 1(2) of the 1925 Act provides that every local authority should keep a register of persons who exhibit or train animals.

  Under section 4(2) of the 1925 Act, where a person is convicted of an offence under the Act, or the Protection of Animals Act 1911, the court can order the name of the person to be removed from the register. Information on the number of such removals is not held centrally.

  The number of animals listed in the registration documents held by the Home Office, in each of the last 10 years, is as follows:

  1988: 1,416

  1989: 1,355

  1990: 1,090

  1991: 613

  Number of offenders convicted for offences associated with counterfeit offences by type of offence, 1986 to 1996

  England and Wales

  Legislation

  1986

  1988

  1990

  1992

  1994

  1996

  Indictable offences

  Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988 which revoked (as from 1 August 1989) the Copyright Act 1956

  20

  22

  37

  77

  47

  100

  Trade Descriptions Act 1988

  1,133

  1,171

  1,082

  1,226

  1,247

  852

  Trade Marks Act 1994 which repealed (as from 1 October 1994) the Trade Marks Act 1938

  —

  —

  —

  24

  82

  334

  Summary offences

  Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988 which revoked (as from 1 August 1989) the Copyright Act 1956

  56

  57

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  35

  Trade Descriptions Act 1988

  6

  5

  4

  12

  10

  9

  Trade Marks Act 1994 which repealed (as from 1 October 1994) the Trade Marks Act 1938

  —

  —

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  8

  n/a = Not available.

  584

  1992: 2,040

  1993: 2,857

  1994: 143

  1995: 611

  1996: 151

  1997: 545.

  Probation Service
  Mr. Stringer
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library the reports of studies commissioned on the effectiveness of the probation service. [24243]

  Ms Quin
  [holding answer 20 January 1998]: It is our standard practice to place in the Library copies of reports by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Probation of thematic inspections and inspections of the quality and effectiveness of area probation services. We also place in the Library reports prepared as part of the Home Office Research Programme, an important part of which involves evaluating both the effectiveness of work carried out by probation services, with a view to developing good policy and practice, and the implementation of new policy initiatives involving the probation service, with a view to establishing the extent to which the intended aims are being achieved.

  Counterfeit Goods
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions there have been in each year since 1987 for(a) manufacturing and (b) trading in counterfeit goods. [23996]

  Mr. Michael
  The information held centrally by my office on the number of convictions under the appropriate legislation is given in the table. It does not distinguish offences involving manufacture or trade nor the type of item involved.

  It should also be noted that the information is based on returns made by the police to the Home Office and although these include offences where there has been no police involvement, such as those prosecutions instigated by Government Departments (in this case local authority trading standards offices) and private organisations and individuals, the reporting of these types of offence is known to be incomplete.

  Information is given for the years 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994 and 1996. To supply further data would be at disproportionate cost.
  585
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the value of counterfeit(a) clothing, (b) perfumes and (c) jewellery seized by the police in each year since 1987. [23998]

  Mr. Michael
  Information relating to the seizure by the police of counterfeit goods is not collated centrally. Neither do the police record information in a form which would enable the information requested to be collated.

  Game Licences
  Mr. Boswell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to abolish or modify the current licences to take game. [23857]

  Mr. George Howarth
  [holding answer 20 Janaury 1998]: The purposes of the game laws are to regulate the close seasons and assist in the prevention of poaching. The Government are planning to consult about the effectiveness of the present system of licensing.

  Firearms Compensation
  Mr. Laurence Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff have been deployed to the Firearms Compensation Section; and if he will increase the number in order to accelerate payments under the compensation scheme. [24137]

  Mr. Michael
  The full staff complement for the Firearms Compensation Section had been set at 52 persons. It was not possible to maintain the initial full complement of 52 staff because of normal staff turnover. Whenever staff of

  Table A: Positive random mandatory drug tests, first quarter 1996–97 to second quarter 1997–98

  Durg type

  April-June 1996

  July-September 1996

  October-December 1996

  January-March 1997

  April-June 1997

  July-September 1997

  Totals

  Cannabis

  2,723

  2,746

  2,947

  3,046

  2,996

  2,490

  16,948

  Opiates

  680

  840

  838

  734

  615

  618

  4,325

  Others1

  348

  289

  274

  330

  318

  259

  1,818

  Total tested

  13,594

  13,858

  14,244

  14,946

  14,946

  14,915

  86,503

  1 The other drugs tested for are; cocaine, methadone, amphetamines, benzodiazepines, barbiturates and, optionally, LSD.

  Table B: Random mandatory drug tests, percentages positive for cannabis, opiates and other drugs First quarter 1996–97 to second quarter 1997–98

