Written Answers of 29 April 1999

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

  Historic Military Equipment
  Mr. Norman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he issued a heritage export licence for a Panzer iv/70 (V) main battle tank during 1998. [82194]

  Mr. Alan Howarth
  The information given on applications for heritage export licences is commercially sensitive and is given in confidence. The Government cannot, therefore, reveal details about objects which are the subject of applications. We are advised that it would also be an unwarranted invasion of privacy contrary to Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

  Mr. Norman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what(a) regulations and (b) guidelines he has issued relating to the export of military equipment which is over 50 years old. [82172]

  Mr. Alan Howarth
  An individual export licence is required on heritage grounds from my Department for firearms between 50 and 100 years old if valued at or above £39,600. All other arms and armour over 50 years of age and firearms more than 100 years old require an individual export licence on heritage grounds if valued at or above £20,000. In addition, the export of any goods covered by Part III of Schedule 1 to the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1994, the so called military list, requires an export licence from the Department of Trade and Industry regardless of monetary value or age.

  The booklet, "Export Licensing for Culture Goods: Procedures and Guidance for Exporters of Works of Art and other Cultural Goods", which is issued by my Department, sets out the export licensing requirements on heritage grounds.

  Advance Corporation Tax
  Mr. Spring
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what is his assessment of the effect of recent changes to advance corporation tax on the tourism industry. [81803]

  Local authority

  Primary education SSA (£ million)

  Estimated number of resident pupils aged 5 to 10

  Primary education SSA per primary pupil (£/pupil)

  Secondary education SSA (£ million)

  Estimated number of resident pupils aged 11 to 15

  Secondary education SSA per secondary pupil (£/pupil)

  Bedfordshire

  67.54

  28,609

  2,361

  66.269

  22,014

  3,010

  Buckinghamshire

  79.231

  33,522

  2,364

  80.276

  27,230

  2,948

  Cambridgeshire

  85.221

  39,310

  2,168

  79.399

  28,051

  2,831

  Cheshire

  108.986

  48,612

  2,242

  114.218

  37,885

  3,015

  Cornwall

  81.285

  34,725

  2,341

  84.335

  28,504

  2,959

  Cumbria

  81.26

  35,574

  2,284

  84.398

  28,498

  2,962

  Derbyshire

  118.175

  53,463

  2,210

  116.069

  41,188

  2,818

  Devon

  105.727

  46,262

  2,285

  103.297

  36,721

  2,813

  Dorset

  56.094

  25,393

  2,209

  58.653

  20,032

  2,928

  Durham

  86.097

  37,952

  2,269

  88.105

  31,004

  2,842

  214
  Janet Anderson
  [holding answer 28 April 1999]: We have made no specific assessment of the effect on the tourism industry of the recent changes to advance corporation tax.

  The abolition of advance corporation tax from 6 April 1999, together with other recent changes in corporation tax, is aimed at stimulating greater high-quality long-term investment and will increase the attraction of the UK as a location for international companies. The removal of advance corporation tax, which gives all small to medium companies that pay dividends a significant cash-flow advantage, should benefit some of the many small firms which make up the tourism industry.

  As we outlined in our recent strategy, "Tomorrow's Tourism", we are committed to creating the right economic climate for enterprise and investment for the whole of the UK economy as well as the tourism industry; these corporation tax changes contribute to our central economic objective of promoting economic stability as a platform for long-term sustainable growth.

ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS

  Standard Spending Assessments
  Mrs. Anne Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list for shire counties(a) the education service-block Standard Spending Assessment for each county, divided by the total number of full-time-equivalent pupils financed by that county, (b) the primary education service-sub-block Standard Spending Assessment for each county, divided by the number of primary pupils financed by that county and (c) the secondary education service-sub-block Standard Spending Assessment for each county, divided by the number of secondary pupils financed by that county. [82206]

  Ms Armstrong
  Data are not collected on the total number of full-time-equivalent pupils financed by a county.

  The calculations in the table for (b) and (c) have divided the Standard Spending Assessment by the estimated number of resident pupils (as defined in the Local Government Finance Report) for primary (aged 5 to 10) and secondary (aged 11 to 15) pupils respectively. Equivalent data for resident nursery (aged 3 to 4) pupils and resident pupils aged 16 and over do not exist; it is not therefore possible to provide data for (a).
  215

  Local authority

  Primary education SSA (£ million)

  Estimated number of resident pupils aged 5 to 10

  Primary education SSA per primary pupil (£/pupil)

  Secondary education SSA (£ million)

  Estimated number of resident pupils aged 11 to 15

  Secondary education SSA per secondary pupil (£/pupil)

  East Sussex

  76.252

  32,915

  2,317

  74.095

  25,458

  2,910

  Essex

  223.301

  93,370

  2,392

  227.552

  74,515

  3,054

  Gloucestershire

  89.208

  39,774

  2,243

  91.656

  31,445

  2,915

  Hampshire

  202.419

  89,880

  2,252

  194.709

  69,441

  2,804

  Hertfordshire

  183.98

  75,172

  2,447

  186.64

  56,413

  3,308

  Kent

  229.133

  96,297

  2,379

  231.163

  74,741

  3,093

  Lancashire

  203.387

  89,068

  2,284

  206.28

  69,524

  2,967

  Leicestershire

  95.562

  43,889

  2,177

  96.748

  35,418

  2,732

  Lincolnshire

  103.346

  44,221

  2,337

  109.077

  36,855

  2,960

  Norfolk

  120.664

  53,529

  2,254

  123.768

  41,909

  2,953

  North Yorkshire

  89.617

  39,644

  2,261

  96.293

  31,433

  3,063

  Northamptonshire

  110.605

  48,655

  2,273

  105.949

  36,187

  2,928

  Northumberland

  51.326

  21,876

  2,346

  55.515

  18,662

  2,975

  Nottinghamshire

  123.602

  55,343

  2,233

  130.741

  45,693

  2,861

  Oxfordshire

  94.498

  43,424

  2,176

  90.027

  30,617

  2,940

  Shropshire

  43.759

  19,372

  2,259

  45.589

  15,477

  2,946

  Somerset

  78.454

  35,036

  2,239

  75.464

  26,687

  2,828

  Staffordshire

  135.6

  61,207

  2,215

  140.157

  49,261

  2,845

  Suffolk

  107.072

  49,382

  2,168

  104.74

  36,188

  2,894

  Surrey

  155.874

  64,443

  2,419

  148.714

  46,471

  3,200

  Warwickshire

  80.391

  35,965

  2,235

  80.816

  27,841

  2,903

  West Sussex

  115.935

  50,600

  2,291

  115.298

  38,535

  2,992

  Wiltshire

  68.885

  30,630

  2,249

  66.067

  23,759

  2,781

  Worcestershire

  84.099

  38,313

  2,195

  84.456

  29,230

  2,889

  Mrs. Anne Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list for each shire county(a) the difference between the education department budget and that county's education service-block SSA in 1998–99 and (b) that sum, divided by the total number of full-time-equivalent pupils financed by that education department. [82171]

  Ms Armstrong
  Shire counties have reported budget education net revenue expenditure and their education SSA for 1998–99, as given in the table.

  Education expenditure and provision

  £000

  Shire county

  NRE (a)

  SSA (b)

  Difference (a-b)

  Bedfordshire

  154,077

  154,036

  41

  Buckinghamshire

  182,797

  183,782

  -985

  Cambridgeshire

  190,958

  180,211

  10,747

  Cheshire

  274,626

  250,889

  23,737

  Cornwall

  178,855

  179,351

  -496

  Cumbria

  196,334

  186,095

  10,239

  Derbyshire

  266,164

  257,615

  8,549

  Devon

  229,377

  228,712

  665

  Dorset

  139,140

  126,485

  12,655

  Durham

  205,287

  194,502

  10,785

  East Sussex

  165,774

  164,718

  1,056

  Essex

  501,848

  496,599

  5,249

  Gloucestershire

  199,057

  202,724

  -3,667

  Hampshire

  432,726

  423,339

  9,387

  Hertfordshire

  427,611

  424,210

  3,401

  Kent

  522,092

  525,604

  -3,512

  Lancashire

  464,394

  444,776

  19,618

  Leicestershire

  225,478

  215,261

  10,217

  Lincolnshire

  241,871

  236,174

  5,697

  Norfolk

  281,017

  270,064

  10,953

  North Yorkshire

  219,622

  206,729

  12,893

  Northamptonshire

  240,613

  243,723

  -3,110

  Northumberland

  122,689

  123,315

  -626

  Nottinghamshire

  298,863

  280,512

  18,351

  Oxfordshire

  201,628

  207,934

  -6,306

  Shropshire

  100,173

  95,364

  4,809

  216

  Education expenditure and provision

  £000

  Shire county

  NRE (a)

  SSA (b)

  Difference (a-b)

  Somerset

  175,236

  165,321

  9,915

  Staffordshire

  309,868

  305,803

  4,065

  Suffolk

  244,393

  237,019

  7,374

  Surrey

  335,735

  338,400

  -2,665

  Warwickshire

  188,986

  178,047

  10,939

  West Sussex

  266,085

  254,555

  11,530

  Wiltshire

  151,883

  149,445

  2,438

  Worcestershire

  187,820

  187,843

  -23

  Data are not collected on the total number of full-time-equivalent pupils financed by a county. Education Net Revenue Expenditure covers a wider range of activities than school expenditure, so it would not be appropriate to present this information on a per pupil basis.

  Street Lighting
  Mr. Edward Davey
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to introduce competition into the market for street lighting connections; and what estimate he has made of the potential savings for local authorities from such competition. [82140]

  Ms Glenda Jackson
  This is a matter for the Director General of Electricity Supply. I understand that he has already conducted a consultation on this and related issues and is in the process of examining the options arising from that consultation.

  Planning Application (New Mills)
  Mr. Clifton-Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions on what grounds the Government Office for the South West issued an article 14 direction to the Stroud District Council in
  217
  relation to the planning application (No. 98/1386) by Renishaw plc at New Mills, Wootton under Edge, Gloucestershire; and if he will reach his decision by 1 May. [82453]

  Mr. Caborn
  An Article 14 Direction was issued in order to give the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions more time to consider the application by Renishaw, which was referred to him by Stroud District Council. He will reach a decision as quickly as soon as possible but is unable to give an undertaking that this will be done before 1 May.

  Pesticides
  Mrs. Ellman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what progress has been made by the inter-departmental group reviewing the Government's existing arrangements for monitoring pesticide-related ill health. [82857]

  Mr. Meale
  The Review has been completed and a copy of the group's final report has been placed in both Libraries of the House.

  Railways
  Mr. Jenkin
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will publish a consultation document on his plans for changes in the arrangements for the application of public subsidy to the railways. [82629]

  Dr. Reid
  I refer the hon. Member to my answer on 20 April 1999,Official Report, column 479.

  Rail Punctuality
  Mr. Nigel Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to amend the compensation arrangements for season ticket holders, with particular reference to the moving average punctuality statistics, when the rail company charters are next reviewed. [81513]

  Ms Glenda Jackson
  Changes to the compensation arrangements linked to average punctuality would be a matter for negotiation between Opraf and the train operating companies. Opraf's remit is to ensure that the standards set out in the Passenger's Charters are being met. Opraf cannot unilaterally require improvements. The moving annual average is still seen as a reasonably fair way of compensating season ticket holders for poor performance and there are no current plans to change it.

  Executive Agency Targets
  Mr. Derek Twigg
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what targets he has set for (i) the Driving Standards Agency, (ii) the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, (iii) the Highways Agency, (iv) the Vehicle Certification Agency and (v) the Vehicle Inspectorate. [82894]

  Mr. Prescott
  The key targets have been set for the agencies. They are included in the agencies' business plans, which include management objectives, performance indicators and key tasks, where appropriate to the agencies' business. Copies of the business plans will be placed in the Library in due course.
  218
  The key targets for the Driving Standards Agency are
  to:
  contribute to a reduction in the numbers killed or seriously injured in accidents involving drivers aged 17–21 compared with the average for 1993–1997, with no rise in casualties;
  achieve the following customer service targets:
  80 per cent. of all Test candidates will be satisfied with the overall level of service received from the Agency;
  95 per cent. of candidates for the theory test obtain a booking at their preferred test centre within two weeks of their preferred date;
  the national average practical test waiting time for car tests will not exceed six weeks;
  appointments for car tests will be available within 10 weeks at 99 per cent. of permanent driving test centres;
  keep 99.5 per cent. of theory test appointments;
  99.5 per cent of practical test appointments are kept, where they are in place two days prior to the test appointment;
  95 per cent. of all incoming calls to booking offices will access the handling system without receiving an engaged tone;
  all calls will be answered by a human voice in no more than 20 seconds, after being routed by the call handling system;
  achieve an average annual return on capital employed on statutory activities of six per cent. of net assets over the period 1 April 1997 to 31 march 2002; and
  increase the weighted average of fees by no more than the RPI in each of the three years during the period 1 April 1997 to 1 April 2000 and by no more than the RPI minus one per cent. in each of the following two years.

  The key targets for the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency are to:
  make an overall efficiency gain of 2.6 per cent;
  achieve a yield:cost ratio of 2.9 to 1 on enforcement (i.e. recoup £2.90 for every £1 spent);
  achieve the following customer service standards; 98 per cent. of Driving Licences issued error-free;
  98 per cent. of new Vehicle Registration Documents issued error-free;
  97 per cent. of amended Vehicle Registration Documents issued error-free;
  ensure the following document turn-round times:
  95 per cent. of Ordinary driving licences within 10 days;
  95 per cent. of Vocational and first Provisional licences within nine days;
  95 per cent. of new Vehicle Registration Documents within
  12 days;
  95 per cent. of amended Vehicle Registration Documents within
  13 days;
  achieve a figure of 94 per cent. of all telephone inquiries being answered within 30 seconds;
  achieve a figure of 96 per cent. of all written inquiries being answered within eight days.

