Written Answers of 3 April 2000

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Public Bodies
  Mr. Quinn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the notional time commitment of each chair of the regional non-departmental public bodies. [116360]

  Dr. Howells
  The time commitment for chairs of the Post Office Users Councils for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is up to 50 days per annum. The average commitment for the chairs of the seven Regional Industrial Development Boards is of the order of one meeting a month lasting approximately two hours, plus the time required to read case papers beforehand.

  Mr. Quinn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) how many(a) male and (b) female board members each regional non-departmental public body for which he is responsible has; [116373]

  (2) how many board members he appoints to each non-departmental public body. [116372]

  Dr. Howells
  A list of non-departmental public bodies to which DTI Ministers make appointments, and information on the numbers of male and female board members each body has, can be found in the publication "Public Bodies 1999" (ISBN 0 11 430159 X), copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

  Synchrotron
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the French Government first publicly expressed a preference for the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory as the site for the diamond synchrotron. [116945]

  Mr. Byers
  The preference was first stated publicly in a letter from the French Minister of National Education, Research and Technology to my noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Science on 14 March 2000. They had made clear to him in private discussions in October 1999 that this was their view.

  Super Jumbo Aircraft
  Mr. Gibb
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to his answer of 24 March 2000,Official Report, column 781W, on the super jumbo aircraft, if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's independent assessment of the likely demand for the A3XX. [116950]

  Mr. Alan Johnson
  No, because this assessment contains commercially confidential and market-sensitive information. It was prepared following discussions with manufacturers, suppliers and airlines of commercially sensitive issues, which were of considerable assistance 278W
  to my Department in drawing up the assessment. If such information were circulated more widely, the understanding on which it had been obtained would be breached, and in future my Department would be less able to serve the interests of taxpayers, since they would not be able to gain access to such a wide range of informed opinion when preparing market assessments.

  Websites
  Mr. Maclennan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the expenditure incurred by his Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies on(a) the setting up and (b) the operation of websites, indicating the cases in which the expenditure has been above that budgeted; and if he will list for each website (i) the topics which have been covered, (ii) the current average number of hits per month and (iii) the estimated expenditure on each website for each of the next three years. [115844]

  Ms Hewitt
  [holding answer 30 March 2000]: Management of the websites of my Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies, and Government Offices for the Regions is devolved to those with responsibility for particular areas. The costs associated with setting up and on-going operation of sites are not held or collected centrally and therefore the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The same is true both for future expenditure plans and for information on final costs versus initial budget estimates.

  In terms of topics covered, the DTI site and associated sites offer information on nearly every area of the Department's responsibilities. The central DTI site (those within the Web domain www.dti.gov.uk) received an average of just over 5,600,000 hits per month over the last six months. Again, hits for all the sites for which my Department is responsible could be calculated only at disproportionate cost.

  Workplace Parking
  Mr. Gray
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many workplace car parking spaces are available at the buildings used and controlled by his Department. [116768]

  Dr. Howells
  [holding answer 30 March 2000]: 182 plus a further eight set aside for bicycles and motorcycles.

  Departmental Properties
  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what(a) number and (b) percentage of properties in his charge are empty; and what steps are being taken by his Department to reduce the number of such properties. [116913]

  Dr. Howells
  None. There are two empty floors, which are currently being marketed, in Atholl House, Aberdeen.

  As announced on 28 March 2000, Official Report, column 108W, responsibility for a partly empty site at Eastcote has been transferred to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State Defence.

  US International Trade Commission
  Mr. Fabricant
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations the Foreign and
  279W
  Commonwealth Office has made to visiting analysts from the United States International Trade Commission in respect of their inquiry on behalf of the United States Senate Finance Committee on the impact on the United States economy of including the United Kingdom in NAFTA. [116315]

  Mr. Vaz
  I have been asked to reply on behalf of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.

  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to him today, Official Report, column 285W.

PRIME MINISTER

  Ministerial Travel
  Mr. Jenkin
  To ask the Prime Minister what aircraft he has at his disposal for travelling on official business; what the cost is in the current financial year; what proposals he is evaluating for acquiring further aircraft for the purpose; and at what [115266]

  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 20 March 2000]: The rules on air travel by Ministers are set out in "Travel by Ministers", a copy of which is in the Library of the House. Decisions on which aircraft to use will be determined on cost, the number of people travelling with me, security and business considerations and the availability of aircraft. A list of Cabinet Ministers' visits overseas, and information on spend by all Ministers on travel overseas for the period 1 April 1999 to 31 March 2000 are currently being assembled, and will be published as soon as possible after the end of the current financial year. This will include information on when I have used RAF and other charter flights and the cost.

  US International Trade Commission
  Mr. Fabricant
  To ask the Prime Minister if he, or his officials, during the last two weeks, advised visiting analysts from the United States International Trade Commission, or asked United States Government members or officials to ask the visiting analysts, not to meet hon. Members. [116318]

  The Prime Minister
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him today by the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Leicester, East (Mr. Vaz),Official Report, column 285W.

  Interception of Communications
  Mr. Baker
  To ask the Prime Minister if it is Government policy that none of the security and intelligence agencies is permitted to intercept communications initiated by hon. Members nor to conduct electronic surveillance thereon. [116904]

  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 30 March 2000]: I refer the hon. Member to the Answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Walsall, North (Mr. Winnick) on 30 October 1997, Official Report, column 861W and to the hon. Member on 17 November 1997, Official Report, columns 17-18.
  280W
  Mr. Baker
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the tests which apply before authorisation is given for an interception of a communication initiated by a newspaper or other media concern [116903]

  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 30 March 2000]: The tests which apply for the inception of all communications are as set out in the Interception of Communications Act 1985. These tests are that a warrant cannot be issued unless it is considered necessary:

  (a) in the interests of national security;

  (b) for the purpose of preventing or detecting serious crime; or

  (c) for the purpose of safeguarding the economic well-being of the United Kingdom.

  Subject to the approval of Parliament, the Interception of Communications Act will be replaced by provisions in the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Bill. The tests for interception will however remain the same.

  President Clinton
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Prime Minister how many times he has met President Clinton outside(a) the United Kingdom and (b) the United States since 1 July 1998; and what was the (i) date, (ii) location and (iii) purpose of each meeting. [117067]

  The Prime Minister
  The information requested is as follows:

  8 February 1999, Amman. at the funeral of King Hussein;

  18 June, bilateral in the margins of the Cologne G8 Summit;

  30 July 1999, Sarajevo Summit; and

  20 November 1999, meeting in Florence for "Third Way" conference.

  Voting Systems
  Mr. Lansley
  To ask the Prime Minister if Mr. Geoff Mulgan of his Policy Unit is involved in policy relating to voting systems. [117153]

  The Prime Minister
  No.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Human Rights Training (RUC)
  Mr. Hesford
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made in the training of RUC officers in human rights issues. [108061]

  Mr. Ingram
  As with all police forces in the UK, the Royal Ulster Constabulary is examining all aspects of human rights including training in preparation for the Human Rights Act coming into force in October 2000.

  It is in contact with the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and with national police training colleges and plans are at an advanced stage for all RUC officers and civilian staff to receive training.

  Union Flag
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if a Union flag was provided for, if arrangements were made to fly the Union flag on the designated dates at, and if the Union flag was flown on 17 March at(a) Department of Agriculture, The Mall,

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  Armagh, (b) Department of Agriculture, Newry Road, Armagh, (c) Southern Education and Library Board, The Mall, Armagh, (d) Southern Education and Library Board, Market House, Armagh, (e) Crown Buildings, Alexander Road, Armagh, (f) RUC Station, Newry Road, Armagh, (g) Department of Environment, Ballinakone, Armagh and (h) Vehicle Testing Station, Hamiltonstown Road, Armagh; and if he will make a statement. [116089]

  Mr. Ingram
  All central Government buildings are provided with a Union flag and a list of those dates on which the Union flag should be flown.

  The Union flag was provided and flown on 17 March at the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development's offices on the Mall, Armagh and Crown Buildings, Alexander Road, Armagh and the Department of the Environment's Vehicle Testing Station, Hamiltonstown Road, Armagh. Arrangements have been made to fly the Union flag at these buildings on all designated dates.

  It is assumed that the building referred to in (g) is the Department of Regional Development's Roads Service Depot at 17 Ballinahonemore Road, Armagh. Although the Union flag was provided and arrangements are in place to fly the flag on all designated dates at this building, and at the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development's office at Newry Road, Armagh, it was not flown on these buildings on 17 March due to an oversight.

  The Union flag is not flown at RUC Stations on Public and/or Bank holidays.

  The decision whether or not to fly the Union flag on Southern Education and Library Board property is a matter for that Board.

  Employment Equality
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made in developing a memorandum of understanding between the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and the Equality Commission. [117357]

  Mr. George Howarth
  This is a matter for the Commissions themselves.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Iraq
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the oral statement of the Minister of State of 24 March 2000,Official Report, columns 1292–93 on Iraq, what assessment he has made of the letter of 9 March from Riad El-Taher of Friendship Across Frontiers. [116875]

  Mr. Hain
  FCO officials replied to Mr. El-Taher's letter of 9 March on 29 March addressing his comments on the humanitarian situation in Iraq.

  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the oral statement of the Minister of State of 24 March 2000,Official Report, columns 1292–93 on Iraq, what evidence he has received that Iraq is manufacturing chlorine-based mustard gas. [116871]
  282W
  Mr. Hain
  To reiterate the point in my statement of 24 March 2000,Official Report, columns 1292–93, chlorine is a constituent of mustard gas which was used by Iraq in the attack on Halabja in 1988. It is therefore clearly important that we are sure that chlorine imported into Iraq under the "oil for food" programme is used for the purposes for which it was approved.

  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his letter to the hon. Member for Linlithgow, concerning his willingness to debate Government policy on Iraq, if he will do so at Kensington Town Hall on 6 May with Denis Halliday and Hans von Sponeck. [117247]

  Mr. Hain
  As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State said in his letter, he is happy to debate Government policy on Iraq, as am I. Indeed I debated our policy with my hon. Friend in the House most recently on 24 March.

  Zimbabwe
  Mrs. Gillan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the scope of the projects of the British military advisers working in Zimbabwe; and how many such advisers there are. [116895]

  Mr. Hain
  [holding answer 30 March 2000]: There are five military advisers providing peacekeeping training to the Southern African Development Community region, including modules on human rights, rights of the child, the role of the ICRC, democratic control of the armed forces, structure of the UN and non-governmental organisations and three other advisers involved in peacekeeping training in support of UN priorities.

  Iran
  Mr. Dismore
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the visiting rights available to(a) members of the family and (b) legal advisers, in respect of the 13 Jews detained in Iran. [117251]

  Mr. Hain
  We have regularly raised with the Iranian authorities our concerns at the detention on espionage charges of a number of Iranian nationals including 10 members of the Jewish community, following the release on bail in February of three of the Jewish detainees. I discussed this matter with the Deputy Foreign Minister Sarmadi on 7 March. It is our understanding that visits by some family members have been allowed and that some of the defendants have appointed legal representatives. We are seeking clarification from the Iranian authorities on the latter point. The Iranian authorities are fully aware of the importance that we and our EU partners attach to this issue.

  Mr. Dismore
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the availability of legal representation for the 13 Jews detained in Iran. [117252]

  Mr. Hain
  Our understanding is that some of those detained have appointed legal representation. However, we are aware of recent reports that legal representation has been denied to some of the detainees. We are seeking clarification from the Iranian authorities on this point. The Iranian authorities are fully aware of the importance that we and our EU partners attach to this issue.

  Mr. Roger Crooks
  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on which occasions Roger Crooks was present at meetings referred to in(a) Sir Thomas Legg's report, Session 1997–98, HC 1016, (b) the First Special report of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee sessions 1997–98, HC 760, (c) the Second Special report of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee session 1997–98, HC 852 and (d) the Second report of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee sessions 1998–99, HC 116-I; and if he will make a statement. [116932]

  Mr. Hain
  This information is not held centrally and to provide such details would incur disproportionate costs.

  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if Mr. Roger Crooks was present at the official meeting held on 3 December 1997 between his Department's officials, and representatives of the (i) Cabinet Office, (ii) Department for International Development and (iii) Ministry of Defence; and if he will make a statement. [116925]

  Mr. Hain
  No.

  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the occasions on which Mr. Peter Penfold had meetings with Roger Crooks(a) in Sierra Leone, (b) in Conakry, (c) in the United Kingdom and (d) on board a Royal Naval vessel. [116928]

  Mr. Hain
  Mr. Penfold confirms that he spoke to Mr. Crooks occasionally in Sierra Leone and Conakry, but that he had no meetings with Mr. Crooks in the UK or elsewhere.

  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 16 March 2000,Official Report, column 287W, for what purposes his Department has had discussions on the general situation in Sierra Leone; and if he will make a statement. [116968]

  Mr. Hain
  As stated in my answer of 16 March, Mr. Crooks is refurbishing one of the main hotels in Freetown to be used as the Headquarters of UNAMSIL. FCO and MOD personnel have had occasional contacts with him over the last few years. Discussions have focused on the general situation in Sierra Leone, not arms or military matters.

  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on which occasions John Flynn, the Foreign Secretary's Special Representative for Sierra Leone, met Mr. Roger Crooks. [116931]

  Mr. Hain
  Never.

  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 16 March 2000,Official Report, column 287W, if his Department knew of Roger Crooks' dual US/Sierra Leone citizenship at the time of their discussions; and if these discussions have continued since Roger Crooks' expulsion from Sierra Leone. [116962]
  284W
  Mr. Hain
  The information is as follows:

  (a) No.

  (b) The Government of Sierra Leone expulsion order on Mr. Crooks was lifted in May 1999. The High Commissioner reports that he had one discussion with Mr. Crooks since his return to Sierra Leone.

  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on which occasions(a) Miss Ann Grant, (b) Mr. Richard Dales, (c) Craig Murray, (d) Mr. Tim Andrews, (d) Mr. John Everad and (f) Lynda St. Cooke met Roger Crooks. [116927]

  Mr. Hain
  We believe that none of the six has met Roger Crooks. We have not yet been able to confirm this with one of them. When we have confirmation I will write to my hon. Friend.

  Oxford Forum
  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who selects hon. Members to attend the Oxford Forum. [116929]

  Mr. Vaz
  There is no organisation called the Oxford Forum in which the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is involved.

  Sierra Leone
  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who were(a) the three officials from other Foreign and Commonwealth Office departments, (b) the official from the Cabinet office and (c) the official from the Department for International Development who attended the meeting referred to in the Second report of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Session 1998–99 (HC 116) at footnote 163, page xxi. [116926]

  Mr. Hain
  My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has already given a full account to Parliament of the events covered in the FAC report. There is nothing to add to his previous statements.

  Kazakhstan
  Mr. Oaten
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Government of Kazakhstan about freedom of the press. [117113]

  Mr. Vaz
  This is an issue of concern to us and our EU partners. We have ensured that it has been raised in EU statements, including at the OSCE Review Conference in Vienna and Istanbul in September 1999, and more recently in the EU response to the statement by President Nazarbaev at the OSCE Permanent Council meeting in Vienna in February.

  Mr. Oaten
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with European Foreign Ministers on human rights in Kazakhstan. [117114]

  Mr. Vaz
  We and our EU and OSCE partners continue to monitor developments in Kazakhstan, including those relating to progress on democratic reform there, and will raise issues of concern as necessary. We shall also seek to ensure that, in the context of the Partnership &
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  Co-operation Agreement, these issues are adequately addressed at the next EU-Kazakhstan Co-operation Council due in June.

  China
  Mr. Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what decision was taken by the General Affairs Council on 20 March on sponsoring a resolution on China at the 56th Conference on Human Rights. [116279]

  Mr. Battle
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Clydesdale (Mr. Hood) on 29 March 2000,Official Report, columns 167–68W.

  The position the EU will take on the US resolution on China will reflect developments up until the time the resolution is considered by UNCHR.

  US International Trade Commission
  Mr. Fabricant
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reason, when his officials met analysts from the United States International Trade Commission during the last two weeks, they advised the analysts not to meet hon. Members. [116312]

  Mr. Vaz
  UK Ministers and officials did not advise the visiting International Trade Commission analysts not to meet with hon. Members, nor was any such advice given to US Government members or officials. Meetings between officials and the analysts were wide-ranging covering the Government's policy towards the EU, the assumptions underlying the ITC inquiry and the economic consequences of the scenarios the ITC are considering.

  EU Treaties
  Mr. Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which proposals made by EU institutions and member states for incorporation into a new treaty, other than those relating to composition of the Commission, cannot be adopted via the fast track option contained in the Treaty amendments agreed at Amsterdam in 1997. [116308]

  Mr. Vaz
  There is no fast-track option for Treaty change. The Treaties can only be changed through an IGC. All amendments need to be agreed unanimously by member states' Governments and ratified by the member states before they can come into force.

SCOTLAND

  Departmental Properties
  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what(a) number and (b) percentage of properties in his charge are empty; and what steps are being taken by his Department to reduce the number of such properties. [116923]

  Dr. Reid
  My Department has no empty properties.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

  Websites
  Mr. Maclennan
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list the expenditure incurred by her Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies on(a) the setting up and (b) the operation of websites, indicating the cases in which the expenditure has been above that budgeted; and if she will list for each website (i) the topics which have been covered, (ii) the current average number of hits per month and (iii) the estimated expenditure on each website for each of the next three years. [115391]

  Clare Short
  The Department for International Development's website was set up at an initial cost of £10,000. Operating costs have been £16,000 per annum and expenditure has been within the allocated budget. The topics covered are: "Who We Are"—an introduction to DFID; "What We Do"—an introduction to DFID's work around the world; "Working with Us"—information for users seeking to work with DFID; "News Centre" —information on press releases, speeches etc.

  The average number of hits per month is 55,000. Maintenance costs for the next three years are likely to be around £12,000 per annum. The website will be re-designed over the coming year at a cost of up to £50,000.

  Sudan
  Mr. Paul Marsden
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions she has had with the Canadian Government regarding exports to Sudan; and if she will make a statement. [115719]

  Clare Short
  I have held no discussions with the Canadian Government regarding exports to Sudan.

  Forest Fires (Ethiopia)
  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations she has received concerning the forest fires in Oromiya state, Ethiopia; and if she will make a statement. [116550]

  Clare Short
  It is reported that tens of thousands of hectares of natural forest have been razed by fires in the forest areas of Bale and Borana Administrative Zones. It is believed that the fires were started by local farmers burning land for local cultivation that escalated out of control. The Ethiopian Government sought donor help to combat the fires in February 2000. A number of donor countries who were well placed to address the problem helped form and deploy an International Fire Emergency Advisory Group. Donors, including DFID, maintain daily contact in Addis Ababa.

  International experts travelled down to Bale and Borana to assess the damage and map out a strategy to contain the fires. Their findings were presented to the Ethiopians on 6 March. A US expert was brought in to head up the fire-fighting operation with support and equipment from South Africa and Germany. On 9 March, South Africa announced that it would provide a further 22 fire-fighters and other experts. We concluded that as the UK has

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  limited experience in fighting large-scale forest fires it was best for those with expertise and technical equipment to take the lead.

  Departmental Properties
  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what(a) number and (b) percentage of properties in her charge are empty; and what steps are being taken by her Department to reduce the number of such properties. [116910]

  Clare Short
  No properties in my charge as Secretary of State for International Development are empty.

  Home domiciled applicants for entry to full-time and sandwich1 undergraduate courses in the United Kingdom through the universities and colleges admission system (UCAS) 1997–99

  1997

  1998

  1999

  Age

  Number

  Percentage of population1

  Number

  Percentage of population1

  Number

  Percentage of population1

  Under 21

  300,926

  43.1

  303,729

  241.0

  306,809

  40.9

  21 to 24

  41,000

  5.3

  37,287

  5.1

  36,361

  5.1

  25 and over

  56,401

  6.0

  48,572

  5.2

  45,521

  5.0

  Total

  398,327

  389,588

  388,691

  1 Based on the averaged 17 and 18 year old population for under 21s, the averaged 21-24 year old population for 21-24s, and the averaged 25-34 year old population for 25s and over.

  2 The drop in the participation rate between 1997 and 1998 reflects the unusually large increase in the number of 18 year olds in the population between these years, resulting from a rise in the birth rate.

  UCAS covers only applicants to full-time and sandwich courses; although similar data for part-time courses are not available, entrant numbers are. The following table shows the numbers of entrants to part-time courses as a proportion of the age group, for the two most recent years; data on part-time entrants for 1999 will not be available until April 2000. The figures show that, in contrast to applicants to full-time courses, participation rates for mature part-time students have risen. The majority of mature students opt to enter higher education via part-time courses.

  Home domiciled entrants to part-time undergraduate courses 1 in the United Kingdom

  1997

  1998

  Age

  Number

  Percentage of population2

  Number

  Percentage of population2

  Under 21

  15,227

  2.2

  16,236

  2.2

  21 to 24

  26,116

  3.5

  26,645

  3.8

  25 and over

  176,139

  18.9

  181,572

  19.8

  Total

  217,482

  224,453

  1 Includes courses in HE institutions, including the Open University, and FE institutions. The figures for the Open University will include some double counting of students who enrol on more than one course.

  2 Based on the averaged 18 and 19 year old population for under 21s, the averaged 21-24 year old population for 21-24s, and the averaged 25-34 year old population for 25s and over.

  New Deal(Ethnic Minorities)
  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the impact of the New Deal on ethnic minorities. [110592]

EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT

  Higher Education
  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many people aged(a) 18 to 21, (b) 21 to 24 and (c) 25 years and over have applied for higher education in each of the last three years; and what percentage of the population in each age group these figures represent. [109978]

  Mr. Wicks
  The latest data on applicants via UCAS are shown in the following table. Although applicants fell between 1998 and 1999, the final number of accepted applicants increased by 1.6 per cent. over the same period.

  Ms Jowell
  [holding answer 22 February 2000]: We have set a target that all New Deal partnerships achieve parity of job outcomes between ethnic minority and white clients by the end of this Parliament. We recognise the additional disadvantages which can be faced by ethnic minority jobseekers and that is why the Employment Service is working so closely with key organisations such as the Commission for Racial Equality, Local Race Equality Councils and community groups in this important area of work.

  At the end of November 1999, we know that nearly 20,000 young people from ethnic minorities had gone into work from the New Deal for young people. 13,700 had benefited from training and work experience under the New Deal options. At present, the New Deal appears to be doing less well in helping young people from ethnic minorities in obtaining jobs than young white people, although much of the discrepancy may be in part due to less complete destination data for ethnic minority leavers and from variation in performance between delivery areas. They are, however, leaving the Gateway more quickly and are slightly less likely to return to JSA after finding employment. We also assess the performance of different ethnic minority groups and are aware of the variations in outcomes between the groups. For example, we know that those of Indian, Bangladeshi and Chinese origin are closer to achieving equality of job outcomes with white participants than are Black-African participants.

  The table shows jobs as a percentage of New Deal starts for each ethnic grouping.
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  Percentage

  White

  48

  Black Caribbean

  36

  Black African

  30

  Black Other

  38

  Indian

  43

  Pakistani

  37

  Bangladeshi

  40

  Chinese

  36

  Other

  35

  There is a feature article on New Deal and ethnic minority participants in the February edition of Labour Market Trends that sets out in more detail the findings of experience so far.

  Socrates Programme
  Mr. Boswell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on(a) participation in, (b) the costs to United Kingdom and European funds and (c) the educational benefits of the first Socrates programme; and what his plans are for the second Socrates programme. [116017]

  Ms Jowell
  [holding answer 23 March 2000]: The first phase of the EU Education action programme Socrates ran from 1995 to 1999. During that period some 920 million euros were available for activities across the European Union, many of which will continue until the end of this academic year.

  Participation

  In the UK, during academic year 1997–98, the latest year for which figures are available, the following were funded:
  1,108 school partnership projects; 323 school preparatory visits; 161 teacher training projects; 655 teachers took part in language training abroad; 80 UK teacher trainees took up language assistant posts in other European countries; 166 Higher education institutions took part; 10,592 students studied in another country; 10 Adult Education projects and nine Open and Distance Learning projects were funded; and 159 policy study visits were made to another country.

  In the EU, throughout the period of the first phase, the European Commission estimates that nearly half a million students received grants for an integrated period of study in another European country under the Erasmus action; over 50,000 teachers in higher education undertook teaching assignments at higher education institutions in another European country; over 10,000 schools were involved in joint projects (a great many of them involving UK schools); and around 150,000 young people were involved in joint activities.

  Numbers of full and part-time pupils aged three1 in maintained schools2 in Hampshire local education authority area and in England: 1979, 1990 and 1992–99 (position as at January each year)

  England

  Hampshire3

  Portsmouth3

  Southampton3

  Hampshire4

  Part-time

  Full-time

  Part-time

  Full-time

  Part-time

  Full-time

  Part-time

  Full-time

  Part-time

  Full-time

  1999

  267,928

  34,288

  999

  4

  706

  1

  546

  0

  5—

  5—

  1998

  270,286

  33,003

  969

  13

  726

  0

  501

  2

  5—

  5—

  1997

  262,110

  29,815

  5—

  5—

  5—

  5—

  5—

  5—

  2,218

  10

  1996

  261,654

  28,818

  5—

  5—

  5—

  5—

  5—

  5—

  2,082

  10

  1995

  253,537

  27,818

  5—

  5—

  5—

  5—

  5—

  5—

  1,922

  20

  1994

  242,187

  27,263

  5—

  5—

  5—

  5—

  5—

  5—

  1,916

  28

  290W
  Costs

  The average annual cost to the UK is 28 million euros. Incoming grants total 25 million euros.

  Educational benefits

  All participants have built and strengthened links with colleagues in other participating countries. Many institutions have gained access to, and developed, innovative training materials and methods. Individual participants have gained an appreciation of each others' cultures and working practices, have developed communication, new technology and other core skills and have improved their employability and confidence levels.