  Drug type

  April-June 1996

  July-September 1996

  October-December1996

  January-March 1997

  April-June 1997

  July-September 1997

  Overall

  Cannabis

  20.0

  19.8

  20.7

  20.4

  20.0

  16.7

  19.6

  Opiates

  5.0

  6.1

  5.9

  4.9

  4.1

  4.1

  5.0

  Others1

  2.6

  2.1

  1.9

  2.2

  2.1

  1.7

  2.1

  1 The other drugs tested for are; cocaine, methadone, amphetamines, benzodiazepines, barbiturates and, optionally, LSD.

  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his estimate of the proportion of illegal drugs discovered in random tests in prisons for which the source was(a) relatives of inmates visiting the prison, (b) others visiting the prison, (c) prison staff and (d) other sources, in the past three years. [24047]

  Mr. George Howarth
  There are no centrally compiled figures from which such an estimate could be drawn, and obtaining such an estimate could be undertaken only at disproportionate cost.
  586
  the Firearms Compensation Unit leave or move on, it is our policy to replace them as quickly as possible. At present, efforts at recruiting additional staff are in hand as part of a range of measures to deal with the outstanding payments as quickly as possible. Data processing staff are being introduced to help with the initial registration of claims, allowing the existing staff to concentrate more on processing and authorising payments. Overtime is also worked on a regular basis.

  Prisoners (Drugs)
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the total numbers of prisoners who have been found in random tests to have taken(a) cannabis, (b) heroin and (c) other illegal drugs since the tests were first introduced; what percentage of prisoners had taken the drugs in each case; and what changes have taken place in the proportions of the three categories of drugs. [24045]

  Mr. George Howarth
  Table A shows the total number of random tests and the numbers of prisoners who tested positive for cannabis, the opiates and other drugs in each quarter since the first in which all prisons undertook mandatory drug testing. Laboratory screening does not differentiate between heroin and other opiates, so it is not possible to provide figures for heroin alone. Table B shows the percentage of random tests positive for cannabis, the opiates and other drugs in each quarter. It indicates the changes there have been in positive random test results over time. Figures for October to December 1997 are not yet finalised.

  Prisoners (Alcohol)
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the prisons where alcohol has been consumed by inmates in the past three years. [24046]

  Mr. George Howarth
  There are no centrally compiled records of where alcohol has been consumed by inmates in the last three years. However, since the beginning of 1997, records have been kept of prisoners charged and found guilty under the new Prison Rule concerning the
  587
  consumption of alcohol. The total for 1997 was 80 proven adjudications, including those for aiding and/or attempting the principal offence.

  The establishments involved were as follows:

  Number

  Askham Grange open (female)

  7

  Aylesbury Young Offenders Institution (YOI)

  1

  Dorchester local

  1

  Drake Hall open (female)

  2

  East Sutton Park open (female)

  1

  Elmley local

  1

  Ford open

  2

  Full Sutton Closed Training Prison (CTP)

  9

  Grendon open

  10

  Haslar remand

  1

  Hewell Grange open

  4

  Hollesley Bay open

  6

  Hollesley Bay YOI

  2

  Kirkham open

  1

  Kirklevington CTP

  4

  Leyhill open

  5

  Long Lartin CTP

  3

  North Sea Camp open

  1

  Sudbury open

  2

  Thorn Cross YOI

  8

  The Verne CTP

  1

  Wealstun CTP

  1

  Wealstun open

  7

  Immigration Advisers
  Mr. Grant
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to control immigration advisers. [25045]

  Mr. Straw
  Our manifesto committed us to controlling unscrupulous immigration advisers. We have examined the options for delivering this commitment and I will tomorrow place at 9 am a copy of a consultation paper in the Library. Copies of the consultation paper will be sent to interested parties and further copies will be available on request. Comments are invited by 23 March.

  IT Equipment
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his Department's policy regarding the recycling of information technology equipment within his Department and relevant agencies and to other Government departments or agencies; and what arrangements have been made in this respect. [23241]

  Mr. Straw
  In disposing of surplus information technology equipment, the Home Office initially attempts to redeploy it to replace old equipment or meet new requirements. Where this is not possible, equipment is passed to disposal companies for destruction or refurbishment and resale as appropriate.

  Intelligence Files
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will instruct M15 to halt its proposed destruction of its intelligence files on individuals and organisations until arrangements have been put in place to assess the way in which these files were compiled. [23411]
  588
  Mr. Straw
  The Security Service's policy is to destroy only those files which it no longer requires to carry out its statutory functions or which are judged not to be of historical importance or both. I see no need to interfere with that policy in the way proposed by my hon. Friend.