  The key targets for the Highways Agency are to:
  ensure that the percentage of the trunk road network having a zero residual life at the end of the financial year 1999–2000, is less than the figure published in the 1998 report of the National Road Maintenance Condition Survey;
  complete 1,750 lane kilometres of pavement renewal, including reconstruction, overlays, inlays, resurfacing and surface dressing;
  develop jointly with DETR (C) indices of the condition of road pavements, suitable for publication by 31 March 2000;

  219
  ensure that major roadworks on existing roads are: no more than 2.5 miles (4km) long;
  at least six miles (9.6 km) apart, except in urban areas (defined as areas where the speed limit is 30 mph or less), emergencies and otherwise agreed with DETR (C);
  complete 100 bridge maintenance schemes each costing over £200k;
  ensure that there is no material disruption to the network as a result of the Millennium Bug by:
  carrying out a risk assessment on all known Agency control systems, road side equipment and facilities by the end of June 1999; and
  having Agency wide business continuity plans and contingency plans in place;
  complete 100 road schemes costing between £100k and £3 million aimed at improving road safety, contributing to an efficient economy, improving conditions for pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians (together with reducing community severance). These schemes are also aimed at reducing the adverse impacts of motorways and trunk roads on the environment and facilitating integration with other forms of transport promoting choice and information for travellers;
  contribute to the Government's target of reducing road casualties by one-third by the year 2000, ensuring that the average accident rates between 1996 and 1999 across the motorway and all purpose trunk road network do not exceed 20 personal injury accidents for every 100 million vehicle kilometres of travel;

  progress the Traffic Control Centre Public-Private Partnership to the point of inviting best and final offers by 31 March 2000;
  achieve 85 per cent of scheme milestones identified in Annex C of the Business Plan;
  put property to economic use ensuring that:
  the percentage of vacant residential properties at the end of the year does not exceed 18 per cent. of the residential portfolio; and
  the percentage of vacant habitable properties empty for more than six months at the end of the year does not exceed three per cent. of the residential portfolio;
  develop and introduce jointly with DETR (C) a revised set of efficiency targets and indicators by 31 March 2000;
  publish a policy statement and action plan by 30 September 1999 on how the Agency will take forward the Government policy on Greening Government Operations;
  attain Investors in People by 31 December 1999;
  manage the Agency's resources (programme and running costs) within the agreed financial allocations ensuring that Agency expenditure is with the target ranges of 95–100 per cent. for the following:
  actual programme expenditure as a percentage of voted programme;
  actual running cost expenditure as a percentage of voted running costs;
  meet all agreed key milestones for the successful introduction of resource accounting and budgeting as shown on page 28 of the business plan;
  continue to improve value for money across the Agency's activities. This target is achieved by attaining eight out of nine of the performance indicators as set out on page 29 of the business plan;
  fulfil the obligations of the Road Users Charter as specified in Annex E of the business plan;
  ensure the service provided to the public by the Agency is in accordance with the six Whitehall Standards listed in Annex F of the business plan.
  220
  The key targets for the Vehicle Certification Agency are to:
  achieve break-even or better on the commercial accounts whilst achieving at least a six per cent. rate of return on capital employed;
  have at least 98 per cent. of approval certificates issued error-free; have at least 98 per cent. of all invoices issued error-free;
  audit at least 50 per cent. of VCA's approved-type approval and 100 per cent. of the management system certification procedures with all non-compliancies found having corrective action plans agreed within 30 working days at the most, with those plans being completed within the specified time;
  ensure that the figure for debtor days is 70 or less;
  invoice within one month after the completion of all Management System Certification assessment activities;
  achieve Investors in People accreditation by the end of the year; outturn within the NRC limit.

  The key targets for the Vehicle Inspectorate are to:
  meet the quality and general effectiveness levels as specified in the Business Plan measures set for 1999–2000;
  meet the requirements on levels and types of activity laid down in the Memorandum of Agreement on each Road Transport Enforcement Scheme as agreed with the Department of the Environment, Transport and Regions;
  continue to improve customer focus across VI through the implementation of initiatives in line with Better Government and government direct policies;
  break even while achieving an average six per cent. real rate of return on capital, over the period 1 April 1998 to 31 March 2003;
  achieve an Aggregated Cost Efficiency index of plus one per cent;
  improve staff awareness and satisfaction as measured through the annual survey and assessment against the Investors in People standard;
  secure the long-term development of the organisation through implementation of the Information Systems Strategy and progression of the MOT Computerisation project.

  Mr. Gardiner
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what performance targets he has set the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre Executive Agency for 1999–2000. [82896]

  Mr. Raynsford
  The Agency's principal financial target for 1999–2000 is to achieve a minimum contribution to the Exchequer of £1,245,000.

  Operational targets have been set to increase occupancy of the three key conference areas as follows: Churchill Auditorium to 222 days; Fleming Room to 240 days; Mountbatten Room to 200 days.

  The Agency is also being required to achieve additional room hire revenue from banqueting of £175,000 and has the following key customer targets to meet:

  An overall score for quality of staff of 80%.

  An overall score for customer satisfaction of 78%.

  An overall score for quality of venue of 75%.

  The number of complaints received to be less than 2 per 100 events,

  An average response time when answering complaints of less than four working days.

  Housing Benefit
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what estimate he has made of the number of landlords in
  221
  (a) Pendle, (b) Burnley, (c) Blackburn, (d) Rossendale, (e) Darwen and (f) Hyndburn whose rents are met from housing benefit; [82321]

  (2) for each year since 1990, how many landlords received rent for their properties from housing benefit. [82320]

  Angela Eagle
  I have been asked to reply.

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

  The total numbers of rent allowance cases in Pendle, Burnley, Blackburn, Rossendale, Darwen and Hyndburn (claims from tenants living in the private rented sector) in May 1998

  Local authority

  Rent allowance cases (private landlords, excluding housing associations)

  Pendle

  1,990

  Burnley

  2,670

  Blackburn with Darwen

  2,590

  Rossendale

  1,110

  Hyndburn

  2,100

  Source:

  Housing Benefit Management Information System

  The total numbers of rent allowance cases (claims from tenants living in the private rented sector) since May 1990 in Great Britain

  May

  Rent allowance recipients (private tenants, excluding housing associations)

  1990

  not available

  1991

  not available

  1992

  952,000

  1993

  1,068,000

  1994

  1,125,000

  1995

  1,160,000

  1996

  1,155,000

  1997

  1,067,000

  1998

  971,000

  Source:

  Housing Benefit Management Information System

SCOTLAND

  Education (Expenditure)
  Mr. Wilshire
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much central Government money was spent per capita in 1998 on helping schools meet special educational needs. [82212]

  Mrs. Liddell
  [holding answer 26 April 1999]: In the financial year 1998–99, the Scottish Office provided £6.5 million directly to seven grant-aided special schools in Scotland, and £1.2 million to support training of local authority staff working in special needs. It is not possible to express this in capita terms. Expenditure per pupil in local authority schools is the responsibility of each education authority. Local authority expenditure is supported by Aggregate External Finance. Such support is not specific to particular local authority services and it is for each authority to determine the allocation of all resources at its disposal.

  Mr. Wilshire
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much central Government money was spent per capita in 1998 on grants to(a) voluntary aided schools and (b) voluntary controlled schools. [82214]
  222
  Mrs. Liddell
  [holding answer 26 April 1999]: There are no such schools in Scotland.

  Mr. Wilshire
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much central Government money was spent per capita in 1998 on(a) primary schools, (b) secondary schools, (c) further education colleges and (d) universities. [82213]

  Mrs. Liddell
  [holding answer 26 April 1999]: Direct expenditure by the Scottish Office on the education of school pupils is limited to grants made available to Jordanhill School, two self-governing schools, and certain residential special schools. Grants are also made available for pupils at certain independent schools under the Assisted Places Scheme. Comprehensive information on the division of these resources between the primary and secondary sectors is not available. Expenditure per pupil in education authority schools is the responsibility of each education authority. Local authority expenditure is supported by Aggregate External Finance. Such support is not specific to particular local authority services and it is for each authority to determine the allocation of all resources at its disposal.

  The average central Government funding, in the form of grant to further education colleges in Scotland, per full-time equivalent student in financial year 1996-97 (the latest year for which final student data are available) was £3,418.

  Information is not held in the format requested for university students. However, based on the allocation to higher education institutions, including universities, made by the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council in 1998-99, the main source of central Government funding, an estimate of spend per full-time equivalent student is £5,465. This does not include additional central Government money which individual institutions may access through a variety of programmes nor spending on the maintenance element of student support.

  Pre-school Education
  Mr. Wallace
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what estimate he has made of the cost of increasing the grant for pre-school education to cover four year old pupils whose parents wish to defer entry to primary school; and if he will make a statement; [81745]

  (2) if he will list those local education authorities which are funding the pre-school education of four year old children whose parents have deferred entry to primary school until after the child's fifth birthday. [81746]

  Mrs. Liddell
  We believe that decisions on whether a child should have their entry to school deferred should be taken locally in consultation with the education authority so that the maturity and preparedness for school of each child can be taken into account on an individual basis. Anecdotal evidence suggests that around 5% of children have their entry to primary school deferred each year. The cost of financing these places through the pre-school education grant would be around £3.5m each year.

  We understand that all local authorities fund a number of children who have had their entry to primary school deferred.

  As from 1 July 1999, this will be a matter for the Scottish Parliament.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Training Staff (Religious Affiliation)
  Mr. Beggs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will provide a breakdown of the religious composition of(a) the training staff employed at each level and (b) the trainees at each Government training centre in Northern Ireland at the latest date for which figures are available. [82193]

  Mr. Ingram
  Responsibility for the subject in question has been delegated to the Training and Employment Agency under its chief executive, Mr. Ian Walters. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from Ian Walters to Mr. Roy Beggs, dated 28 April 1999:
  The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has asked me, as Chief Executive of the Training and Employment Agency, to reply to your question about the religious composition of staff and trainees at the Agency's Training Centres.
  I have consulted colleagues in the Department of Finance and Personnel which, on behalf of the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) and as required by the Fair Employment (Monitoring) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999, maintains monitoring information on the composition of the NICS. In carrying out this function the Department is required to protect the confidentiality of monitoring information held on individual members of staff and of groups where the community background of individuals could be deduced.
  In addition, the Department seeks to ensure that the use it makes of such monitoring information is compatible with the actions or measures it might lawfully take to address any lack of fair participation revealed by monitoring. In practice this means that the NICS does not maintain monitoring information by grade for the staff employed in Training Centres, who constitute a single occupational group. The breakdown of the community background of these staff at 1 January 1999, the latest date for which information is available, is:

  Number

  Percentage

  Protestant

  123

  52.3

  Roman Catholic

  85

  36.2

  Not determined

  27

  11.5

  The Training and Employment Agency also monitors participation in its programmes and services in line with its commitment to equality of opportunity and fair treatment.
  The Agency's 10 Training Centres are responsible for managing approximately 2,700 places on the Agency's Jobskills programme out of a total number of 14,700 Jobskills trainees. There are approximately 120 other training providers delivering the Jobskills programme.
  The community background of trainees in Training Centres, derived from monitoring, is as follows:

  Number

  Percentage

  Protestant

  775

  38

  Roman Catholic

  1,231

  60

  Not determined

  37

  2

  I hope you find this information useful.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Companies House
  Judy Mallaber
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what targets he has set Companies House for 1999–2000. [83002]

  Dr. Howells
  I have set Companies House the following targets for the 1999–2000 year.

  Operational Targets
  To process 99% of statutory documents within 5 days of receipt at Companies House
  To achieve, on average, a monthly compliance rate for accounts submitted of 95%
  To ensure that a minimum of 98% of fiche provided to customers is error-free
  To ensure that there is a minimum of 96% error-free work in current processing
  To answer 90% of all incoming telephone calls within 20 seconds

  Questions delegated to the Chief Executive
  The Chief Executive to reply within 10 days to all letters from Members of Parliament delegated to him for reply

  Complaints Handling
  To clear up 95% of complaints within 10 days and
  To clear up 85% of complaints within 5 days

  Financial Targets
  To maintain a unit cost reduction of 3% in real terms on document registration
  To achieve, taking one year with another, a 6% average rate of return based on the operating surplus expressed as a percentage of average net assets
  To pay bills due within 30 days, or other agreed credit terms, on receipt of goods or services or a valid invoice, whichever is later.

  Telecommunications
  Judy Mallaber
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has received a report by the Director General of Telecommunications for 1998, as required under section 55 of the Telecommunications Act 1984. [83003]

  Mr. Wills
  Yes. The fifteenth Report by the Director General of Telecommunications is being published today. It covers the period 1 January to 31 December 1998. Copies of the Report have been laid before each House of Parliament.

  Patent Office
  Judy Mallaber
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what targets he has set the Patent Office for 1999–2000. [83001]

  Dr. Howells
  I have set the Patent Office the following targets for 1999–2000.

  Patents
  To issue 14,500 patent search reports or combined search and examination reports on average within 3 months from the date of request, with 90 per cent. of those within 4 months from the date of request.
  To grant 8,500 valid patents on average within 2 years from the date of filing of the request for substantive examination, with 90 per cent. of those within 3 years from the date of request.
  225
  Design
  To register 7,700 designs on average within 5 months from the date of filing of the application, with 90 per cent. of those within 12 months.
  To process 70,000 trade mark class applications with a target to register within 9 months 90 per cent. of those to which no substantive objections are raised or oppositions filed.

  Finance
  To pay 100 per cent. of bills within 30 days of receipt of goods or services or a valid invoice, whichever is the later.

  Questions designated to the Chief Executive
  The Chief Executive will reply within 10 working days to all letters from Members of Parliament delegated to her for reply.

  Efficiency Target
  To increase output in relation to current expenditure by an average of at least 2 per cent. per annum over the period 1998–99 to 2002–03.

  Radiocommunications Agency
  Judy Mallaber
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what targets he has set his Department's Radiocommunications Agency for 1999–2000. [83000]

  Mr. Wills
  I have set the Radiocommunications Agency the following quality of service targets for 1999–2000 in respect of its licensing and enforcement activities, and correspondence. These are in addition to achieving an overall efficiency improvement of 2 per cent. over 1998–99.

  Licensing Targets

  Category A
  Licences that involve no frequency assignment, site clearance or international co-ordination: 100 per cent. of applications and amendments to be processed and despatched within 5 working days.

  Category B
  Licences that involve frequency assignment but no site clearance or international co-ordination: 90 per cent. of applications and amendments to be processed and despatched within 15 working days; the remainder to be processed and despatched within 25 working days or an explanation of the delay provided to the applicant.

  Category C
  Licences that require frequency assignment and site clearance and/or international co-ordination: 90 per cent. of applications and amendments to be processed and despatched within 40 working days; the remainder to be processed and despatched within 60 working days or an explanation of the delay provided to the applicant.

  Renewals
  Renewals of all licences in category A to be processed and despatched within 5 working days; renewals of licences in categories B and C to be processed and despatched within 10 working days.
  226
  Enforcement
  100 per cent. of safety of life services reports of interference to be investigated within 24 hours.
  98 per cent. of business customers reports of interference to be investigated within 5 working days; the remainder within a further 5 days.
  98 per cent. of domestic customers reports of interference to be investigated within 1 month; the remainder within a further month.