  Plans for the new programme

  The total budget for the second phase of the programme is 1.85 million euros for the seven years from 2000 to 2006. Priorities and budget allocations for the new programme for the year 2000 are currently under discussion in the Socrates programme management committee. During the course of these discussions the UK will use its best endeavours to ensure that the priorities set for the programme are compatible with the UK's domestic policy agenda for each of the education sectors the programme serves.

  Early Years Education
  Mr. Oaten
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list for(a) England and (b) each local education authority in Hampshire the number of three-year-olds with free early years education places providing five or more sessions of education per week in (i) 1979, (ii) 1990 and (iii) each year from 1992 to 1999. [115964]

  Ms Hodge
  [holding answer 23 March 2000]: The latest available January census information on three-year-olds educated in maintained schools is shown in the following table.

  Places for 46,000 children have been created in 64 local authorities with the greatest social need, from the £40 million Nursery Education Grant made available during 1999–2000. Expenditure of £390 million is being made available over the three financial years 1999–2000 to 2001–02 to increase by 190,000 the number of new, free, good quality, early education places for three-year-olds. The priority is to reach those three-year-olds in social need who could most benefit from a free nursery place.

  Information on three-year-olds educated in maintained schools for January 2000 is currently being collected as are the actual figures for three-year-old places created in the private and voluntary sector from September 1999 onwards. Provisional estimates of both sets of figures are expected to be published in a Statistical First Release in May.
  291W

  Numbers of full and part-time pupils aged three1 in maintained schools2 in Hampshire local education authority area and in England: 1979, 1990 and 1992–99 (position as at January each year)

  England

  Hampshire3

  Portsmouth3

  Southampton3

  Hampshire4

  Part-time

  Full-time

  Part-time

  Full-time

  Part-time

  Full-time

  Part-time

  Full-time

  Part-time

  Full-time

  1993

  231,907

  26,014

  5—

  5—

  5—

  5—

  5—

  5—

  1,533

  35

  1992

  225,521

  25,579

  5—

  5—

  5—

  5—

  5—

  5—

  1,542

  18

  1990

  200,397

  25,294

  5—

  5—

  5—

  5—

  5—

  5—

  1,485

  40

  1979

  88,372

  26,330

  5—

  5—

  5—

  5—

  5—

  5—

  769

  43

  1 Ages as at start of academic year (31 August)

  2 Includes maintained nursery, primary and special schools

  3 Local education authority areas created after the Local Government Re-organisation in April 1997

  4 Before the Local Government Re-organisation in April 1997

  5 Not applicable for that year

  Schools (Capital Allocations)
  Judy Mallaber
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will break down the capital allocations since May 1997 to schools in

  Capital Allocations for the Amber Valley Constituency since May 1997

  £

  School name

  New Deal for Schools

  Supplementary Credit Approvals

  Grant Maintained Schools Funding

  Special Educational Needs

  Outside Toilets Initiative

  Class Size Initiative

  Annual Capital Guidelines

  Voluntary Aided Grants

  School Formula Capital (Minimum)

  Grand Total

  Aldercar Infant

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  5,555

  5,555

  Aldercar

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  10,765

  10,765

  Ambergate Primary

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  4,905

  4,905

  Breadsall C of E Primary

  —

  —

  —

  —

  50,000

  —

  —

  —

  —

  55,170

  Christ The King RC Primary

  —

  —

  —

  10,500

  —

  2,938

  —

  107,776

  5,245

  126,459

  Codnor C of E VC Primary

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  7,190

  7,190

  Coppice Primary

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  6,255

  6,255

  Copthorne Infant

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  4,940

  4,940

  Corfield C of E Infant

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  4,860

  4,860

  Crich C of E Infant

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  4,430

  4,430

  Crich Junior

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  4,670

  4,670

  Croft Infant

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  5,660

  5,660

  Denby Free C of E Primary

  —

  6,675

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  85,934

  4,161

  96,770

  Fritchley C of E (VA) Primary

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  35,145

  4,078

  39,223

  Heage Primary

  240,000

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  5,990

  245,990

  Heanor Gate School

  —

  —

  326,822

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  23,875

  350,697

  Heanor Langley Infant

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  96,400

  —

  —

  5,240

  101,640

  Holbrook Centre for Autism

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  4,540

  4,540

  Holbrook C of E Primary

  110,000

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  5,485

  115,485

  Horsley C of E Primary

  70,000

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  4,770

  74,770

  Horsley Woodhouse Primary

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  4,855

  4,855

  Ironville and Codnor Park Primary

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  5,915

  5.915

  John Flamsteed Community

  669,163

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  12,715

  681,878

  Kilburn Infant

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  5,820

  5,820

  Kilburn Junior

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  6,110

  6,110

  Langley Mill C of E Infant

  —

  —

  —

  10,000

  —

  —

  —

  —

  4,985

  14,985

  Langley Mill Junior

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  6,700

  6,700

  Leys Junior

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  5,540

  5,540

  Little Eaton Primary

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  86,400

  —

  —

  6,445

  92,845

  Lons Infant

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  4,690

  4,690

  Loscoe C of E Primary

  —

  —

  —

  —

  23,575

  —

  —

  —

  5,225

  28,800

  Mapperley C of E Cont Primary

  —

  —

  —

  —

  44,000

  —

  —

  —

  4,490

  48,490

  Marlpool Infant

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  4,440

  4,440

  Marlpool Junior

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  5,900

  5,900

  Mary Howitt Infant Community

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  6,320

  6,320

  Mill Hill

  —

  —

  116,231

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  24,280

  140,511

  Morley Primary

  —

  —

  —

  —

  35,190

  —

  —

  —

  4,685

  39,875

  Mortimer Wilson

  —

  525,000

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  18,460

  543,460

  Mundy C of E Junior

  —

  —

  —

  —

  65,000

  —

  —

  —

  5,920

  70,920

  Parkwood

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  5,485

  5,485

  Pottery Primary

  225,000

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  8,325

  233,325

  Richardson Endowed Primary

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  5,195

  5,195

  Riddings Infant

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  5,780

  5,780

  Riddings Junior

  —

  —

  —

  —

  40,250

  —

  —

  —

  6,360

  46,610

  Ripley Infant

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  5,955

  5,955

  Ripley Junior

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  8,030

  8,030

  Somercotes Infant

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  6,180

  6,180

  Somerlea Park Junior

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  6,470

  6,470

  South Wingfield Primary

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  5,050

  5,050

  St. Andrew's C of E Primary

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  4,850

  4,850

  St. John's C of E Primary

  —

  —

  —

  1,000

  —

  86,400

  —

  —

  8,480

  95,880

  Stanley Common C of E Primary

  —

  —

  —

  —

  50,000

  —

  —

  —

  4,770

  54,770

  Street Lane Primary

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  4,500

  4,500

  Stanwick Hall

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  20,395

  20,395

  Stanwick Primary

  205,000

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  7,960

  212,960

  The Delves

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  6,910

  6,910

  292W
  (a) the Amber Valley constituency and (b) Amber Valley District. [116376]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  [holding answer 27 March 2000]: The information requested is shown in the following tables.
  293W

  Capital Allocations for the Amber Valley Constituency since May 1997

  £

  School name

  New Deal for Schools

  Supplementary Credit Approvals

  Grant Maintained Schools Funding

  Special Educational Needs

  Outside Toilets Initiative

  Class Size Initiative

  Annual Capital Guidelines

  Voluntary Aided Grants

  School Formula Capital (Minimum)

  Grand Total

  Waingroves Primary

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  6,265

  6,265

  William Howitt Junior Community

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  6,820

  6,820

  Woodbridge Junior

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  6,500

  6,500

  Annual Capital Guidelines

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  315,706

  —

  0

  315,706

  Total

  1,519,163

  531,675

  443,053

  21,500

  308,015

  272,138

  315,706

  228,855

  411,855

  4,051,664

  Judy Mallaber
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what has been the total capital allocation since May 1997 to schools in(a) the Amber Valley constituency and (b) Amber Valley District. [116377]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  [holding answer 27 March 2000]: The resources allocated since May 1997 for capital purposes to schools in the (a) Amber Valley constituency amount to £4,051,664 and for (b) Amber Valley District amount to £4,415,068.

  Careers Guidance Services
  Mr. Boswell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the performance by careers guidance services of the terms of their contracts over the last three years. [116462]

  Mr. Wicks
  [holding answer 28 March 2000]: For the financial years 1997–98 and 1998–99, Careers Service performance was based upon a range of activities including individual interviews, group sessions and personal action plans. During this period, most Careers Services achieved their agreed targets and many exceeded them.

  More recently Careers Services have focused on those who need help most in support of social inclusion and achieving National learning targets. In the financial year 1999–2000, Careers Services made significant shifts in their activities, increasing their resources on work engaging 16 to 17-year-olds in learning by 37 per cent. compared with the previous year.

  Despite the change in focus of Careers Services young people have, however, suffered from a lack of co-ordinated advice and guidance and gaps in provision. That is why we have launched the Connexions Service. It will take forward the provision of careers information, advice and guidance as part of a radical new approach to raising standards and ensuring coherent and co-ordinated support for all young people.

  Standard Spending Assessment
  Mrs. Anne Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will estimate the cost of raising the level of education SSA per child to at least(a) the level of that of the median authority and (b) the level of the median authority minus five per cent. [116754]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  We estimate that it would cost £511 million to raise the per pupil funding of all Local Education Authorities to the level of that of the median authority and £96 million to raise it to the level less 5 per cent. of that of the median authority.
  294W
  Mr. St. Aubyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what assessment he has made of the equity of the standard spending assessment for education as a method of allocation; [117128]

  (2) what recent representations he has received regarding measures being taken to reform received standard spending assessment for education, with particular reference to the (a) areas cost adjustment and (b) additional educational needs allowance. [117134]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  My right hon. Friend has received a number of representations on the area cost adjustment and additional education needs elements of the standard spending assessment. We have already acknowledged that there are valid objections to the current SSA formula. The Government, in partnership with local government, have set up a review to see whether there is a better way of determining the distribution of funds which is simpler, more stable, more robust and fairer than the present arrangements.

  Mrs. Anne Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will estimate the cost of raising the standard spending assessment per pupil for each local education authority in England to at least that of Hertfordshire for 2000–01. [117225]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  We estimate that it would cost £760 million to raise the standard spending assessment per pupil for each local education authority in England to the level of that of Hertfordshire for 2000–01.

  Access to Work (Disabled People)
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to improve Access to Work for disabled people. [116988]

  Ms Hodge
  The Access to Work programme has been successful in helping an increasing number of disabled people to remain or move into employment year on year. Over the next financial year we expect to help more than 23,000 people through Access to Work at a cost of nearly £26 million. This represents an increase of over 3,000 compared with the current year.

  The Employment Service is also planning to improve the quality of service offered through Access to Work. Over the next year, it is strengthening the Disability Service training, conducting a customer satisfaction survey, and undertaking a review to streamline Access to Work processes.

  Dyslexia
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to improve the special tuition available to dyslexic children. [116974]
  295W
  Jacqui Smith
  It is the responsibility of schools and local education authorities (LEAs) to ensure that children with dyslexia receive appropriate tuition. Schools and LEAs must have regard to guidance in the Code of Practice on the Identification and Assessment of Special Educational Needs (SEN). This guidance recognises a continuum of special educational needs and advocates a staged approach to meeting such needs. The Code provides advice on the needs of children with specific learning difficulties, including dyslexia. A revised version of the Code is expected to be issued next year, which will place a stronger emphasis on the importance of early identification of SEN, so the appropriate help can be given as soon as possible. Under the National Literacy Strategy all children are being taught phonics, spelling and grammar. This has been shown to be particularly helpful for children with mild dyslexia. Children who demonstrate particular difficulties at word level, which are due to their SEN, can be identified much earlier and more focused support added. Such children have also been helped by the requirement, since September 1998, for newly qualified teachers to show that they can identify pupils who have special educational needs, including dyslexia, and know where to get help in order to give positive and targeted support to children.

  My Department is also part funding a two year study programme by the Dyslexia Institute in partnership with the Centre for Reading and Language Studies at the University of York. The research has at its heart a controlled intervention study designed to evaluate the effects of structured programmes of intervention for seven-year-old pupils who are experiencing specific difficulties to read, write and spell.

  Workplace Parking
  Mr. Gray
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many workplace car parking spaces are available at the buildings used and controlled by his Department. [116762]

  Mr. Wills
  [holding answer 30 March 2000]: In total, there are 900 workplace car parking spaces available at the Department's head office buildings in Darlington, London, Runcorn and Sheffield. We have prepared travel plans for all our key buildings in line with the commitment set out in the Transport White Paper and are reviewing the scope for reducing our car parking requirements in that context.

  Learning Accounts
  Mr. Boswell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many people are currently waiting for individual learning accounts; and what is the average period between application and allocation. [117244]

  Mr. Wicks
  The first trance of individual learning accounts are being administered and funded solely through Training and Enterprise Councils. In England alone, over 101,000 accounts had been opened by the end of February 2000, against a UK target of 100,000 accounts opened by April 2000, and we are on track to achieve the target of one million accounts opened in the lifetime of this Parliament. Information on how many people are currently waiting for individual learning accounts; and the average period between application and allocation is not held centrally.

  School Meals
  Helen Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the local education authorities in which no schools provide hot school meals. [117145]

  Jacqui Smith
  This information is not collected centrally. Under current education legislation, it is up to local education authorities, and schools with delegated budgets for school meals, to decide on their presentation and content, including whether a meal should be hot. The Government's minimum nutritional standards for school lunches will apply to both hot and cold lunches.

  Helen Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what estimate he has made of the number of families eligible to claim free school meals which do not do so. [117144]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  Information reported by maintained schools in England to the Department for Education and Employment in January 1999 showed that there were 1,417,300 pupils on the schools' register (on the census day) who were known by schools to be eligible for free school meals. Of these, 1,088,800 pupils were reported to have taken a free school meal on the census day.

  Further information provided by the Department of Social Security, for November 1999, showed overall that there were an estimated 1,490,000 school age children (5-16 years) in England from 849,000 families in receipt of Income Support or Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance. No information is available from the Department of Social Security on the number of these children who took their free meals.

  Standards and Effectiveness Unit
  Mrs. May
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was the number of staff and the budget for the Standards and Effectiveness Unit at the end of(a) September 1999 and (b) December 1999. [117507]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  At the end of September and December 1999, the number of staff in the Unit was 204. The running cost budget for the Unit in the current year is £6.421 million.

  Class Sizes
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to ensure that schools have sufficient accommodation to meet the pressures on class sizes when the cohorts of children currently benefiting from the class size reduction initiative turn eight years old. [116736]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  The Department's guidance to LEAs on drawing up infant class size implementation plans made clear that the criteria for plan approval included the need to ensure no adverse impact upon the size of junior classes.

  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the impact of the class size reduction initiative on smaller schools where site constraints limit expansion and published admission numbers are reduced as a result. [116737]
  297W
  Ms Estelle Morris
  The Department issues regular monitoring questionnaires, to all LEAs, which seek information on the implementation of the infant class size initiative. We have no evidence to suggest that the initiative has had an adverse impact on smaller schools which have reduced their admission numbers in order to comply with the infant class size limit.

  Local Education Authorities
  Mrs. May
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the future of local education authorities. [117511]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  Local education authorities have four key functions related to schools: school improvement, special education needs, access and strategic management.

  We believe that LEAs should be held accountable by regular inspections, which is why Ofsted has a programme of inspections in place—and why we introduced legislation allowing intervention and outsourcing where necessary.

  We believe that as far as possible schools should manage themselves and their budgets. That is why we are delegating far greater resources to schools than the previous Administration.

  Departmental Properties
  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what(a) number and (b) percentage of properties in his charge are empty; and what steps are being taken by her Department to reduce the number of such properties. [116911]

  Mr. Wills
  There are currently eight Departmental headquarters properties and 53 Employment Service (ES) properties that are either fully or partly vacant. Using the standard measure of square metreage, these figures represents 3.19 per cent. of vacant space against the total headquarters property for DfEE and 4.9 per cent. against the total for ES. Both ES and DfEE use the services of external estates surveyors, under contract, who advise on the best method of achieving a speedy and cost effective disposal. This will include assignment, sub-letting or surrender. The option pursued will depend upon, for example, the terms of the lease, the wishes of the landlord and market conditions. In line with usual practice, retained estates surveyors employ local estate agents who market vacant premises.

  Teachers (Performance-related Pay)
  Mrs. May
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many external assessors for the performance-related pay scheme for teachers have been recruited and how many remain to be recruited; and by what date they will be recruited. [117510]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  The actual numbers of external assessors to be deployed will depend on the number and distribution of teachers who apply to cross the threshold. Numbers are likely to peak in the first two years of the new arrangements when very large numbers of teachers will be eligible for assessment. The maximum requirement in year one will be in the region of 520 full-time equivalents. The recruitment process for external assessors is nearly complete.

  Schools Funding
  Mrs. May
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is(a) the breakdown for the financial year 1999–2000 and (b) the forecast breakdown for 2000–01, of funding for schools between the Standards Fund, local education authority expenditure, and other Government grants. [117506]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  The following table sets out: (a) Education Standard Spending, which is the amount the Government assume local authorities will spend for the purpose of setting Standard Spending Assessments; (b) Standards Fund Grant; and (c) Other Government Grants, which include Nursery Grant for three and four-year-olds, Class Size Grant, and Special Grants to be paid under the Local Government Act 1988.

  1999–2000

  2000–01

  Education Standard Spending

  20,414

  21,479

  Standards Fund Grant

  563

  1,077

  Other Government Grants

  247

  877

  Total

  21,224

  23,433

DEFENCE

  Weapons Failures
  Mr. Duncan Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the figures are for the mean time between failure for the British Army Light Support Weapon(a) modified and (b) unmodified, and for other Light Support Weapon equivalents used by other armed forces tested by the British army. [114214]

  Mr. Spellar
  [holding answer 13 March 2000]: The mean time between failure expressed as mean rounds between failure for modified Light Support Weapon as tested on recent trials, firing a Battlefield mission of 960 rounds in 37 minutes, is greater than 2,500 rounds in all climates and with all NATO qualified ammunition types. Of the other Light Support Weapon systems tested, the mean rounds between failure range from 398 to 2,008 rounds.

  I am withholding details of the performance of the unmodified LSW under Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

  Mr. Duncan Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the most recent field trial report on(a) SA80 and (b) LSW. [114215]

  Mr. Spellar
  [holding answer 13 March 2000]: The report to which the hon. Member refers is classified and is withheld under Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice for the release of Government Information.

  Mr. Duncan Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what are the figures for the mean time between failures for(a) the SA80 as modified, (b) the G36, (c) 51G (Swiss Army), (d) DEMAR. Co, (e) M16 and (f) other personal weapons recently tested by the Army; [114217]
  299W
  (2) what reliability tests the armed forces have carried out on personal weapons used by other armed forces, with particular reference to (a) G.36, (b) S/G (Swiss Army), (c) DEMAR. Co (upgraded M16) and (d) M16. [114216]

  Mr. Spellar
  [holding answer 13 March 2000]: The mean time between failure expressed as mean rounds between failure for the modified SA 80 Individual Weapon (IW) as tested on recent trials, firing a Battlefield mission of 150 rounds in eight minutes 40 seconds, is greater than 2,500 rounds in all climates and with all NATO qualified ammunition types.

  The mean round between failure for G36, Diemaco and SIG is commercially sensitive. However only one Weapon system was considered comparable to the modified SA80 1W.

  The reliability tests for all the Weapons systems have been based on the firing of 21 Battlefield missions.

  Websites
  Mr. Maclennan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the expenditure incurred by his Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies on(a) the setting up and (b) the operation of websites, indicating the cases in which the expenditure has been above that budgeted; and if he will list for each website (i) the topics covered, (ii) the average number of hits per month and (iii) the estimated expenditure on each website for each of the next three years. [115090]

  Mr. Spellar
  The information requested by the right hon. Member is not held centrally or in the form requested. I will write to the right hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

  Heavy-lift Aircraft
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what aircraft was used to take Puma helicopters to Mozambique; how long the journey took; and what estimate he has made of how long it would have taken for an equivalent number of helicopters to have arrived in a complete state had Boeing C-17 aircraft been used for the transportation. [116599]

  Mr. Spellar
  An An-124 aircraft was used to carry four Puma helicopters to Heudspruit, South Africa. The journey time from Brize Norton to Heudspruit took 16 hours 50 minutes; the flight time was 14 hours ten minutes. Two C-17 aircraft would have been required to transport the four Pumas and, as the cruise speeds are similar, the flight times would have been similar to the An-124. It was necessary to remove the rotors and rotor head for the Pumas to be transported in the An-124. It is assessed that the same degree of dismantlement would have been necessary had C-17 been used.

  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how long it would take for an Antonov 124, if purchased by his Department, to be placed on the British Military List; and what impact this would have on protecting its operation from interference by foreign powers. [116598]
  300W
  Dr. Moonie
  Details of our assessment of these issues forms part of the current decision making process on options to meet our short-term strategic airlift requirement. I am withholding information under Exemption 2 (internal discussion and advice) of the Code of Practice on access to Government Information.

  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the unit cost for the purchase of(a) an Antonov 124 and (b) a Boeing C17. [116560]

  Dr. Moonie
  This information is commercially sensitive. I am withholding it under Exemption 13 (third party's commercial confidences) of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many aircraft would be available under(a) the Antonov 124 package and (b) the Boeing C17 package. [116497]

  Dr. Moonie
  A final decision on aircraft numbers has yet to be reached and will form part of our overall decision on airlift requirements.

  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how long it would take for (i) an Antonov 124, and (ii) a Boeing C17 to carry 40 battle tanks to the Balkans. [116502]

  Dr. Moonie
  That information is not available and could be calculated only at disproportionate cost.

  Mr. Hoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the C-17 was chartered by the Ministry of Defence from the USAF during the Kosovo conflict; and what the payload was which was offered. [116562]

  Dr. Moonie
  A request for airlift assistance to move the vehicles of a High Velocity Missile Battery was submitted to the USAF on 29 March 1999. The move involved seven C-17 flights using two aircraft flying from Hanover to Skopje. The lift commenced on 1 April and was completed on 4 April 1999.

  Under the UK/US Acquisition and Cross Service Agreement, the USAF determine the most appropriate means of transportation, based on their resources available at the time. Therefore, while no actual offer of payload was made, the USAF provided sufficient airlift to meet the stated requirement.

  MPs' Visits
  Mr. Walter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list(a) the visits by hon. Members to his Department's establishments in Wales since May 1997 and (b) invitations declined by local hon. Members to visit establishments in their constituencies. [116348]

  Dr. Moonie
  [holding answer 27 March 2000]: The visits by hon. Members of Parliament to Ministry of Defence (MOD) establishments in Wales since May 1997 are listed in the table. It is not however possible to list the invitations declined by local hon. Members to visit establishments in their constituencies, as such records are not comprehensively maintained.
  301W

  Date of visit

  Location/unit

  MP/Constituency

  6 February 1998

  DERA Pendine

  Mr. Nick Ainger MP (Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire)

  5 March 1998

  HQ 160 (Wales) Brigade and Infantry Training Centre, Brecon

  The right hon. Sir George Young MP (North West Hampshire)

  8 March 1998

  C Flight 22 Squadron RAF Valley

  The right hon. Dr. John Reid MP (Hamilton North and Bellshill)

  18 May 1998

  3 Royal Welsh Fusiliers, Wrexham

  Mr. Martyn Jones MP (Clwyd South)

  The right hon. Barry Jones MP (Alyn and Deeside)

  Dr. John Marek MP (Wrexham)

  26 May 1998

  3 Royal Welsh Fusiliers, Wrexham

  Mr. Gareth Thomas MP (Harrow West)

  2 June 1998

  DERA Pendine

  Mr. Nick Ainger MP (Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire)

  19 June 1998

  3 Royal Welsh Fusiliers, Caernarfon

  The right hon. Dafydd Wigley MP (Caernarfon)

  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones MP (Ynys Mon)

  25 June 1998

  C Flight 22 Squadron, RAF Valley

  Mr. Brian Donohoe MP (Cunninghame South)

  Mrs. Ann Keen MP (Brentford and Isleworth)

  1 July 1998

  Royal Marine Commando Logistic Regiment, Castlemartin Range

  Mr. Michael Fabricant MP (Lichfield)

  Mr. Stephen Hepburn MP (Jarrow)

  Hon. Lindsay Hoyle MP (Chorley)

  Mr. Sydney Rapson MP (Portsmouth North)

  2 July 1998

  Senneybridge Training Camp

  Mr. John Spellar MP (Warley)

  10 July 1998

  3 Royal Welsh Fusiliers, Wrexham

  Mr. Elfyn Llwyd MP (Meirionnydd Nant Conwy)

  19 July 1998

  14 Signal Regiment, Brawdy

  Mrs. Jackie Lawrence MP (Preseli Pembrokeshire)

  3 August 1998

  Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers, Monmouth

  Mr. Huw Edwards MP (Monmouth)

  16 September 1998

  3 Royal Welsh Fusiliers, Queensferry

  The right hon. Barry Jones MP (Alyn and Deeside)

  22 September 1998

  Pennally Training Camp

  Mr. Peter Hain MP (Neath)

  13 November 1998

  1223 (Machen) Detached Flight Air Training Corps

  The right hon. Ron Davies MP (Caerphilly)

  14 November 1998

  3 Royal Welsh Fusiliers, Wrexham

  Mr. Martyn Jones MP (Clwyd South)

  25 November 1998

  1358 (Pontardwe) Squadron Air Training Corps (ATC)

  Mr. Peter Hain MP (Neath)

  4 December 1998

  Army Careers Information Office, Rhyll

  Mr. Chris Ruane MP (Vale of Clwyd)

  18 January 1999

  Defence Aviation Repair Agency, St. Athan

  Mr. Anthony Coleman MP (Putney)

  Mr. Dan Morris MP (Wansdyke)

  25 January 1999

  Defence Aviation Repair Agency, Sealand

  Mr. Anthony Coleman MP (Putney)

  Mr. Dan Morris MP (Wansdyke)

  11 March 1999

  RAF Valley—Search and Rescue

  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones MP (Ynys Mon)

  7 April 1999

  Defence Aviation Repair Launch Day, St. Athan

  Mr. John Spellar MP (Warley)

  Mr. John Smith MP (Vale of Glamorgan)

  The right hon. Barry Jones MP (Alyn and Deeside)

  Mr. Peter Viggers MP (Gosport)

  26 May 1999

  C Flight 22 Squadron, RAF Valley

  Mr. lain Coleman MP (Hammersmith and Fulham)

  Mr. Stephen McCabe MP (Birmingham Hall Green)

  Mr. Dan Norris MP (Wansdyke)

  10 June 1999

  104 Regiment Royal Artillery (Volunteers), Cardiff

  Mr. Martin Bell MP (Tatton)

  17 June 1999

  101 Battalion REME (Volunteers), Wrexham

  Hon. Lindsay Hoyle MP (Chorley)

  4 August 1999

  6 Cadet Battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers, Swynnerton

  The right hon. Dafyyd Wigley MP (Caernarfon)

  1 September 1999

  Defence Storage and Distribution Centre, Llangennech

  The right hon. Denzil Davies MP (Llanelli)

  11 September 1999

  104 Regiment Royal Artillery (Volunteers), Royal Artillery Range, Manorbier

  Mrs. Jenny Jones MP (Wolverhampton South West)

  29 September 1999

  RAF Valley

  Mr. Lembit Öpik MP (Montgomeryshire)

  20 January 2000

  RAF DARA Sealand

  The right hon. Barry Jones MP (Alyn and Deeside)

  25 January 2000

  DERA Aberporth

  Mr. Gareth Thomas MP (Clwyd West)

  28 January 2000

  DERA Pendine

  Mr. Nick Ainger MP (Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire)

  Notes:

  1. The Under-Secretary of State for Defence approves the visits of MPs to establishments. However, it is possible that MPs may have visited local establishments or cadet units on public open days and such visits are not included in the list.