DEFENCE

  Meat Procurement
  Mr. Key
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list by country of origin the percentage, based on value, of(a) pork, (b) lamb and (c) beef procured for the armed forces by (i) NAAFI and (ii) other for each of the five years to 1 October 1997; and if he will make a statement. [23975]

  Mr. Spellar
  [holding answer Monday 19 Janaury 1998]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Montgomeryshire (Mr. Öpik) on 13 January 1998, Official Report, column 157, in which I gave an estimate on the breakdown of the 12 month period to September 1998. Figures for previous years do not exist.

  Booker Foodservice began supplying food to the Armed Forces on 1 October 1997 under the terms of a contract agreed under the previous administration. That contract states that Booker should obtain meat, and for that matter all other products, at the best market prices in order to obtain best value for money for the taxpayer.

  Low Flying
  Mr. Laurence Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the medical or scientific advice used to ascertain whether noise levels caused by low-flying aircraft are harmful; when noise levels from low-flying aircraft were measured in the Tewkesbury area and what the results were; and what measures are being taken to reduce the risk from the noise of low-flying aircraft. [24134]

  Mr. Spellar
  My Department has been involved in research into environmental noise and health for many years, supported by the National Physical Laboratory, the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research of the University of Southampton, the University of Salford, and the Medical Research Council. Restrictions on the heights, speeds and operating procedures of military aircraft in the UK reflect medical and scientific advice, and are designed to ensure that noise exposures experienced on the ground are not harmful. As part of our continuing research, a noise measurement trial is currently being carried out at a location near Tewkesbury. The aim is to present the findings at an international conference on noise later this year.

  Aviation Movements
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the number of military aviation movements over the last five years in United Kingdom-controlled airspace. [24481]
  589
  Mr. Spellar
  The total number of military aviation movements using the air traffic control system managed by the London, Scottish and Manchester air traffic control centres is as follows:

  Number

  1993

  32,546

  1994

  30,817

  1995

  31,953

  1996

  32,434

  1997

  30,565

  Total

  158,315

  Details relating to other military aviation movements, including military aircraft crossing controlled airspace, are not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

WALES

  Schools (Revenue Support)
  Mr. Donald Anderson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much additional revenue support has been allocated to Welsh schools in 1998–99; and if he will make a statement. [21972]

  Dr. Marek
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much additional revenue support has been allocated to Welsh schools in 1998–99; and if he will make a statement. [21985]

  Mr. Hain
  We have allocated £50.267 million additional revenue funding and I have made it clear that the bulk of this must go into schools budgets. Swansea will receive some £3.5 million.

  Meat Labelling
  Mr. Soames
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received from consumers relating to the labelling of meat in supermarkets. [21973]

  Mr. Win Griffiths
  In the last few months, the Department has received two letters from consumers on this matter.

  Welsh Assembly
  Mr. Fabricant
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the site for the National Assembly for Wales. [21974]

  Mr. Ron Davies
  I issued a consultation paper on 8 December which invites the people of Wales to comment on the location of the National Assembly for Wales. There have been several hundred responses so far. The consultation period ends on 30 January and I expect to announce a decision by early March 1998.

  Mrs. Ann Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of the annual running costs of the proposed Welsh assembly. [21975]
  590
  Mr. Ron Davies
  I refer the hon. Member to the oral answer I gave today to the hon. Member for South Dorset (Mr. Bruce).

  Mr. Loughton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations from north Wales he has received regarding the siting of the Welsh Assembly. [21967]

  Mr. Ron Davies
  I have already received a number of representations from North Wales about the location of the National Assembly for Wales, and may receive more during the remaining period of my consultation with the people of Wales.

  Tree Planting
  Sir Sydney Chapman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will encourage tree planting in the Principality. [21976]

  Mr. Win Griffiths
  We are fully committed to increasing the area of woodland in Wales and we will continue to offer grant aid and advice to landowners to encourage them to plant trees. For example, the Forestry Commission has recently introduced Challenge Funds for creating forests on bracken land in Wales and for establishing native woodlands in National Parks. We shall also be taking steps to encourage the creation of new woodlands on derelict land throughout Wales. Of course, the key to really significant increases in our woodland area is reform of the Common Agricultural Policy. This is one of our principal objectives in Europe, and we are discussing the options with our European partners.

  Inward Investment
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what new proposals he has in respect of inward investment. [21978]

  Mr. Hain
  We will continue to seek to build and improve on our successful record on inward investment. Since the election we have secured 66 new projects promising over 7,000 new and safeguarded jobs and capital investment of over £445 million.