  Correspondence
  I also expect all correspondence from hon. Members delegated to the Chief Executive by Ministers or otherwise for reply, and all written complaints addressed to him about Agency services, to be answered within 10 working days of receipt; the Agency's inquiry point to respond to 95 per cent. of calls within 30 seconds; and 100 per cent. of valid invoices to be paid within 30 days of receipt (or as agreed with the supplier).

  Minimum Wage
  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research his Department is undertaking on the extent to which employers are seeking to avoid their obligations under the minimum wage legislation. [81541]

  Mr. Ian McCartney
  The Inland Revenue are enforcing the national minimum wage policy, and will supply this Department with data on all matters relating to compliance on a regular basis. In addition, we have asked the independent Low Pay Commission to monitor and evaluate the introduction and impact of the national minimum wage overall.

  North Sea Coal
  Mr. Blizzard
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what assessment he has made of the potential for underground gasification of coal seams under the North Sea as a source of energy for the United Kingdom; [82441]

  (2) what assessment he has made of the potential use of oil and gas platforms to exploit the underground gasification of coal under the North Sea. [82442]

  Mr. Battle
  My Department published on 22 April Energy Paper 67, which set out the Government's policy on cleaner coal technologies for research and development, technology transfer and export promotion. The Energy Paper includes a detailed account of the potential of underground coal gasification for the UK and the main technology targets for future work in this area. Our planned future R and D work will include studies on the exploitation of underground coal gasification offshore in the North Sea. Copies of Energy Paper 67 have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

  Weights and Measures Laboratory
  Judy Mallaber
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what targets he has set his Department's National Weights and Measures Laboratory for 1999–2000. [82999]

  Dr. Howells
  I have set the National Weights and Measures Laboratory the following quality of service and efficiency targets for 1999–2000.
  227
  Financial Targets
  To report a break even situation in the Income and Expenditure Account 1999–2000.
  To meet the net vote target in 1999–2000.

  Operational Targets
  To complete 90 per cent. of European type approvals within 10 weeks.
  To complete all European type approvals within an average of eight weeks.
  To complete 95 per cent. of all calibration jobs (including preparation of certificates) within 18 working days of acceptance of the work.
  To meet 70 per cent. of the milestones included in the work programme agreed between NMPSU and NWML.

  Questions delegated to the Chief Executive
  Chief Executive to reply within 10 working days to all letters from Members of Parliament delegated to him for reply.

  Financial target. Restated from previous year.
  To reduce the real cost of a programme hour by 4 per cent. over the period 1997–2000.

EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT

  Mature Students
  Dr. Harris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the effect of the introduction of tuition fees on applications for higher education from mature students. [81533]

  Mr. Mudie
  The latest figures we have from the Higher Education Statistics Agency show that the introduction of tuition fees had no negative effect on the total number of mature entrants to higher education in 1998. These figures show that an increasing number of mature students opt to enter higher education via part-time courses.

  Higher Education
  Ms Blears
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to increase access to higher education by young people from inner-city areas. [81534]

  Mr. Mudie
  We have enabled the funding council to allocate £30 million a year to promote wider participation by people from disadvantaged backgrounds, which will be allocated by postcode. We intend that Excellence in Cities-our action plan for inner city education-will drive up standards and raise pupils' aspirations, giving many more young people the opportunity to go on to higher education.

  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when he will next meet the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals to discuss the expansion targets for higher education. [81527]

  Mr. Blunkett
  I met with the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals on 17 March. The expansion issues for higher education were discussed at that meeting. We have no immediate plans for further meetings.

  School Admissions
  Mr. Stevenson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps have been taken to increase the ability of popular schools to admit those children who have applied for a place. [81535]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  It is for school admission authorities to fix admission limits for their schools. Where parental demand cannot be satisfied it is for the LEA or, in some cases the governing body, to consider whether to bring forward proposals to expand the school. In considering such proposals, the Secretary of State currently and, from 1 September 1999, the School Organisation Committee, will have regard, among other things, to parental preferences.

  Cycling
  Mr. Lock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the provision of secure cycle storage facilities in schools and its effect on enabling children to cycle to school. [81536]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  Survey information suggests that more children would cycle to school if there were better cycle storage facilities. We are considering ways of improving these facilities, and promoting safer routes and road safety training.

  Funding
  Fiona Mactaggart
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what funds in addition to the standard spending assessment allocation have been allocated to schools for 1999–2000. [81537]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  £1.7 billion has been allocated to benefit schools for 1999-2000 in addition to the Standard Spending Assessment allocation.

  Departmental Spending
  Mr. St. Aubyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the planned allocation of resources to central departmental spending for 1999–2000 and subsequent years. [81538]

  Mr. Mudie
  Details are set out in the Departmental Report which was published on 24 March 1999 and a copy of which has been placed in the Library.

  Top-up Fees
  Jackie Ballard
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to allow universities to charge top-up fees. [81539]

  Mr. Mudie
  We have consistently said that top-up fees play no part in the Government's policy on higher education. To that end my right hon. Friend has imposed a condition on grant to the Funding Council to control such fees. Any institution charging top-up fees to students who have been assessed as eligible for fee support could incur financial penalties.

  Resource Allocation
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps he is taking to ensure that the additional resources allocated for education are spent on schools. [81540]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State wrote in January to each English Local Education Authority to urge them to use all of the cash increase in the education SSA to support education services, especially the drive to raise school standards. We are monitoring the formal budget returns of authorities to see whether they have done this.

  New Deal
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the operation of the new deal in Leicester. [81542]

  Mr. Andrew Smith
  In the Leicestershire and Rutland Unit of Delivery the Employment Service are leading the delivery of the New Deal for long term unemployed adults and for lone parents. Fernly Business Services lead the delivery of the New Deal for young people and Pelcombe Training Ltd. is responsible for the pilot launched in November for those aged 25 and over. I am encouraged by some of the innovative approaches being developed and the efforts being made to engage a wide range of local organisations, particularly ethnic minority groups and employers.

  Part-time Students
  Mr. Beard
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps he is taking to support part-time students in higher education. [81543]

  Mr. Mudie
  From September this year tuition will be free for part-time students on benefits, and from September 2000 loans of at least £500 will be available to part-time students on low incomes. We have already made Access Funds available to part-time students, and the Higher Education Funding Council for England provides a 5 per cent. premium on funding to higher education institutions for each such student.

  Early Years Education
  Mr. Bill O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps have been taken to support playgroups and pre-schools. [81544]

  Mr. Peter Bradley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps have been taken to safeguard the voluntary sector's involvement in early years services. [81546]

  Ms Hodge
  I refer my hon. Friends to the reply I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for South Swindon (Ms Drown),Official Report, column 474.

  Helen Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what progress is being made in improving standards in early years education; and if he will make a statement. [81545]

  Ms Hodge
  Standards in early education are monitored through inspections by Ofsted. Work is underway on reviewing the desirable learning outcomes; creating a new 230
  framework of qualifications for those who work with young children; and reviewing the regulation of early education and day care. This will all contribute to further improvements in quality. In addition, Government funding for the training of early years staff has been made available through the Standards Fund and TECS.

  New Deal for Schools
  Ms Stuart
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many pupils he estimates will benefit from the new deal for schools. [81547]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  Based on information supplied by Local Authorities in the third phase of the New Deal for Schools (NDS) programme, we calculate that 1.6 million pupils will benefit from the £340 million allocated recently for projects beginning in 1999–2000. Information on the number of pupils benefiting from the two previous New Deal for School rounds is not available, but we estimate that a further 1.6 million pupils have benefited from those rounds.

  Teaching Standards
  Mr. Nicholas Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps he is taking to improve professional standards in the teaching profession. [81548]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  We have already acted to establish new standards for Qualified Teacher Status, and for those completing their initial training after 7 May 1999, we are introducing an induction year. Newly qualified teachers will have to meet new Induction Standards. National training programmes are already on offer based on headship standards.

  Our Green Paper, "Teachers: meeting the challenge of change", published in December, set out major proposals to improve and strengthen the teaching profession. It makes important proposals to strengthen the teachers' pay structure, teacher appraisal and career and professional development, all of which will improve professional standards. Consultation has made clear that teachers and their professional bodies, initial teacher training providers, and other education bodies are keen to improve professional standards. The Government are now considering how to carry forward the proposals to create a modern and effective teaching profession for the benefit of all our children.

  Non-teaching Assistants
  Mr. Best
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on progress made in providing funding for additional non-teaching assistants in schools. [81549]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  As part of the Government's proposal to increase the number of teaching assistants by 20,000 full-time posts (or equivalent) by 2002, we have allocated £22.15 million in 1999–2000 for the Additional Literacy Support programme in primary schools. This will support the deployment of about 2,000 full-time equivalent classroom assistants nationally. In the years 2000–02, funding for the recruitment and training of a further 18,000 full time equivalent assistants will be made available.

  Learning Mentors
  Dr. Naysmith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what criteria will apply to obtaining access to a learning mentor. [81550]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  From September 1999, each secondary school pupil in the designated areas will have access to Learning Mentors, based in schools. Learning Mentors will be available to all who need them and will devote the majority of their time to individuals needing extra support in order to realise their full potential.

  We will be agreeing the detailed arrangements for deploying mentors with the relevant local education authorities in partnership with their schools.

  Careers Service
  Mr. Caton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the future structure and objectives of the careers service. [81551]

  Mr. Mudie
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Employment announced his intention, on 10 March 1999, to publish proposals this summer concerning new local and national arrangements to develop lifelong learning and skills. The Secretary of State will consider, as part of this review, the future structure of the Careers Service in England. The Secretary of State's objectives for the Careers Service are set out in the "Careers Service Planning Guidance", a copy of which is lodged in the Library.

  Community Education
  Ms Keeble
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps he is taking to encourage schools to support community education. [81552]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  The Department is undertaking a range of initiatives to encourage school-community links-including guidance to be published later this year. The Schools Plus Policy Action Team will report in December on how best to use schools as a focus for community services.

  Class Sizes
  Mr. Amess
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what recent representations he has received on the implementation of the Government's policy to reduce class sizes. [81553]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  We have received a number of representations in various pieces of recent correspondence about the implementation of our policy to reduce infant class sizes.

  Disability Rights Commission
  Valerie Davey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps he is taking to appoint the Chair and Chief Executive of the proposed Disability Rights Commission. [83054]

  Ms Hodge
  The Disability Rights Commission Bill has received its Second Reading in the Commons, thereby indicating Parliamentary support for the principle of the 232
  Bill. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, has informed the Department that they may start the recruitment for a Chair and Chief Executive for the proposed Disability Rights Commission. The successful candidates will not be formally appointed to these positions until after the Bill has received Royal Assent.

  Parliamentary approval to this new service will be sought in the Summer Supplementary Estimate for the Department for Education and Employment Vote (Class 1, Vote 1). Pending that approval, urgent expenditure estimated at £100,000 will be met by repayable advances from the Contingencies Fund.

  This expenditure is required to meet the cost of recruiting the Chair and Chief Executive. The urgency arises from the need to have both the Chair and Chief Executive in place as soon as possible after Royal Assent to ensure that public funds are properly protected and to enable their full participation in the planning process to ensure rapid progress to the establishment of Disability Rights Commission in April 2000.

  Tuition Fees
  Mr. Swinney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the current level of assessed parental income above which a student becomes eligible for (i) full and (ii) part payment of tuition fees; what plans he has to increase these threshold levels in line with inflation; what estimate he has made of the number of students who will become eligible for paying in full or in part their tuition fee if the threshold is not increased in line with inflation; and if he will make a statement. [82654]

  Mr. Mudie
  For the 1998–99 academic year, parents with a residual parental income of less than £16,945 after allowable deductions are not assessed as due to make any payment towards the £1,000 tuition fee contribution. Thereafter, the level of the payment they are asked to make rises in line with their residual income. Parents are assessed as due to make the full contribution if they have a residual income of just over £27,000. The threshold levels have been increased in line with inflation for the 1999–2000 academic year. We estimate that around 30 per cent. of students, where parental income is taken into account, will continue to make no contribution towards the cost of their tuition. A further third will pay less than the full contribution.

  National Grid for Learning
  Mr. David Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what proportion of state schools he estimates are connected to the National Grid for Learning; and what proportion of teachers in state schools he estimates are thereby able to use their own e-mail addresses. [81476]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  The Department published last year the results of a survey of ICT provision in schools. Subsequent annual surveys will indicate the growth in number of schools with such connections, although the latest estimates of the number of primary, secondary and special schools in England with some form of internet
  233
  access are also given in the table. The Government are committed to ensuring that all schools are connected to the internet by 2002.

  Percentage of schools connected

  DfEE survey March 1996

  DfEE survey March 1998

  BECTa estimate February 1999

  Primary

  5

  17

  30

  Secondary

  47

  83

  90

  Special

  8

  31

  45

  It is for schools to decide whether they make use of services and systems supporting an individual e-mail address for each teacher in the light of their own needs and development plans. The Department will be collecting and publishing figures relating to teachers' and pupils' personal e-mail addresses in the next "Statistical Bulletin on Information Technology in Schools". We expect to publish this information in November 1999.

  Physical Education Training
  Mr. Spring
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what estimate he has made of the average number of hours spent on PE training during teacher training courses. [82083]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  It is the responsibility of initial teacher training (ITT) providers to decide what proportion of time should be spent on any particular subject in the courses they run. No information on the amount of time spent on PE, or any other subject, is held centrally and no estimates have been made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State.

  Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools did, at the request of the then Secretary of State, carry out a sample survey of 20 ITT providers between October 1996 and December 1997 to provide more information on the preparation of trainees for primary teaching, who were not PE specialists, to teach PE. He reported that on average postgraduate trainees had 23 hours of PE training and that undergraduates had 32 hours: which is a similar proportion of time to that allocated to other National Curriculum foundation subjects.

  Higher Education (Cornwall)
  Mr. Andrew George
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the opportunity for the future development of higher education in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. [81515]

  Mr. Mudie
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State recognises the potential contribution the development of higher education could make to Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. We welcome the Combined Universities in Cornwall initiative to develop plans for taking this forward.

  Special Advisers
  Mr. Tyrie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment on how many occasions special advisers travelled abroad in an official capacity accompanied by Ministers; what was the average cost of each trip per head for the accompanying adviser; and what were the places visited. [82432]
  234
  Mr. Blunkett
  Between 2 May 1997 and 31 March 1999, my Special Advisers have accompanied me and other Ministers on visits abroad in an official capacity within Europe or on European Presidency business on 12 occasions. All travel complied with the requirements of the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code. The average cost per head of civil servants, Ministers and advisers on such trips was £546.