  2. There is no requirement for the Department to keep records of such visits and some establishments only have records available since March 1998. The list should therefore not be viewed as exhaustive.

  302W

  Tritium
  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what quantities of tritium have been produced at the Chapelcross nuclear facility in each month since April 1995; and what percentage of the tritium produced by this facility has been exported to Governments and agencies outside the United Kingdom. [116592]

  Mr. Hoon
  [holding answer 28 March 2000]: To reveal such information would be contrary to national defence and security interests and I am therefore withholding details under Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

  Defence Diversification Council
  Mr. Wood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made on the establishment of a defence diversification council. [116713]

  Dr. Moonie
  I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Dr. Jones) on 22 March 2000,Official Report, column 566W.

  Workplace Parking
  Mr. Gray
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many workplace car parking spaces are available at the buildings used and controlled by his Department. [116773]

  Dr. Moonie
  [holding answer 30 March 2000]: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The provision of parking facilities is being addressed in the development of my Department's corporate Environmental Management System, which incorporates Travel Plans.

  Gulf War Illnesses
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many meetings officials from the Gulf Veterans' Illnesses Unit held with the United States Department of Veterans' Affairs between 15 October and 31 December 1999, indicating the date and location

  (a) Number of people who left in the month of:

  August 1999

  September 1999

  October 1999

  November 1999

  December 1999

  January 2000

  Army

  1,219

  1,355

  1,462

  1,326

  1,063

  1,557

  Royal Navy

  288

  425

  476

  412

  370

  396

  Royal Air Force

  387

  437

  433

  352

  332

  392

  Royal Marines

  72

  144

  128

  98

  91

  86

  Territorial Army

  698

  919

  863

  957

  544

  1,214

  Royal Naval Reserve

  50

  4

  50

  63

  114

  36

  Royal Auxiliary Air Force

  24

  38

  49

  26

  23

  21

  (b) Number of people who joined in the month of:

  August 1999

  September 1999

  October 1999

  November 1999

  December 1999

  January 2000

  Army

  1,216

  1,908

  1,390

  1,583

  639

  2,280

  Royal Navy

  87

  548

  320

  450

  44

  413

  Royal Air Force

  228

  406

  453

  314

  289

  390

  Royal Marines

  62

  151

  106

  111

  59

  101

  Territorial Army

  471

  531

  1,779

  712

  474

  607

  Royal Naval Reserve

  23

  33

  63

  69

  94

  31

  Royal Auxiliary Air Force

  13

  40

  28

  37

  16

  25

  304W
  of each meeting and the section of the Department of Veterans' Affairs in which the officials who attended each meeting worked. [117092]

  Mr. Spellar
  During the period 15 October to 31 December 1999, an official from my Department's Gulf Veterans' Illnesses Unit in London attended two meetings at which officials from the US Department of Veterans' Affairs, Veterans Health Administration Section, would have been present. One meeting was on 20 October and the other was on 21 October. Both meetings took place in Washington DC.

  In addition to the above, a member of the Gulf Veterans' Illnesses Unit based in Washington DC maintains a continuous dialogue with United States Department of Veterans' Affairs colleagues.

  Mr. Roger Crooks
  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on which occasions(a) Vice Admiral Alan West and (b) Major Peter Hicks have met Roger Crooks since 1995. [116930]

  Mr. Spellar
  Vice Admiral Sir Alan West, the current Chief of Defence Intelligence, has never met Mr. Crooks. Major Peter Hicks served as a Military Liaison Officer with the Defence Intelligence Staff from 1994–98. He deployed to Sierra Leone on three occasions to support contingency planning for the evacuation of UK and other foreign nationals. In 1997, he directly assisted in a civilian evacuation from Sierra Leone. He had no professional contact with Mr. Crooks and recalls only one occasion at which he may have briefly met him socially.

  Service Personnel
  Mr. Duncan Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people(a) left and (b) joined the (i) Army, (ii) Royal Navy, (iii) Royal Air Force, (iv) Royal Marines, (v) Territorial Army, (vi) Royal Naval Reserve and (vii) Royal Auxiliary Air Force in each of the last six months. [117564]

  Mr. Spellar
  The latest available figures on a consistent basis across all Services are as follows. They include both trained and untrained personnel.
  305W
  Helen Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made in updating guidance to the Services on the values and standards expected of Service personnel; and if he will make a statement. [117640]

  Mr. Spellar
  The Army and RAF have revised and updated the guidance given to their personnel on the values and standards of each Service and the standards of behaviour and conduct to which they are expected to adhere. This underpins Service ethos and so helps to sustain the operational effectiveness of the armed forces.

  The revised guidance is set out in publications entitled "Values and Standards of the British Army" and "Core Values and Standards of the Royal Air Force" which are being widely distributed in the Services. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House.

  Nuclear Weapons
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the(a) names, (b) dates and (c) locations of joint US/UK nuclear weapon exercises which have been held since 1993. [117093]

  Mr. Spellar
  The following joint UK/US nuclear weapon accident response exercises have been held since 1993:

  Date

  Name

  Location

  April 1994

  Diver Mist

  Suffolk

  September 1998

  Diagonal Glance

  Somerset

  Food Products (Welfare Standards)
  Mr. Key
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will set out the prescribed welfare standards which govern imported food products supplied to HM forces. [112967]

  Dr. Moonie
  [pursuant to his reply, 6 March 2000, c. 498W]: I regret the answer given was incorrect in referring to an "EC Meat Commission". In the case of meat sourced in EC countries quality standards are based upon the EC Meat Classification Scheme as operated in the UK by the Meat and Livestock Commission and set down in The Meat Buyers Guide.

ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS

  Fossil Fuel
  Mr. Stunell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made in(a) preparation for negotiating limits to fossil fuel use internationally and (b) setting limits to fossil fuel use in the United Kingdom of (i) the availability of fossil fuel reserves (1) worldwide and (2) in the United Kingdom and (ii) the cumulative impact of emissions from fossil fuel burning on the rate and extent of climate degradation. [113862]

  Mr. Meacher
  I know of no negotiations on setting limits to fossil fuel use, either internationally or in the UK. There are negotiations about targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which will inevitably affect 306W
  countries' use of fossil fuels, which is a major source of carbon dioxide emissions, the main man-made greenhouse gas.

  Assessments published by the Department of Trade and Industry indicate that estimates of the UK's remaining proven, probable and possible oil reserves have been broadly unchanged since the 1980s, and estimated gas reserves have increased slightly over the same period, despite large increases in production.

  In numerical terms UK reserves of oil and gas are currently estimated to be around 1,750 million tonnes and 1,750 billion cubic metres (about 1,450 million tonnes of oil equivalent), respectively. Work undertaken in 1998 for DTI by International Mining Consultants Ltd. estimates the reserves, resources and mineral potential at UK mines to be about 620 million tonnes of coal (about 370 million tonnes of oil equivalent). This estimate is on a more restricted basis than the oil and gas estimates because it takes no account of coal reserves other than those at mines that were operating at the time of the report. An alternative estimate contained in the BP Amoco Statistical Review of World Energy puts UK coal reserves at 1,500 million tonnes of coal.

  According to the BP Amoco Statistical Review of World Energy, world reserves of oil, gas and coal are about 140 billion tonnes, 130 billion tonnes, 650 billion tonnes respectively, all converted to oil equivalent. These refer to quantities estimated with reasonable certainty to be present and recoverable under existing economic and operating conditions; the ultimately recoverable amounts could be much larger.

  The UK is likely to start importing gas at some point between 2003 and 2010. Through access to world energy markets, the Government's assessment is that fossil fuel resource availability by itself will not constrain consumption for the foreseeable future and is correspondingly unlikely to be a factor in the international negotiations.

  The most recent report from the Met Office's Hadley Centre estimated that, under the 'business as usual' scenario, the global temperature will be 2°C warmer than now by the 2050s. This temperature rise would be delayed by 50 years with stabilisation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere at 750 parts per million and by over 100 years with stabilisation at 550 parts per million. About 70 per cent. of the climate change impact will be due to fossil fuel burning between now and 2100.

  Waste Incinerators
  Mr. Brake
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the locations by region of(a) existing waste incinerators and (b) pending planning applications for waste incinerators.[114150]

  Mr. Mullin
  The following list shows the location, by Environment Agency Region, of waste incineration processes regulated by the Environment Agency under the Integrated Pollution Control regime in England and Wales. The Environment Agency is responsible for regulating chemical waste, drum and other waste (at a rate
  307W
  of one tonne per hour or more) incineration processes under Part I of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The majority of small incineration processes under one

  Environment Agency Region

  Town

  Operator

  Anglian

  Grimsby

  The BOC Group

  Anglian

  Ipswich

  White Rose Environmental Ltd.

  Anglian

  Royston

  Vetspeed Ltd.

  Anglian

  Southend-on-Sea

  Defence Evaluation and Research Agency

  Midlands

  Birmingham

  Severn Trent Water Ltd.

  Midlands

  Birmingham

  Tyseley Waste Disposal Ltd.

  Midlands

  Buxton

  Durga Environmental Ltd.

  Midlands

  Cinderford

  Engelhard Sales Ltd.

  Midlands

  Coventry

  Coventry and Solihull Waste Disposal Co. Ltd.

  Midlands

  Dudley

  MES Environmental Ltd.

  Midlands

  Nottingham

  Wastenotts (Reclamation) Ltd.

  Midlands

  Nottingham

  WRE Services Ltd.

  Midlands

  Redditch

  Medical Energy (Worcs) Ltd.

  Midlands

  Sandwell

  BIP Limited

  Midlands

  Scunthorpe

  Fibrogen Ltd.

  Midlands

  Shrewsbury

  WRE Services Ltd.

  Midlands

  Stoke-on-Trent

  MES Environmental Ltd.

  Midlands

  Stourbridge

  Severn Trent Water Ltd.

  Midlands

  Wolverhampton

  Leigh Environmental Ltd.

  Midlands

  Wolverhampton

  MES Environmental Ltd.

  North East

  Billingham

  Northumbrian Environmental Management Ltd.

  North East

  Bradford

  Yorkshire Water Services Ltd.

  North East

  Doncaster

  Amlon Metal Ltd.

  North East

  Huddersfield

  Kirklees Waste Services Ltd.

  North East

  Knottingley

  Laporte Performance Chemicals UK Limited

  North East

  Leeds

  Yorkshire Environmental Solutions Ltd.

  North East

  Leeds

  Yorkshire Water Services Ltd.

  North East

  Middlesbrough

  Fine Organics

  North East

  Sheffield

  SARP (UK) Ltd.

  North East

  Sheffield

  Sheffield City Council

  North East

  Sheffield

  Yorkshire Water Services Ltd.

  North West

  Bolton

  GM Waste Ltd.

  North West

  Morecambe

  British Energy Generation Ltd.

  North West

  Preston

  Royal Ordnance (Weapons and Munitions) Ltd.

  North West

  Runcorn

  ICI Chemicals And Polymers Ltd.

  North West

  South Wirral

  Cleanaway Ltd.

  North West

  South Wirral

  Shell (UK) Ltd.

  North West

  Ulverston

  Glaxo Operations UK Ltd.

  North West

  Widnes

  North West Water Ltd.

  North West

  Wirral

  Lubrizol Ltd.

  South West

  Bristol

  Blagden Packaging NV

  South West

  Bristol

  Bristol City Council

  South West

  Castle Cary

  Bronzeoak Thermal Processing

  South West

  Weymouth

  Defence Research Agency

  South West

  West Woodlands

  Wessex Incineration Co. Ltd.

  Southern

  Ashford

  White Rose Environmental Ltd.

  Southern

  Dartford

  Wellcome Foundation Ltd.

  Southern

  Fareham

  Southern Water Services Ltd.

  Southern

  Portsmouth

  Onyx Hampshire Ltd.

  Southern

  Romney Marsh

  Magnox Electric Plc

  Southern

  Sittingbourne

  Powergen CHP Ltd.

  Southern

  Southampton

  Shanks Chemical Services Ltd.

  Thames

  Barking

  Blagden Packaging NV

  Thames

  Barking

  Thames Water Utilities Ltd.

  Thames

  Basingstoke

  Onyx Hampshire Ltd.

  Thames

  Belvedere

  Riverside Resource Recovery Ltd.

  Thames

  Harrow

  Northwick Park Hospital

  Thames

  London

  London Waste Ltd.

  Thames

  London

  South East London Combined Heat And Power Ltd.

  Thames

  London

  Thames Water Utilities Ltd.

  Thames

  Slough

  S. Grundon (Services) Limited

  Thames

  Slough

  S. Grundon (Waste) Ltd.

  Thames

  Thornton Heath

  Mayday Energy Centre Ltd.

  Thames

  Uxbridge

  Clinical Energy Limited

  Thames

  Stevenage

  Glaxo Research and Development Ltd.

  Wales

  Bridgend

  Davies Brothers Waste Ltd.

  Wales

  Cemaes Bay

  Magnox Electric Plc

  Wales

  Deeside

  J. Reid Trading Ltd.

  Wales

  Neath

  HLC Neath Port Talbot Ltd.

  Wales

  Pontypool

  Shanks Chemical Services Ltd.

  308W
  tonne per hour are regulated by local authorities. Detailed information on the location of these incinerators is not held centrally.
  309W
  Information on planning applications for waste incinerators is held by the respective planning authorities and not by the department. However, the Environment Agency has received IPC applications for a new incinerator, or a variation of the existing authorisation at the sites listed. This list also includes sites where the Agency intends to vary the conditions of the existing authorisation.

  Environment Agency Region

  Town

  Operator

  South West

  Bristol

  Medipower Services Ltd.

  Southern

  Maidstone

  Kent Enviropower Ltd.

  Southern

  Sittingbourne

  Sita Holding UK Ltd.

  Southern

  Southampton

  Onyx Hampshire Ltd.

  Southern

  Southampton

  Shanks Chemical Services Ltd.

  Thames

  Harlow

  Merck Sharp and Dohme Ltd.

  Thames

  London

  Thames Water Utilities Ltd.

  London Transport
  Mr. Brake
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) if he will list quality targets set for(a) London Underground and (b)London Buses, giving in each instance performance against them for each of the years they have been in existence; [115417]

  (2) if he will make a statement on the revision of the quality targets set for London Underground and London Buses. [115418]

  Mr. Hill
  The current performance targets set for London Underground and London Transport Buses are as follows. London Transport report on progress against these targets and those set in previous years in their Annual Reports, which are published in the early summer for the previous financial year.

  London Underground (all targets for two years 1999–2000 and 2000–01)

  Measure

  Target

  Capacity (train kms run)

  10 per cent. increase on 1998–99 performance

  Reliability (unweighted excess journey time—minutes)

  4 per cent. improvement on 1998–99 level

  Customer satisfaction measures 1,2:

  Train service

  77

  Information

  77

  Customer safety and security

  83

  Staff helpfulness and availability

  70

  Cleanliness

  69

  1 Measured through LT's Customer Satisfaction Survey

  2 Average score out of 100

  London Transport Buses

  Percentage

  Customer satisfaction measure

  1999–2000 Target1

  2000–01 Target1

  Service reliability

  54

  55

  Personal safety and security

  79

  80

  Smoothness and freedom from jolting during the journey

  58

  59

  Attitude and behaviour of staff

  78

  79

  Cleanliness and condition of buses

  69

  70

  Information on buses

  68

  69

  Information at bus stops

  64

  65

  1 These targets are measured as the proportion of passengers—asked in surveys—who marked the service 7.5 or better out of a total of 10

  310W
  From 3 July London Transport Buses will become part of the new body, Transport for London, under the Greater London Authority, and targets will be subject to review by the Mayor.

  Mr. Brake
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much London Transport has spent on external consultants in each of the last five years. [115419]

  Mr. Hill
  I understand from London Transport that they have spent the following amounts on external consultants in each of the last five years:

  £ million

  Year

  Spend

  1995–96

  50.81

  1996–97

  40.35

  1997–98

  42.35

  1998–99

  91.16

  1999–2000

  1108.10

  1 Provisional—final figure not yet available

  London Underground
  Mr. Brake
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many escalators on the London Underground are out of order in each zone; for how long the escalator has been out of order in each case; and when they are expected to be fixed. [115416]

  Mr. Hill
  These are operational matters for London Underground who have provided the information in the following table.

  Escalators—the situation on 17 March 2000

  Station

  Out of service

  Back in service

  Zone 1

  Charing Cross

  9 February 2000

  22 September 2000

  Bank

  17 March 2000

  1—

  Bond Street

  16 March 2000

  1—

  Chancery Lane

  16 March 2000

  1—

  Holborn

  16 March 1999

  1—

  Holborn

  2 November 1999

  22 May 2000

  Holborn

  25 August 1997

  27 March 2000

  Notting Hill Gate

  1 February 2000

  20 June 2000

  Notting Hill Gate

  6 January 2000

  10 July 2000

  Oxford Circus

  10 February 2000

  11 July 2000

  Oxford Circus

  9 February 2000

  22 September 2000

  Oxford Circus

  9 February 2000

  11 July 2000

  Oxford Circus

  8 February 2000

  22 September 2000

  Oxford Circus

  8 February 2000

  11 July 2000

  Oxford Circus

  17 January 2000

  2 July 2000

  Oxford Circus

  12 August 1999

  25 April 2000

  St. Pauls

  16 March 2000

  1—

  London Bridge

  26 January 2000

  1—

  Westminster

  15 March 2000

  1—

  Baker Street

  11 February 2000

  15 August 2000

  Kings Cross

  16 March 2000

  1—

  Kings Cross

  16 March 2000

  18 August 2000

  Kings Cross

  15 September 1999

  11 July 2000

  Liverpool Street

  14 March 2000

  1—

  Paddington

  13 March 2000

  1—

  Euston

  10 February 2000

  1—

  Euston

  25 February 2000

  11 July 2000

  Old Street

  24 September 1999

  8 August 2000

  Old Street

  10 November 1999

  2 May 2000

  Tottenham Court Road

  19 July 1998

  8 August 2000

  Leicester Square

  11 March 2000

  1—

  Knightsbridge

  8 March 2000

  1—

  Vauxhall

  10 January 2000

  15 August 2000

  311W

  Escalators—the situation on 17 March 2000

  Station

  Out of service

  Back in service

  Victoria

  11 February 2000

  18 August 2000

  Victoria

  10 February 2000

  3 August 2000

  Warren Street

  12 January 2000

  23 August 2000

  Total 36

  Zone 2

  Bethnal Green

  5 November 1999

  2 July 2000

  Shepherds Bush

  24 September 1999

  26 June 2000

  St. Johns Wood

  28 July 1999

  18 May 2000

  Rotherhithe

  17 March 2000

  1—

  Archway

  17 March 2000

  1—

  Archway

  18 February 2000

  1—

  Clapham North

  3 October 1999

  1 June 2000

  Clapham South

  28 September 1999

  3 November 2000

  Oval

  16 March 2000

  1—

  Manor House

  16 February 2000

  1—

  Manor House

  29 March 1999

  7 May 2000

  Brixton

  9 February 2000

  18 August 2000

  Highbury

  7 February 2000

  18 August 2000

  Total 13

  Zone 3

  South Wimbledon

  2 October 1999

  5 April 2000

  Wood Green

  21 February 2000

  1—

  Seven Sisters

  11 February 2000

  18 August 2000

  Turnpike Lane

  17 March 2000

  1—

  Walthamstow Central

  11 February 2000

  8 May 2000

  Walthamstow Central

  11 February 2000

  11 July 2000

  Total 6

  1 To be announced

  Mr. Andrew George
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 14 March 2000,Official Report,columns 118-19W, on London Underground, what is the nature of the plans that are in hand to bring the lifts at Westminster Underground Station into service. [117101]

  Mr. Hill
  This is an operational matter for London Underground. However, I understand that LUL will shortly invite the HMRI to inspect the lifts to ensure that they can be entered into public service.

  Departmental Inquiries
  Mr. Loughton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the(a) reviews, (b) public inquiries and (c) commissions of inquiry announced by his Department since May 1997. [115123]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  [holding answer 17 March 2000]:The information for reviews and inquiries is as follows. My Department has announced no commissions of inquiry since May 1997.

  Reviews

  Bus Review.

  Competition in the Water Industry in England and Wales.

  Comprehensive Spending Review of Housing.

  Financial Management and Policy Review of the Audit Commission.

  Financial Management and Policy Review on the Darwin Advisory Committee.

  Finance Management and Policy Review of the Housing Corporation.

  Financial Management and Policy Review of the Rent Assessment Panels.

  Financial Management and Policy Review for the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution.

  312W

  Financial Management and Policy Review of the UK Ecolabelling Board.

  Fundamental Review of the Laws and Procedures relating to Compulsory Purchase and Compensation.

  Housing Fitness Standard Review Steering Group.

  Inter-departmental Review of Fuel Poverty.

  Marine Nature Conservation Review Group.

  Next Steps Review of the Highways Agency.

  Opencast Coal: Review of Planning Policy.

  The Provision of New Drains and Sewers in England and Wales.

  Review of Bird Registration procedures under Section 7 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

  Review of Business Rates Revaluation.

  Review of Compulsory Competitive Tendering in Local Government.

  Review of Controls over Demolition in the light of the `Shimizu' judgment.

  Review of Criminal Prosecutions and Sanctions for Pollution of the Sea following Marine Accidents.

  Review of the Environmental Action Fund.

  Review of Expert Panel on Air Quality Standards.

  Review of Fees and Charges for Bird Registration and CITES Wildlife Trade Applications.

  Review of the 5-Year Strategy for HM Coastguard.

  Review of Global Wildlife Division's panel of part-time Wildlife Inspectors.

  Review of the Hedgerows Regulations 1997.

  Review of Heritage Notifications.

  Review of the House buying and selling process.

  Review of Implementation of 1995 guidance on signing for tourist attractions and facilities in England.

  Review of the implementation of Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (contaminated land).

  Review of the Index of Local Deprivation.

  Review of Legislation relating to integration within the Environment Agency and Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

  Review of Marine Nature Conservation.

  Review of the Missions to search for the fishing vessel 'Gaul' lost in 1974 and identification of bodies washed ashore along the coast of Russia.

  Review of the National Contingency Plan for Marine Pollution from Shipping and Offshore Installations.

  Review of the Pilotage Act.

  Review of Policy on Chemicals in the Environment.

  Review of policy within the OSPAR Commission for the protection of the marine environment of the NE Atlantic on hazardous substances, radioactive substances, nutrients and marine biodiversity. (Outcome announced in a PQ in September 1997).

  Review of the Noise Act.

  Review of Policy on International Access to Regional Airports.

  Review of Political Restrictions on Local Government Officers.

  Review of procedures for statutory and non-statutory consultation on planning applications.

  Review of Railtrack's Safety and Standards Directorate.

  Review of Rolling Stock Leasing Market.

  Review of Salvage and Intervention and their Command Control.

  Review of the Secretary of State's standards of modern zoo practice.

  Review of Single Vehicle Approval.

  Review of Speed Policy.

  Review of Trust Ports.

  Review of the Water Abstraction Licensing System in England and Wales.

  313W

  Review of the Water Charging System.

  Review of UK National Air Quality Strategy (NAQS).

  Revenue Grant Distribution Review Group.

  Local Government Capital Finance Review.

  Roads Review (published as 'A New Deal for Trunk Roads England')

  Transport Safety Review.

  Inquiries

  Inquiry into rolling stocks.

  Inquiry into Safety on the River Thames.

  Inquiry into South Hampshire Rapid Transit Project.

  Inquiry into Merseyside Rapid Transit Project

  Inquiry into Gaul tragedy.