  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the prospects for inward investment in Wales. [21986]

  Mr. Hain
  Since the election 66 investment projects have been recorded which forecast over 7,000 new and safeguarded jobs and capital expenditure of over £445 million. This augurs well for the future and I believe the prospects for future inward investment are good.

  Mr. Flight
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what has been the trend of new inward investment announcements for Wales over the last three months. [21990]

  Mr. Hain
  In the last three months there has been a number of significant announcements in respect of new inward investment and major reinvestment projects in Wales. During that period 2,150 new jobs have been forecast, involving capital investment of some £226 million, compared with 1,500 new jobs and capital investment of £198 million for the same period a year ago.

  Health Service
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's strategy for the NHS in Wales. [21979]

  Mr. Win Griffiths
  The Government's strategy for the NHS in Wales is set out in the White Paper "NHS Wales: Putting Patients First" (Command Paper number 3841), which was published on 15 January. Copies are available in the Library of the House.

  Beef on the Bone
  Mr. Chope
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received regarding the ban on beef on the bone. [21980]

  Mr. Win Griffiths
  I have received numerous representations regarding the prohibition on the sale of bone in beef products.

  Beef Farming
  Mr. Keith Simpson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the state of beef farming in Wales. [21982]

  Mr. Win Griffiths
  My right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food announced proposals for a one-off £85 million package on 22 December 1997,Official Report, columns 677–98. It included £60 million under the terms of the agrimoney compensation rules and £25 million for Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowances. This aid is contingent upon approval by the European Commission and will be in addition to the £1.4 billion already budgeted to support the beef sector during the current financial year. This is in addition to significant funding in 1997–98 for the beef sector. Every effort is being made to have the export ban lifted. Nevertheless the beef sector remains in long term structural surplus and reform of the CAP beef regime is essential.

  Cold Weather Payments
  Mr. Gill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received from Welsh pensioners regarding the Cold Weather Payments (Wind Chill Factor) Bill. [21984]

  Mr. Win Griffiths
  No representations have been received from Welsh pensioners regarding the Cold Weather Payments (Wind Chill Factor) Bill.

  Home Starts
  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the number of home starts for Wales in 1998–99. [21987]

  Mr. Win Griffiths
  I estimate that there will be around 9,300 starts in 1998–99. The recently announced spending plans for Tai Cymru will allow 2,300 starts and this will be supplemented by a further 50 housing association starts funded by local authorities under the capital receipts initiative. In the private sector, work is expected to commence on more than 6,900 new homes.

  Hill Farmers
  Mr Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to increase support to hill farmers. [21989]

  Mr. Win Griffiths
  I refer to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on 22 December 1997,Official Report, columns 677–98.

  Dental Services
  Mr. Öpik
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what action he is planning to take in 1998 to assist those in rural areas of Wales who do not have access to an NHS dentist. [21977]

  Mr. Win Griffiths
  In July of last year I announced that I was making £2.5 million available to finance a package of proposals for developing primary care in Wales. This included £250,000 to extend the Welsh Office dental initiative to attract new dentists into Wales. The package also contained £500,000 to finance an Equity Fund which can be used to tackle any deficiencies in NHS dental provision which cannot be addressed by the dental initiative.

  Tourism Grants
  Mr. Hoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the benefits which section 4 tourism grants have provided in Wales. [21981]

  Mr. Hain
  The scheme was last reviewed in September 1995. It has proved to be a cost effective mechanism for stimulating investment in tourism.

  Livestock Market
  Mr. Livsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the state of the farm livestock market in Wales. [21983]

  Mr. Win Griffiths
  Trade at livestock markets has been affected by the wider problems facing farmers recently, particularly beef producers. Since September 1997, prices and the number of animals traded have both been on a generally downward trend. The Government announced on 22 December 1997,Official Report, columns 677–98, a substantial one-off aid package of £85 million to help alleviate the current difficulties that producers face. In the longer term, the Government believe that there needs to be a substantial restructuring of the European beef industry and we will be having early consultations with the farming industry on this.

  Poor People
  Mr. Pond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will carry out an assessment of the impact of his Department's current policies on the(a) income, (b) employment opportunities and (c) living standards, of the poorest 30 per cent. of the population. [23339]

  Mr. Hain
  The Welsh Office continually evaluates its policies using a variety of methods. Our objective is to spread prosperity throughout Wales, and to offer educational and employment opportunities for all.
  593
  The best way of improving the living standards of most people at the bottom of the income distribution is to help them into work, and we are implementing a range of policies under the New Deal to achieve this aim.