  Race Relations Employment Advisory Service
  Mr. Green
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has for the future of his Department's Race Relations Advisory Service. [82330]

  Ms Hodge
  The Race Relations Employment Advisory Service will continue to play a key role in promoting to employers the benefits of race equality at work.

  List 99
  Mr. Gerrard
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will estimate the average time taken from beginning consideration of placing a teacher on List 99 to a decision being made. [82489]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  In the year 1 April 1998 to 31 March 1999, my Department concluded 448 misconduct cases. The average time taken to conclude those cases was nine months. In some of these cases the nature of the misconduct was not serious enough to consider placing the person on List 99. There can be enormous differences in the complexity of cases referred for consideration. Some straightforward cases are concluded very quickly while other, more difficult, cases take substantially longer.

  Mr. Gerrard
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment on how many cases decisions are currently outstanding as to whether a teacher should be placed on List 99. [82490]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  My Department's Teachers' Misconduct Team currently has 451 cases which have been referred for consideration. In 159 of these cases the individual has been informed that the Secretary of State is considering placing them on List 99. In the remaining 292 cases, my Department is collecting information before coming to a decision as to whether List 99 action should be considered.

  New Deal (Hotline)
  Mr. Healey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to his answer of 21 April 1999,Official Report, column 557, if he will break down by region the calls received by the New Deal Hotline identifying (a) how many were from clients and how many from employers and (b) how many were (i) compliments and (ii) complaints. [82531]

  Mr. Andrew Smith
  The following table shows a breakdown, by Employment Service Regions, of the number of complaints received from employers and clients through the New Deal Hotline.
  235

  Breakdown of hotline calls: 5 January 1998–26 March 1999

  Region

  Total number of calls received

  Of which client complaints

  Of which employer complaints

  Of which other miscellaneous calls1

  London and South East

  0

  7

  0

  39

  Northern

  0

  1

  2

  11

  Scotland

  0

  10

  0

  148

  Wales

  0

  4

  1

  13

  South West

  0

  2

  0

  1

  East Midlands and Eastern

  0

  4

  3

  144

  West Midlands

  0

  8

  1

  51

  North West

  0

  9

  3

  99

  Yorkshire and the Humber

  0

  11

  2

  152

  Total

  0

  56

  12

  658

  1Other miscellaneous calls include compliments, general inquiries and wrong numbers

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Parole
  Mr. Beith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the average delay in processing parole dossiers at the first application stage for prisoners in England and Wales on the latest date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [82448]

  Mr. George Howarth
  The parole timetable for determinate sentenced prisoners specifies that the review process should be complete, and the result notified to the prisoner, within 24 weeks of the scheduled start date for the review.

  The table shows the percentage of first review cases meeting the target and the average delay in the cases that missed the target over the past four quarters.

  Percentage of first review cases meeting 24 week target

  Average delay in first review cases missing 24 week target

  April 1998-June 1998

  45.1

  5.9 Weeks

  July 1998-September 1998

  57.9

  6.3 Weeks

  October 1998-December 1998

  64.8

  5.8 Weeks

  January 1999-March 1999

  74.6

  6.3 Weeks

  Schengen Agreement
  Mr. Bercow
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those elements of the Schengen supplementary accords, copies of which his Department had not received at the time of the indication he made to the Justice and Home Affairs Council of an intent to apply to join elements of the Schengen system; and when he expects to receive them. [82295]

  Kate Hoey
  Since my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary announced in his reply to the right hon. Member for Penrith and The Border (Mr. Maclean), on 12 March 1999,Official Report, columns 380–82, the areas of the Schengen acquis in which the United Kingdom intended to seek participation, we have received the following further items of the Schengen acquis:

  Sch/Com-Ex (93) 21
  Previously received in English with annex in French

  Sch/Com-Ex (93) 23
  Previously received in French only
  236
  Sch/Com-Ex (93) 24
  Previously received in English with annex in French

  Sch/Com-Ex (98) 13.

  These have all been deposited with the House of Commons European Scrutiny Committee and with the House of Lords Select Committee on the European Communities.

  We expect shortly to receive the remaining Decisions and Declarations of the Schengen Executive Committee adopted during 1998. In keeping with Government policy, these will be deposited with Parliament, provided they have not been classified as confidential by the Schengen states.

  A number of decisions are expected to be adopted at the meeting of the Schengen Executive Committee on 28 April. We expect to receive these texts shortly after 28 April and these will also be deposited with Parliament, subject to the same caveat on confidentiality.

  Parliamentary Ombudsman (Complaints)
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the advantages and disadvantages of requiring applicants who want to make complaints to the Parliamentary Ombudsman under the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information to ask an hon. Member to submit their complaints. [82263]

  Mr. Straw
  The White Paper, "Your Right to Know", included an assessment of the arrangements for complaints to the Parliamentary Ombudsman under the "Code of Practice on Access to Government Information" and concluded that successive Ombudsmen had proved effective in policing the Code. The White Paper also stated that, as part of our proposals for a Freedom of Information Act, the Government favoured a mechanism which is readily available and freely accessible. The draft Freedom of Information Bill, which I hope to publish shortly for consultation and pre-legislative scrutiny, is likely to propose a procedure which will allow a complainant to access the Information Commissioner directly, rather than through an hon. Member.

  Ex-Offenders
  Mr. Beith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to improve employment opportunities for ex-offenders; and if he will make a statement. [82454]
  237
  Mr. George Howarth
  Improving offenders' employability and access to the job market is a priority for the probation service for 1999–2000. Probation services are actively involved in the delivery of Welfare to Work programmes, and developing strategies for generating employment, training and education opportunities for offenders, with a particular emphasis on literacy and basic skills provision. Over £3.1 million was spent by probation services in 1997–1998 in partnership with the voluntary sector on the provision of employment, training and education services for offenders.

  Much work has already been done and is continuing to be done to assist offenders in gaining the skills and qualifications necessary to help them in their search for work. Funding has also been made available to probation services under the Crime Reduction programme to develop screening and tutoring programmes to improve the basic skills of offenders. The projects will pilot and evaluate new approaches with the aim of putting the most successful approaches into practice across the country.

  Police Allowances
  Mr. Beith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total expenditure on each allowance available to police officers, per police force and in total, in each of the last three years for which figures are available. [82456]

  Mr. Boateng
  The total expenditure on all allowances, per police force, for 1994–95 to 1996–97, is set out in the table. No analysis of individual allowances is made. Information for subsequent years is not available.

  Police expenditure on allowances

  £000

  1994–95

  1995–96

  1996–97

  Avon and Somerset

  10,224

  8,315

  7,869

  Bedfordshire

  3,803

  3,682

  3,575

  Cambridgeshire

  3,739

  4,323

  3,489

  Cheshire

  6,763

  6,493

  6,647

  City of London

  5,748

  5,586

  3,654

  Cleveland

  4,910

  4,696

  205

  Cumbria

  3,095

  3,077

  2,863

  Derbyshire

  8,689

  8,438

  8,164

  Devon and Cornwall

  12,473

  12,257

  11,175

  Dorset

  4,250

  4,201

  4,245

  Durham

  3,770

  3,687

  3,664

  Dyfed Powys

  2,413

  2,281

  2,277

  Essex

  not available

  not available

  12,225

  Gloucestershire

  4,275

  4,211

  4,037

  Greater Manchester

  22,078

  20,722

  19,730

  Gwent

  3,930

  3,930

  4,254

  Hampshire

  13,867

  13,613

  13,086

  Hertfordshire

  6,155

  6,042

  5,624

  Humberside

  7,957

  7,833

  7,408

  Kent

  12,670

  12,353

  11,805

  Lancashire

  8,308

  8,010

  7,656

  Leicestershire

  6,329

  6,088

  5,848

  Lincolnshire

  not available

  4,170

  3,752

  Merseyside

  15,791

  15,107

  14,026

  Metropolitan Police

  150,836

  150,178

  142,967

  Norfolk

  6,096

  6,008

  5,234

  North Wales

  3,893

  3,716

  3,909

  North Yorkshire

  3,825

  3,688

  3,683

  Northamptonshire

  4,616

  4,236

  4,221

  Northumbria

  9,367

  8,771

  8,128

  Nottinghamshire

  7,824

  7,518

  7,107

  South Wales

  12,915

  13,016

  10,698

  South Yorkshire

  9,741

  9,677

  9,207

  238

  Police expenditure on allowances

  £000

  1994–95

  1995–96

  1996–97

  Staffordshire

  7,473

  7,399

  7,385

  Suffolk

  5,118

  5,004

  4,733

  Surrey

  5,359

  6,061

  5,064

  Sussex

  9,241

  9,053

  9,049

  Thames Valley Police

  15,807

  15,367

  15,029

  Warwickshire

  4,554

  4,550

  4,591

  West Mercia

  7,691

  7,531

  7,283

  West Midlands

  25,897

  24,747

  23,515

  West Yorkshire

  17,481

  17,003

  16,631

  Wiltshire

  5,051

  5,028

  5,043

  Total

  484,022

  477,666

  460,755

  New Deal
  Mr. Beith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders serving custodial sentences have taken part in the New Deal scheme through the Prison Service; how many offenders completed the scheme and obtained employment following participation in the scheme; and if he will make a statement. [82455]

  Mr. George Howarth
  Offenders are not eligible for the New Deal while serving custodial sentences, but they can take part in the Prison Service's Welfare to Work programme for 18 –24 year olds running in selected prison establishments. This aims to improve their employability and help them gain the most from the New Deal Gateway, to which they have immediate access on release.

  In the 12 months from April 1998, 2,430 inmates joined the Prison Service programme in the 11 establishments piloting it, and 1,625 had completed it by the end of that period. Early results from an evaluation of the programme indicate that within 6 months of leaving prison, 28 per cent. of those who complete the programme go on to join the New Deal Gateway, compared with 11 per cent. of a control group. A survey of probation officers also indicates that 42 per cent. of programme completers have some employment and 6 per cent. go into education or non-New Deal training within four months of release. These percentages are similar to the control group.

  The programme is now continuing into its second year and the number of establishments has been increased to 13.

PRIME MINISTER

  Civil Servants
  Mr. Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the civil servants who worked in No. 10 Downing Street, broken down by department, on(a) 1 April 1998 and (b) 1 April 1999; and if he will make a statement. [80059]
  239
  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 15 April 1999]: Civil servants working in No.10 Downing Street on the dates referred to were as follows:

  1 April 1998

  1 April 1999

  Private Office

  11

  12

  Policy Unit

  16

  18

  Press Office

  11

  14

  Strategic Communications Unit

  8

  9

  Appointments and Honours

  7

  9

  Support Staff

  84

  89

  Yugoslavia (NATO Bombing)
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the extent of collateral damage caused by NATO forces in Yugoslavia and of the percentage of bombs and missiles which miss their targets. [80616]

  The Prime Minister
  We both assess the risk of collateral damage in advance of UK airstrikes and monitor the results afterwards on a case by case basis. Our pilots train intensively to ensure the greatest possible accuracy in bombing attacks and NATO as a whole has made every attempt to reduce the risk of collateral damage. The cases of injury and death among civilians which have nevertheless occurred have been acknowledged by NATO and are deeply regretted. But the accidental civilian casualties caused —despite these stringent precautions—by NATO —bombing, contrast sharply with the deliberate and calculated slaughter of Kosovar civilians instigated by Milosevic in pursuit of ethnic cleansing.

  Under the terms of paragraph la of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, I am not prepared to release data on the percentage of bombs and missiles which miss their target. It would be wrong to assume that bombs and missiles which miss their target necessarily cause collateral damage.

  United Nations
  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Prime Minister in what circumstances it is possible for intervention by a member state of the UN or a regional organisation in the territory of another UN member state to be authorised by the UN on the basis of a resolution passed by a majority vote in a specially convened session of the General Assembly; and if he will make a statement. [82665]

  The Prime Minister
  General Assembly Resolution 377(V) provides for the General Assembly, in certain circumstances, to make appropriate recommendations for collective measures for the maintenance of international peace and security. Details on the Resolution (known as the Uniting for Peace Resolution) are available in the Library of the House.

  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Prime Minister on what authority a state, or regional organisation of states, can be empowered to intervene in the territory of another UN member state, under the United Nations Charter, on the basis of its intervention being in response to a humanitarian catastrophe; and if he will make a statement. [82667]
  240
  The Prime Minister
  Under international law a limited use of force can be justifiable in support purposes laid down by the Security Council but without the Council's express authorisation when that is the only means to avert an immediate and overwhelming humanitarian catastrophe. Any such case would in the nature of things be exceptional and would depend on an objective assessment of the factual circumstances at the time and on the terms of relevant decisions of the Security Council bearing on the situation in question.

  Kosovo
  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Prime Minister what proposals were conveyed by President Chirac to NATO partners in the months prior to the commencement of the bombing of Serbia by NATO forces with the objective of making Kosovo the first test of NATO/Russian understanding and collaboration; when such proposals were made; and if he will make a statement. [82666]

  The Prime Minister
  I am not aware of any such proposals.

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

  Default Summonses (Gravesend)
  Mr. Pond
  To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department how many (i) liquidated and (ii) unliquidated default summonses were issued by Gravesend County Court in(a) 1997 and (b) 1998. [82300]

  Mr. Hoon
  Gravesend County Court issued 841 liquidated and 151 unliquidated summonses in 1997. The figures for 1998 were 781 and 145 respectively.

  Mr. Pond
  To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department how many default summonses were issued by Gravesend County Court between(a) 1 April 1997 and 30 September 1997 and (b) 1 April 1998 and 30 September 1998. [82301]

  Mr. Hoon
  Gravesend County Court issued 528 default summonses between 1 April 1997 and 30 September 1997; and 478 default summonses between 1 April 1998 and 30 September 1998.