  Inquiry into Paddington rail crash directed by Health and Safety Commission.

  Inquiry into Marchioness tragedy.

  Bournemouth—Swanage Ferry tolls public inquiry June 1997.

  Inquiry into Southall train crash directed by Health and Safety Commission.

  Nuclear Regulation
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what additional resources have been(a) sought by and (b) provided to the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate to cover the additional work needed to assess the new regulatory regime requirements for (i) British Nuclear Fuels in preparation for PPP and (ii) British Energy as a private company. [115358]

  Mr. Meacher
  Resources for the regulation of British Nuclear Fuels and British Energy are provided for within the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate's current staffing plans for 2000–01. HSE plans to recruit up to 30 additional inspectors to increase its cadre of nuclear inspectors in 2000–01 to deliver its programme of inspection which will include the regulation of British Nuclear Fuels and British Energy.

  M4 Bus Lane
  Mr. Jenkin
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many(a) buses and (b) passengers have used the M4 bus lane on each day since the ending of Reading Buses' services to and from London; and if he will make a statement. [115267]

  Mr. Hill
  [holding answer 20 March 2000]: The bus lane continues to help provide a first-class service for passengers using buses, coaches and taxis and benefits all road users. Use of the bus lane has increased by over 20 per cent. from 3,000 vehicles in the last week of operation to 3,700 vehicles using the bus lane each day. Of these 600 are buses (including coaches), and each bus carries 15 passengers, an average of 9,000 bus passengers each day. Under normal traffic conditions, time savings of up to nine minutes are being obtained by users of the bus lane, and the reliability of their journey increases.

  Reading Buses will withdraw their London service on Sunday 7 May 2000. Therefore data on changes to usage of the M4 bus lane will not be available until some time later Reading Buses use the lane 15 times per day. This accounts for only 2.5 per cent. of buses and coaches using the lane and is much less than the typical week by week variation in these vehicles.
  314W

  I am disappointed Reading Buses are withdrawing their London service. I understand that this was on economic grounds, and that they say that the services would have stopped earlier but for the M4 bus lane. I am however pleased that another operator has increased use of this section of the M4 by 30 buses per day since the bus lane opened.

  Jubilee Line
  Mr. Kaufman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 16 March 2000,Official Report, column 328W, concerning the Jubilee line, what other recently completed railways (a) in the United Kingdom and (b) abroad have experienced delays at one point which resulted in delays and train cancellations throughout the line; and for what reason the doors designed to lead to trains on the westbound Jubilee line platform at Westminster station are not in use. [115751]

  Mr. Hill
  The information requested in answer to the first part of my right hon. Friend's question is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  However, London Underground is a member of an international group of Metro operators. I understand that within this group over half have constructed new lines in recent years; of these new lines more than half have experienced "teething problems".

  I understand from London Underground that the platforms at Westminster are designed to accommodate seven car trains (to allow for capacity increases in later years). Jubilee line trains presently consist of only six cars. The rear platform edge doors of the Westbound platform are therefore not currently in use and are kept closed for safety reasons. I am advised that information notices are posted on the relevant doors.

  Quangos
  Mrs. Ellman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many quangos operate(a) nationwide (b) with a regional remit and (c) within the north-west region. [116071]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  The Department currently sponsors 31 executive NDPBs, 13 of which operate nationwide. The eight NDPBs that have a regional remit are the Regional Development Agencies. Two of the Department's NDPBs operate solely within the North-West region: the North West Development Agency and Liverpool Housing Action Trust.

  GM Crops
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment has been made of the ways in which it is possible to recover pollen dispersed from GM plants in field trials in the event of the experiment demonstrating environmental harm. [116267]

  Mr. Meacher
  It would not be possible to recover pollen released from field trials. This is one of the reasons why no genetically modified crops may be released for field trials in the United Kingdom without a detailed risk assessment of the possible harm to human health and the
  315W
  environment. This includes specific consideration of the possible effects of the dispersal of GM pollen. The risk assessments are reviewed critically by the scientific and technical experts on the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE). If ACRE had any concern that GM pollen would cause environmental harm, then the release would not be allowed.

  Mr. Alan Simpson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to place conditions in the contracts for biodiversity research relating to farm-scale trials of GM crops to ensure there are no conflicts of interest among contractors which might undermine the credibility of research. [116208]

  Mr. Meacher
  I have no plans to place conditions in the contracts. The research contractors involved in the evaluations are respected Government research institutions who have no corporate links to any vested interest. The research methodology and findings for the farm-scale evaluations are reviewed and agreed by an independent Scientific Steering Committee and the overall findings of the evaluations will be peer reviewed by other independent scientists, completely outside the research programme. This all guarantees that the findings of the farm-scale evaluations will be unbiased and science based.

  Mr. Alan Simpson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the criteria used to assess the scientific independence of scientific contractors working on farm-scale evaluations of GM crops before contracts were awarded. [116207]

  Mr. Meacher
  The Department invited 15 organisations to tender for the farm-scale evaluations. These were chosen to be Government funded bodies (such as research council institutes or universities) or independent research bodies. In the event, the contractors chosen were all Government funded institutes and had demonstrated that they had the capacity to carry out the work, as well as the required scientific expertise. As with all Government contracts of this nature, the researchers were asked to provide details of all personnel expected to carry out the work, along with their CVs.

  Mr. Alan Simpson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of potential conflicts of interest relating to the contract given to the Institute of Arable Crop Research for farm-scale evaluation of GM crops following the recruitment of staff involved by CropGen. [116209]

  Mr. Meacher
  Three members of staff employed by the Institute of Arable Crop Research have been recruited to advise CropGen. Two were previously involved with the farm-scale evaluations in a specialist advisory role but neither will be involved in the next stage of the project.

  £ per pupil

  Under 5s Education SSA

  Primary Education SSA

  Secondary Education SSA

  Post-16 Education SSA

  Education SSA1

  Cheshire County Council

  1,962

  2,257

  2,898

  3,236

  2,602

  Shire County Council Average

  2,109

  2,348

  3,024

  3,426

  2,715

  Metropolitan District Average

  2,414

  2,456

  3,168

  3,813

  2,863

  London Borough Average

  3,394

  2,982

  3,802

  4,194

  3,510

  Met District and London Borough Average

  2,777

  2,645

  3,386

  3,978

  3,094

  1 This column is calculated by dividing the Education SSA (including the element for 'other' education, such as adult education) by the sum of Under 5, Primary, Secondary and Post-16 pupils

  Cycling
  Mr. Robathan
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what discussions he had with the Dutch Transport Minister during her recent visit concerning policies to(a) increase the distance cycled and (b) to reduce cycling fatalities; and if he will make a statement. [116081]

  Mr. Hill
  My right hon. and noble Friend the Minister for Transport met the Dutch Transport Minister on 7 March. Cycling issues were not on the agenda on this occasion.

  Education Standard Spending Assessments
  Mr. Nicholas Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will calculate in percentage terms the difference between his Department's most recent standard spending assessment in education for the counties of(a) Cheshire and (b) Hertfordshire; and if he will make a statement on the reasons for the difference. [116122]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  The education standard spending assessments (SSA) for 2000–01 for Cheshire county council and Hertfordshire county council are £275,998,592 and £471,433,598 respectively, a difference of 71 per cent. This arises from applying the SSA formula to the numbers relevant to each county. The great majority of the difference is accounted for by the greater number of pupils in Hertfordshire.

  Mr. Nicholas Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will calculate the value of his Department's most recent(a) standard spending assessment for education for the county of Cheshire and (b) average standard spending assessment for the shire counties. [116117]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  The education standard spending assessment for 2000–01 for Cheshire county council is £275,998,592. The average education standard spending assessment for 2000–01 for shire county councils is £272,584,489.

  Mr. Nicholas Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will calculate the value of his Department's most recent(a) standard spending assessment per pupil for the county of Cheshire, (b) average standard spending assessment per pupil for shire counties and (c) average standard spending assessment per pupil for the Metropolitan and London authorities; and if he will make a statement. [116118]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  The information requested is given in the table:

  Planning Applications
  Sir Sydney Chapman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many of the town and country planning applications called in by him in each of the last 10 years(a) were recommended by his inspector for approval and (b) were accepted by him; in how many cases his inspector recommended refusal; and of these how many were accepted by him. [116282]

  Mr. Raynsford
  Information is available on the following basis:

  Year

  Number approved

  Number in line with Inspector

  Number refused

  Number in line with Inspector

  1996–97

  56

  55

  51

  43

  1997–98

  124.5

  123.5

  163.5

  161.5

  1998–99

  46

  44

  73

  65

  1999–20002

  41

  39

  36

  35

  1 Includes a split decision on one case

  2 Provisional

  Note:

  Figures are not available for earlier years

  Company Cars
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the number of company cars in use in the UK in 1999. [116327]

  Mr. Hill
  At the end of June 1999, the latest date for which we have figures, there were 2.53 million cars licensed in Great Britain that were registered to companies. Equivalent information for Northern Ireland is not readily available.

  Audit Commission (Quality Control Review)
  Dr. Julian Lewis
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions to which officials and members of the Audit Commission the Quality Control Review team submits its preliminary findings in respect of the work of an individual auditor. [116435]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  The views of the Review Team are not submitted to officials or members of the Audit Commission prior to the submission of the final Quality Control Report, which is submitted to the Director of Audit Policy and Appointments.

  Dr. Julian Lewis
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the quality control reviews conducted in(a) 1994, (b) 1995 and (c) 1996, when (i) the Controller or (ii) any other official or member of the Audit Commission altered, or asked or required to be altered, the team's findings in respect of an individual auditor. [116438]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  Apart from members of the Review Team and the Director of Audit Policy and Appointments, neither the Controller nor any other official nor any Commissioner is involved in determining the results of Quality Control Reviews.

  Dr. Julian Lewis
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the auditors in London who were subjected to the Audit Commission's Quality Control Review process in 318W
  (a) 1994, (b) 1995 and (c) 1996, together with the findings of (i) unsatisfactory, (ii) satisfactory and (iii) excellent in each case and on each occasion. [116439]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  The Audit Commission did not operate a grading system of unsatisfactory, satisfactory and excellent for the years in question. The work of no audit supplier was considered unsatisfactory in the period concerned.

  Dr. Julian Lewis
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions which officials and members of the Audit Commission have the authority to alter, or ask or require to be altered, a preliminary finding by the Audit Commission's Quality Control Review team. [116437]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  Apart from the Review Team and the Director of Audit Policy and Appointments, no officials or Commissioners have any involvement in determining the results of a Quality Control Review.

  Dr. Julian Lewis
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is the basis on which the work of an individual auditor is selected for review by the Audit Commission's Quality Control Review team. [116434]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  The basis of selection is to choose:

  an audit from each District Auditor and Partner every year;

  an audit from each Audit Manager at least every three years;

  the same audited body no more often than every three years;

  an approximate apportionment of Quality Control Review effort between NHS and local government audits each year.

  Dr. Julian Lewis
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list(a) the preliminary and (b) the final findings of (i) unsatisfactory, (ii) satisfactory and (iii) excellent awarded by the Audit Commission's Quality Control Review process on (1) the two occasions in 1994, (2) the two occasions in 1995 and (3) the occasion in April 1996 when reviews were undertaken of the Auditor's investigation into Westminster City Council's designated sales policy. [116440]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  Only one of the reviews conducted in the years 1994, 1995 and 1996 was a comprehensive QCR report on the audit of the accounts of Westminster City Council and that related to the 1994–95 audit year. I understand that the auditor's overall performance was adjudged better than the level required by the Commission's Code of Audit Practice.

  Dr. Julian Lewis
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many quality control reviews were carried out in(a) 1994, (b) 1995 and (c) 1996, where the preliminary finding awarded differed from the final finding awarded. [116436]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  This information about the overall number of reviews is not available centrally.

  Regional Assemblies
  Mr. Quinn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on progress with the creation of directly elected regional assemblies in England. [116371]
  319W
  Ms Beverley Hughes
  I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool, Riverside (Mrs. Ellman) on 27 March 2000,Official Report, column 17W.

  Public Bodies
  Mr. Quinn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) if he will list the notional time commitment for each chair of the regional non-departmental public bodies; [116361]

  Non-departmental body: regional

  Chairman's time input2

  Total

  Board membership1 (a) Male

  (b) Female

  Regional Development Agencies

  Eastern

  2 dpw

  13

  10

  3

  North East

  3 dpw

  13

  10

  3

  North West

  3 dpw

  13

  9

  4

  South East

  2 dpw

  13

  9

  4

  South West

  2 dpw

  13

  10

  3

  East Midlands

  3 dpw

  14

  10

  4

  West Midlands

  3 dpw

  13

  10

  3

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  3 dpw

  13

  10

  3

  Total (RDAs)

  105

  78

  27

  1 Includes Chairmen and Deputy Chairmen

  2 Days per week

  Mr. Quinn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many board members he appoints to each non-departmental public body. [116335]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  A full list of the non-departmental public bodies to which the Secretary of State makes appointments is published in the publication Public Bodies 1999 (ISBN 0 11 430159 X), copies of which are available in the House Library.

  Regional Government
  Mr. Quinn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the accountability of regional quangos to the people of their regions. [116329]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  As executive NDPBs, the eight Regional Development Agencies are accountable to Ministers and Parliament. They are required, by the Regional Development Agencies Act 1998, to take account of the views of voluntary regional chambers in preparing their strategies, and to give an account of their activities to the chambers. Chambers are representative of the people in the regions that they serve: 70 per cent. of their members are elected members of the region's local authorities, with the remaining 30 per cent. drawn from the region's social, economic and environmental sectors.

  Mr. Quinn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he last met representatives of the regional chambers to discuss possible future development in regional Government. [116330]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  My right hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government and the Regions and I met representatives of all but one of the regional chambers on 16 December to discuss a range of issues, including the future development of regional governance.
  320W
  (2) how many (a) male and (b) female board members each regional non-departmental public body for which he is responsible has; 1116374]

  (3) if he will list the regional non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible. [116375]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  The table provides the information requested.

  Mr. Quinn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he will set a date for a referendum on the creation of a directly elected regional assembly in Yorkshire and Humberside. [116370]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  The Government are committed to move to directly elected regional government in England, where there is support demonstrated in a referendum. While no date has yet been set, Yorkshire and the Humber is strengthening its regional presence through the work of Yorkshire Forward, the Regional Chamber for Yorkshire and Humberside, and other regional stakeholders.

  Millennium Dome
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the value of the site of the Dome(a) with and (b) without the Dome building. [116364]

  Ms Armstrong
  A pre-sale valuation of the site is being undertaken in the context of the competition to identify a use for the Dome when the Millennium Experience finishes. The Government estimate of the financial value of the site is commercially confidential until the end of the competition.

  Drinking Water
  Mr. Brake
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what was the cost of removing(a) pesticides and (b) nitrates from drinking water supplies in each of the last five years. [116656]

  Mr. Mullin
  The Director General of the Water Services collects this information from each of the licensed water and sewerage companies in England and Wales, via their July Return. The Director General
  321W
  informs me that capital expenditure to remove nitrates and pesticides from drinking water supplies (in 1998–99 prices) in each of the five years was:

  Capital expenditure

  £ million

  To remove nitrates from drinking water supplies

  To remove pesticides from drinking water supplies

  1994–95

  20

  138

  1995–96

  9

  160

  1996–97

  5

  121

  1997–98

  6

  64

  1998–99

  6

  11

  Total

  46

  494

  There are also running costs associated with nitrate and pesticide removal but neither the Director General or the Government hold this information.

  New Dwellings
  Mr. Brake
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what annual scale of migration of(a) people and (b) households into the South East from (i) London and (ii) the rest of England is assumed in his proposals for new dwellings to be provided in the next five years. [116654]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  The latest sub-national population projections, from the Office for National Statistics, project annual net migration in 2001 into the South East Government Office region from London to be 28,200, and annual net migration from the region to the rest of England to be 5,400. By 2006 annual net migration into the region from London is projected to be 28,000 and annual net migration from the region to the rest of England to be 6,700.

  The population projections take account of these migration assumptions. They are one of the inputs used to calculate the household projections. No explicit migration components are identified in the household projections.

  Household Statistics
  Mr. Brake
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will estimate the number of households for each five year period between 1996 and 2021 for each English county and metropolitan area assuming zero net internal migration. [116655]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  This information is not currently available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  DVLA
  Mr. Gibb
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many birth and marriage certificates have been lost by the DVLA since the introduction of the new driving licence with a photograph. [116507]

  Mr. Hill
  DVLA had reimbursed the replacement cost of 220 birth certificates and the 32 marriage certificates. Of these, the Royal Mail accepted responsibility for the 322W
  loss of 141 birth certificates and 20 marriage certificates. During the period April 1999 to date DVLA has issued over 3 million photocard licences.

  Rateable Values (Water)
  Jane Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the avenues open to a member of the public to resolve a dispute with a water company about the notional rateable value of their home. [116491]

  Mr. Mullin
  Notional rateable values are used by water companies to set water charges for some premises. Rateable values ceased to be used for local taxation in 1990.

  Customer complaints are investigated by the regional Customer Service Committees (CSC) of the Office of Water Services on behalf of the Director General. If the CSC does not resolve a complaint to the customer's satisfaction, the customer can ask for the complaint to be considered by the Director.

  The exercise of the Director's statutory functions is subject to the scrutiny of the courts and the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration.

  Traffic Growth
  Mr. Oaten
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the levels of traffic growth for(a) England, (b) Hampshire and (c) each local authority in Hampshire in (i) 1979, (ii) 1990 and (iii) for each year from 1992 to date. [116477]

  Mr. Hill
  [holding answer 27 March 2000]: The table provides annual growth estimates for all motor vehicle traffic on English roads. Separate estimates for England are not available before 1988; the growth figures for 1979 to 1988 are therefore based on Great Britain as a whole.

  Estimated annual traffic growth on English roads 1979 to 1998

  Year

  Annual percentage change in motorised road traffic

  1979

  -0.2

  1980

  6.2

  1981

  1.8

  1982

  2.7

  1983

  1.3

  1984

  5.2

  1985

  2.2

  1986

  5.1

  1987

  7.7

  1988

  7.2

  1989

  7.8

  1990

  1.4

  1991

  0.0

  1992

  -1.2

  1993

  0.6

  1994

  2.2

  1995

  1.4

  1996

  3.6

  1997

  2.5

  1998

  1.7

  Note:

  Data for 1979 to 1988 based on Great Britain averages.

  The Department's annual road traffic statistics are currently based on 12-hour manual counts at about 8,500 sites each year, supplemented by data from automatic

  323W
  traffic counters. Although this sample is now sufficient to provide reliable estimates by road type at a regional level, it is not large enough to provide estimates at the county or local authority level, particularly for minor roads. The 1999 manual count data are currently being analysed with a view to publication of a 1999 traffic growth estimate in May.

  Shot (Toxic Substances)
  Mr. Corbett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what research his Department is carrying out or evaluating on the effect of the use of toxic substances in shot. [117523]

  Mr. Meacher
  The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions is not currently carrying out or evaluating any research specifically on the effects of the use of toxic substances in shot. However, from 1993 to 1996, the Department part-funded the development by University College, London of a ballistics testing facility, in order to assist the evaluation of non-toxic shot and provide the shooting community with guidelines for judging alternative shot types. In addition, the Department also funded Cranfield University to design a comprehensive computerised predictive model of the effectiveness of differing shot types against wildfowl; this work was completed in 1998.

  Sustainable Construction
  Mr. Geraint Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he will publish the Government's strategy for more sustainable construction. [117619]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  "Building a better quality of life—a strategy for more sustainable construction" will be published on 4 April. The document will set out how we want the construction industry to contribute to sustainable development. The strategy will be a catalyst for change in the way buildings and infrastructure are designed, procured, constructed, maintained and used. It will lead to greater social, economic and environmental value in the built environment needed to modernise Britain.

  Copies of the strategy will be placed in the Libraries of the House on 4 April.

  Residential Units (Shops)
  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his estimate of the potential number of residential units which could be formed in empty or under-used space above shops; and what his target is for the number of such units to be formed in the next five years. [116906]

  Mr. Raynsford
  We estimate that the potential number of residential units that could be formed in empty or under-used space above shops to be 300,000 in England. This estimate does not take account of any space which may not be suitable for conversion. Nor does it take account of the significant financial, managerial and attitudinal obstacles which will need to be overcome if a high proportion of these spaces are to be brought into use.

  Given the constraints that may exist, we have not set a target for conversion of vacant space above shops. However, my Department recently published a report
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  "Conversion and Redevelopment: Process and Potential" which looked at the potential for residential conversions in detail. Copies of the report have been placed in the Library.

  Empty Homes
  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what his target is for reducing the number of empty homes over the next five years. [116907]

  Mr. Raynsford
  We recognise that it is necessary for a proportion of the housing stock to be empty at any point in time to enable the process of buying, selling and letting to work efficiently. It is also inevitable that properties will be empty when under repair. We estimate the effective minimum level of empty properties is between 2 per cent. and 3 per cent. 3.7 per cent. of the housing stock was vacant on 1 April 1999.

  We are pursuing policies designed to reduce the number of empty homes towards the minimum level.

  Dial-a-ride
  Mr. Pickthall
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the balance of advantage and disadvantage in establishing a fuel duty rebate for dial-a-ride services. [117149]

  Mr. Hill
  Possible changes to the scope of the existing fuel duty rebate scheme are currently being considered by the Commission for Integrated Transport, as part of its review of value for money from public financial support for the bus industry. At present a key eligibility criterion for rebate is that the bus service concerned should be available to the general public; we will give careful consideration to the case for extending eligibility in the light of the Commission's report expected later this year.

  Housing Adaptations (Disabled Children)
  Ms Rosie Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to make housing adaptations more affordable for families with disabled children; and if he will make a statement. [117650]

  Mr. Raynsford
  Each year, nearly 25,000 people receive disabled facilities grants to help with the cost of adapting their homes. However, some parents of disabled children are finding it difficult to afford their contributions, because no account is taken of the additional cost of housing a disabled child.

  To make adaptations more affordable, I am introducing into the grant assessment a new housing allowance of £65 for applications on behalf of a disabled child. For other applicants, the allowance for housing costs will increase by £10 to £50. The new allowances, which come into effect today, will save parents of disabled children up to £9,000 and other applicants up to £3,500, depending on the size of their contributions.

  Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what
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  information he has collated on the manufacture in the United Kingdom of methyl tertiary butyl ether; when he expects the Environment Agency to complete its research project on the incidence of methyl tertiary butyl ether; and if this report will be published. [116237]

  Mrs. Liddell
  I have been asked to reply.

  It is estimated that about 90,000 tonnes of MTBE was manufactured in the UK in 1999, although not all of this was blended into petrol. The research undertaken by the Environment Agency will provide information on the incidences of MTBE in groundwater in England and Wales and should also provide further information on the amount of MTBE and other oxygenates used in petrol. The results of the research are due to be published in the summer.

  Hedges (EU Biodiversity Regulations)
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps he plans to take to ensure that the EU Court of Auditors' decision permitting release of agricultural support to farmers on condition that they minimise the width of hedges between fields, does not undermine the EU directives on biodiversity in the countryside. [116266]

  Ms Quin
  I have been asked to reply.

  I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the hon. Member for Southport (Mr. Fearn) on 29 March 2000, Official Report, column 172W.

  Rents
  Mr. Kidney
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list for(a) 1996–97, (b) 1997–98 and (c) 1998–99 gross expenditure on (i) rent allowances and (ii) rent rebates for each local authority in England. [116700]

  Angela Eagle
  I have been asked to reply.

  The information has been placed in the Library.

  Green Belt
  Mr. Fitzpatrick
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he will publish statistics on the extent of Green Belt land in each local authority. [117772]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  I am today publishing estimates of the extent of Green Belt land in each local authority in England in the Information Bulletin 'Local Planning Authority Green Belt Statistics: England 1997'. A copy will be placed in the Library of the House.

  The bulletin shows that there was very little change in the extent of Green Belt land between 1993 and 1997—an estimated net increase of just 1,850 hectares. This net increase is significantly less than that indicated by a comparison between 1993 figures published in PPG2, which have now been shown to be inaccurate, and the figures for 1997 calculated using digital (computerised) boundaries. Separately, we estimate that some 30,000 hectares have been added or proposed for addition to the Green Belt since May 1997.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Waste Incineration Directive
  Mr. Gill
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the exemptions agreed in respect of farmers and growers in other EU countries to the Waste Incineration Directive. [116253]

  Mr. Hill
  I have been asked to reply.

  The European Council agreed a Common Position on the proposed Waste Incineration Directive in June 1999. The Common Position text excludes from the scope of the Directive experimental plants used for research, development and testing in order to improve the incineration process and which treat less than 50 tonnes of waste per year, and plants treating only the following wastes:

  (i) vegetable waste from agriculture and forestry,

  (ii) vegetable waste from the food processing industry,

  (iii) wood waste with the exception of:

  wood waste that may contain halogenated organic compounds or heavy metals as a result of treatment;

  treated wood originating from building and demolition waste,

  (iv) cork waste,

  (v) waste excluded from the scope of the Waste Framework Directive (75/442/EEC) as amended, pursuant to Article 2(1) of that Directive. (Article 2(1) excludes from the scope of the Waste Framework Directive the following:

  (a) gaseous effluents emitted into the atmosphere;

  (b) where they are already covered by other legislation:

  (i) radioactive waste;

  (ii) waste resulting from prospecting, extraction, treatment and storage of mineral resources and the working of quarries;

  (iii) animal carcases and the following agricultural waste: faecal matter and other natural, non-dangerous substances used in farming;

  (iv) waste waters with the exception of waste in liquid form;

  (v) decommissioned explosives; and

  (vi) waste resulting from the exploration for, and the exploitation of, oil and gas resources from off-shore installations and incinerated on board the installation.