  We have also established a Social Exclusion Programme to help co-ordinate action across the Welsh Office and to find new and more integrated ways of tackling the worst problems.

  Road Safety
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how he proposes to improve road safety in the vicinity of schools in Deeside. [24157]

  Mr. Hain
  Children are a road safety priority. Road safety education is an integral part of our approach to reducing road accidents amongst all school children complementing publicity, enforcement and engineering measures. For example, we provide the services of the Traffic Education Adviser for Wales to promote road safety education, particularly through the medium of the Welsh language. We are also supportive of projects which encourage children to take the bus to school or walk and cycle in safety.

  I have established the Welsh Transport Advisory Group to provide advice on the development and implementation of an integrated and sustainable transport policy for Wales. The Advisory Group are looking specifically at Safe Routes to School initiatives and will be advising shortly on action which might be taken in this area.

  IT Equipment
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his Department's policy regarding the recycling of information technology equipment within his Department and relevant agencies and to other Government departments or agencies; and what arrangements have been made in this respect. [23236]

  Mr. Ron Davies
  Under a Private Finance Initiative the Department's IT equipment is provided, owned and disposed of by Siemens Business Services. IT equipment that SBS cannot use for spares is sold to a third party for recycling.

  Health Common Services Authority
  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what plans he has to enable the functions of the Welsh Health Common Services Authority to be carried out after the proposed abolition of the authority; [23778]

  (2) if he will make a statement on the future of the Welsh Health Common Services Authority. [23779]

  Mr. Win Griffiths
  The activities now carried out by the Authority will be located in the Assembly, health Authorities or NHS Trusts and a review group established by the Department is now considering options. It will report in the Spring.

  A483
  Dr. Marek
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give the projected traffic volumes on the A483 Wrexham bypass at public inquiry stage and the actual levels since the road was opened. [24279]
  594
  Mr. Hain
  Records of the projected traffic volumes at the time of the public inquiry held in 1970 are no longer available. Annual average daily flows since the bypass was opened are as follows:

  Census year

  Annual average daily flow

  1996

  34,796

  1993

  36,785

  1988

  24,323

  1984

  14,562

  1974

  17,900

  1 Based on an average August day.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

  IT Equipment
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is his Department's policy regarding the recycling of information technology equipment within his Department and relevant agencies and to other Government Departments or agencies; and what arrangements have been made in this respect. [23244]

  Mr. Peter Kilfoyle
  Within my Department and its Agencies, IT equipment which becomes surplus in one area of operations is, whenever possible and cost-effective, re-used elsewhere. Where this cannot be achieved, and subject to the requirements of security, surplus equipment is sold at market value to members of staff, to charitable organisations or to the private sector.

HEALTH

  Dental Services
  Mr. Kidney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been(a) the budget for general dental services and (b) its outturn for England for each year since April 1992. [22990]

  Mr. Milburn
  General Dental Services (GDS) expenditure is not cash limited, so there is no set annual budget. The original vote provision, and final gross net expenditure in the GDS in England for the financial years 1992–93 to 1996–97 is shown in the table.

  General Dental Service: Gross expenditure for the financial years 1992–93 to 1996–97

  England

  £ million

  Outturn

  Provision made in main estimate

  Year

  Gross expenditure

  Net expenditure

  Gross

  Net

  1992–93

  1,305.9

  911.1

  1,215.2

  768.6

  1993–94

  1,221.7

  854.7

  1,258.5

  851.1

  1994–95

  1,279.4

  896.1

  1,324.8

  926.5

  1995–96

  1,289.5

  908.4

  1,392.0

  973.4

  1996–97

  1,323.1

  940.1

  1,412.9

  988.8

  Hospital Patients (Telephone Inquiries)
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average time taken for a telephone inquiry to be
  595
  dealt with in respect of locating a patient (a) for all hospitals in the UK and (b) at Leicester Royal Infirmary; and what steps he proposes to decrease this time. [23192]

  Mr. Milburn
  Information on telephone inquiries dealt with by hospitals is not collected centrally.

  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines exist for dealing with telephone inquiries at(a) all major hospitals and (b) Leicester Royal Infirmary in respect of the locating of patients within hospitals. [23190]

  Mr. Milburn
  There are no guidelines for dealing with telephone inquiries at all major hospitals. With regards to guidelines for the Leicester Royal Infirmary National Health Service Trust, Professor David Barnett has been asked to write to my hon. Friend with this information as soon as possible.