  Mistakes of Law
  Mr. Garnier
  To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement on his Department's policy on(a) the reform of the law relating to the mistake of law rule at common law and (b) the Law Commission report (1994 No.227) entitled "Restitution: Mistakes of Law, Ultra Vires Public Authority Receipts and Payments". [82308]

  Mr. Hoon
  The House of Lords decision in Kleinwort Benson Ltd. v. Lincoln City Council last October means that it is no longer necessary to bring forward legislation to implement the first part of the Law Commission report No. 227 on "Restitution: Mistakes of Law, Ultra Vires Public Authority Receipts and Payments", which dealt with the common law aspects of mistake of law.
  241
  Part 2 of the report proposed changes to the law to ensure that citizens had effective remedies in circumstances where tax was paid but not due. However, developments since the report was published, including the procedures associated with self-assessment of tax liabilities, have created an acceptable balance of rights and responsibilities between the taxpayer and the state. Therefore, the Government have concluded that it is no longer necessary to implement Part 2 of the report.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Pensions
  Mr. Webb
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate, for each of the next 20 years, the size of the gap in pounds per week between the basic state pension and the minimum income guarantee, assuming price indexation of the basic pension and earnings indexation of the minimum income guarantee. [82056]

  Mr. Timms
  We have announced our intention to update the basic state pension annually at least in line with prices, and to increase the minimum income guarantee over time, as resources allow, in line with earnings. The information requested on the basis of the assumptions stated in the question is in the table.

  Difference between the basic state pension and minimum income guarantee for a single pensioner aged 65

  Year

  Difference (£)

  1999

  8.25

  2000

  9.35

  2001

  10.50

  2002

  11.70

  2003

  12.85

  2004

  14.05

  2005

  15.25

  2006

  16.50

  2007

  17.75

  2008

  19.00

  2009

  20.30

  2010

  21.60

  2011

  22.90

  2012

  24.25

  2013

  25.65

  2014

  27.00

  2015

  28.40

  2016

  29.85

  2017

  31.30

  2018

  32.75

  2019

  34.25

  Notes:

  1. The difference is shown in constant April 1999 prices.

  2. The figures assume that earnings grow by 1.5 per cent. per year above prices.

  3. Figures rounded to the nearest £0.05.

DEFENCE

  Foreign Media Interviews
  Mr. Hayes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a translation of his interview in the al-Sharq al Aswat Arabic language newspaper of 23 October 1998. [74139]
  242
  Mr. George Robertson
  [holding answer 2 March 1999]: I have today placed a translation of the interview in the Library of the House.

  Small Arms Ranges
  Mr. Brazier
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on policy with regard to future use of small arms trainer ranges by HM armed forces. [81776]

  Mr. Doug Henderson
  Small arms trainer ranges have proved a cost-effective way of training servicemen in rifle and, more recently, pistol marksmanship. The Ministry of Defence is considering expanding the role of the trainer ranges to encompass training in the use of a number of other close combat weapons and to improve training realism.

  Mr. Brazier
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the small arms trainer ranges operational in the United Kingdom prior to the strategic defence review, indicating(a) regular, (b) TA and (c) Cadet Unit numbers catered for at each. [81779]

  Mr. Doug Henderson
  Small arms trainer (SAT) systems are currently operational at the following locations in the United Kingdom:

  Army

  Location

  Quantity

  Chilwell

  2

  Harrogate

  2

  Chepstow

  1

  Bulford

  1

  Dartmoor

  2

  Ripon

  1

  Windsor

  1

  Preston

  2

  Tidworth

  1

  Liss, Hants

  1

  Chester

  1

  Catterick

  7

  Middle Wallop

  1

  Omagh

  3

  Londonderry

  1

  Belfast

  2

  London

  2

  Chichester

  1

  Canterbury

  1

  Warminster

  2

  Inverness

  2

  Shorncliffe

  1

  Ballykelly

  2

  Colchester

  1

  Brawdy

  1

  Bovington

  1

  Shropshire

  2

  Co. Antrim

  1

  Surrey

  1

  Larkhill

  1

  Lydd

  1

  Lisburn

  1

  Nuneaton

  1

  Portadown

  1

  Arborfield

  2

  Cumbria

  1

  Dover

  1

  Aldershot

  2

  Ballykinler

  1

  Sandhurst

  1

  Holywood

  1

  Bicester

  1

  Glencorse

  2

  Waddington

  1

  243

  Army

  Location

  Quantity

  Staxton Wold

  1

  Leeming

  1

  Coltishall

  1

  Lossiemouth

  1

  Wittering

  1

  Conningsby

  1

  Brize Norton

  1

  Buchan

  1

  Marham

  1

  Uxbridge

  1

  Dorset

  1

  Staffordshire

  1

  Weathersfield, Essex

  1

  Bassingbourn

  2

  Brecon

  3

  Litchfield

  2

  Ballymena

  1

  Winchester

  2

  Pirbright

  2

  York

  1

  Edinburgh

  1

  Armagh

  2

  Territorial Army

  Location

  Quantity

  Bordon

  1

  Truro

  1

  Bridge of Don

  1

  Newcastle

  1

  Sheffield

  1

  Devises

  1

  Bury St. Edmunds

  1

  Newham

  1

  Exeter

  1

  Grantham

  1

  Glasgow

  1

  Liverpool

  1

  Royal Air Force

  Location

  Quantity

  High Wycombe

  1

  Stafford

  1

  St. Mawgan

  1

  Boulmer

  1

  Saxa Vord

  1

  Kinloss

  1

  Cottesmore

  1

  Innsworth

  1

  Odiham

  1

  Henlow

  1

  Brampton

  1

  Cosford

  1

  Valley

  1

  Halton

  2

  Cranwell

  1

  Honington

  2

  Rudloe Manor

  1

  Benson

  1

  Lyneham

  1

  Leuchars

  1

  Royal Navy/Royal Marines

  Location

  Quantity

  Yeovilton

  1

  Norton Manor

  1

  Plymouth

  3

  Portsmouth

  3

  Poole

  1

  244

  Royal Navy/Royal Marines

  Location

  Quantity

  Bickleigh

  1

  Arbroath

  1

  Faslane

  1

  Fareham

  1

  Lympstone

  1

  These facilities can be used by local or visiting units (regular, rseve and cadet) and details of specific users are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Departmental Legal Business
  Mr. Dismore
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his Department's policy when(a) conducting legal proceedings and (b)seeking legal advice as to the circumstances in which queen's Counsel should be instructed; and for each of the last three years (i) on how many occasions his Department instructed Queen's Counsel and (ii) what was the total cost of instructing Queen's Counsel. [81761]

  Mr. Doug Henderson
  My Department uses counsel to conduct legal proceedings or to provide legal advice as recommended by the Department's various solicitors or the Department's Legal Adviser. Junior counsel from the Attorney-General's panel or Queen's Counsel are instructed according to the degree of experience and expertise required in each case.

  The number of occasions on which Queen's Counsel have been instructed in the last three years, and the cost of doing so, could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Falklands
  Mr. Keetch
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence Royal Air Force what assessment he has made of the effect on the Falkland Islands garrison of the decision of the Government of Chile to withdraw air links to the e Falkland Island; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Doug Henderson
  The suspension of Lan Chile flights between Chile and the Falkland Island will have no effect on the Falkland Islands garrison.

  Mr. Gill
  To ask the Secretary of Sate for Defence what plans he has to meet the Falkland Islands Government's request for armaments for fisheries protection vessels; and if he will make a statement. [81960]

  Mr. Keetch
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will announce his decision on the calibre of guns for Falkland Islands fishery protection vessels; and if he will make a statement. [81870]

  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  I have been asked to reply.

  We take the matter of illegal fishing in the Falkland Islands seriously and it is our shared objective with the Falkland Islands Government to combat the problem. Illegal fishing has the potential to undermine the Falklands economy and attempts to conserve fish stocks. Recently, there have been up to an estimated 50 unlicensed vessels in Falklands activities. The number of vessels now appears to be declining.
  245
  In January this year, we authorised the arming of a Fisheries Protection Vessel (FPV) with a 20mm Oerlikon cannon, which is the best weapon for the task of deterring illegal fishing and dealing with it, if necessary. The Falkland Islands Government (FIG) is responsible for the procurement and shipment of the cannon. This process has taken longer than anticipated. We have tried to help FIG speed up the shipment of the consignment but it cannot be carried on a passenger aircraft together with the ammunition needed. Accordingly, the Ministry of Defence has agreed to fly the cannon out on the next freight flight on 6 May.

  FIG requested approval for temporary use of a smaller, 0.50 inch, machine gun on an FPV, as an interim measure. This request was carefully considered and a decision was made not to give approval. The machine gun is not a good visible deterrent and there are concerns that warning shots, which the FPV would be required to fire to alert a suspected unlicensed vessel, would not be seen or heard.

  As a temporary measure, the Ministry of Defence has agreed to our request for one of the Royal Navy vessels stationed in the Falklands to accompany an FPV on its patrols. We have also made representations to the Taiwanese authorities in London and Taipei, as the majority of unlicensed vessels in Falklands waters are theirs. We shall continue to urge the Taiwanese authorities to bring their fleet under control.

  We have received representations on this issue from FIG and its Fisheries Department, several MPs and from members of the public. Commercial operators who are licence-holders have made indirect representations.

  We shall continue to support FIG in its attempts to combat illegal fishing.

  Pay Budget
  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his Department's budget for pay within the Defence Operating Costs Budget for 1999 –2000. [82514]

  Mr. George Robertson
  The disclosure of information on planned expenditure on pay at this stage in the financial year could reveal internal assumptions about increases in the pay bill while negotiations on civil service pay for the current year are continuing. I am therefore withholding the information requested under exemption 7 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

  Departmental Expenditure
  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons Table la of his Department's expenditure plans 1999 –2000 to 2001 –02 does not contain entries for the years 2000 –01 and 2001 –02. [82516]

  Mr. George Robertson
  Table I a of "The Government's Expenditure Plans 1999 –2000 to 2001–2002: Ministry of Defence" does not contain entries for the years 2000 –2001 and 2001 –2002 because I have not decided on the allocation of resources for these years. Internal plans for these years represent projections and planning assumptions used to inform advice to me and my Ministerial colleagues on the affordability of the various 246
  elements of the Defence programme. Such information is covered by Exemption 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

  Animal Experiments
  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many animals have been used in experiments at each of his Department's sites in each of the last five years. [82526]

  Mr. Doug Henderson
  This is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency. I have asked the Chief Executive to write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from Sir John Chisholm to Mr. Mike Hancock, dated 29 April 1999:
  I have been asked to reply to your parliamentary question about the numbers of animals used in experiments at Ministry of Defence sites in each of the last 5 years.The following figures relate to DERA sites and are in respect of the numbers of procedures undertaken (I animal = 1 procedure; but note that individual animals may take part in several procedures). The figures reflect the information provided annually to the Home Office.

  Year

  No. of Procedures

  1994

  7,654

  1995

  8,914

  1996

  11,221

  1997

  11,083

  1998

  11,215

  I hope the above is helpful.

  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which of his Department's sites are licensed to carry out experiments on animals; and when the licences were issued. [82520]

  Mr. Doug Henderson
  This is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency. I have asked the Chief Executive to write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from Sir John Chisholm to Mr. Mike Hancock, dated 29 April 1999:
  I have been asked to reply to your parliamentary question about licensing arrangements for animal experiments. My reply refers to the arrangements at DERA sites as we undertake the majority of work involving animals on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.
  Under the terms of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 two DERA sites are licensed to conduct research that involves the use of animals. These are the Chemical and Biological Defence Sector at Porton Down and the Alverstoke site of the Centre for Human Sciences. Both sites have held licences, known as certificates, since the Act came into force in 1986. The Porton Down certificate had been modified several times since 1986 as facilities have changed and/or been updated.
  I hope this is helpful.

  Submarines (Firth of Clyde)
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to modify the regulations governing submerged submarine operations in the Firth of Clyde on weekdays; and if he will make a statement. [82276]
  247
  Mr. George Robertson
  The regulations governing submerged submarine operations are contained in the Submarine/Fishing Vessel Interaction Code of Practice. Changes to the current Code of Practice which relate to the Firth of Clyde are currently with the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisation for ratification. The provisions contained therein, which include revised operating procedures in the Firth of Clyde and the requirement to notify the Clyde Fishermen's Association on weekdays when dived submarine operations are taking place in the area, are already being used by the Submarine Flotilla.

  Official Secrets Act
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the use of the Official Secrets Acts in relation to those employed at(a) Aberporth, (b) Llanbedr, (c) Manorbier and (d) Ty Groes of the Thunderbird Regiment Royal Artillery of Portsmouth and Gosford at the time of the Aer Lingus accident on 24 March 1968.[82275]

  Mr. Doug Henderson
  The unit referred to, more properly known as the 457 Heavy Air Defence Regiment Royal Artillery (TA), was based at Portsmouth with one battery at Gosport. It was disbanded on 1 April 1967 —almost a year before the Aer Lingus Viscount crashed into the Irish Sea. The establishments listed played no part in the events of that day. It is therefore extremely unlikely that the employees at those establishments or any other MOD employee would have any information concerning the causes of the crash. Nevertheless, I can repeat the assurances already given by my officials to the Irish authorities that if any MOD employee, military or civilian, had any information which could help determine the causes of the crash, there would be no inhibition or restriction whatsoever as to its disclosure to the Irish Accident Investigation Officials.

  Army Technical Support Agency
  Mr. Gardiner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what key targets have been set for the Army Technical Support Agency for 1999–2000. [82895]

  Mr. Doug Henderson
  The Chief Executive of the Army Technical Support Agency has been set the following 5 Key Targets for 1999 —2000.

  1. To influence equipment design by obtaining formal tasking from Project Managers/Integrated Logistic Support (ILS) Managers in at least 80 per cent. of designated ILS projects.

  2. To provide a complete and accurate answer to at least 94 per cent of ad hoc inquiries within 2 working days.

  3. To despatch new and reprinted technical publications within the period from receipt of demand as follows:

  (a) For Priority demands, 90 per cent. within 5 working days and,

  (b) For Routine demands, 90 per cent. within 24 working days.

  4. To complete at least: 90 per cent. of Operational projects, 75 per cent. of Priority A projects and 60 per cent. of Priority B projects before the target date agreed with the customer.

  5. To satisfy at least 92 per cent. of customers in the handling of technical projects.

  Operation Allied Force
  Ms Squire
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what United Kingdom forces have been committed to Operation Allied Force; and if he will make a statement. [83122]

  Mr. George Robertson
  I have today authorised the committal of a significant number of additional RAF aircraft to Operation Allied Force, the NATO air and naval action. We are committing an additional four Harrier GR7 ground attack aircraft, four Tornado GR1 and a Tristar tanker to Operation Allied Force in response to a request from SACEUR for additional air assets. These aircraft will join the more than 700 UK and other allied aircraft already involved in air operations in the Balkans.

  Including the deployments I am announcing today, the following UK units, or elements thereof, are currently committed to Operation Allied Force:

  Royal Navy

  HMS Invincible

  HMS Newcastle

  HMS Iron Duke

  HMS Grafton

  HMS Splendid

  RFA Fort Austin

  RFA Bayleaf

  7 Sea Harrier FA2 aircraft

  10 Sea King helicopters

  In addition, HMS Turbulent is currently patrolling in the area.