  The Council decided it was appropriate to consider vegetable waste from the food processing industry and cork waste as biomass, and therefore to add them to the exclusions from the scope of the proposal alongside those originally proposed by the European Commission to avoid discouraging use of biomass for energy purposes.

  The European Parliament is seeking to amend the list of exclusions, including by the addition of an exclusion for fibrous vegetable waste from sorting, screening and washing of virgin pulp and paper production, if it is co-incinerated at the place of production and the heat generated is recovered.
  327W
  There are no country specific exclusions from the scope of the proposal, nor does any individual member state have the right to opt out of parts of the proposal.

  Workplace Parking
  Mr. Gray
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many workplace car parking spaces are available at the buildings used and controlled by his Department. [116767]

  Building

  Total car parking spaces

  Nobel House, London, SW 1P 3JR

  12

  Ergon House, London, SW 1P 3JR

  1

  55 Whitehall, London, SW 1A 2EY

  0

  3/8 and 10 Whitehall Place, London, SW1A 2HH

  0

  Eastbury House, London, SE1 7TL

  15

  Page Street, London, SW1 4PQ

  15

  Foss House, 1-2 Peasholme Green, Kings Pool, York, YO1 2PX

  270

  Government Buildings, Epsom Road, Guildford, GU1 2LD

  335

  Lion House, Willowburn Trading Estate, Alnwick, NE66 2PF

  56

  Wessex RSC, Block 3, Government Buildings, Burghill Road. Bristol, BS10 6NJ

  150

  Northern RSC, Eden Bridge House, Lowther Street, Carlisle, CA3 8DX

  34

  North Mercia RSC, Electra Way, Crewe, CW1 6GJ

  150

  North East RSC, Government Buildings, Crosby Road. Northallerton, DL6 1AD

  168

  South Mercia RSC Block C, Government Buildings, Whittingdon Road, Worcester, WR5 2LQ

  2176

  East Midlands RSC Block 7, Government Buildings, Chalfont Drive, Nottingham, NG8 3SN

  2170

  Anglia RSC Block B, Government Buildings, Brooklands Avenue, Cambridge, CB2 2DR

  450

  South East RSC Block A, Government Buildings, Coley Park, Reading, RG1 6DT

  136

  South West RSC Clyst House, Exeter, EX5 1DY

  242

  Quantock House, Paul Street, Taunton, TA1 3NX

  52

  Central Science Laboratories, Sand Hutton, York, YO4 1LZ

  496

  Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), Pakefield Road, Lowestoft, NR33 OHT

  117

  CEFAS, Burnham Remembrance Avenue, Burnham-on-Crouch, CM08HA

  15

  CEFAS, The Nothe, Barrack Road, Weymouth, DT0 8UB

  28

  Veterinary Laboratory Agency and Veterinary Medicines Directorate, New Haw, Addlestone, KT15 3NB

  440

  1 A travel plan has not yet been prepared for this site as the Ministry only fully occupied the building in February this year.

  2 The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is not the major occupier at these sites. Car parking spaces at the sites are allocated on a first come first served basis. The figures represent a percentage of the total car parking spaces available based on the number MAFF staff as a percentage of all staff on the site.

  Plant Viruses
  Miss McIntosh
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of recent research from the Research School of Biological Sciences at the Australian National University concerning plant viruses recombining with vertebrate-infecting viruses; what evaluation he made of the risks of parts of the HIV virus being used as carriers in the context of his risk assessment of GM crops; and if he will make a statement. [115200]

  Ms Quin
  We will be studying the research referred to carefully. No parts of the HIV virus have been used in the construction of GM plants assessed for safety in the UK. If any such GM plants were to come forward for assessment they would be subject to stringent scrutiny.

  Field Boundaries
  Mr. Paice
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will defer for 12 months the alteration to Integrated Administrative and Control System rules regarding the width of field boundaries; and if he will make a statement on his discussions with the European Commission regarding these rules. [116688]
  328W
  Mr. Morley
  [holding answer 30 March 2000]: The Ministry and its Agencies are made up of more than 200 separate sites and this information is not readily available for all of those sites. We are preparing travel plans for all our key buildings (offices with over 50 staff) in line with the commitment set out in the Transport White Paper and we are reviewing our car parking requirements in that context. The number of workplace car parking spaces available at the buildings where we are developing travel plans are shown in the table.

  Ms Quin
  [holding answer 29 March 2000]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Southport (Mr. Fearn) on 29 March 2000, Official Report, column 172W.

TREASURY

  Personal Tax Allowance
  Mr. Ottaway
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the full-year cost to the Exchequer from April 2000 of transferring an unused personal tax allowance to an earning spouse. [116067]

  Dawn Primarolo
  The estimated cost for 2000–01 of allowing a married person to transfer an unused personal allowance to their earning spouse is £2,000 million. The estimated cost of allowing a married person to transfer a personal allowance in the way most beneficial to the couple, regardless of whether it would be otherwise unused, or either or both spouses are earning, is £4,250 million.

  Child Care Tax Credit
  Ms Kelly
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the additional cost to the Exchequer of replacing the child care tax credit with a non-means-tested
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  parenting allowance of £70 a week for one child, £105 a week for two or more children, available to all families with a child under the age of three years, regardless of the parents' employment status or the form of child care used and assuming that the child care tax credit still applied to families with children where the youngest child was over the age of three years and the parenting allowance did not apply to Statutory Maternity Pay recipients. [116642]

  Dawn Primarolo
  [holding answer 28 March 2000]: If a weekly, non-means-tested allowances of £70 were to be given to all families with a single child under the age of three years and of £105 to families with two or more children, at least one of whom is under the age of three years, then the current full-year cost, based on data from the Family Resources Survey, would be about £8.5 billion.

  Sterling
  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the impact of his budget proposals on the value of sterling. [116522]

  Mr. Andrew Smith
  [holding answer 28 March 2000]: Sterling's exchange rate is affected by many factors and events, both here and abroad. It is not possible to isolate the impact of the Budget on the value of sterling with any degree of precision.

  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the value of sterling for(a) 2000, (b) 2001 and (c) 2002 using Treasury models. [116523]

  Mr. Andrew Smith
  [holding answer 28 March 2000]: The Treasury does not forecast movements in the exchange rate.

  Working Families Tax Credit
  Mr. Kidney
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what arrangements are in place to help with the transition from weekly to monthly payments for those recipients of Working Families Tax Credit who will receive the credit through a monthly pay packet from April. [116701]

  Dawn Primarolo
  Tax credits will start being paid through the pay packet from 18 April and this will help to demonstrate the rewards of work and to make work pay for families on low incomes. Tax credits will be paid at the same intervals as pay—weekly for employees paid weekly, fortnightly for those paid fortnightly and monthly for those paid monthly.

  In the first few weeks of a 26-week tax credit award, the Inland Revenue will pay the tax credit direct to the employee—either direct to a bank account or by Girocheque. These initial payments will be made fortnightly (one week in arrears and one week in advance). The guidance notes for tax credit applicants make it clear that tax credit payments by employers will be made at the same frequency as wages or salary.

  Travel-to-Work Areas
  Mr. Sanders
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the travel to work areas in order of the fall in unemployment during the past(a) 12 months, (b) 24 months and (c) 36 months for which figures are available. [116720]
  330W
  Miss Melanie Johnson
  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 Holt to Mr. Adrian Sanders, dated 3 April 2000:
  As Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent question on the fall in unemployment in travel-to-work areas (TTWA's).
  The ONS publish a monthly count of claimants of unemployment-related benefits. The claimant count consists of all people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance or National Insurance credits at Employment Service local offices. They must declare that they are out of work, capable of, available for and actively seeking work during the week in which the claim is made.
  Information on the falls in the levels of the claimant count by TTWA during the past 12 months, 24 months and 36 months can be obtained from the Nomis database at the House of Commons Library.

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mr. Brady
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the subjects of the parliamentary questions which have been transferred to his Department from other Departments in each session since 1 May 1997. [117222]

  Mr. Timms
  The Treasury, in common with other Departments, does not keep records relating to transferred questions.

  Family Benefits
  Mr. Brazier
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the take-up of the child care credit in the Working Families Tax Credit. [115876]

  Dawn Primarolo
  The childcare tax credit component of the Working Families Tax Credit has been particularly successful, with over 90,000 recipients at the end of February. At its peak, in August 1999, 47,000 families claimed the child care disregard in Family Credit.

  Cruickshank Report
  Mr. Field
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action he proposes to take to stimulate development of credit unions following the Cruickshank report. [117106]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  The Government announced moves to encourage credit unions to develop on 16 November 1999, including the creation of a new central services organisation and regulatory changes designed to help them to deliver a more consistent and flexible service to members.

  Departmental Properties
  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what(a) number and (b) percentage of properties in his charge are empty; and what steps are being taken by his Department to reduce the number of such properties. [116921]

  Mr. Timms
  None of the properties owned or leased by the Treasury are empty.

  Civil Procurement
  Barbara Follett
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress he has made in implementing
  331W
  the recommendations of the Review of Civil Procurement in Central Government; and if he will make a statement. [117778]

  Mr. Andrew Smith
  From 1 April 2000, the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) will be operational. Peter Gershon has been appointed Chief Executive and Brian Rigby deputy Chief Executive. The Chief Executive will be responsible to Treasury Ministers on both policy and executive matters. The OGC will include the Private Finance Policy Team, and staff dealing with Procurement Policy and Procurement Practice and Development.

  On 1 April 2000 the OGC will inherit from the Cabinet Office responsibility for the Buying Agency (TBA), Property Advisers to the Civil Estate (PACE) and the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA). Their Chief Executives will report to Peter Gershon. These new arrangements will help improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Government's £13 billion annual civil procurement budget by creating a single, unified operation at the centre to focus on high value added activities.

  A Supervisory Board chaired by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury and constituting officials and external representatives will help ensure a coherent cross departmental approach to procurement and provide on-going top-level support and strategic direction to the OGC.

  Banking Services
  Mr. Wray
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of people in receipt of Income Related Benefit do not have use of banking services(a) in the UK and (b) in Scotland. [116369]

  Mr. Rooker
  I have been asked to reply.

  Over 80 per cent. of all benefit recipients have bank accounts. Estimates from the 1997–98 Family Resources Survey are that 28 per cent. of individuals in Great Britain who are in receipt of Income Related Benefits do not have access to banking services and 38 per cent. of individuals in Scotland in receipt of Income Related Benefits do not have access to banking services.

  Notes:

  1. The source of the data used to answer the question is the Family Resources Survey (Great Britain only). The latest year for which data are available is 1997–98.

  2. The estimates are based on sample counts, which have been adjusted for non-response using multipurpose grossing factors that control for region, Council Tax band and a number of demographic variables. Estimates are subject to sampling error and to variability in non-response.

  3. The figures given have been rounded to the nearest whole per cent.

  4. For the purposes of answering this question, income related benefits (IRBs) are taken to be Income Support, Jobseeker's Allowance (Income Based), Family Credit. Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit, Disability Working Allowance and Social Fund Grants.

  5. Where two people are living together as husband and wife and they are in receipt of one or more IRBs between them, it should be noted that one of the couple claims the benefit(s) on behalf of both individuals. However, both individuals are regarded here as being in receipt of the benefit(s). Therefore, for such couples, the access of both recipients to banking facilities has been considered, as opposed to solely those of the claimant.

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  6. For the purposes of this analysis, an individual's access to Banking facilities has been defined as whether or not they have in their name (on a sole or joint basis) any one of a Current Account, a Post Office Ordinary/Investment account or any other type of savings/bank account held with either a hank or a Building Society.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Housing Benefit
  Sir Teddy Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what progress he has made in dealing with fraudulent claims for housing benefit. [115866]

  Mr. Darling
  I wrote to all council chief executives on 6 March warning them to act immediately to remedy weaknesses identified by the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate.

  I am today announcing a further 30 inspections of a range of councils including a number which are not operating all of the Departments anti-fraud initiatives.

  If the BFI report to me a local authority's persistent failings I will direct them to achieve the standards I set within a rigorous timescale.

  Mr. Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security by what percentage the budget for housing benefit has increased in real terms(a) in each year since the introduction of housing benefit and (b) in total since the introduction of housing benefit. [117279]

  Angela Eagle
  The information is in the table.

  Real annual change in expenditure on housing benefit, 1988–89 to 1999–2000, Great Britain

  Financial year

  Percentage increase on previous financial years in real terms

  1989–90

  6.3

  1990–91

  11.0

  1991–92

  18.8

  1992–93

  17.4

  1993–94

  13.9

  1994–95

  8.1

  1995–96

  4.6

  1996–97

  1.4

  1997–98

  -4.4

  1998–99

  -4.1

  1999–2000 (estimated)

  -0.9

  Whole period

  95.4

  Notes:

  1. Figures represent changes in the total amount of Rent Rebates and Rent Allowances paid to recipients, regardless of the source of funding.

  2. Figures for 1999–2000 are based on estimates that underlie the March 2000 Financial Statement and Budget Report.

  3. Expenditure figures have been converted to constant prices (real terms) using the Gross Domestic Product deflator underlying the March 2000 Financial Statement and Budget Report.

  State Second Pension
  Mrs. Organ
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people he estimates will benefit from the proposed state second pension. [115868]

  Mr. Rooker
  I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member of Halesowen and Rowley Regis (Mrs. Heal) earlier today at column 616.

  Pensioners (Minimum Income Guarantee)
  Ms Rosie Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what action he is taking to improve the take-up of the minimum income guarantee among pensioners. [115885]

  Mr. Rooker
  Our unprecedented take-up campaign will commence in the spring.

  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many pensioners have incomes which are below the level of the minimum income guarantee. [115864]

  Mr. Rooker
  We currently estimate that just over half a million people are missing out on their Minimum Income Guarantee. We have announced details of a take-up campaign which will identify pensioners who may be entitled, and encourage them to claim. Details are in the Vote Office.

  McDonald Report
  Mr. Flight
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the Government's response to the McDonald report on pension provisions. [115886]

  Mr. Rooker
  We welcome the publication of the Retirement Income Working Party's Report as a contribution to an important debate. We are assessing the implications of the Report's proposals for pension scheme members, for the Exchequer and for private pension provision generally. Our willingness to be flexible for the benefit of pensioners is demonstrated by our recent decision to allow more pensioners to buy an investment-linked annuity as an alternative to a limited price indexed annuity.

  Child Poverty
  Mr. Hope
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what progress the Government are making in tackling child poverty. [115887]

  Mr. Bayley
  We have pledged to eradicate child poverty over the next 20 years and to halve it within 10 years. We are making good progress. Our £7 billion tax and benefit package will lift 1.2 million children out of poverty. And by helping parents back into work we are tackling the biggest cause of child poverty.

  Mr. Gordon Marsden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the impact to date of Government measures to reduce child poverty in the north-west of England. [115900]

  Mr. Bayley
  We are committed to halving child poverty over the next 10 years and to eradicating it within 20 years. And this strategy covers all regions of the UK.

  Child poverty is a problem which has built up over generations and it will take time to eradicate. But we are already making substantial progress. Our £7 billion tax and benefit package will lift 1.2 million children out of poverty. As a result, the poorest two-child families will be £1,500 a year better off in 2001 than they were in 1997.
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  Poverty is multi-dimensional. It is characterised not just by low income, but also by factors such as poor educational attainment, poor housing and deprived communities. It is about the lack of opportunity and aspiration. That is why we are investing heavily in measures to provide children with a better start in life and to increase the opportunities to allow them to break out of the cycle of deprivation.

  We are prepared to be judged on our results. We set out our indicators for tackling poverty in "Opportunity for all" (Cmd. 4445) and we will report progress against these in the autumn.

  Disabled Workers
  Mr. Hoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps he is taking to help disabled people stay in work. [115888]

  Mr. Bayley
  We have a range of measures to help disabled people stay in work. These include the Disabled Person's Tax Credit to help make work pay; improvements in the support provided by the Independent Living Funds to allow severely disabled people to keep a higher proportion of their work income; and the New Deal for Disabled People pilots to help people to move into or stay in employment.

  The Budget announced new plans to develop pilots to test the effectiveness of helping people when they become ill in work.

  Marginal Tax and Benefit Withdrawal Rates
  Mr. Goggins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what action he is taking to reduce the number of people who face high marginal tax and benefit withdrawal rates. [115889]

  Mr. Rooker
  As a result of the tax and benefit changes announced in the last three Budgets around half a million fewer working households will face the very high marginal rates of 70 per cent. or more.

  Winter Heating Allowance
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many households containing elderly persons in(a) Inverclyde and (b) Scotland received the winter heating allowance in the last year. [115890]

  Angela Eagle
  Last winter in Scotland [99/00] around 900,000 Winter Fuel Payments were made at a cost of around £70 million. We estimate that approaching 12,000 payments were made to around 9,000 households at a cost of more than £900,000 in the Greenock and Inverclyde constituency area.

  Next winter [00/01] payments will be increased from £100 to £150 per eligible household.

  Pensions
  Mr. Blizzard
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to ensure that pensions are increased at least in line with the rise in the cost of living. [115891]
  335W
  Mr. Rooker
  We have said that the basic pension will remain as the foundation of income in retirement, that it will not be means-tested and that we will increase it at least in line with prices. We have increased Retirement Pension in line with the Retail Prices Index for third year running at a cost of £375 million.

  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how the Government propose to ensure that pensioners share in rising national prosperity. [115893]

  Fiona Mactaggart
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps he has taken to increase the disposable income of pensioners since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [115897]

  Mr. Rooker
  The measures flowing from the Green Paper "Partnership in Pensions", together with those announced in the last two Budgets, demonstrate the priority we have given to improving pensioners' incomes.

  We have introduced a Minimum Income Guarantee for today's pensioners which is being increased in line with earnings each year during this Parliament. From April 2001, it will be increased to £82 a week for a single pensioner and £90 for a pensioner over 80. The lower capital limit for the Minimum Income Guarantee will be doubled from £3,000 to £6,000 while the upper limit will be raised from £8,000 to £12,000, benefiting around 500,000 pensioners who have modest savings.

  In addition, we have recognised that pensioners have special needs. That is why the £100 Winter Fuel Payment has been introduced and will be increased next winter from £100 to £150 per eligible household.

  Other measures which impact favourably on pensioners' incomes include the reduction of VAT on fuel from 8 per cent. to 5 per cent., the introduction of free TV licences for people over 75 next Autumn, the restoration of free eye tests, and the minimum tax guarantee which will help take 200,000 pensioners out of tax completely.

  Fraud
  Mr. Bercow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the progress made by his Department in combating fraud in the social security system. [115892]

  Mr. Rooker
  We set out our strategy for combating fraud and reducing error in "Safeguarding Social Security", published on 23 March 1999. We are putting this strategy into practice with strong and sensible safeguards to ensure the right money goes to the right people.

  Mr. Brooke
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the Government's interaction with local authorities in the detection and prevention of benefit fraud. [115898]

  Angela Eagle
  Local authorities are responsible for the administration of Housing Benefit and we are working in partnership with them in developing and implementing anti-fraud initiatives such as the Verification Framework and the use of direct computer links between local authorities and the Department's benefit systems. We have recently reformed the anti-fraud financial incentive
  336W
  scheme for local authorities to ensure they can be rewarded for detecting and prosecuting cases of fraud and for the longer term we are working with local authority representatives to develop revised incentives for rewarding local authorities for their efforts to prevent, detect and deter fraud.

  We have also made available extra funding for local joint anti-fraud activities between local authorities and the Benefits Agency in addition to funding for national initiatives.

  Mr. Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his oral statement of 27 March 2000,Official Report, column 42, concerning 400 new fraud investigators (1) what the net increase in fraud investigation staff will be for each of the organisations relevant to his announcement when the recruitment is completed; [117277]

  (2) how many of the new investigators will be recruited to each relevant organisation. [117278]

  Mr. Rooker
  This Department and the Revenue Departments are in discussion about the best deployment of additional staff to meet the business need identified by the noble Lord Grabiner. No decision has yet been made as to how many new investigators will be recruited to each relevant organisation.

  Lone Parents
  Mr. Brady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the new deal for lone parents. [115894]

  Angela Eagle
  Independent evaluation has shown that the New Deal for Lone Parents (NDLP) is helping lone parents move into work. Since the launch of the national programme, over 103,000 lone parents have volunteered to participate in the programme and over one in three of these have obtained jobs.

  As announced in the budget, from April 2001 we will be asking lone parents with a youngest child of five or over to come forward for a work-focused interview with a personal adviser. We want to ensure that all lone parents have the opportunity to find out about the choices, and the support, available to help them move into work.

  Mr. Healey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on progress with the new deal for lone parents(a) in the UK and (b) in Yorkshire. [115882]

  Angela Eagle
  Independent evaluation shows that the New Deal for Lone Parents is working. Since the launch of the national programme, in October 1998, over 116,000 lone parents have attended an interview with 89 per cent. agreeing to participate and over one in three of these obtaining jobs. In Yorkshire and Humberside 9,137 have agreed to participate and 3,440 have obtained jobs.

  Child Support Agency
  Helen Jackson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what measures he is taking to ensure that the self-employed comply with Child Support Agency instructions. [115895]
  337W
  Angela Eagle
  We expect all parents to meet their responsibilities to their children by providing information to the Child Support Agency. If a self-employed person refuses to provide details of their income, the CSA has a range of measures available to obtain the information, including powers to examine accounts and, as a last resort, to ask the Inland Revenue for information about earnings provided for tax purposes.

  Mr. Blunt
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on his proposals for reform of the Child Support Agency. [115899]

  Angela Eagle
  Our reforms will introduce a customer focused child support system that parents will be able to understand. It will ensure regular and reliable maintenance for over one million more children.

  Barbara Follett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to introduce a statutory obligation on the Child Support Agency to pay compensation to its clients for delays and mistakes they have experienced. [115873]

  Angela Eagle
  In common with other Government Departments, the DSS and its Agencies have a discretionary compensation scheme to cover financial loss, suffering or distress caused by poor administration. The CSA also has the power to write off child support arrears and compensate the parent with care where substantial delays have occurred. Provisions in the Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Bill, currently before the House will put these arrangements on to a statutory basis.

  Stakeholder Pensions
  Dr. George Turner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people he estimates will take out stakeholder pensions. [115901]

  Mr. Rooker
  There are around 5 million people in the target group for stakeholder pensions, but some of those initially in that group will have personal pensions and may be unlikely to take up stakeholder pensions when they are introduced. Take up will depend on how stakeholder and other pensions are marketed by providers, and on individual choices by savers.

  Disability Living Allowance
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what the percentage of successful appeals in tribunals was against a refusal of disability living allowance in(a) 1997, (b) 1998 and (c) 1999; and if he will make a statement. [115902]

  Mr. Bayley
  The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table.
  338W

  Disability Living Allowance appeal decisions

  Percentage

  1997

  1998

  1999

  All decisions which were successful1

  54

  48

  48

  Successful decisions which were against refusal (as opposed to awarded level) of benefit2

  67

  66

  67

  1 Based on 100 per cent. data. Includes cases where increased level of benefit awarded.

  2 Based on 5 per cent. data.

  Source:

  Analytical Services Division

  Benefits Agency Inspectors
  Mr. John Cryer
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many inspections of building sites have been made in the past 12 months by Benefits Agency inspectors to check on the employment status of construction workers. [115053]

  Angela Eagle
  This information is not kept centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Benefits Agency Delays
  Mr. Edward Davey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many(a) national insurance number applications and (b) benefit applications are awaiting processing due to delays in clarification being received by the Benefits Agency from the Immigration and Nationality Directorate; and if he will make a statement. [116078]

  Angela Eagle
  The administration of benefits is a matter for Peter Mathison, the Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Edward Davey, dated 30 March 2000:
  The Secretary of State has asked me to respond to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many (a) national insurance number (NINO) applications and (b) benefit applications are awaiting processing due to delays in clarification being received by the Benefits Agency (BA) from the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND).
  BA allocate, when necessary, a NINO to a benefit applicant. The process rarely requires any contact with or information from the IND.
  Information on the number of benefit applications awaiting clarification from IND is not held. Collation of these statistics would involve a sift of files held at over 400 offices and would entail disproportionate cost.

  Retirement Pensions
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will amend the regulations relating to the date from which retirement pensions are payable to persons reaching retirement age, to ensure that such people receive their full entitlement, including any part-weeks, from the date of the relevant birthday; and if he will estimate the cost in the next financial year of such changes to the Exchequer. [116830]

  Mr. Rooker
  We do not intend to amend the present regulations which provide for payment of retirement pension in whole weeks in advance.
  339W
  There would be no costs to the Exchequer for part weeks because it would follow that recovery of overpaid benefit would take place upon the death of the pensioner. It is because we are not prepared to countenance this recovery that we plan no change.

  Bereavement Benefit
  Mrs. Curtis-Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he has made of the number of men who will be eligible for bereavement benefit when the relevant provisions of the Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999 are implemented. [116882]

  Angela Eagle
  The information is in the table.

  Number of men who will be eligible for each of the bereavement benefits in the first year of implementation

  Number

  Bereavement Payment

  15,000

  Widowed Parent's Allowance

  25,000

  Bereavement Allowance

  10,000

  Notes:

  1. Figures provided by the Government Actuary's Department.

  2. Rounded to nearest 5,000 for each benefit.

  Social Fund
  Mrs. Humble
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what gross budget will be set for the Social Fund in 2000–01. [117673]

  Angela Eagle
  The gross discretionary Social Fund budget for 2000–01 will be £596 million. This represents an increase of £60.8 million over the total gross budget for 1999–2000 made possible by improved loan recovery performance.

  As part of this allocation we have increased the Community Care Grant budget by £2 million to £100 million. All Benefits Agency Districts will receive an increase. This will provide more help to grant applicants, in particular families with children and the disabled.

  The loans budget will be £494 million; an increase of £57.3 million. To improve the fairness of the scheme this increase will be allocated to Benefits Agency Districts in a way that will, over time, achieve greater consistency of outcome for applicants wherever they live.