  Leicester Royal Infirmary
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many telephone receptionists there are at Leicester Royal Infirmary; how many receptionists were on duty at Leicester Royal Infirmary on the morning of 6 January; and what computer problems were experienced at Leicester Royal Infirmary on the morning of 6 January; [23189]

  (2) what steps he proposes for the modernisation of computer technology to deal with telephone inquiries at Leicester Royal Infirmary in respect of the location of patients. [23191]

  Mr. Milburn
  This is a matter for Leicester Royal Infirmary National Health Service Trust. We have asked the acting Chairman of Leicester Royal Infirmary NHS Trust, Professor David Barnett, to write to my hon. Friend with this information as soon as possible.

  Hormonal Replacement Therapies
  Maria Eagle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list those area health authorities which allow the prescribing of ProGest hormonal replacement therapy cream as a supplement instead of drug-based HRT. [23322]

  Mr. Milburn
  The information requested is unavailable. National Health Service doctors can arrange for their patients to receive complementary medicine treatment such as ProGest for their patients if they feel that there is a need for such treatment.

  ME Association
  Mr. Kidney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what support his Department has provided for the ME Association; and what plans he has for future support. [23494]

  Mr. Boateng
  The Department has funded the Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Association through the Section 64 scheme of grants £37,000 from 1995–96 to 1997–98 and £94,673 for their Development of Support Services project from 1995–96 to 1997–98. Also, Department of Health officials have recently agreed to a meeting with the ME Association to discuss the Royal Colleges' Report on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ME and other concerns.

  Medical Workforce Standing Advisory Committee
  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he intends to implement the Campbell Report on medical manpower. [23365]

  Mr. Milburn
  The main recommendations of the Third Report of the Medical Workforce Standing Advisory Committee (MWSAC)—the Campbell report—are for the annual intake to UK medical schools to increase by 1,000, a 20 per cent. increase over the target of 4,970 for the year 2000, together with a range of measures to improve the recruitment and retention of doctors.

  A number of MWSAC's recommendations coincides with the Government's own thinking and should be welcomed. But the recommendation on increased medical school intake has very significant implications, and will need careful examination.

  The Government will announce their decisions on all MWSAC's recommendations in a few months' time in the light of the Comprehensive Spending Review.

  Psychotherapy Services
  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans he has for reducing the time patients currently have to wait for psychotherapy services; [23466]

  (2) on what basis ministers intend to plan for future levels of mental health services with particular reference to (a) counselling and (b) psychotherapy. [23470]

  Mr. Boateng
  The National Health Service Executive review of psychotherapy services published in 1996 contains practical guidance for the health service on the problems of psychotherapy, including local strategy to reduce waiting times.

  NHS Doctors
  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he intends to take over the predicted shortfall of doctors in the NHS; and how this will be financed. [23467]

  Mr. Milburn
  The Government are advised by the Medical Workforce Standing Advisory Committee (MWSAC) on the future balance of medical workforce supply and demand in the United Kingdom and on the intake into UK medical schools. Their third report was published recently.

  MWSAC's main recommendations are for the annual intake to UK medical schools to increase by 1,000, a 20 per cent. increase over the target of 4,970 for the year 2000, together with a range of measures to improve the recruitment and retention of doctors.

  A number of MWSAC's recommendations coincide with the Government's own thinking and should be welcomed. But the recommendation on increased medical school intake has very significant implications, and will need careful examination.

  The Government will announce their decision on all of MWSAC's recommendations in a few months' time in the light of the Comprehensive Spending Review.
  597
  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for the better utilisation of married women doctors in the NHS, who may be unable to work full-time. [23468]

  Mr. Milburn
  I announced last September a five point action plan for the National Health Service setting out our human resources strategy for the future of the NHS, based on the underlying values of fairness, efficiency and flexibility. This encompasses family friendly employment policies—flexible working arrangements which allow for greater integration of all members of the workforce both in the primary and secondary care environments. These policies are essential if the NHS is to make the best use of staff and sustain the NHS as an attractive employer to people.

  We accept that the number of opportunities for flexible working needs to be maximised in order to minimise potential wastage among those doctors who find traditional working patterns too restricting.

  A number of key initiatives are contributing towards the need to develop family-friendly employment policies. These are summarised in the Health Department's written evidence of September 1997 to the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration, copies of which have been placed in the Library.

  Back Pain
  Mrs. Ballard
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will increase the resources available for the treatment of back pain; and if he will make a statement. [23940]

  Mr. Boateng
  The Government recognise that back pain is a serious health problem and its treatment involves a wide range of services within the National Health Service. Health Authorities are given general allocations for hospital and community health services to commission health care services for their resident population. General practitioners provide general medical services. It is currently for individual health authorities to decide the level and type of services commissioned in partnership with GPs locally and through consultation with other agencies and local people, taking account of local circumstances and national policies.