  Royal Air Force

  16 Harrier GR7s

  12 Tornado GRls

  3 E3-D Sentry AWACS

  4 Tristar tankers

  4 VCIO tankers

  1 Nimrod.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

  Kosovo
  Mr. Bercow
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate she has made of the cost of restoring Kosovan(a) infrastructure and (b) housing to March 1999 levels. [82475]

  Mr. Foulkes
  It is impossible at this stage to make a reliable estimate of the costs of restoring infrastructure and housing in Kosovo. An early needs assessment will be part of the process for planning refugee return and longer term reconstruction, which was begun by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and her colleagues from the US, French, German and Italian development ministries at their meeting in London on 22 April.

  Mr. Streeter
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how the additional £20 million funding recently announced by her Department for the Kosovar refugees is being spent. [82668]

  Mr. Foulkes
  We are funding airlifts and the necessary logistical support to overcome the constraints on delivering international assistance into the region and to internal movements of supplies. We have put in aircraft
  249
  handling teams at Tirana and Skopje airports and a trucking convoy operation from Dunes port in Albania. We are working with NATO and UNHCR to establish and run refugee centres in Albania and Macedonia. We have provided specialist personnel to strengthen agency capacity in key areas such as healthcare and camp security and have also funded a range of projects of international agencies and NGOs. Full details of the assistance provided by DFID have been deposited in the Library of the House.

  Mr. Streeter
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proposals she has evaluated for the movement of refugees from Macedonia to Albania. [82669]

  Mr. Foulkes
  We have received no specific proposals for the movement of refugees from Macedonia to Albania. It is normal practice for refugees to be cared for in the first country in which they seek safety. Any movement to third countries should be entirely voluntary —we have made clear our concern to the Macedonian Government about the way in which people were initially dispatched to other countries, including Albania, without their consent. It must also take into account the hosting capacity of the receiving country —Albania has already received over 350,000 refugees from Kosovo, and facilities there are stretched.

HEALTH

  Hepatitis C
  Mr. Berry
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate he has made of the number of people with haemophilia infected with hepatitis C by contaminated blood products who are now suffering(a) chronic liver disease and (b) other significant health problems as a result of their infection; [80909]

  (2) what estimates he has made of the number of people with haemophilia who were infected with hepatitis C as a result of their NHS treatment before 1986 and the number of these who are alive today. [80908]

  Mr. Hutton
  We estimate that 4,000 people with haemophilia were infected with hepatitis C through their National Health Service treatment with blood products before the introduction of viral inactivation processes in 1985. The Haemophilia Society assesses that more than ninety patients have died. We do not have information on the number of people with chronic liver disease or other significant health problems, but all identified cases of hepatitis C infection through blood or blood products are referred to a specialist for further assessment, and drug therapy as appropriate. We believe that 6 or 7 people with haemophilia are on the United Kingdom Transplant Support Service Authority's list of people awaiting liver transplants.

  Dentistry
  Jackie Ballard
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the amount of unspent Investing in Dentistry funds for 1997 –98; and whether that balance was re-allocated to the 1998 –99 funds. [81911]
  250
  Mr. Denham
  The investing in dentistry scheme was announced in September 1997 and up to £9 million was made available to meet expenditure in that financial year, 1997–98. Grants to the value of £3,836,408 had been approved by the end of March 1998, although by that point grant payments dispensed, and the estimated cost of the additional treatment fees generated by the extra patients registered, had together totalled about £175,000. This is because there is often a period of several months after the approval stage before the additional staff or facilities are in place to receive patients, when the grant becomes payable. Under the current annuality conventions, any money which has been voted by Parliament for a particular year, but which is not needed to meet expenditure chargeable to that year, cannot be carried forward into the next financial year. However, in 1998 –99, a further £10 million was made available for the investing in dentistry scheme.

  Breast Cancer Units
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many specialist breast cancer units in hospitals cover the Greater London area. [81887]

  Mr. Hutton
  The 36 specialist breast cancer units in hospitals covering the Greater London area are:

  Basildon and Thurrock General Hospitals Healthcare Trust

  Bromley Hospitals National Health Service Trust

  Central Middlesex Hospital NHS Trust

  Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust

  Ealing Hospital NHS Trust

  East Hertfordshire NHS Trust

  Essex and Herts Community NHS Trust

  Forest Healthcare NHS Trust

  Greenwich Healthcare NHS Trust

  Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospital NHS Trust

  Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust

  Havering Hospitals NHS Trust

  Hillingdon Hospital West Middlesex

  Homerton Hospital NHS Trust

  King's Healthcare NHS Trust

  Kingston and District Community NHS Trust

  Lewisham Hospital NHS Trust

  Luton and Dunstable Hospital NHS Trust

  Mayday Healthcare NHS Trust

  Mount Vernon and Watford Hospitals NHS Trust

  Newham Healthcare NHS Trust

  North Middlesex Hospital NHS Trust

  Northwick Park and St. Mark's NHS Trust

  Queen Mary's Sidcup NHS Trust

  Redbridge Healthcare NHS Trust

  Richmond, Twickenham and Roehampton Healthcare NHS Trust

  Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust Hospitals

  The Royal Hospitals NHS Trust

  Royal Marsden Hospital NHS Trust

  St. George's NHS Trust

  St. Mary's NHS Trust

  University College London Hospitals NHS Trust

  Wellhouse NHS Trust

  West Herts Community Health NHS Trust

  West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust

  Whittington Hospital NHS Trust.

  Cystic Fibrosis
  Mr. Maclean
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what was the average survival age for sufferers of cystic fibrosis in(a) 1998, (b) 1988 and (c) 1978; [81753]

  (2) if he will estimate the number of cystic fibrosis sufferers who reached their 18 birthday in (a) 1970 and (b) 1998. [81752]

  Mr. Hutton
  The information is not available in the form requested. The United Kingdom Cystic Fibrosis Survey can provide survival data based on three year cohorts. According to the Survey's current data (which include 1997 data for deaths from the Office for National Statistics) of people with cystic fibrosis born in the three year period 1986 –88, 93 per cent. survived to age 12; of those born in 1977 –79, 63 per cent. survived to age 21; of those born in 1968 –70, the median survival was 16 years 8 months and 47 per cent. survived to age 18. For the 1986 –88 cohort, 90 per cent. might be expected to survive to age 18. Recent trends for children indicate that the upper limit of survival to age 18 might be about 95 per cent.

  444 people with cystic fibrosis were aged 18 or more at the start of 1978 and 94 reached their 18 birthday in that year; 2,357 people with cystic fibrosis were aged 18 or more at the start of 1997 and 216 reached their 18 birthday in that year. Equivalent figures for the years before 1978 are not available and nor yet are those for 1998.

  A summary of information from the Survey up to 1997 is available from the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. Copies are available in the Library.

  Health Authorities and Trust Financial Plans
  Mr. Lansley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health which health authorities and trusts have finalised their financial plans for the financial year 1999 –2000. [82670]

  Mr. Denham
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 26 April 1999,Official Report, columns 28 –29.

  The financial plans of all health authorities and trusts for the financial year 1999 –2000 are due to be submitted to the National Health Service Executive headquarters by the end of May.

  HIV/AIDS
  Dr. Strang
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the membership of the Steering Group convened to develop the HIV/AIDS strategy; and if he will set out the interests of each member. [82452]

  Ms Jowell
  The membership of the Steering Group convened to develop the HIV/AIDS Strategy is listed, as are their areas of interest in the HIV/AIDS field.

  Chair:
  Mr. David Walden, Head of Health Promotion division in the Department
  252
  Members:
  Dr. David Hawkins—HIV/AIDS and genito-urinary medicine —clinical care
  (Consultant in Genito-urinary medicine; Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, and member of the Expert Advisory Group on AIDS (EAGA);
  Ms Carolyn Roth —HIV/AIDS nursing care
  (Senior lecturer in Midwifery Studies, City University; and member of EAGA)
  Mrs. Diana Kloss —the law in relation to HIV/AIDS (Barrister, University of Manchester and member of EAGA)
  Dr. Lindsey Davies —public health
  (Regional director of public health; Trent National Health Service Regional Office)
  Dr. Sian Griffiths —public health
  (Director of public health, Oxfordshire Health Authority) Professor Michael Adler —HIV/AIDS and Genito-urinary medicine —clinical care
  (Professor of Gentio-urinary Medicine at University College London Medical School)
  Professor Anthony Pinching —HIV/AIDS medicine —clinical care (HIV specialist physician, Professor of Immunology at St. Bartholomew's and the Royal London School of Medicine and Dentistry; Director of Association of NHS Providers of AIDS Care and Treatment).

  Nomination to be sought from the Royal College of General Practitioners:
  Dr. Barry Evans —epidemiology of HIV/AIDS
  (consultant epidemiologist in HIV/AIDS and STD Division, Communicable Diseases Centre, Public Health Laboratory Service)
  Mr. Martin Roberts; NHS management issues
  (Chief Executive of Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham Health Authority)
  Mr. David Regan —public health
  (Public health specialist, Manchester Health Authority)
  Ms Kate Money —commissioning of HIV/AIDS services
  (HIV commissioner at Brighton Health Authority)
  Dr. Paul Hatton —control of communicable diseases
  Consultant in Communicable Disease Control at Leeds Health Authority;
  Mr. Alan Chapman —community care of people with HIV/AIDS
  (Director of Social Services for Bedfordshire; Secretary of the Disabilities Committee of Association of Directors of Social Services)
  Ms Ros Pearman —community care of people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS in particular children (HIV coordinator, Croydon Borough Council)
  Mr. Joshua Odongo —HIV/AIDS African community issues HIV/AIDS (African communities) health promotion adviser East London and City Health Authority; Chair of African HIV/AIDS Steering Group;
  Ms Kathy Elliot —HIV/AIDS health promotion
  Director, Health Education Authority;
  Mr. Derek Bodell — HIV/AIDS voluntary sector
  (Director National AIDS Trust)
  Mr. Nick Partridge —HIV/AIDS voluntary sector
  (Chief Executive, Terrance Higgins Trust)
  Mr. Ian Kramer —service user
  (Deputy Director, United Kingdom Coalition of people living with HIV and AIDS Ltd.)
  Ms Mary Okoth —women's issues of HIV/AIDS in communities (Community development worker, Positively Women)
  Mr. Paul McCrory —service user
  (Chair of Directors, National Network of self help HIV and AIDS groups).
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  Observers from Department for International Development, Prisons Medical Service, Scottish Home and Health Department, Welsh Office, Department of Health and Social Service —Northern Ireland.

  ECG Screening
  Mr. David Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to introduce ECG screening for cardiac risks in the young; and if he will make a statement. [82081]

  Mr. Hutton
  The National Screening Committee, which advises Ministers about changes to screening policy, has commissioned a report on screening for heart disease in children. This will be considered by its Child Health Screening Policy Sub-Committee shortly. The National Screening Committee will be in a position to offer advice in the autumn.

WALES

  National Assembly
  Mr. Dafis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the posts created in the National Assembly for Wales which stipulate knowledge of the Welsh language as(a) necessary and (b) desirable; and those posts for which there is no such stipulation. [78773]

  Mr. Michael
  Welsh has been specified as essential for posts in the translation service and in the editorial team for the record of Assembly business. Jobs for which Welsh is essential are carefully considered before reaching that conclusion and have attracted a choice of candidates. Posts for which Welsh is desirable or an advantage have been well subscribed by both English and Welsh speakers and also those speaking other modern World languages. An example is the recent Middle Managers recruitment scheme for which Welsh was identified as desirable and which generated over 1,000 applications for a possible 20 posts, the majority from English speakers.

  Welsh has been described as an advantage for a number of other posts. For posts where Welsh is advertised as desirable or an advantage, it could be used as a deciding factor only where two candidates were equally good in all other respects. There are no posts for which a knowledge of Welsh is undesirable.

  1. Posts for which Welsh is essential

  Translators

  Editorial Team

  Committee Clerks —2 (out of 7)

  Deputy Committee Clerks —2 (out of 7)

  2.Posts where Welsh is an advantage

  Head of Committee Secretariat

  Staff of Committee Secretariat

  Head of Public Information and Education Services

  Public Information and Education Support Team

  Head of Members Information and Briefing Service

  Members Information and Briefing Service Support Team

  Head of Chamber Secretariat

  Head of Table Office

  Table Office Support Team

  254

  Private Secretary to the Presiding and Deputy Presiding

  Officer Librarian

  Assistant Economist

  General Executive Officer

  Assistant Librarian

  IS/IT Co-ordinator

  Record of Proceeding Support Team

  3. Other posts

  Director of Public Information and Education

  PS/PA to Director of Assembly Communications

  Middle Managers

  Security Guards/Ushers.

  Consultations (Postal Costs)
  Mr. Keetch
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will pay the postal costs of voluntary bodies and registered charities requested to respond to Government consultation documents; and if he will make a statement. [80916]

  Mr. Michael
  When voluntary bodies and registered charities are invited to respond to a Welsh Office consultation paper, postal costs are not covered automatically. The Department would consider any claim on its merits, taking account of such factors as the nature of the organisation, the scale of the consultation exercise and the information requested.

  The Welsh Office does not pay postal costs incurred by organisations responding to consultation from other Government Departments. It is for individual Departments to decide whether to cover these.

  Gifted Children
  Mr. Edwards
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what initiatives the Government have announced with respect to gifted children; [81585]

  (2) what provision his Department advises local authorities to make with respect to gifted children at state schools. [81584]

  Mr. Hain
  Local education authorities have a statutory duty to ensure pupils of statutory school age receive education suitable to their age, ability or aptitude, including pupils of above average ability. This will usually be in a mainstream school. The National Curriculum provides for children of all abilities, including those who are gifted. The Education Act 1996 gives LEAs discretion to arrange for the withdrawal of a pupil from primary school for the purpose of receiving secondary education once a child has reached the age of 10 years and 6 months.

  Our priority is to improve standards of educational attainment for all children in Wales. The Welsh Office Education White Paper "Building Excellent Schools Together", published in July 1997, recognised the need for schools to stretch gifted pupils to achieve their full potential. The Government have established a Gifted and Talented Advisory Group to contribute to the development of a strategy for the early identification and effective provision for gifted and talented children. The Qualifications, Curriculum and Assessment Authority for

  255
  Wales (ACCAC), which is represented on the Group, will also ensure that the needs of such pupils are considered as part of their review of the National Curriculum in Wales. Following the transfer of functions, these issues will become the responsibility of the National Assembly.