  £2 million will be retained centrally as a contingency reserve to provide additional help to any Benefits Agency Districts that face unexpected and unplanned expenditure as a result of a local emergency or disaster.

  Details of individual District budget allocations will be placed in the Library today.

  Benefits Agency/Employment Service Merger
  Miss McIntosh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what representations he has received on the proposed merger of the Benefits Agency and the Employment Service; and if he will make a statement. [115878]

  Angela Eagle
  My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced on 16 March our intention to create a new, modern organisation for people of working age helping
  340W
  more people on welfare towards independence and into work. Ministers have had discussions with representatives from a range of interested groups in the short period since the announcement. The response to date has been a widespread welcome of this move and a positive reaction to creating a single agency focused on work for those who can and ensuring proper support when they cannot.

  SERPS
  Mr. Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate his Department has made of the cost to public funds arising from compensation to those who were misinformed about SERPS entitlement, other than the cost of postponing the change to surviving spouses entitlement to SERPS. [117104]

  Mr. Rooker
  It is not possible to estimate with confidence how many people will apply successfully to the Inherited SERPS scheme and therefore no estimate has been made of the cost to the National Insurance fund. I refer my right hon. Friend to the estimates made by the National Audit Office in the recently published report.

  Family Benefits
  Mr. Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many families have been in receipt of(a) Family Credit but not the Working Families Tax Credit, (b) Working Families Tax Credit but not Family Credit and (c) Family Credit and Working Families Tax Credit for each month since February 1999. [117105]

  Angela Eagle
  Family Credit was replaced with Working Families Tax Credit from 5 October 1999.

  The information is in the table.

  Numbers of families in receipt of Family Credit and WFTC, for each month from February 1999 to February 2000

  Thousand

  Month

  Family Credit

  WFTC

  Total

  February 1999

  789

  —

  789

  March 1999

  792

  —

  792

  April 1999

  793

  —

  793

  May 1999

  791

  —

  791

  June 1999

  801

  —

  801

  July 1999

  797

  —

  797

  August 1999

  784

  —

  784

  September 1999

  758

  —

  758

  October 1999

  625

  253

  878

  November 1999

  464

  466

  930

  December 1999

  365

  566

  931

  January 2000

  249

  701

  950

  February 2000

  109

  849

  958

  Notes:

  1. These figures, and in particular the WFTC figure for February, exclude awards made after February and backdated.

  2. Figures are for Great Britain only.

  3. Sample size 5 per cent., therefore subject to sampling error.

  4. Figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand.

  Source:

  Family Credit/Working Families' Tax Credit 5 per cent. sample of awards.

  Departmental Properties
  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what(a) number and (b) percentage of properties in his charge are empty; and what steps are

  341W
  being taken by his Department to reduce the numbers of such properties. [116922]

  Mr. Rooker
  In early 1998, all of the Department's properties were transferred to the private sector under two separate Private Finance Initiative contracts. We no longer hold or own any property. Instead, serviced accommodation is purchased from our two private sector partners, Trillium plc and the Newcastle Estate Partnership.

  The deal that we negotiated with Trillium, the PRIME contractor, allowed us to hand back all of our "surplus" space, in both wholly and partly occupied buildings. On 1 April 1998, 134,991 sq m of vacant space transferred to Trillium so that there is now no continuing cost to the Department. The Department also has the flexibility to vacate and hand back further space over the period of the contract, at nil cost.

  As a result of the PRIME contract there are now no vacant properties still being paid for by the Department.

  Mortgage Interest
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will lay the necessary regulations to amend the standard rate for income support mortgage interest payments. [117038]

  Mr. Bayley
  Regulations were laid before Parliament on 24 March 2000.

  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much it would have cost his Department if he had amended the standard rate for paying mortgage interest in January when the January rate of 6.29 per cent. was more than the 0.25 per cent. point change required to trigger a change. [117028]

  Mr. Bayley
  The Office for National Statistics informed the Department on 8 March 2000 that a change in the standard interest rate had been triggered. Regulations were laid on 24 March 2000 and will come into force on 16 April 2000. There was no delay.

HEALTH

  London NHS Trust Budgets
  Mr. Coleman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the projected budget forecasts for each of the London NHS trusts for the end of the current financial year; and if he will make a statement. [110538]

  Mr. Denham
  The latest available information, based on income and expenditure forecasts by National Health Service trusts and health authorities at Quarter 3 (December 1999) has been placed in the Library.

  The total deficit position includes the impact of technical accounting changes. The forecast deficit excluding this technical element is £36 million, which represents a very small deterioration from original plans for the year.

  Intensive Care Beds
  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many of the new 100 intensive care beds announced earlier in the year are now in place; if he will give the
  342W
  location and the number of beds that have been provided in each health authority area; and if he will make a statement. [113867]

  Mr. Denham
  Fast-track information on the number of critical care beds on 17 January 2000 compared with the position in a census on 31 March 1999 was placed in the Library on 1 February 2000.

  Dr. Julian Lewis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 27 January 2000,Official Report, column 346W, on intensive care beds, when the hon. Member for New Forest, East will receive the information promised. [117151]

  Mr. Denham
  The information was placed in the Library on 1 February.

  Pay Award
  Mr. Austin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the percentage increase in the total pay bill for the NHS will be as a result of the Pay Review Body award to(a) nurses, (b) midwives and (c) health visitors for the year commencing April 2000. [114748]

  Mr. Denham
  Implementing the recent Review Body recommendations on pay for midwives, health visitors and other nursing and midwifery staff will increase the total National Health Service paybill by an estimated 0.1 per cent., 0.1 per cent. and 1.3 per cent. for each respective group, giving an overall increase of 1.4 per cent.

  Correspondingly, the awards will increase the paybill for midwifery staff by 3.4 per cent., the paybill for health visitors by 3.4 per cent. and the nursing paybill by 4.1 per cent.

  Note:

  Figures may not add due to rounding

  Tobacco
  Mr. Cummings
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what mandate he has given to the European Commission to negotiate on behalf of Her Majesty's Government in meetings on the World Health Organisation's Convention for Tobacco Control; [114944]

  (2) what estimates he has made of the impact on (a) employment and (b) exports of the World Health Organisation's Framework Convention for Tobacco Control, indicating the constituencies affected in each case; [114940]

  (3) what recent discussions (a) he, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) officials have had with (i) EU partners, (ii) other nations, (iii) the World Health Organisation and (iv) the European Commission regarding the World Health Organisation's Framework Convention for Tobacco Control; [114943]

  (4) if he will make a statement on the position of Her Majesty's Government in relation to the World Health Organisation's Framework Convention for Tobacco Control. [114941]

  Yvette Cooper
  The White Paper "Smoking Kills" makes clear our strong support for the World Health Organisation's (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The first and current phase in the
  343W
  development of the convention is to consult the 191 World Health Member States for their views on the Convention and its protocols. The second phase will cover negotiations on the content of the Convention.

  The United Kingdom has been, and will continue to be, an active participant in the European Union and WHO working groups, which are the main bodies for taking forward work on the Convention, and in bilateral discussions with the Commission, WHO and other member states. The Commission's mandate for participation on issues where it has a legal competence, was developed by the EU's Health Working Group and reported to the EU Health Ministers at the Health Council in November 1999. The Commission's mandate will be kept under review as the work develops.

  It is too early to say what the likely impact of the Convention on employment and exports will be, as this depends on the content of the Convention, which is yet to be negotiated. However, the World Bank's recent study on tobacco control "Curbing the Epidemic" concludes that adopting effective tobacco control policies would result in no net job losses in most countries, and even a net gain in some.

  NHS Pensions Agency
  Mr. Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to consult on allowing the NHS Pensions Agency to pay benefits from the NHS pension scheme to a contributor's unmarried partner. [115116]

  Mr. Denham
  Providing survivor benefits for unmarried partners is one of a number of possible changes to the National Health Service Pension Scheme currently under consideration. There are no firm proposals for change at this time.

  We have made our position clear at paragraph 60, Chapter 8 of the Green Paper "A new contract for welfare: partnership in pensions" published on 15 December 1998 Cm 4179. If the general membership of a public service scheme wanted, in future, to extend eligibility for survivors' pensions to unmarried partners and were prepared to meet the additional costs, the Government would be prepared to consider how practicable arrangements could be devised for achieving this in the context of a statutory scheme.

  NHS Bodies (Budgets)
  Mr. Gareth R. Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the level of deficit allocated to(a) NHS trusts and (b) health authorities, and their predecessors where applicable, for 1979 to 1999. [115106]

  Mr. Denham
  The information requested is given in the table.

  Surplus/(deficits) of NHS trusts and health authorities (and predecessors) England 1984–85 to 1998–99

  £000

  Health authorities
  1
  (including predecessors)

  NHS trusts
  2

  1984–85

  (51,778)

  —

  1985–86

  (76,145)

  —

  1986–87

  (110,400)

  —

  1987–88

  (10,756)

  —

  1988–89

  (48,212)

  —

  344W

  Surplus/(deficits) of NHS trusts and health authorities (and predecessors) England 1984–85 to 1998–99

  £000

  Health authorities
  1
  (including predecessors)

  NHS trusts
  2

  1989–90

  (237,786)

  —

  1990–91

  (125,170)

  —

  1991–92

  57,255

  46,065

  1992–93

  (34,983)

  88,445

  1993–94

  (56,071)

  185,608

  1994–95

  (153,237)

  178,678

  1995–96

  (296,242)

  46,097

  1996–97

  (238,206)

  (221,488)

  1997–98

  (7,681)

  (103,720)

  1998–99

  18,350

  (35,908)

  Note:

  Changes (in line with best accounting practice) since 1979 in the accounting and financial reporting arrangements for Health Authorities and subsequently NHS trusts mean that comparable information is not available prior to 1984–85. The changes also mean that the figures provided over the period 1984–85 through to 1998–99 are not directly comparable.

  Sources:

  1 1984–85 to 1995–96—Summarised account of Regional and District Health Authorities and Special Health Authorities for the London Postgraduate Teaching Hospitals

  1 1985–86 to 1989–90—Summarised account of Family Practitioner Committees

  1 1990–91 to 1995–96—Summarised account of the Family Health Services Authorities

  1 1996–97 to 1998–99—Summarised account of the Health Authorities

  2 1991–92 to 1998–99—Summarised account of NHS trusts except for 1996–97 which has been adjusted to take account of a change in the financial regime of NHS trusts.

  Cancer Patients
  Mr. Paul Marsden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of(a) the quality of treatment and (b) survival rates among cancer patients on low incomes; and if he will make a statement. [115716]

  Yvette Cooper
  As part of the national performance assessment framework, the Government are developing the national cancer standard and performance indicators to improve consistency in the quality of cancer services across the country. In addition, both the National Institute for Clinical Excellence and the Commission for Health Improvement have been set up specifically to help to reduce variations and ensure fair access to high quality treatment.

  Data published in Cancer Survival Trends in England and Wales 1971–95 produced by the Office for National Statistics show that survival rates for adults in deprived groups are lower than those in more affluent groups for several cancers.

  We have appointed Professor Mike Richards as the National Cancer Director to spearhead the drive to modernise all aspects of cancer care. He has indicated our intention to develop a national cancer programme building on the Calman/Hine Report to set out action to improve prevention of cancer and ensure patients from all social groups have access to faster better cancer care. The National Cancer Director will be developing the plan over the coming months and will engage with clinicians, managers and patients in the process.

  MRSA
  Mr. Edwards
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will commission an independent inquiry into the incidence of MRSA; [115928]

  (2) what was the incidence of MRSA in hospitals in England and Wales for 1996. [115927]

  Yvette Cooper
  MRSA is the antibiotic-resistant form of Staphylococcus aureus, a bacterium which is carried harmlessly on the skin by at least a third of the population. About 80 per cent. of the population who acquire MRSA similarly carry it harmlessly on the skin and do not suffer from any infection. Neither the number of hospitals recording MRSA outbreaks nor the total number of patients in National Health Service hospitals who have MRSA are recorded centrally. The Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS) compiles aggregate data on numbers of incidents of MRSA which are voluntarily reported by NHS trusts. The available data on MRSA for England and Wales show that there were 2,107 reported incidents in 1996. An incident is three or more patients infected or colonised by the same strain of MRSA in the same month from the same hospital. We are working with the PHLS on improving surveillance systems so as to provide more complete data on MRSA and so that we can consider what further action is required.

  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his assessment of the total number of deaths which have resulted from(a) MRSA and (b) other hospital-acquired infection in each of the past 10 years. [115946]

  Yvette Cooper
  [holding answer 28 March 2000]: There are no centrally held statistics on deaths caused by hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), including Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Different doctors will have different views on the role of HAI in a patient's death.

  MRSA infection can take the form of many different diseases from trivial skin infection to pneumonia or septicaemia. Often the causative micro-organism is not specified on the death certificate. MRSA does not have a distinct code within the revision of the International Classification of Diseases used for encoding death registration data at the Office for National Statistics.

  Hospices
  Mr. Swayne
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what representations he has received regarding the payments negotiated by NHS trusts and hospices for the provision of services in hospices; and if he will make a statement; [116009]

  (2) what guidelines his Department issues to NHS trusts regarding the purchase of services from hospices. [116008]

  Yvette Cooper
  Successive guidance to health authorities has made clear their responsibilities for commissioning services that meet the assessed needs of their local communities. Health Service Circular 1998/99: "Palliative Care" states that commissioners, including primary health care groups need to work together with providers to develop a palliative care strategy which is right for their population, based on health needs assessment.
  346W
  HSC 1998/198: "Commissioning in the new National Health Service" makes it explicit that full development of the new commissioning arrangements needs to involve partnership working both in and beyond the NHS. The guidance also states that regional offices should pay particular attention to the commissioning of cancer services in the follow-up to Calman/Hine.

  Where services are commissioned from the non-NHS sector, commissioners should ensure the service provided is valuable, effective and offers value for money. The decision to commission services provided by non-NHS facilities will continue to be made locally and will be made in the best interests of the patient.

  I met members of the National Council for Hospices and Specialist Palliative Care Services, including representatives of the independent sector and also attended a recent All Party Group on Hospices meeting. On both occasions the issue of funding of hospices was raised.

  Professor Mike Richards, the National Cancer Director, is working to develop a supportive care strategy as part of his wider work programme, and this will set the context for future developments in the commissioning of services from hospices.

  Mr. Pickthall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the funding of(a) children's hospices and (b) adult hospices. [117150]

  Yvette Cooper
  The funding of adult and children's hospices is a matter for local discussion and agreement and must be based on local health needs assessment. The Health Improvement Programme (HImP) is and will continue to be the funding mechanism for palliative care services. Voluntary healthcare providers are viewed as important players in the planning and provision of services and should be involved in the development of HImPs. From this should flow more detailed plans for commissioning services, including arrangements for palliative care.

  Chronic Diseases
  Mr. Gill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the incidence of(a) ME, (b) MS and (c) HIV/AIDS, and what was the level of public expenditure, in each of the past five years in respect of each category. [116254]

  Ms Stuart
  Information on the incidence and level of public expenditure on Chronic Fatigue syndrome (CFS)/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) is not available in the format requested. A number of definitions, disease descriptions or diagnostic criteria have been proposed to describe CFS/ME. However, there is no general agreement as to which should be used. This makes the results from studies on the prevalence of CFS/ME difficult to interpret and there is no agreement on the incidence of the illness.

  Services for people with CFS/ME are funded from baseline expenditure.

  The Department is currently supporting a number of projects at a total cost of £221,000 on CFS/ME research. In addition, we have also awarded the ME Association a
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  total of £30,000 for 1998–99 and 1999–2000 and the Association of Youth with ME a total of £6,200 in 1998–99 under the Section 64 scheme of grants.

  Information on the incidence and level of public expenditure on Multiple Sclerosis is not available in the format requested. MS is one of the most common diseases of the central nervous system. It is estimated to affect between 80-90,000 people in the UK. However, the incidence (new diagnoses each year) is not known.

  Services for people with MS are funded from baseline expenditure.

  The Medical Research Council supported about a dozen projects on multiple sclerosis and associated demyelinating diseases in 1998–99 representing a spend of approximately £640,000 in that year.

  The Department funds research to support policy and the delivery of effective practice in the National Health Service. The Department is currently spending approximately £150,000 per year on projects related to MS.

  Funding for HIV/AIDS

  £ million

  Year

  Health authorities

  Local authorities

  Voluntary organisations

  Public education

  Research

  Total

  1995–96

  244.7

  13.4

  1.54

  8.0

  20.6

  288.2

  1996–97

  237.7

  13.7

  1.63

  5.2

  19.5

  277.7

  1997–98

  251.9

  13.7

  1.52

  5.2

  15.4

  287.7

  1998–99

  281.4

  13.7

  1.58

  4.8

  16.2

  317.6

  1999–2000

  286.4

  15.0

  1.60

  4.5

  16.0

  323.5

  Total

  1,302.1

  69.5

  7.87

  27.7

  87.7

  1,494.7

  NHS Volunteers
  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Training Organisation for Personal Social Services has to incorporate volunteers and their management into the training strategy. [116445]

  Mr. Hutton
  The training strategy set out to identify how a fully skilled and qualified workforce could be obtained to meet the future requirements for modernised social care. This included determining the qualifications needed to meet appropriate care standards, the career pathways to promote life-long learning, and the recruitment strategies to ensure an adequate supply of suitable people. The strategy has considered the skills needed to manage social care teams, including the use of volunteers.

  NHS Staff (Suspensions)
  Mr. Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate he has made of the total(a) number and (b) costs of suspensions of consultants, doctors and other medical staff on pay pending inquiries in each year since 1996; [116278]

  (2) how many consultants, doctors or medical staff have been suspended on full pay for more than two months in each hospital trust in the Northern and Trent
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  In addition, we have awarded the MS Society £15,000 per year from 1997–98 until 1999–2000 under the Section 64 scheme of grants, for their emerging therapies project.

  The table reports new diagnoses of HIV and AIDS for England in each of the last five years.

  As people with HIV infection may not have symptoms for some time, new diagnoses are dependent on people coming forward for testing; however, the data on new diagnoses based on clinical reports of AIDS cases are a reasonable measure of AIDS incidence.

  Year of diagnosis

  New diagnoses of HIV infection

  New diagnoses of AIDS

  1995

  2,412

  1,587

  1996

  2,438

  1,298

  1997

  2,441

  960

  1998

  2,557

  677

  1999

  2,289

  460

  Notes:

  1. Data reported by end 1999.

  2. Numbers, particularly for the more recent years, will rise as further reports are received.

  Regions in (a) 1998, (b) 1999 and (c) 2000 to date; and what his estimate is of the cost to the NHS of their suspensions. [116277]

  Mr. Denham
  National Health Service trusts routinely report suspensions lasting six months or longer. The information requested is not broken down by year. Since 31 March 1995 a total of 75 cases of suspension lasting six months or over have been reported. At 31 December 1999, the latest date for which figures are available, 27 hospital and community medical and dental staff had been suspended for six months or more at an estimated cost of £2.5 million.

  Since 31 March 1998 the Northern and Yorkshire and Trent regions have reported 18 suspensions lasting six months or more at a total cost of approximately £2 million. At 31 December 1999, the latest date for which figures are available, 10 hospital and community medical and dental staff had been suspended for six months or more at a cost of approximately £1 million.

  An internal management review has identified four areas for improvement in the current suspension procedures. Further work on these findings has been subsumed into the wider proposals for managing poor performance set out in the Chief Medical Officer's consultation document "Supporting doctors, protecting patients". The consultation period has just ended and the Department is currently considering the responses.

  NHS Dentistry
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to announce his new NHS dental service strategy. [116340]

  Mr. Hutton
  Our plans for modernising National Health Service dentistry will be published shortly.

  MMR Vaccines
  Jackie Ballard
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health which EU countries allow the use of single-dose vaccines for measles and mumps; and if he will make a statement about the use of such vaccines in the UK. [116492]

  Yvette Cooper
  Measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is recommended in all European Union countries, none recommend the use of single vaccines. The availability of single dose vaccines is a matter for individual countries.

  To protect public health, United Kingdom medicines legislation restricts the importation of all unlicensed medicines, including single-dose vaccines. Unlicensed medicines may be imported only if there is no licensed medicine available or suitable for the individual patient concerned, and the Medicines Control Agency (MCA) does not object on specific grounds of safety or efficacy. In the case of unlicensed single vaccines, the MCA will object to their import unless a prescribing doctor has decided that the patient has a known medical condition that makes the licensed product (MMR) unsuitable. In addition the MCA objects to the import of the single dose mumps vaccine (Rubini strain) because of concerns about its efficacy.

  There is no evidence that the use of single vaccines benefits children and good reasons exist why their use may put children at significant disadvantage.

  Sellafield
  Mr.Chaytor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research he has commissioned on the health implications of the Sellafield MOX plant; and if he will make a statement. [115530]

  Yvette Cooper
  [holding answer 27 March 2000]: No specific study into the possible effects of the MOX plant at Sellafield on the health of the general public has been commissioned. However, the independent advisory Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE) has been asked to examine the geographical distribution of childhood cancer in Great Britain, and as part of this study the committee will investigate the incidence of these diseases around all British nuclear installations. This study will include the Sellafield site.

  Genetic Tests (Insurance)
  Dr. Gibson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many responses were received by his Department's Genetics and Insurance Committee to their recent consultation on the use of genetic test results for insurance risk assessment; and if he will list the organisations and individuals concerned. [116571]
  350W
  Yvette Cooper
  The Genetics and Insurance Committee received 15 responses to the recent consultation on the criteria that GAIC will use to assess specific genetic tests and the use of their results for insurance purposes. Responses were received from:

  the Association of British Insurers;

  the Alzheimer's Association

  Comments from Advisory Committee on Genetic Testing members (obtained at an ACGT meeting);

  the Genetic Interest Group;

  the Huntingtons Disease Association;

  the Nuffield Council on Bioethics;

  the Royal College of General Practitioners;

  the Royal College of Pathologists;

  the Royal College of Psychiatrists (Ethics Sub Committee);

  the Scottish Huntingtons Association;

  the Scottish Executive;

  Health Department;

  Public Health Policy Unit;

  the UK Forum of Genetics and Insurance (which includes the response from the Faculty and Institute of Actuaries) and from three individuals who provided personal responses.

  I have arranged for a list of the organisations concerned to be placed in the House of Commons Library.

  Dr. Gibson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the(a) organisations and (b) individuals asked by his Department's Genetics and Insurance Committee to submit responses to their recent consultation on the use of genetic test results for insurance risk assessment. [116570]

  Yvette Cooper
  The consultation on the criteria that the Genetics and Insurance Committee will use to assess specific genetic tests and the use of their results for insurance purposes was sent to patient support organisations, academics, insurers and actuaries and was made available on the Department website. I have arranged for a list of the organisations and individuals concerned to be placed in the House of Commons Library.

  Cancer Surgery
  Mr.Stephen O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement about the adequacy of cancer surgery provision within the NHS. [115167]

  Yvette Cooper
  [holding answer 28 March 2000]: We are determined to improve our cancer services and to tackle variations in treatment across the country. The National Cancer Director will be developing over the next few months a national cancer programme which will build on the Calman/Hine Report: "A Policy Framework for Commissioning Cancer" and set out our action to ensure all patients have access to faster better cancer care.

  Since 1997 we have invested significant extra resources in workforce, equipment and facilities to speed access to high-quality, evidence-based diagnosis, treatment and care. By the end of 2000, patients with a suspected cancer referred urgently by their general practitioner will see a specialist within two weeks. Over the next five years, the number of cancer specialists will increase by 60 per cent.
  351W
  and we will work with professionals and local cancer networks to identify future workforce demands and ways in which they could be met.

  Ambulances (Response Times)
  Mr.Breed
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of requests for ambulances were met within the target response time in(a) urban and (b) rural areas in the last three years for which figures are available. [117057]

  Ms Stuart
  Details about the performance of each National Health Service ambulance trust are contained in the Department of Health Statistical Bulletin "Ambulance Services, England 1998–99", copies of which are available in the Library.

  Bed Numbers
  Mr.Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS beds in each category will form the starting point against which any future changes in bed numbers can be measured. [117027]

  Mr.Denham
  Statistics on hospital bed numbers are published in the annual publication "Bed availability and occupancy—England", copies of which are in the Library. Latest figures are for 1998–99.

  Smoking
  Ms Church
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the amount to be spent in financial year 1999–2000 on smoking-related illnesses. [117030]

  Yvette Cooper
  The information requested is not available on a year-by-year basis. However, a study "Cost Effectiveness of Smoking Cessation Interventions" by the Health Education Authority, in collaboration with the University of York published in 1997, estimated the annual cost to the National Health Service of treating smoking-related disease was between £1.4 billion and £1.7 billion for England.