  Drug Addicts
  Mr. Ronnie Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many beds are available for drug addict patients in the Northumberland Health Authority area. [24025]

  Ms Jowell
  None. Northumberland Health Authority has a contract with Newcastle City Health National Health Service Trust for access to a range of services, including in-patient admissions at the Regional Addictions Service at Plummer Court.

  Mr. Ronnie Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many drug addict patients were treated for detoxification in Blyth Valley(a) in 1994, (b) 1995, (c) 1996 and (d) 1997; and how many returned for detoxification again. [24024]

  Ms Jowell
  Information in the form requested is not collated by Northumberland Health Authority or the Community Substance Misuse Team.

  Elderly Mentally Ill Patients
  Mr. Ronnie Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many elderly mental illness beds Northumberland Health Authority provides. [23987]

  Mr. Boateng
  Northumberland Health Authority directly (or indirectly through a Total Fund managed by general practitioners in Tynedale) purchases in-patient mental health care for elderly people from the Northumberland Mental Health National Health Service Trust in the following locations.

  Location

  Number of beds

  Type of service

  Tynedale Social Services

  20

  Assessment, respite and continuing care

  Berwick Infirmary

  6

  Assessment, respite and continuing care

  Blyth Social Services

  8

  Assessment, respite care

  Blyth Community Hospital

  14

  Continuing care

  St. George's Hospital

  20

  Assessment, respite care

  St. George's Hospital

  46

  Continuing care and respite care

  St. George's Hospital

  20

  Assessment/treatment of elderly functionally ill

  Source:

  Northumberland Health Authority, January 1998.

  Methadone
  Mr. Ronnie Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients in Blyth Valley are injecting Methadone. [24021]

  Ms Jowell
  We do not hold the information requested centrally, although the Department of Health's Statistical Bulletin "Drug Misuse Statistics" for the six month period ending 31 March 1996 includes some related data for Northumberland and copies have been placed in the Library.

  Northumberland Health Authority report that since the introduction of the Blyth Pilot Supervised Methadone Administration scheme in November 1996 the leakage of methadone onto the illegal market has been reduced, if not eliminated, and the police have not recovered any methadone in Blyth.

  Mr. Ronnie Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients are being prescribed Methadone under supervision in Blyth Valley through the Methadone clinic, substance misuse team and family doctors. [24023]

  Mr. Milburn
  The Northumberland Health Authority has reported that at the end of November 1997 a total of 69 individuals were supported within the Blyth Pilot Supervised Methadone Administration Scheme.

  Opencast Mining
  Mr. Ronnie Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what data he has collated on medical surveys in the United Kingdom linking dust from opencast mining with high levels of illness among those living close to the workings. [24035]

  Ms Jowell
  The Department of Health, jointly with the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, is currently funding a project designed to look
  599
  at the effects of opencast mining on health. This project, which started in August 1996, is being undertaken at Newcastle University and is due to be completed this year. The research will improve our understanding of this issue substantially.

  The Department is also aware of a recently published study of air pollution and lung function which was undertaken in West Wales and this is currently being considered. A view on the implications, if any, of opencast mining on the health of the local community arising from this study will be issued later in the year.

  Cannabis
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Government have to fund research into the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes. [24042]

  Mr. Boateng
  Department of Health officials, including professionals, are keeping the available research into the therapeutic use and risks of cannabis under review. Since 1996, expenditure on this activity through the Policy Research Programme has amounted to £10,705. The Department has not recently commissioned basic research in this area. The Medical Research Council provides support for two grants in the general area of therapeutic use of cannabis, amounting to £149,000, both on the role of cannabinoid receptors. The MRC do not support any work specifically into the treatment of particular conditions with cannabis.

  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many times cannabis was prescribed in England between 1968 and 1971; and for which illnesses. [24038]

  Mr. Boateng
  In this period data for 1970 only are held. In 1970 no prescriptions were dispensed for cannabis.

  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to meet the British Medical Association to discuss the therapeutic use of cannabis. [24327]

  Mr. Boateng
  We have no plans to meet the British Medical Association (BMA) to discuss the therapeutic use of cannabis in the near future. However, the Chief Medical Officer and Department of Health officials are meeting with the BMA on 10 March to discuss this issue.