  Department Legal Business
  Mr. Dismore
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on his Department's policy when(a) conducting legal proceedings and (b) seeking legal advice as to the circumstances in which Queen's Counsel should be instructed; and for each of the last three years (i) on how many occasions his Department instructed Queen's Counsel and (ii) what was the total cost of instructing Queen's Counsel. [81767]

  Mr. Michael
  The Treasury Solicitor's Department, acting on behalf of the Welsh Office, predominantly use junior counsel when it is necessary to instruct counsel to provide legal advice or to conduct legal proceedings.

  In civil cases, the two First Treasury Counsel are both junior counsel and they will advise and represent the Government without a Queen's Counsel in many of their important cases. In addition, the Attorney-General maintains four panels of junior Counsel whom Departments are expected to use for the majority of the Government's civil litigation. The Attorney-General's approval, or that of the Solicitor-General, is required before a Queen's Counsel can be instructed to appear for any Government Department in civil litigation.

  In determining the level of counsel to use, the Department considers the individual circumstances of each case. Amongst other things it takes into account, inter alia, the importance and sensitivity of the case, the complexity of the law, the weight and complexity of the evidence, and the degree of experience and expertise required before deciding whether to instruct Queen's Counsel or junior counsel.

  For the years in question Queen's Counsel were
  instructed as follows:

  1997: 3 occasions

  1998: 4 occasions

  1999: 3 occasions.

  Costs paid to date in instructing Queen's Counsel, excluding Counsel engaged on the North Wales Child Abuse Inquiry, are currently £83,376 for the years in question. So far as the costs arising from the North Wales Inquiry are concerned, this is information which cannot be extracted from the file and invoice records without incurring disproportionate cost.

  Power Stations
  Mr. Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if consents for building power stations will be a matter devolved to the Welsh Assembly. [82245]

  Mr. Hain
  No.

  Education (Expenditure)
  Mr. Wilshire
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much central Government money was spent per capita in 1998 in Wales on helping schools meet special educational needs. [82198]
  256
  Mr. Hain
  [holding answer 26 April 1999]: Local authorities are funded to meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs through the annual local government revenue settlement. It is not possible to identify school expenditure on SEN from the returns made by local authorities.

  In 1997 –98,1.3 million was made available under the Grants for Education Support and Training programme to promote SEN provision.

  Following the transfer of functions, this issue will become a matter for the National Assembly.

  Health Authorities
  Mr. Lansley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list, for each health authority and NHS trust in Wales, the projected budget surplus or deficit planned by that authority or trust for the financial year 1999 –2000. [82671]

  Mr. Jon Owen Jones
  I regret the information requested is not yet available. Health authorities and trusts will prepare their financial projections for the year 1999 –2000 once they have had an opportunity to assess the financial implications of the health authority allocations which will be issued shortly.

  Following the transfer of functions, this issue will be a matter for the National Assembly.

TREASURY

  Working Families Tax Credit
  Mr. Gibb
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what market research and polling has been carried out into the working families tax credit. [80886]

  Dawn Primarolo
  The Government have not undertaken any market research or polling of WFTC.

  VAT (Finance) Order 1999
  Mr. Whittingdale
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the compatibility of the VAT (Finance) Order 1999 with the Sixth VAT Directive following the ruling by the VAT Tribunal on the FDR case on 20 April. [82661]

  Dawn Primarolo
  The Order reflects the provisions of EC law better than its predecessor, and is based on extensive consultation with the VAT authorities in other Member States and the European Commission. We are satisfied that it fully complies with European law. We are confident that it would be found to be compatible with the Sixth EC VAT Directive were such a question to be referred to the European Court of Justice.

  Mr. Whittingdale
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he intends to repeal the VAT (Finance) Order 1999 following the ruling by the VAT Tribunal on the FDR case on 20 April; and if he will make a statement. [82660]

  Dawn Primarolo
  No.

  Sudden Death Syndrome
  Mr. David Taylor
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many deaths have been reported from sudden death syndrome for under 25 year-olds in each of the last five years. [82082]

  Ms Hewitt
  The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to reply.

  Letter from Tim Hold to Mr. David Taylor, dated 29 April 1999:
  As Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to answer your recent question on how many deaths have been reported from sudden death syndrome for the under 25 year-olds in each of the last five years. The information requested is shown in the table below.
  Death certificates do not usually say whether a death was sudden or not, and 'sudden death syndrome' is not a term that is used much in this country. When one of these terms is used, the death is assigned an underlying cause of death of 'sudden death, cause unknown', (International Classification of Diseases Ninth Revision code 798).
  However, all deaths that are sudden and unexpected must be referred to a coroner for investigation. Usually a post mortem examination by a pathologist identifies a previously unsuspected disease that caused the death. The table shows the number of deaths at ages one to 24 from heart disease, stroke, and epilepsy which were certified by coroners. This should include all sudden deaths from these diseases, but will also include deaths that were referred to the coroner for other reasons. The table also gives the number of deaths for which no cause could be found by post mortem or inquest but which were not actually stated to have been 'sudden'.

  Sudden deaths, cause unknown, and deaths from selected causes certified by coroners, of people aged one to 24 in England and Wales 1993 to 1997

  1993

  1994

  1995

  1996

  1997

  Sudden, cause unknown

  15

  21

  17

  20

  18

  Certified by coroner, due to:

  Heart disease

  154

  137

  138

  102

  102

  Stroke

  29

  26

  30

  30

  15

  Epilepsy

  98

  91

  93

  88

  93

  Unknown cause

  26

  27

  35

  40

  41

  Notes:

  Figures do not include deaths from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or any other deaths under 1 year of age.

  Tax Law Rewrite Project
  Ms Lawrence
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on recent developments in respect of the Tax Law Rewrite project. [82998]

  Dawn Primarolo
  I am pleased to announce that the Tax Law Rewrite project is continuing to make very good progress. The Inland Revenue will shortly publish the project's fifth Exposure Draft, which contains draft clauses on capital allowances for machinery and plant, dredging and patents. Copies will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

  This Exposure Draft is the second instalment in a series that will completely rewrite the capital allowances code. The rewritten legislation in this publication will form part of the first rewrite Bill, which will be on capital allowances. The Rewrite project is committed to full consultation. I hope that all those with an interest in legislation will welcome and use this latest opportunity to comment.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Russia
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times British and American officials have visited Russian facilities under the US-British-Russian Trilateral Process to end Russia's offensive biological warfare programme since the process was initiated in September 1992; what were the dates of each visit; and what were the names and locations of each facility visited. [82250]

  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  British and American officials have visited four Russian facilities under the US-British-Russian Trilateral Agreement. The visits took place from 5 to 16 October 1993 and from 10 to 21 January 1994. Under the terms of the Trilateral Agreement and in line with established practice under Section 13 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, which covers Third Party's commercial confidences, I am unable to provide the names and locations of the facilities visited.

  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many expert working groups have been set up under the US-British-Russian Trilateral Process to end Russia's offensive biological warfare programme since the process was initiated in September 1992; and what are the names of each of these expert working groups. [82251]

  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  A working group, comprising UK, US and Russian officials, has met twice since the conclusion of the US-British-Russian Trilateral Agreement: in London in April 1994 and in Moscow in September 1994. The meetings focused on past offensive BW programmes, current BW defence activities, a review of the visits which had already taken place, a "rules of the road" document for visits to military biological facilities and conversion issues. No separate working groups have been established on other aspects of the Trilateral Agreements.

  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times Russian officials have visited British and American facilities under the US-British-Russian Trilateral Process to end Russia's offensive biological warfare programme since the process was initiated in September 1992; what were the dates of each visit; and what were the names and locations of each facility visited. [82249]

  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  Russian officials have visited one British facility and three American facilities under the US-British-Russian Trilateral Agreement. The visit to the British facility took place from 22 to 25 March 1994. Those to the American facilities took place from 15 to 18 February 1994, from 22 to 24 February 1994 and from 28 February to 2 March 1994. Under the terms of the Trilateral Agreement and in line with established practice under Section 13 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, which covers Third party's commercial confidences, I am unable to provide the names and locations of the facilities visited.

  MEPs
  Mr. Bercow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on
  259
  the proposals on the agenda of the General Affairs Council of 22 –23 March concerning the establishment of a pan-European MEP voting constituency with pan-European MEP lists; what discussions were held in the Council; and when the matter will next be considered. [82479]

  Ms Quin
  No such item appeared on the agenda for the 22 –23 March General Affairs Council. The European Parliament's proposal for common principles for European Parliamentary elections, adopted in July 1998, suggested the possibility of trans-European lists of candidates. But the Council has yet to give an opinion on the proposal.

  Colombia
  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received concerning recent harassment of human rights activists in Colombia. [82485]

  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  We have received representations on the problems experienced by human rights workers in Colombia, particularly those in the Uraba region, by a number of NGO's as well as from members of the public. I myself raised the issue of human rights workers and in particular the CINEP case, with the Colombian Vice-President, Gustova Bell, when he called on me on 27 April.

  Council of Europe
  Mr. Plaskitt
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements are being made to commemorate the 50 Anniversary of the Council of Europe in London on 5 May; and if he will make a statement. [82997]

  Ms Quin
  Ministers of Council of Europe Member States and guests from Strasbourg have been invited to a ceremony in the Palace of Westminster on 5 May at which my hon. Friend the Lord Chancellor will make a keynote address on the importance of the Council of Europe. Her Majesty The Queen will grace a reception at St. James's Palace, where the Council of Europe's Statute was signed 50 years ago on 5 May 1949. The Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra will give a concert in the Barbican Centre on 4 May in the presence of HRH Princess Alexandra,

  The United Kingdom is an active member of the Council of Europe which plays a valuable role in promoting human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Europe. The Council of Europe has helped to set the standards which must form the basis of a stable modern Europe. In recent years, it has played a vital part in fostering these values in the newly democratised States of Central and Eastern Europe and in providing practical assistance to help them achieve the standards to which all Council of Europe members are committed. The Council of Europe is also contributing its expertise to the efforts of the international community to restore peace and stability in the Balkans.

  The Council of Europe, through the legally binding mechanisms of the European Convention on Human Rights and the newly created Single Court, has set the pattern and standard for the protection and promotion of human rights in Europe. The work of the Council in
  260
  promoting the protection of the rights of members of national minorities is particularly vital to the development of the region and the well-being of its citizens.

  The United Kingdom has been active in the work being done to follow up the report of the Committee of Wise Persons, set up after the Council's second Summit in 1997, to enhance the Council of Europe's ability to address the key threats to democracy and fundamental freedoms in Europe today.

  As a signal of the importance that the United Kingdom attaches to this, Her Majesty's Government has put forward a candidate, my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Hodge Hill (Mr. Davis), for election to the post of Secretary General of the Council of Europe, which falls vacant at the end of August.

  United Nations
  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs at what stage Article 19 of the UN Charter could be triggered in respect of the US non-payment of its full contributions, with particular reference to loss of voting rights in the General Assembly and other UN agencies; and if he will make a statement. [82655]

  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  Calculations for Article 19 of the UN Charter, under which member states may lose their General Assembly vote if they have outstanding contributions greater than the total of their previous two years' dues, are made on 1 January every year. Article 19 could trigger in respect of the US in January 2000 if it does not pay at least some of its UN arrears this year. The UK and EU urge all member states to pay their UN dues promptly, in full and without conditions.

  Chile
  Mr. Bercow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the issues raised during his meeting with the Chilean Foreign Minister on 21 April. [82483]

  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  The Chilean Foreign Minister, Sr. Insulza, cancelled the meeting with my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary at the last minute for logistical reasons. My right hon. Friend has since spoken to Sr. Insulza. For details of the issues discussed, I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Ilford, North (Ms Perham) on 28 April 1999,Official Report, column 180.

  Near Abroad Doctrine
  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will set out Her Majesty's Government's policy on the right of UN members, or regional organisations, to intervene in the territory of other member states on the basis of the near abroad doctrine; and if he will make a statement. [82664]

  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  The United Nations Charter preserves the right of a state or group of states to use force in self-defence in accordance with Article 51; the Charter also allows the use of force under the authorisation of the Security Council acting under Chapter VII of the Charter. Cases have also arisen, as in Kosovo, when in the light of
  261
  all the circumstances the use of force is justifiable in support of purposes laid down by the Security Council when that was the only means to avert an immediate and overwhelming humanitarian catastrophe. There is no accepted doctrine of the "near abroad".

  Peacekeeping (UN)
  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will set out Her Majesty's Government's policy on the application of Article 53 of the UN Charter, with particular reference to Security Council approval for regional organisations' peace enforcing, peacekeeping or humanitarian interventions. [82663]

  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  Under Article 53 of the United Nations (UN) Charter, enforcement action under regional arrangements described in Article 52 requires Security Council authorisation. Prohibitions on the use of force contained in the UN Charter do not preclude the use of force by state or group of states in accordance with Articles 51 or under the authority of the Security Council acting under Chapter VII of the Charter.

  Cases have also arisen when, in the light of all the circumstances, a limited use of force was justifiable in support of the purposes laid down by the Security Council but without the Council's express authorisation when that was the only means to avert an immediate and overwhelming humanitarian catastrophe. Such cases would in the nature of things be exceptional and would depend on an objective assessment of the factual circumstances at the time and on the terms of relevant decisions of the Security Council bearing on the situation in question.

  We are working to ensure the closest possible co-operation between the Security Council and regional arrangements. I draw my hon. Friend's attention to the 30 November statement by the President of the Security Council, "Enhancing Monitoring of Activities authorised by the Council but carried out by Member States or Coalitions of States", which has been placed in the Library of the House (ref. DEP 99/333).

  East Timor
  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will promote the appointment of a UN Special Rapporteur for East Timor to monitor human rights in the area. [82467]

  Mr. Fatchett
  [holding answer 28 April 1999]: We are open to any proposal that makes a peaceful future for East Timor more likely. We welcome the visits to Indonesia of the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women last December and the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in February, and look forward to the publication of their reports.

  In the meantime, we note that the UN Office in Jakarta has access to East Timor; and that the establishment of a permanent UN presence in East Timor was discussed at the latest round of talks in New York, under the auspices of the UN Secretary General, between Indonesia and Portugal.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Intervention Board
  Ms Keeble
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when the Intervention Board will publish its 1997 –98 annual report and accounts. [82853]

  Mr. Nick Brown
  I am pleased to announce that copies of the document have been placed in the Libraries of the House today.

  Inward Processing Relief
  Mr. Paice
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received regarding the administrative arrangements for applying for inward processing relief; and what plans he has for reform of the system. [82243]

  Mr. Rooker
  Inward Processing Relief (IPR) promotes exports from the EU by putting Community producers on an equal footing with their third country counterparts as regards duty.