  Waiting Lists (Essex)
  Mr.Jenkin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were waiting for hospital treatment at Essex Rivers Health Care Trust on(a) 31 March 1997 and (b) the latest date for which figures are available. [116839]

  Mr.Denham
  [holding answer 30 March 2000]: The information is as follows:

  Total number of patients waiting at Essex Rivers Healthcare National Health Service Trust on 31 March 1997 and 31 January 2000 (the latest date for which figures are available)

  Month

  Total number waiting

  31 March 1997

  6,737

  31 January 2000

  6,212

  Source:

  Form KHO7 completed Quarterly

  Monthly waiting list return
  352W
  Mr.Jenkin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been waiting for 12 months or more for hospital treatment at Essex Rivers Healthcare Trust on(a) 31 March 1997 and (b) on the latest date for which figures are available. [116847]

  Mr.Denham
  [holding answer 30 March 2000]: The information is as follows:

  Number of patients waiting over 12 months at Essex Rivers Healthcare National Health Service Trust

  Month/year

  Number

  31 March 1997

  6

  31 January 20001

  534

  1 The latest date for which figures are available

  Sources:

  Form KHO7 completed Quarterly

  Monthly waiting list return

  Mr. Jenkin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people had waited 13 weeks or more for an outpatient appointment at Essex Rivers Healthcare Trust on(a) 31 March 1997 and (b) 31 December 1999. [116842]

  Mr. Denham
  [holding answer 30 March 2000]: The information is as follows:

  Number of patients waiting over 13 weeks for a first outpatient appointment at Essex Rivers Healthcare National Health Service

  Month/year

  Number

  31 March 1997

  1,821

  31 December 19991

  3,916

  1 The latest date for which figures are available

  Source:

  Form QMO8 completed quarterly

  Mr. Jenkin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people had waited over 26 weeks for an outpatient appointment at Essex Rivers Healthcare Trust on(a) 31 March 1997 and (b) 31 December 1999. [116838]

  Mr. Denham
  [holding answer 30 March 2000]: The information is as follows:

  Number of patients waiting over 26 weeks for a first outpatient appointment at Essex Rivers Healthcare National Health Service Trust

  Month/year

  Number

  31 March 1997

  404

  31 December 19991

  1,336

  1 The latest date for which figures are available

  Source:

  Form QMO8 completed quarterly

  Intensive Care Units
  Mr. Keetch
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what were the staffing levels of intensive care units in each year from 1995 to 1999,(a) nationally and (b) in Herefordshire; and if he will make a statement. [116901]

  Mr. Denham
  The information requested is not collected centrally.

  BCG Vaccinations
  Mr. Lidington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the BCG vaccination programme for the current academic year. [116953]

  Yvette Cooper
  [holding answer 30 March 2000]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 10 February 2000, Official Report, column 261W.

  Ambulances (Durham)
  Mr. Steinberg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many emergency calls were made to ambulance brigades in Durham Health Authority in the last five years; and what was the average response time for each of those years. [117214]

  Ms Stuart
  Details about the performance of all National Health Service ambulance trusts are contained in the Department of Health Statistical Bulletin Ambulance Services, England 1998–99, copies of which are available in the Library.

  Food Action Plans
  Mr. Edwards
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress the Government have made in implementing the WHO (Europe) proposals for national and local food and nutrition action plans following the Malta 1999 consultation. [117527]

  Ms Stuart
  We recognise the importance of good nutrition throughout life for maintaining health. We are playing an active role in supporting the development of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Food and Nutrition Action Plan with a view to its adoption by the WHO's Regional Committee in September 2000. We agree that each member state should develop its own action plan in response, taking into account the remit of other key organisations, particularly the European Union. We have set out the role of diet in promoting health and preventing disease in "Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation", particularly in the key priority areas of coronary heart disease, stroke and cancer. The National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease requires local players, co-ordinated by the local health authority, to develop and implement a comprehensive programme of effective policies including promoting healthy eating by April 2001.

  Departmental Properties
  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what(a) number and (b) percentage of properties in his charge are empty; and what steps are being taken by his Department to reduce the number of such properties. [116912]

  Ms Stuart
  The Department occupies administrative property (the civil estate). The Department has no empty properties.

  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's retained estate comprises surplus or potentially surplus property not transferred to National Health Service trusts, and is managed by NHS Estates. There are about 85 properties that are empty, which is about 17 per cent. of the estate.
  354W
  All of these sites are in the course of being sold on an accelerating basis. All surplus property is sold as soon as possible after they become vacant, but only when planning consent for alternative use has been obtained from the relevant local planning authority.

  Prescription Charges
  Mr. Harvey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the total cost to the NHS of(a) instituting charges per script and (b) allowing prescription charges to be paid by instalments; and if he will make a statement. [116680]

  Ms Stuart
  Based on 1998–99 figures for charges collected by pharmacists and dispensing doctors in England, it is estimated that around £50 million in prescription charge revenue would have been lost if the prescription charge had been paid for each chargeable form rather than each item. It is likely that there would also be additional costs to the drugs bill arising from the prescribing of items which can be purchased from pharmacies for less than the prescription charge. The current process of paying prescription charges is widely understood by the public and simple to administer. Introducing payment by instalments is impractical as it would unnecessarily complicate the current arrangements and require additional bureaucracy to keep track of instalment payments for each charge payable.

  Cleaning Staff
  Mr. Harvey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the spending on cleaning services and how many cleaning staff were employed in the NHS in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [116682]

  Ms Stuart
  The information is not available as requested. National figures are collected centrally on the number of support staff employed in National Health Service trusts; cleaning staff are included within this category. Similarly, national figures on expenditure are collected centrally on contract hotel services and laundry and cleaning equipment. Expenditure on cleaning staff is included within this category.

  Hospital Infections
  Mr. Harvey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the cost to the NHS of hospital acquired infections in the last five years; what measures his Department is taking to tackle such infections and at what cost; and if he will make a statement. [116683]

  Yvette Cooper
  The recently quoted figure of £1 billion is an estimate derived from a Department commissioned study of one hospital. It is not possible to accurately estimate the cost to the whole National Health Service from these findings. Infection control is a "must do" in current NHS National Priorities Guidance. New standards on infection control were issued in November 1999 and an action plan setting out specific objectives and targets was issued to the NHS on 11 February 2000. Costs of activity to prevent hospital acquired infections are impossible to assess because much of this activity is a fundamental part of the work of all health care staff.

  Nursing
  Helen Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many health care assistants are seconded into nurse education. [117147]

  Mr. Denham
  Since the 1 April 1997, a total of 1,230 existing National Health Service employees have been seconded on to pre-registration nursing and midwifery diploma training courses. Data are not collected centrally on the proportion of these who are health care assistants seconded on to such courses.

  Helen Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many trainee nurses are(a) seconded on salary, (b) receiving his Department's bursary and (c) in receipt of a student loan. [117146]

  Mr. Denham
  Since the 1 April 1997, a total of 1,230 existing National Health Service employees have been seconded on a salary to pre-registration nursing and midwifery diploma courses.

  Information on the number of trainee nurses receiving NHS funded bursaries is not held centrally. Of the 17,451 student nurses currently paid an NHS bursary by the NHS Student Grants Unit (SGU), 14,156 are diploma level students who are not eligible for student loans. The remaining 3,295 are degree level students who are eligible for student loans.

  Student loans are a matter for the Department for Education and Employment.

  Helen Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of student nurses left training before completing their course in each year since 1996. [117148]

  Ms Stuart
  Information on the percentage of student nurses who left training before completing their course in each year since 1996 is shown in the table. We do not yet have the data to provide an attrition rate for the 1999–2000 student.

  Year

  Percentage

  1995–96

  17

  1996–97

  17

  1997–98

  15

  1998–99

  7

  Note:

  The data on attrition are based on a snapshot in time of a particular cohort(s). Since nursing and midwifery students can take up to five years to complete their three-year course, for each year there will be students who have yet to complete their training.

  Age Discrimination
  Mr. Paul Marsden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received from organisations on age discrimination against elderly patients in the NHS. [117294]

  Mr. Hutton
  We have received from Age Concern their thoughtful report "Turning your back on us—Older people and the NHS" which highlighted concern that older people experience ageism within the National Health Service. I met representatives from Age Concern on 6 March to discuss these concerns. Age Concern, Help the Aged and others involved in the care of older people have all contributed to the development of the National Service Framework for Older People which will set
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  national standards for the care of older people. This work covers issues of greatest concern to older people such as promotion of health and well-being, and fair access to services. We hope to publish the NSF later this year.

  Mr. Paul Marsden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will initiate an inquiry into age discrimination against elderly patients in the NHS. [117293]

  Mr. Hutton
  Discrimination on the grounds of age within the National Health Service is completely unacceptable. Action is and will be taken to challenge and correct any such unfair practices. The task now is to get on with ensuring this delivers the improvements we intend, so that eliminating discrimination and promoting fair access are firmly embedded as mainstream business for the NHS.

  The provision of first class care on the NHS is our priority and later this year we will be publishing the National Service Framework (NSF) for Older People. This, for the first time, will set national standards for the care of older people, driving up quality and reducing the variations. The NSF will include performance measures for monitoring progress. The development of the NSF has involved many groups, including service users and carers, and has included the issue of access to services.

  We have no plans however to set up any inquiry. Equal opportunities and work against discrimination must be embedded in our total way of working, rather than being treated as a separate and one-off activity.

  "Fit for the Future?"
  Mr. Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many copies of "Fit for the Future?" were(a) printed and (b) requested; if he will increase the number of copies available; and if he will make a statement. [117344]

  Mr. Hutton
  10,000 copies of "Fit for the Future?" were printed and over 8,000 copies have been sent out in response to requests. We have no plans to print further copies. The document was also made immediately accessible on the Department's internet website, and as at 26 March the "Fit for the Future?" web had been accessed over 46,000 times.

  The consultation period ended on 21 January. We are currently carefully considering the comments received on the proposals. "Fit for the Future?" identified over 260 possible standards. We believe that some of the proposals may have only a marginal impact on the quality of care and it is highly unlikely that this many standards will be needed. We intended to publish the final standards and a timetable for implementing them later this year.

  Brittle Bone Disease
  Mrs. Spelman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make funding available to health authorities to ensure that children with severe brittle bone disease will be able to receive bisphosphonate treatment. [117102]

  Mr. Denham
  The National Specialist Commissioning Advisory Group is considering the current and proposed service for children with brittle bones, including the use of bisphosphonate treatment, and will make recommendations on appropriate commissioning arrangements in the summer.

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mrs. Spelman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will reply to the question tabled on 27 January (ref. 107991) by the hon. Member for Meriden concerning vaccinations. [117108]

  Yvette Cooper
  I replied to the hon. Member on 30 March.

  Health Food Promotion
  Mr. Edwards
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to require local authorities to promote healthy food policies. [117526]

  Ms Stuart
  Although this Department cannot force local authorities to promote healthy food policies, there are a number of initiatives that we are undertaking with the co-operation of these agencies as part of our strategy for combating heart disease, stroke and cancer. For example, the Heartbeat Award Scheme, which promotes healthy eating in restaurants, cafés and other catering establishments, has been running for a decade with the support of local and health authorities. Furthermore, the recently published National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease set out several health milestones, one of which is the delivery by April 2001, of a wide-ranging healthy eating promotion in conjunction with local authorities. Co-operation also extends to local education authorities as part of the Department of Health and Department for Employment and Education-funded Healthy Schools Programme. This initiative requires schools to adopt consistent messages about healthy eating in order to meet the Healthy Schools Standard.

  Primates
  Mr. Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many diseases non-human primates are known to carry; how many of these are screened for when such animals are brought into the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement. [115275]

  Ms Quin
  I have been asked to reply.

  The diseases that non-human primates are known to carry are numerous and can be found in text books dealing with diseases of non-human primates. The hazards associated with simians are listed in the Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens' publication "Working safely with simians: Management of infection risks". A copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

  All simians that are imported into the UK are required to undergo six months' quarantine against rabies in premises authorised by the Department.

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

  Millennium Dome
  Mr. Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what the maximum daily capacity of the Millennium Dome is between 21 March and 31 December; [115273]
  358W
  (2) pursuant to his answer of 14 March 2000, Official Report, column 153W, on the Millennium Dome, for what reason the total number of available tickets varies on a daily basis. [115726]

  Janet Anderson
  [holding answer 21 March 2000]: The licensed capacity of the Millennium Experience site, including the Dome, is 35,000 visitors at any one time during opening hours.

  During the early weeks of operation, fewer tickets were released for sale than the optimum number allowed under the operating licence. This was to ensure a high-quality visitor experience while the inevitable teething problems were being addressed, at a time when many visitors were staying inside the Dome to shelter from poor weather conditions. The number of schools participating in free Education Tours during the morning and afternoon sessions also has some bearing on the quantity of tickets released for sale.

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mr. Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many parliamentary questions asked in respect of the millennium dome since 1 January 1999 have received holding answers; what percentage of such questions this represents; and what has been the average time taken to answer written questions on the millennium dome during this period. [109913]

  Janet Anderson
  [holding answer 11 February 2000]: Since 1 January 1999, 102 written parliamentary questions on the millennium dome have received holding answers. This represents 96 per cent. of the total number of Named Day questions tabled on this subject, 39 of which have been from the hon. Member. The average time taken to answer written questions on the millennium dome during this period is 20 days.

  My Department makes every effort to answer questions on time, but the need to ensure that responses are completely accurate can make the issuing of a holding answer unavoidable. Holding answers are usually issued while relevant information is being obtained from the New Millennium Experience Company.

  New Millennium Experience Company
  Mr. Peter Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of the total(a) value and (b) number of contracts to provide services to the New Millennium Experience Company were awarded following an open competition tender process. [109723]

  Janet Anderson
  [holding answer 11 February 2000]: 100 per cent. of key service contracts, i.e. electricity, security, waste disposal and cleaning, were awarded following open competition. The overall value of these key contracts is about £15.5 million.

  Library Services
  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what action has taken place since the publication of the paper entitled, "Libraries for All: Social Inclusion in Public Libraries", to involve more volunteers in strengthening library services. [116446]
  359W
  Mr. Alan Howarth
  We are still evaluating the consultation responses to "Libraries for All: Social Inclusion in Public Libraries". We will then be undertaking a similar consultation on social inclusion in museums, galleries and archives. We expect to make an announcement on the way forward for both policies later in the year.

  Pirate Ship (Kensington Palace Gardens)
  Mr. Tyler
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport for what reason the Royal Parks Agency did not invite open tenders for the pirate ship in Kensington Palace Gardens; and if he will make a statement. [116296]

  Mr. Alan Howarth
  [holding answer 27 March 2000]: Responsibility for the subject of this question has been delegated to the Royal Parks Agency and I have asked them to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from Viviane Robertson to Mr. Paul Tyler, dated 3 April 2000:
  Pending the appointment of a new Chief Executive, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media, and Sport has asked me to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the tender for the ship in Kensington Gardens, which is an operational matter for which the Agency is responsible.
  In commissioning the design and construction of the play ship in the Diana, Princess of Wales playground in Kensington Gardens, the Agency followed the guidance in the "Guide to the Appointment of Consultants and Contractors" produced by Property Advisers to the Civil Estate. This guide promotes the procurement of services on the basis of best value for money. There is no requirement under this procedure to invite open tenders because the EC procurement rules do not apply in the case of this contract.
  The Agency identified some 70 suppliers and from them drew up a list of 7 potential tenderers. This in turn was reduced to a short list of three by evaluating them against the original selection criteria. The three short-listed companies were interviewed and the contract was awarded to the company which, in the opinion of the Agency, met the selection criteria and offered the best value for money.

  BBC News 24
  Mr. Peter Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he plans to commence his Department's review of BBC News 24. [117241]

  Mr. Chris Smith
  I aim to announce my proposals for the reviews of the BBC's digital services in due course.

  London Film Commission
  Mr. Peter Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement on the future of the London Film Commission. [117571]

  Mr. Chris Smith
  My Department has been working closely with the London Film Commission and the Film Council to ensure that the valuable services provided by the Commission continue to be provided. I am very pleased that a solution has been found which will enable the Commission to focus on its main priorities while seeking to ensure that it has a sound financial basis for its future operation.

  Departmental Properties
  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what(a) number and
  360W
  (b) percentage of properties in his charge are empty; and what steps are being taken by his Department to reduce the number of such properties. [116920]

  Mr. Chris Smith
  My Department has the following properties unoccupied at present:

  Address of property

  Wholly or partly unoccupied

  Date vacated

  Core Department

  2nd Floor, 179a Tottenham Court Road, W11

  Partly

  January 2000

  Basement, 7 St. James's Square, SW12

  Partly

  January 2000

  Royal Parks Agency

  Brew House Bushey Park3

  Wholly

  © 1998

  New Lodge Bushey Park4

  Wholly

  December 1999

  White Lodge, Bushey Park4

  Wholly

  © 1980

  Vanburgh Gate Lodge, Greenwich Park4

  Wholly

  ©January 2000

  1 Area became vacant following closure of Y2K contingency office. Temporarily occupied by the Film Council but being actively marketed.

  2 Area became vacant following Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) reducing their occupation prior to finding alternative premises. Being actively marketed.

  3 Requires the completion of restoration before re-occupation.

  4 Expected that re-occupation by RPA staff will occur during 2000–01.

  The Department's office premises that are partly vacant are being marketed with a view to occupation during the new financial year (2000–01), and the Royal Parks Agency expects at least three of the four properties listed above to be re-occupied by members of staff during 2000–01.

  Parliament Square (Demonstrations)
  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what his policy is on the use of Parliament Square by campaigning organisations for demonstrations. [116276]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  I have been asked to reply.

  The use of Parliament Square requires the permission of the Royal Parks Agency, which I understand was not given in the case of the current protest by pig farmers. Any action to remove demonstrators is an operational matter for that Agency.

CABINET OFFICE

  Corporate IT Strategy
  Mr. Coaker
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans she has to publish the Government's corporate IT strategy. [117305]

  Mr. Ian McCartney
  I have today launched the re-titled 'e-Government Strategy' which meets this commitment.

  I have placed copies of the e-Government Strategy in the Libraries of the House.

  Civil Service College
  Mr. Peter Bradley
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will make a statement on the future arrangements for the Centre for Management and Policy Studies and the Civil Service College. [117612]
  361W
  Mr. Ian McCartney
  From 1 April 2000 the Civil Service College will be fully integrated into the Centre for Management and Policy Studies (CMPS) at the heart of government within the Cabinet Office. As a result, the College will no longer operate as an executive agency.

  CMPS will enjoy extensive management delegations and will operate within the terms of a framework document. Copies will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

  Civil Service Leavers
  Mr. Pond
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many male ex-Government employees there are under the age of 65 years. [117127]

  Mr. Stringer
  The information is not held in the form requested and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The number of male permanent staff who have left the Civil Service during the last 10 years who, if still alive, would have been under the age of 65 at 1" April 1999 was approximately 167,000.

  GM Plants
  Dr. Gibson
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans she has to visit a research laboratory engaged in research into genetically modified plants. [116565]

  Marjorie Mowlam
  I have recently accepted an invitation to visit the John Innes Centre in order to learn more about the implications of GMO's for the environment and their potential applications in UK industry and agriculture. I meet a range of outside organisations as part of the Government's ongoing dialogue on biotechnology, including environmental groups, consumer bodies and industry representatives. The UK's commitment to a science based approach to biotechnology which protects public health and the environment is made clear in all such discussions.

  US International Trade Commission
  Mr. Fabricant
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) for what reason, when her officials met analysts from the United States International Trade Commission during the last two weeks, they advised the analysts not to meet hon. Members; [116313]

  (2) what representations her Department has made to visiting analysts from the United States International Trade Commission in respect of their inquiry on behalf of the United States Senate Finance Committee on the impact on the United States economy of including the United Kingdom in NAFTA. [116316]

  Mr. Stringer
  I refer to the answer given today by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs,Official Report, column 285W.

  Privy Council Judicial Committee
  Ms Roseanna Cunningham
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans there are for the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council to meet in Scotland when dealing with Scottish devolution or European Convention on Human Rights cases. [116518]

  Mrs. Beckett
  I have been asked to reply.
  362W
  There are presently no plans for the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council to sit in Scotland.

  Scottish Law Books
  Ms Roseanna Cunningham
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many(a) Scottish legal texts, (b) Scottish session cases and (c) other Scots law books are held by the Privy Council; and if she will place a list of all such material in the Library. [116517]

  Mrs. Beckett
  I have been asked to reply.

  As at 29 March 2000 there were 16 volumes of Scottish legal materials held in the library of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. Details are as follows:

  Laws of Scotland 1828 (comprising Laws and Acts of Parliament)

  Erskine's Institute of the Law of Scotland—(1871)

  Stair's Institutions of the Law of Scotland—(1832)

  Bell's Principles of the Laws of Scotland—(1899)

  Bell's Commentaries on the Laws of Scotland—(1826) 5th and (1858) 6th

  Bell's Dictionary Scotch Law A-E

  Bell's Dictionary Scotch Law F-Z

  Compendium of English & Scotch Law (Paterson)—(1865)

  Session Cases (Cases decided in the Court of Session and also in the Court of Justiciary etc. and House of Lords)—(1998) and (1999)

  Scots Law Times (Reports) (News. Sheriff. Lord)—(1998) and (1999)

  The Scotland Act (Hinsworth & Munro)—(1998).

  In addition the following are on order and due to be delivered shortly: a set of Sessions Cases from 1821; a set of Scots Law Times Reports from 1893; the Parliament House Book (five volumes); Current Law Statutes; together with updating material on the above as it is issued.

  Ms Roseanna Cunningham
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what resources are available to the Privy Council this year to purchase Scottish texts, Scottish sessions cases and Scots law books. [116519]

  Mrs. Beckett
  I have been asked to reply.

  An additional sum of £20,000 has been allocated on the current year's allowance for the acquisition of textbooks and other reference material for use for the purposes of devolution appeals and references to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

  Prescribed Drugs (Compensation)
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, what plans he has to introduce legislation to ensure higher levels of compensation from pharmaceutical companies to those suffering from the deleterious effects of the prescribed use of drugs. [116986]
  363W
  Mr. Lock
  The level of damages is a matter of common law for the courts to decide, in their own independent sphere. The Government have no plans to introduce legislation on levels of damages in the categories of cases specified.

  Legal Aid
  Dr. Starkey
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, what was the annual cost of legal aid in spousal maintenance cases in each of the last five years. [116707]

  Mr. Lock
  The Legal Aid Board does not record separately expenditure on spousal maintenance cases. I am, however, able to provide information on expenditure in respect of all ancillary relief cases, which includes both child maintenance and spousal maintenance:

  £ million

  1993–94

  47.6

  1994–95

  45.9

  1995–96

  51.6

  1996–97

  54.9

  1997–98

  53.5

  The figures provided are derived from closed cases. A case is regarded as closed when all outstanding matters relating to the certificate are completed. They may include payments made in more than one year. Due to changes in the Legal Aid Board's computer systems, we do not have as yet closed case data for 1998–99.

  Magistrates Courts
  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, what steps he is taking to ensure that justices of the peace are properly valued in the criminal justice system. [R] [116971]

  Jane Kennedy
  More than 95 per cent. of criminal cases begin and end in the Magistrates courts. They also deal with many family, civil and licensing matters. Magistrates courts play a key role in our system of justice. I and my colleagues take every opportunity to make it clear publicly how much we value the work of Justices of the Peace. Their voluntary contribution to civic life is much appreciated by this Government. They put great time and effort into their judicial duties, in their own time and without any remuneration.
  364W
  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what recent research his Department has commissioned into the level of truthfulness and accuracy of financial statements of personal circumstances provided by those who have been found guilty in magistrates' courts. [116943]

  Jane Kennedy
  None.

  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what action his Department takes to ensure that magistrates' courts provide facilities for magistrates that are of a high standard. [R] [116942]

  Jane Kennedy
  The Lord Chancellor's Department has issued guidance to Magistrates Courts Committees and local authorities on the type of facilities it is expected should be provided in new or refurbished court buildings. Provision of such facilities is a matter for the Magistrates Courts Committee and local authority.

  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what steps he is taking to ensure that magistrates courts check the financial details provided by defendants. [116941]

  Jane Kennedy
  Magistrates Courts Sentencing Guidelines shortly to be produced by the Magistrates' Association, with the support of the Lord Chancellor, are expected to remind magistrates that section 18 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991 requires courts to look into the financial circumstances of the offender before fixing the amount of a fine. If magistrates are not satisfied with the information available, they are able to adjourn the case for further information to be given.

  Departmental Properties
  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what(a) number and (b) percentage of properties in his charge are empty; and what steps are being taken by his Department to reduce the number of such properties. [116916]

  Jane Kennedy
  The Court Service currently has six vacant properties and holds vacant space in another six Government buildings. In total this represents 3.1 per cent. of the Court Service estate. Of the six vacant buildings, five are being actively marketed and the Court Service is actively trying to negotiate early surrender of the sixth. Of the space held in the six other Government buildings, the Court Service is about to serve notice to terminate occupation in two. Attempts are being made to sub-let or negotiate early surrender of the remainder.

  The Northern Ireland Court Service currently has three properties vacant which represents 9 per cent. of its estate. These three properties are in the late stages of disposal.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Jury Trial
  Mr. Lidington
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 9 March 2000,Official Report, column 820W, on jury trial, for what reasons he has assumed that eight per cent. of formerly electing defendants would be committed for sentence to the Crown Court under the provisions of the Criminal Justice (Mode of Trial) (No. 2) Bill. [115060]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  [holding answer 17 March 2000]: Home Office Research suggests that the magistrates would be able to sentence in cases where the Crown Court currently imposes a custodial sentence of up to 15 months—since sentences are two and a half times longer for defendants who elect Crown Court trial than for equivalent cases sentenced in the magistrates courts. In 1996, 76 per cent. of defendants in either-way cases dealt with at the Crown Court fell into this category. However, only one third of these defendants would have elected jury trial, and since defendants who elect are four times less likely to receive such a sentence compared with directed defendants, this means that magistrates would be able to sentence 92 per cent. of such defendants. The remainder, eight per cent., would be committed for sentence.

  Criminal Justice and Court Services Bill
  Miss Widdecombe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of prisoners who will be returned to prison after breaching the(a) monitoring and (b) drug testing requirements of their release on licence under the provisions of Part III of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Bill; and if he will make a statement. [115821]

  Mr. Boateng
  [holding answer 22 March 2000]: The use of the new licence conditions provided for under Part III of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Bill will be subject to piloting before any consideration is given to wider implementation.