  Maternity Hospitals
  Mr. Alan Johnson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many maternity hospitals in England are isolated from pathology, radiology, intensive care and other general hospital facilities; and what are(a) their locations and (b) their approximate distance from such facilities. [23911]

  Mr. Milburn
  The information requested is not held centrally. It is for health authorities and National Health Service trusts to organise local services to meet local needs.

  Diabetes Research
  Mr. Syms
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimates his Department has made of the likely amount to be spent on research into diabetes in the current year; and how this compares with spending in the last five years. [23914]
  600
  Ms Jowell
  It is estimated that in the 1997–98 financial year the Department of Health's Policy Research Programme will spend £266,000 on research into diabetes. The total value of studies currently being funded is £1 million.

  This compares with funding over the last five years of:

  1992–93: £189,000

  1993–94: £288,000

  1994–95: £366,000

  1995–96: £488,000

  1996–97: £434,000.

  A range of research projects related to diabetes is also being carried out under the centrally funded National Health Service Research and Development Programmes. For example, a study of digital imaging techniques for monitoring diabetic retinopathy will cost £388,644 in total.

  The main agency through which the Government support medical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council. The Council spends approximately £3 million a year on research directly into diabetes.

  Unleaded Fuel Pollution
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the impact on the number of deaths caused by air pollution of the introduction and use of unleaded fuel. [24039]

  Ms Jowell
  The Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP) has recently published a major report quantifying the health effects of air pollution. The Committee concluded that current levels of air pollution probably play an important role in precipitating the deaths of at least 12,000–24,000 people each year, though stressed that air pollution is likely to be one of a number of factors affecting the clinical condition of seriously ill people.

  COMEAP was able to estimate the health effects for sulphur dioxide, particles and ozone only where a reliable assessment using available scientific evidence could be made and this did not include lead.

  There is no evidence to suggest that exposure to airborne lead is a source of death in the United Kingdom. Lead has more subtle toxicological effects, for example on the development of intellectual function in children. The reduction in blood lead concentrations that has occurred during the period when sales of leaded petrol have declined has been encouraging and would suggest that the toxic effects may have also been reduced, though this is difficult to demonstrate. It is also likely that the level of lead in dust and particulate matter will have declined as a result.

  One of the measures that the Government are supporting is a ban on the general marketing of leaded petrol in Europe which was agreed at the Environment Council meeting in June 1997 and which will take effect from 1 January 2001.

  IT Equipment
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his Department's policy regarding the recycling of information technology equipment within his
  601
  Department and relevant agencies and to other Government departments or agencies; and what arrangements have been made in this respect. [23239]

  Mr. Boateng
  When information technology equipment is no longer required for the purpose for which it was bought it will, if possible, be reallocated for other use within the Department or its agencies. Decisions on whether equipment within the Department can be re-allocated or sold are made by the Department's central information technology user support branch. Where there is no further requirement for equipment, it will be sold to the highest bidder. The Department's agencies have similar policies.

  NHS Treatment
  Mr. Oaten
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the number of patients, by individual health authority, who received NHS treatment in the last three years. [24277]

  Mr. Boateng
  Information has been placed in the Library showing the number of Finished Consultant Episodes (ordinary hospital admissions and day cases), by 602
  the health authority of treatment. The figures are for England and cover the years 1993–94, 1994–95 and 1995–96, the latest available.

  National Performance Framework
  Ms Ryan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will publish the consultation document on the national performance framework referred to in the Government's White Paper "The New NHS". [24662]

  Mr. Milburn
  We are publishing the consultation document today. Copies have been placed in the Library.

  Liverpool Blood Centre
  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place the report written by Professor John Cash on the organisation of the Blood Transfusion Service in the Library. [24386]

  Mr. Boateng
  Professor Cash is currently finalising his report on the services provided by the Liverpool Blood Centre. We propose to publish the report and the Government's response. Copies will be placed in the Library in the usual way.

  Cabinet Committees
  Cabinet Committees
  Local Government Decision-Making Arrangements
  Local Government Decision-Making Arrangements
  Art and Design in the National Curriculum
  Art and Design in the National Curriculum
  Students' Tuition Fee Contributions
  Students' Tuition Fee Contributions
  Student Loans: Interest Rate
  Student Loans: Interest Rate
  NHS National Performance Framework
  NHS National Performance Framework
  Treaty of Amsterdam: ECJ Jurisdiction
  Treaty of Amsterdam: ECJ Jurisdiction
  Immigration Advisers
  Immigration Advisers
  Deaths in Custody
  Deaths in Custody
  Maternity Benefit Payments
  Maternity Benefit Payments
  Royal Armouries Museum: Admissions
  Royal Armouries Museum: Admissions