  Proposals for reform of the administrative arrangements of the scheme have been the subject of discussions in Brussels over the past two years. The aim of the reform is to ensure that the relief continues to be of real financial benefit to EC business.

  Regular consultation on the review takes place within the UK's own working group made up of representatives from UK business, including the food processing industry, MAFF, DTI and HM Customs and Excise. The recommendations of this group have been channelled into the discussions in Brussels and have positively influenced the Commission's plans for reform.

  The UK fully supports the overall aims of the Commission in its reform and is continuing to press the Commission to speed up the process.

  HM Customs and Excise lead on negotiations on this trade facilitation scheme.

  Badgers
  Mr. Nigel Jones
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what methods are being used for killing badgers in the randomised badger culling trial. [81508]

  Mr. Rooker
  Badgers are humanely despatched by shooting.

  Mr. Nigel Jones
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if a veterinary surgeon will be present when each badger is captured and killed in the randomised culling trial. [81511]

  Mr. Rooker
  The despatch of badgers may only be carried out by fully trained MAFF staff following standard operating procedures. Veterinary staff are not required to be present.

  Mr. Nigel Jones
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what administrative and practical measures have been put in place to ensure that badger welfare is optimised during the capture and killing of badgers; [81509]
  263
  (2) what training field staff involved in the randomised badger culling trial have received in killing badgers humanely; [81510]

  (3) what training is given to new field staff involved in the randomised badger culling trial in identifying badger field signs and in shooting badgers humanely. [81512]

  Mr. Rooker
  New Wildlife Unit Staff receive initial training in how to recognise badger field activity from experts from the Central Science Laboratory and then work in the field alongside experienced Wildlife Unit Staff until they are fully competent.

  To limit the time that badgers may be left in cage traps, standard operating procedures require that cages set to trap be checked as early as possible the following day and normally no later than 12:00 noon. Trapping will be suspended, if, due to bad weather, there is a risk that cage traps could be flooded or trapped badgers would suffer from extreme exposure. Both temperature and wind-chill are taken into account.

  The despatch of badgers may be carried out only by MAFF staff who have been fully trained, tested and issued with an "Authority to use Firearms on Official Business". Such staff receive external and internal training on the safe and humane use of firearms specifically in relation to badgers. Given the importance of this work, action is being taken to appoint an independent auditor to assess the humaneness of the method of despatch and the proper application of these procedures.

  Veterinary Laboratories Agency
  Mr. Dobbin
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what performance targets he has set the Veterinary Laboratories Agency for 1999 –2000. [83047]

  Mr. Nick Brown
  I have set the Veterinary Laboratories Agency the following performance targets for 1999 –2000.

  Efficiency
  1. To develop new efficiency indicators that will apply from 1 April 2000.

  Service Deliver
  2. To achieve 85 per cent. of ROAME R&D milestones.

  Service Quality
  3. To achieve NAMAS accreditation for rabies and GLP approval for the small animal accommodation.

  Financial Performance
  4. To recover the full economic cost (before and calculated in accordance with accruals services.
  5. To operate within 95 per cent. and 100 per cent. of allocations by the MAFF Management Board for running costs, capital and receipts.

  Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science
  Mr. Dobbin
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what performance targets he has set the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science for 1999 –2000. [83048]

  Mr. Nick Brown
  I have set the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science the following performance targets for 1999 –2000.
  264
  Delivery of Service
  1. To give satisfaction to its customers in the way that outputs are provided taking account of the relevance, timeliness and value for money of outputs and the achievement of ROAME milestones.

  Quality of Science
  2. To maintain a high standard of excellence, based on indicators of scientific and technical quality.

  Efficiency
  3. To achieve the savings forecast in the efficiency plan.

  Financial Performance
  4. To recover from Government Departments and Agencies and external customers the full economic costs (calculated according to accruals accounting) of its services.
  5. To operate within 95 per cent. and 100 per cent. of allocations by the MAFF Management Board for running costs, capital and receipts.

  Farming and Rural Conservation Agency
  Mr. Dobbin
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what performance targets he has set the Farming and Rural Conservation Agency for 1999 –2000. [83049]

  Mr. Nick Brown
  I have set the Farming and Rural Conservation Agency the following performance targets for 1999 –2000.1. To deliver a 5 per cent. saving on new applications for the Countryside Stewardship Scheme compared with 1998 –99.

  Delivery of Service
  2. 92 per cent. of work completed to time.
  3. 98 per cent. of work completed to quality standards agreed with MAFF and WOAD customers.

  People
  4. To achieve Investors in People accreditation.

  Financial Performance
  5. To recover from Government Departments the full economic cost (calculated to accruals accounting) of its services.
  6. To operate with 95 per cent. and 100 per cent. of allocations by the MAFF Management Board for running costs, capital and receipts.

  Pesticides Safety Directorate
  Mr. Dobbin
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what performance targets he has set the Pesticides Safety Directorate for 1999 –2000. [83050]

  Mr. Nick Brown
  I have set the Pesticides Safety Directorate the following performance targets for 1999 –2000.

  Quality of Service
  1. To deliver the throughput of applications and processing times set out in the tables that follows this list.
  2. To deliver high quality policy advice to Ministers and respond to their policy objectives.
  3. To deliver high quality scientific work.
  4. To conduct a Customer Satisfaction Survey and respond positively to the results.

  People
  5. To maintain Investors in People accreditation.

  Efficiency
  6. To develop new efficiency indicators that will apply from 1 April 2000.
  265
  Financial Performance
  7. To recover from industry and Government the full economic cost (calculated according to accruals accounting) of its services.
  8. To operate within 95 per cent. and 100 per cent. of allocations by the MAFF Management Board for running costs, capital and receipts.

  Table 1: New substances and reviews

  Application type

  Planned receipts

  Planned completions

  Processing time (weeks)

  New Active Substances

  Sift

  13

  16

  21

  Evaluation

  20

  12

  52

  Reviews—UK

  UK anticholinesterase review Programme —full reviews

  28

  4

  —

  Other UK review activity

  17

  24

  —

  Reviews —EC

  EU rapporteur reviews

  —

  —

  —

  Position on Annex 1 decisions

  20

  15

  —

  Total

  98

  71

  190

  1 Overall target —90 per cent. of applications with a stated processing time must be completed within that time

  Note:

  The figures for New Substances and Reviews are based on work in hand and forecasts from Industry and the Commission

  Table 2: Technical secretariat

  Application type

  Planned receipts

  Planned completions

  Processing time (weeks)

  Normal

  320

  370

  40

  Departmental Normal

  10

  10

  50

  Experimental Permit

  5

  5

  26

  Departmental Experimental Permit

  5

  5

  50

  Extrapolated Experimental Approval

  10

  10

  15

  Emergency Off Label

  25

  25

  12

  Non-emergency Off Label

  50

  40

  34

  Fast

  270

  300

  15

  Administrative Fast

  550

  550

  4

  Post Annex 1 Approvals

  55

  55

  —

  Mutual Recognition

  5

  5

  —

  Other

  5

  50

  —

  Total

  1,310

  1,426

  —

  Total of Tables 1 and 2

  1,408

  1,496

  190

  1Overall target —90 per cent. of applications with a stated processing time must be completed within that time

  Central Science Laboratory
  Mr. Dobbin
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what performance targets he has set the Central Science Laboratory for 1999 –2000. [83051]

  Mr. Nick Brown
  I have set the Central Science Laboratory the following performance targets for 1999 –2000.

  Efficiency
  1. To develop new efficiency indicators that will apply from 1 April 2000.

  Delivery of Science
  2. At least 92 per cent. of work completed to time and within budget.
  3. Achieve a mean score of 3.5 on a scale of 0 to 5 for the assessment of customer satisfaction using the established methodology.
  266
  4. Proportion of project milestones achieved to be at or greater than 82 per cent. (MAFF commissioned projects).

  Financial Performance
  5. To recover the full economic costs (calculated according to accruals accounting) of its services, after allowing for relocation costs.
  6. To operate within 95 per cent. and 100 per cent. of allocations by the MAFF Management Board for running costs, capital and receipts.

  Meat Hygiene Service
  Mr. Dobbin
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what performance targets he has set the Meat Hygiene Service for 1999 –2000. [83052]

  Mr. Nick Brown
  I have set the Meat Hygiene Service the following performance targets for 1999 –2000.

  Operational and service delivery
  1. To control specified risk material
  To take all measures necessary to ensure full compliance in licensed premises with Specified Risk Material Regulations 1997 and other related statutory instruments.
  2. To maintain the formal training programme for staff in HAS
  To ensure that all MHS contract and employed OVSs have received formal training in HAS by the end of the year.
  3. To raise HAS scores
  To ensure that at the end of 1999 –2000 on a rolling three-month average at least 93 per cent. of licensed premises achieve HAS scores of more than 65 and that 75 per cent. of all licensed premises achieve HAS scores of more than 70.
  4. To implement strictly the MHS clean livestock strategy
  To implement strictly the Clean Livestock Policy by ensuring that the percentage of cattle and sheep allowed to be slaughtered under special precautions in categories 3 and 4 is below 10 per cent. of those initially rejected over the course of the year (category 5 animals may not be slaughtered for human consumption).
  5. To ensure a strict prohibition on faecal contamination
  To ensure a strict prohibition on carcases showing any faecal contamination being health-marked for human consumption.
  6. Animal Welfare
  To ensure that the Welfare at Slaughter and Killing Regulations 1995 are enforced in licensed slaughterhouses and to maintain effective monitoring of compliance; to carry out an animal welfare survey in all slaughterhouses by the end of the year.

  Efficiency
  7. To develop new efficiency indicators that will apply from 1 April 2000.

  Financial Performance
  8. To charge costs to industry
  To charge plant operators the recoverable costs (calculated in accordance with the relevant legislation and accruals accounting and Industry Charges Guide) of providing the statutory health inspection at fresh meat premises.
  9. To recover full costs from Government
  To recover from Government Departments, Agencies and the Intervention Board the full economic costs (calculated in accordance with the relevant charging legislation and accruals accounting) of providing agreed services or other work undertaken on their behalf.
  10. To comply with cash restraints
  To operate within 95 per cent. and 100 per cent. of allocations by the MAFF Management Board for running costs, capital and receipts.

  Veterinary Medicines Directorate
  Mr. Dobbin
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what performance targets he has set the Veterinary Medicines Directorate for 1999 –2000. [83053]

  Mr. Nick Brown
  I have set the Veterinary Medicines Directorate the following performance targets for 1999 –2000.

  Safety and Quality
  1. To provide high quality scientific assessment work.
  2. To provide high quality policy advice to Ministers.
  3. To enter Suspected Adverse Reactions Surveillance Scheme (SARSS) reports onto the database as follows:
  Human SAR reports: within 2 working days
  Serious animal reports: within 2 working days
  Non-serious animal reports: within 10 working days
  4. To report to the Veterinary Products Committee each quarter reviewing trends in SARSS reports and identifying areas requiring evaluation.
  5. To collect 100 per cent. and analyse at least 95 per cent. of the samples collected in the national residues surveillance plan.

  Standards of Service
  6. 100 per cent. compliance with timetables for Centralised and Decentralised authorisation procedures (including Maximum Residue Limits).
  7. 92 per cent. of new Marketing Authorisations to be determined or referred to VPC within 120 clock days.
  8. 100 per cent. of new Marketing Authorisations to be determined within 210 clock days.
  9. 100 per cent. of valid variation applications to have first assessment by 75 clock days and to be determined by 150 clock days.
  10. 100 per cent. of valid renewal applications to have first assessment by 90 clock days and to be determined by 180 clock days.

  Efficiency
  11. To develop new efficiency indicators that will apply from 1 April 2000.

  Financial Control
  12. To recover from industry and Government the full economic cost (calculated according to accruals accounting) of each of its main business activities of:
  licensing and surveillance
  policy work
  residue monitoring
  268
  13.To operate within 95 per cent. to 100 per cent. of allocations by MAFF Management Board for running costs, capital and receipts.

PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL

  Special Advisers
  Mr. Tyrie
  To ask the President of the Council, pursuant to her answer of 18 March 1999,Official Report, column 711, on special advisers, if she will give the total travel cost of each occasion when (a) departmental and (b) non-departmental advisers travelled abroad in an official capacity since 2 May 1997 and the place visited. [82435]

  Mrs. Beckett
  In the period from 2 May 1997 to 31 March 1999 Special Advisers in my Department travelled overseas in an official capacity on one occasion, to France, Belgium and the Netherlands. The total cost of travel and hotel accommodation was £463.07. All travel complied with the requirements of the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

  Immigration and Asylum Bill Special Standing Committee
  Mr. Lock
  To ask the President of the Council what was the total cost to public funds of the afternoon sitting of the Special Standing Committee on the Immigration and Asylum Bill on 20 April. [82207]

  Mrs. Beckett
  The additional costs incurred were mainly for catering staff overtime, and some minimal costs for committee staff and security. It is not possible to identify the specific additional cost of running this committee to public funds because it is not the House's practice to analyse day to day running costs.

  European Community Documents
  Mr. Bercow
  To ask the President of the Council, pursuant to her answer to the hon. Member for Great Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell) of 14 April 1999,Official Report, column 275, if she will place her full reply in the Library. [82297]

  Mrs. Becket
  When I reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Great Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell), I shall, of course, ensure a copy is placed in the Library of the House.

  General Pinochet
  General Pinochet
  Pro bone Work: Legal Staff in Government Service
  Pro bone Work: Legal Staff in Government Service
  Falkland Islands: Lan Chile Flights
  Falkland Islands: Lan Chile Flights
  Council of Europe: 50th Anniversary
  Council of Europe: 50th Anniversary
  EU Growth and Stability Pact
  EU Growth and Stability Pact
  School Security
  School Security
  Military Low-flying Activity in the UK
  Military Low-flying Activity in the UK
  Operation Allied Force
  Operation Allied Force
  Clinical Toxicology
  Clinical Toxicology
  British Railways Board Land Sales
  British Railways Board Land Sales
  Organophosphate Sheep Dip
  Organophosphate Sheep Dip
  Intervention Board Annual Report
  Intervention Board Annual Report
  Fraud: National Police Objectives
  Fraud: National Police Objectives
  Human Rights Act 1998
  Human Rights Act 1998
  Criminal Record Certificates: Voluntary Organisations and Fees
  Criminal Record Certificates: Voluntary Organisations and Fees
  Balkan Refugees
  Balkan Refugees