  Asylum applications1 received in the United Kingdom, excluding dependants, and initial decisions2 on applications, 2000

  Principal applicants

  Decisions

  Total applications

  Total decisions

  Grants of asylum

  Grants of ELR

  Total refusals

  Grants of ELR underbacklog criteria

  Non compliance refusals under backlog criteria

  Turkey

  640

  3—

  3—

  3—

  3—

  3—

  3—

  Poland

  275

  3—

  3—

  3—

  3—

  3—

  3—

  Lithuania

  125

  3—

  3—

  3—

  3—

  3—

  3—

  Romania

  585

  3—

  3—

  3—

  3—

  3—

  3—

  366W
  For full national implementation, the estimated additional number of people who would be returned to prison every year is as follows:
  between 200 and 600 people returned following breach of the electronic monitoring requirements of their licence, or following breach of other licence conditions identified through electronic monitoring; and
  between 500 and 2,700 people returned for breach of the drug testing requirements of their licence, or as a result of drug use identified through testing.

  The actual figures will depend on the extent to which the new licence conditions are used, and the breach rate.

  Asylum Seekers
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is on housing asylum seekers on ships; and if he will make a statement. [116305]

  Mrs. Roche
  All offers of accommodation for asylum seekers under the national asylum support scheme are assessed with regard to the suitability of the accommodation offered, including its quality and whether it is in a location where the support needs of the asylum seekers are capable of being met. We would also assess its cost and whether any necessary planning permission has been issued. The National Asylum Support Service has also undertaken to consult with local authorities before any contract for accommodation is signed.

  Any offer of accommodation that includes facilities to accommodate people on floating accommodation will be considered in the same way and in accordance with the same criteria as any other offer of accommodation.

  Mr. Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people from each country which is a candidate for EU membership applied for refugee status in the United Kingdom in(a) 1999 and (b) 2000 to date; how many were accepted in each case; and what criteria each successful applicant and their family fulfilled. [116307]

  Mrs. Roche
  All asylum applications are considered against the criteria specified in the 1951 United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. In order to qualify for asylum, a person must be outside his/her country of nationality and have a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of their race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion. The spouse and minor children who accompany an asylum applicant to the United Kingdom will normally be recognised as refugees if the principal applicant's application is successful.
  367W

  Asylum applications1 received in the United Kingdom, excluding dependants, and initial decisions2 on applications, 2000

  Principal applicants

  Decisions

  Total applications

  Total decisions

  Grants of asylum

  Grants of ELR

  Total refusals

  Grants of ELR underbacklog criteria

  Non compliance refusals under backlog criteria

  Slovakia

  4—

  3—

  3—

  3—

  3—

  3—

  3—

  Czech Republic

  345

  3—

  3—

  3—

  3—

  3—

  3—

  Latvia

  80

  3—

  3—

  3—

  3—

  3—

  3—

  Estonia

  90

  3—

  3—

  3—

  3—

  3—

  3—

  Bulgaria

  5

  3—

  3—

  3—

  3—

  3—

  3—

  Cyprus

  10

  3—

  3—

  3—

  3—

  3—

  3—

  Slovenia

  4—

  3—

  3—

  3—

  3—

  3—

  3—

  Hungary

  —

  3—

  3—

  3—

  3—

  3—

  3—

  1 Figures rounded to nearest 5, with 4= 1 or 2

  2 Information is of initial determination decisions, excluding the outcome of appeals or other subsequent decisions

  3 Not available

  4=1 or 2

  Asylum applications1 received in the United Kingdom, excluding dependants, 1999 and initial decisions2,3 on applications, January to May 1999

  Principal applicants

  Decisions

  Total applications

  Total decisions

  Grants of asylum

  Grants of ELR

  Total refusals

  Grants of ELR under backlog criteria

  Non compliance refusals under backlog criteria

  Turkey

  2,870

  625

  15

  5—

  100

  505

  5

  Poland

  1,865

  160

  4—

  —

  160

  5—

  —

  Lithuania

  615

  130

  —

  —

  130

  5—

  —

  Romania

  1,990

  65

  —

  —

  60

  5

  —

  Slovakia

  75

  90

  —

  —

  90

  —

  —

  Czech Republic

  1,790

  50

  —

  —

  50

  —

  —

  Latvia

  520

  15

  —

  —

  15

  —

  —

  Estonia

  455

  5

  —

  —

  5

  —

  —

  Bulgaria

  85

  40

  —

  —

  10

  30

  —

  Cyprus

  25

  75

  5—

  —

  —

  75

  —

  Slovenia

  5

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Hungary

  15

  5—

  —

  —

  —

  5—

  —

  1 Figures rounded to nearest 5, with5= 1 or 2

  2 Information is of initial determination decisions, excluding the outcome of appeals or other subsequent decisions

  3 January to May only

  4 Not available

  5 =1 or 2.

  Deportations
  Mr. Sanders
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been deported from the UK in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [116485]

  Passengers refused entry and removed and persons removed or departing voluntarily as a result of illegal entry or deportation action1, 1995 to 1999

  1995

  21996

  1997

  1998

  2,31999

  Passengers refused entry and removed

  18,950

  21,430

  24,540

  27,600

  31,300

  Removals and voluntary departures under illegal entry procedures1

  3,160

  3,460

  4,540

  5,580

  5,220

  Removals and voluntary departures under deportation procedures1

  1,920

  2,000

  2,070

  1,720

  1,150

  Total

  24,030

  26,880

  31,140

  34,900

  37,660

  1 Includes only those voluntary departures taking place after the initiation of such action

  2 Data are revised

  3 1999 data are provisional

  Note:

  Data are rounded to 10
  368W
  Mrs. Roche
  The numbers of people removed or departing voluntarily from the United Kingdom under port, illegal entry or deportation procedures between 1995 and 1999 are shown in the table.

  Animal Experiments
  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what experiments took place under licence at Wickham Research Laboratories, Wickham, Hampshire, in each of the last two years; what animals were involved; and if he will make a statement; [116939]

  (2) how many applications for licences for experiments in the Wickham Research Laboratories, Wickham, Hampshire have been made in each of the last five years; and how many applications were successful. [116940]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  Section 24 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 prevents disclosure of detailed information about individual establishments licensed under the Act that has been given in confidence.

  Wickham Laboratories Ltd. has agreed to release the following information about its work. Wickham Laboratories Ltd. has applied for three project licences under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 during the last five years and currently holds three licences under the 1986 Act. The establishment undertakes mandatory safety testing of pharmaceutical and medical products. The animals used are rabbits, guinea pigs and mice.

  We are reviewing section 24 in the context of the Freedom of Information legislation.

  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many laboratory rodents were killed in each of the last four years as a result of scientific procedures; and if he will make a statement. [116715]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  Information on the number of rodents killed as a result of their use in scientific procedures is not collected centrally by the Home Office. The number of rodents used in scientific procedures is set out in Table la of the Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Great Britain published annually. Figures for 1999 are being collected now and will be published in July. Figures for the four years up to 1998 are as follows:

  Number

  1995

  2,270,097

  1996

  2,304,483

  1997

  2,248,094

  1998

  2,243,377

  These figures represent the number of rodents on which scientific procedures were started during the reporting year. Almost all of these animals would have been killed when the procedures were completed, but this would not necessarily have been in the same year.

  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many scientific procedures were started on laboratory animals in 1999–2000 and in each of the previous three years. [116718]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  The number of scientific procedures carried out by species of animal and primary purpose of procedure is set out in Table 1 of the Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Great Britain
  370W
  published annually. Figures for 1999 are not yet available and will be published in July. Those for the previous three years are as follows:

  Number

  1996

  2,716,587

  1997

  2,635,969

  1998

  2,659,662

  Prisons (Drug Free Units)
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drug free units there were in(a) men's and (b) women's prisons, and how many (i) male and (ii) female inmates there were in such units, in England and Wales on 1 February. [116827]

  Mr. Boateng
  The table shows the latest available figures for voluntary testing units sub-divided by male/female prisons.

  Voluntary testing units in prison establishments

  Prisons with unit

  Capacity

  Male

  56

  6,350

  Female

  5

  223

  Mixed—Male/Female

  2

  56

  Total

  63

  6,629

  Prisons (Segregation Units)
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is on who should adjudicate on breaches of prison rules by inmates held in a segregation unit in a prison in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement. [116828]

  Mr. Boateng
  The Prison Rules and Young Offender Institution Rules give authority to conduct adjudications to the governor of the establishment, or the controller in the case of contracted out prisons. Any governor, or controller who conducts an adjudication must have been specifically trained for the purpose.

  Speeding Fines
  Mr. Gibb
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the revenue from speeding fines (i) nationally and (ii) in each police area in(a) 1992–93, (b) 1993–94, (c) 1994–95, (d) 1995–96, (e) 1996–97, (f) 1997–98 and (g) 1998–99. [116947]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  Information on the revenue raised from speeding fines is not available.

  However, the table shows the total amount of fines ordered to be paid following conviction for speeding offences. As the majority of such offences are dealt with by the issue of a fixed penalty, the table also shows the total amount of fixed penalties ordered to be paid. The readily available information relates to the calendar years 1992 to 1997. Information for 1998 and 1999 is not yet available.

  Not all fines and fixed penalties will have been paid.
  371W

  Total amount of fines and fixed penalties ordered to be paid for speeding offences—England and Wales 1992 to 1997

  £000

  1992

  1993

  1994

  1995

  1996

  1997

  Fines

  Avon and Somerset

  532

  408

  376

  621

  479

  798

  Bedfordshire

  139

  89

  75

  89

  73

  177

  Cambridgeshire

  127

  233

  131

  135

  463

  453

  Cheshire

  175

  148

  100

  49

  99

  400

  Cleveland

  79

  48

  30

  43

  58

  51

  Cumbria

  478

  494

  245

  197

  223

  240

  Derbyshire

  251

  226

  226

  241

  317

  318

  Devon and Cornwall

  343

  258

  399

  395

  377

  496

  Dorset

  94

  115

  131

  101

  115

  95

  Durham

  90

  82

  69

  50

  41

  47

  Essex

  1,121

  965

  793

  608

  627

  644

  Gloucestershire

  284

  317

  254

  266

  304

  185

  Greater Manchester

  725

  807

  925

  1,141

  1,017

  942

  Hampshire

  693

  631

  686

  820

  778

  610

  Hertfordshire

  169

  150

  172

  243

  179

  352

  Humberside

  117

  135

  82

  105

  129

  122

  Kent

  239

  444

  491

  296

  233

  255

  Lancashire

  476

  269

  234

  268

  395

  438

  Leicestershire

  220

  329

  238

  186

  137

  152

  Lincolnshire

  264

  223

  110

  23

  164

  234

  City of London

  14

  6

  6

  17

  14

  17

  Merseyside

  128

  116

  247

  541

  331

  285

  Metropolitan Police

  1,053

  1,319

  1,254

  1,261

  1,310

  1,403

  Norfolk

  308

  191

  113

  100

  137

  193

  Northamptonshire

  146

  138

  85

  64

  22

  19

  Northumbria

  322

  282

  275

  254

  151

  216

  North Yorkshire

  197

  135

  127

  137

  170

  313

  Nottinghamshire

  52

  32

  30

  36

  49

  75

  South Yorkshire

  251

  192

  174

  211

  252

  294

  Staffordshire

  206

  195

  161

  233

  174

  387

  Suffolk

  198

  216

  154

  168

  133

  178

  Surrey

  203

  173

  131

  115

  162

  227

  Sussex

  299

  282

  333

  281

  338

  477

  Thames Valley

  532

  574

  778

  959

  981

  1,325

  Warwickshire

  214

  230

  127

  201

  200

  198

  West Mercia

  304

  453

  347

  334

  337

  382

  West Midlands

  366

  413

  407

  651

  586

  580

  West Yorkshire

  455

  422

  451

  416

  418

  499

  Wiltshire

  363

  272

  274

  261

  323

  582

  Dyfed-Powys

  69

  54

  54

  60

  90

  95

  Gwent

  108

  175

  148

  120

  258

  372

  North Wales

  211

  148

  154

  142

  166

  163

  South Wales

  81

  84

  79

  71

  95

  233

  Total

  12,697

  12,475

  11,676

  12,512

  12,904

  15,523

  Fixed penalties

  Avon and Somerset

  574

  298

  237

  211

  240

  292

  Bedfordshire

  91

  97

  99

  142

  225

  348

  Cambridgeshire

  422

  324

  221

  293

  255

  593

  Cheshire

  541

  255

  132

  165

  333

  431

  Cleveland

  286

  118

  105

  181

  158

  130

  Cumbria

  282

  287

  203

  226

  185

  195

  Derbyshire

  348

  283

  402

  469

  624

  698

  Devon and Cornwall

  344

  562

  1,037

  1,043

  1,163

  1,446

  Dorset

  378

  416

  497

  546

  399

  447

  Durham

  196

  156

  171

  167

  25

  129

  Essex

  850

  623

  911

  1,227

  902

  1,925

  Gloucestershire

  263

  162

  224

  191

  182

  250

  Greater Manchester

  1,051

  1,200

  1,261

  2,224

  1,947

  2,188

  Hampshire

  632

  795

  1,254

  1,196

  1,085

  1,098

  Hertfordshire

  162

  188

  404

  452

  474

  704

  Humberside

  307

  194

  156

  222

  365

  389

  Kent

  495

  438

  461

  500

  690

  1,148

  Lancashire

  405

  322

  318

  515

  821

  953

  Leicestershire

  226

  262

  210

  165

  184

  224

  Lincolnshire

  372

  307

  183

  295

  278

  264

  City of London

  24

  6

  25

  17

  15

  21

  Merseyside

  398

  345

  755

  748

  692

  472

  Metropolitan Police

  1,729

  1,612

  1,668

  1,876

  2,030

  1,820

  372W 373W

  Total amount of fines and fixed penalties ordered to be paid for speeding offences—England and Wales 1992 to 1997

  £000

  1992

  1993

  1994

  1995

  1996

  1997

  Norfolk

  342

  162

  150

  146

  195

  196

  Northamptonshire

  164

  92

  71

  46

  81

  149

  Northumbria

  491

  395

  350

  413

  738

  1,028

  North Yorkshire

  270

  227

  245

  250

  387

  467

  Nottinghamshire

  51

  35

  58

  70

  159

  185

  South Yorkshire

  692

  558

  649

  745

  896

  1,562

  Staffordshire

  357

  355

  496

  430

  699

  902

  Suffolk

  208

  211

  212

  295

  283

  291

  Surrey

  344

  245

  136

  266

  520

  214

  Sussex

  512

  679

  742

  514

  862

  1,005

  Thames Valley

  551

  860

  2,055

  2,003

  1,988

  2,131

  Warwickshire

  156

  106

  116

  123

  146

  74

  West Mercia

  497

  485

  486

  507

  677

  616

  West Midlands

  453

  382

  413

  445

  573

  375

  West Yorkshire

  752

  602

  530

  524

  594

  964

  Wiltshire

  465

  388

  524

  529

  434

  453

  Dyfed-Powys

  200

  187

  211

  233

  227

  268

  Gwent

  104

  136

  90

  104

  171

  211

  North Wales

  290

  252

  262

  326

  353

  366

  South Wales

  212

  182

  166

  168

  446

  889

  Total

  17,485

  15,790

  18,899

  21,207

  23,802

  28,510

  Income-related Fines
  Mr. Gibb
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment his Department has made of relevant overseas practice in relation to income-related fines. [116946]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  No research has been conducted recently into use of income-related fines overseas.

  EU Justice and Home Affairs Council
  Mr. Hood
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the outcome of the Justice and Home Affairs Council held in Brussels on 27 March; and if he will make a statement. [116833]

  Mr. Straw
  The Minister of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Mrs. Roche), represented the United Kingdom at the Council. The main matters dealt with were as follows:

  'A points'

  The list of 'A' points was agreed in full, including, among other things, the Europol Work Programme for 2000; the exchange of information in the evaluation of risks and control of new synthetic drugs; and the Council Decision concerning the better exchange of information in order to fight the use of counterfeit travel documents.

  Open Debate on the protection of victims in the European Judicial Area

  The priority being given to improving the position of victims in the European Union was welcomed wholeheartedly by the Council. The Commission's consultation paper was regarded as the basis for future work. All member states had domestic schemes to assist victims, but it was agreed that action was needed at Union level to ensure adequate protection for those who were victims abroad. The right to compensation was also discussed.
  374W
  Adoption of the Agenda

  In view of ongoing discussions between Spain and the United Kingdom, in consultation with the Government of Gibraltar, the Presidency dropped four items (Insolvency, Service of Documents, Eurodac Regulations, Mandate for a parallel Dublin Agreement with Norway and Iceland) from the meeting's agenda, since the outstanding issue on these dossiers was the question of application to Gibraltar.

  Tampere Score-Board

  There was a presentation by the Commission. The Council gave broad endorsement to the objectives, structure and deadlines set out in the Commission Score-Board, as a political, not legal, commitment. It was acknowledged that the document should be flexible, with deadlines and substance being kept under review. A revised version would be presented for review once per Presidency. Member states set out their priorities, with the next Presidency giving a detailed picture of its Presidency objectives.

  Counterfeiting the euro

  There was political agreement, subject to one member state's parliamentary scrutiny reserve. The Commission announced its intention to bring forward a supplementary instrument including provisions on co-operation, training and exchange of information.

  Draft Mutual Legal Assistance Convention

  Agreement was reached on outstanding issues except territorial scope and data protection. The draft Convention would be submitted for adoption at the May Council, following further consultation and consideration.

  Framework Decision establishing Joint Teams to conduct criminal investigators in one or more member state

  Member states remained divided as to the most appropriate means of implementing the paragraph of the Tampere conclusions calling for the establishment without delay of Joint Investigation Teams to conduct criminal investigations. The issue would be remitted back to the appropriate working group.
  375W
  The prevention and control of organised crime: a European strategy for the beginning of the new Millennium

  The text of the strategy was approved and would be published in the Official Journal in due course.

  Collective Evaluation preliminary country reports on Czech Republic and Hungary

  The Council noted the reports by the Collective Evaluation Working Group. The importance of Justice and Home Affairs matters in the enlargement exercise was stressed. Member states would assist applicant countries all they could, but it was considered important that pressure should continue to be placed on the applicant counties themselves. It was agreed that the Council Secretariat would prepare a document for the Enlargement Working Group setting out any areas of omission or weakness identified in the country reports.

  Brussels II Regulation (proposal for a Council Regulation on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in matrimonial matters and in matters of parental responsibility for joint children)

  Substantial progress was made on this item, subject to the outstanding issue of territorial scope. The United Kingdom did not lift its parliamentary reserve and in that respect the reference in the press statement by the Council reporting on the outcome of the proceedings that "political agreement" has been reached on the draft instrument was incorrect.

  Brussels I Regulation (proposal for a Council Regulation on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters)

  The Presidency gave a 'state of play' report on discussion of the draft Regulation. It was noted that the European Parliament's opinion was awaited. The Commission announced its intention to propose an amendment to Article 15 of the Regulation to make clear that it applied to distance contract only.

  Charter of Fundamental Rights

  The Presidency gave a 'state of play' report on discussions. A final draft would be prepared by June and adopted by the end of October, for submission to the European Council. Major issues such as scope, legal status and relationship with the European Court of Human Rights would be considered once agreement had been reached on the body of the text. There was no discussion.

  Commission's proposal for a European Refugee Fund

  The Presidency gave the state of play, reporting on discussion in the Strategic Committee on Immigration, Frontiers and Asylum, noting the need for the proposal to be clearer on the aims and target of the fund, on future financing and on the allocation criteria. The Commission was invited to bring forward a proposal on temporary protection as soon as possible.

  Following discussion, the Commission expressed the hope that the proposal could be adopted during the current Presidency.

  Revision of the Dublin Convention

  The Commission paper (analysing the current problems with the operation of the Dublin Convention and considering alternatives for a replacement Title IV measure) was generally welcomed. The Commission planned to consult widely. A proposal would then be made at the turn of the year.
  376W
  High Level Working Group on Asylum and Migration

  The Presidency noted that the Action Plan on Albania and the neighbouring region had now been agreed by the High Level Working Group and would go to the General Affairs Council for adoption in June. New working methods had been established to take forward the implementation of all the Action Plans.

  United Kingdom Drugs Initiative

  We provided information on the United Kingdom Initiative for European Union action to tackle drugs with the aim of achieving a drug-free enlarged Union. The Presidency asked the Committee of Permanent Representatives to remit this to the Article 36 committee to take forward.

  German Initiative on Public Contract Law

  Germany introduced its initiative for a Framework Decision to establish uniform minimum standards under criminal law for unlawful/uncompetitive behaviour in the award of public contracts.

  Relations with Mediterranean countries

  An Israeli request to increase the dialogue on judicial co-operation between the European Union and Mediterranean countries through the Barcelona process was noted by the Council.

  Asylum conference

  The Presidency confirmed that it would host a joint conference with the Commission in Portugal on 15-16 June, on asylum issues.

  Recidivism (Canada)
  Dr. Palmer
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will study the reasons for the fall in recidivism in Canada; and if he will make a statement. [116745]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  The Government are taking account of the work in North America, including Canada, in reducing recidivism when developing their own policies to reduce reconvictions of offenders. In particular, when developing the accredited offender programmes for offenders in the prison and probation services.

  Evidence on what works in reducing offending is summarised in the Home Office Research Series Number 187, 'Reducing Offending', published in 1998, in particular Chapter 8, which deals with effective interventions with offenders and references many United States of America and Canadian reports. Close contact is maintained with those working in Canada, and a recent Home Office seminar was given by Dr. James Bonta from the Canadian Department of Corrections.

  The Joint Accreditation Panel, set up in 1999 under the chairmanship of Sir Duncan Nichol to accredit offender programmes in the prison and probation services, includes several members from North America.

  Postal Voters
  Mr. Sanders
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the parliamentary constituencies ranked from highest to lowest by(a) number of postal voters and (b) postal voters as a percentage of registered electors. [116723]
  377W
  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  The lists of parliamentary constituencies ranked by the number of postal voters at the 1997 general election and postal voters as a percentage of registered electors as at the 1997 general election have been placed in the Library.

  Domestic Violence
  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he plans to introduce to combat domestic violence against women. [116944]

  Mr. Boateng
  We are taking forward the agenda for action set out in "Living without Fear: an integrated approach to tackling violence against women" which the Home Office, in conjunction with the Women's Unit, published last year.

  Most recently, in addition to the new multi-agency guidance for addressing domestic violence which we issued in early March, the Government have issued more detailed guidance specifically for Health Service professionals. Similar guidance for the police will be

  Hampshire constabulary—police numbers for 1992, 1997 and 1999

  31 March 19921

  Increase

  31 March 1997

  Increase/Decrease

  30 September 1999

  Police Officers

  3,211

  +241

  3,452

  -41

  3,411

  Constables

  2,484

  +214

  2,698

  -63

  2,635

  Special Constables

  5292

  +82

  611

  +109

  720

  1 Figures for 1992 are a pure headcount of staff numbers. From 1995 information on police numbers was collected on a full-time equivalent basis following changes to police regulations to allow the employment of part-time police officers.

  2 Information on the numbers of special constables was collected only annually. This figure is therefore for 31 December 1991.

  Oakington Detention Centre
  Mr. Lidington
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many asylum seekers and dependants are being held at Oakington Detention Centre; [117099]

  (2) how many asylum seekers have been held at Oakington Detention Centre since it opened; and in how many of those cases the initial decision on an application was made during the asylum seeker's stay at Oakington. [117248]

  Mrs. Roche
  As of midnight on 30 March, 47 asylum applicants had been detained at Oakington Reception Centre since it opened. Of these, 21 have so far received a decision on their claim while at Oakington and the remainder are at various stages of consideration. 24 applicants, but no dependants, were detained at midnight on 30 March.

  Mr. Lidington
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his policy on allowing detainees at Oakington temporarily to leave the centre. [117100]

  Mrs. Roche
  The purpose of Oakington is to deal with straightforward asylum claims in about seven days. If a decision cannot be taken within this period, the applicant will either be transferred to an ordinary detention centre or given temporary admission. As the process for consideration of the asylum claim will be very intensive, applicants will not be allowed to leave the site unless absolutely necessary, for example to attend a hospital out patient appointment.
  378W
  issued shortly. Projects on domestic violence within the violence against women initiative of the Crime Reduction Programme will be funded from June.

  Police Numbers (Hampshire)
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the change in(a) total police strength, (b) the number of police constables and (c) the number of special constables in (i) Hampshire and (ii) each division within Hampshire, between (1) 1992 and 1997 and (2) 1997 and the latest date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [117037]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  The available information is set out in the table. I understand from the Chief Constable that as a consequence of boundary changes to the Division over the years specified and because of further boundary changes being implemented from 1 April, that will make the territorial divisions more co-terminous with local authority boundaries, it is not possible to provide information on police numbers on a divisional basis which would be comparable or helpful.

  Mr. Lidington
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many detainees have been permitted temporarily to leave Oakington Detention Centre; how many have failed to return; and if he will make a statement. [117098]

  Mrs. Roche
  As of midnight on 30 March, no detainees had been released from the Oakington Reception Centre subject to a condition that they return there.

  Mr. Lidington
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers have been dispersed from Oakington Detention Centre before a decision on their case has been made; where they have dispersed to; and if he will make a statement. [117249]

  Mrs. Roche
  As of midnight on 30 March, one detainee had been released from the Oakington Reception Centre before a decision on his case had been made. This applicant was granted temporary admission to reside with relatives and was not dispersed under the interim dispersal arrangements.

  Global Cultural Diversity Congress
  Mr. Lidington
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to receive the report of the Liquidator of Global Cultural Diversity Congress Ltd; and when he expects that report to be available to members of the Commission for Racial Equality. [117250]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  The issue of reports produced as part of the liquidation process is a matter for the Liquidator.

  Rachel Nickell Murder
  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) serving and (b) retired police officers who took part in the Rachel Nickell murder inquiry (1) have had documents seized by the Metropolitan police; and if he will make a statement; [117107]

  (2) have (i) been subject to disciplinary action and (ii) been interviewed by (A) CIB and (B) SO13. [116967]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis informs me that this information is not readily available. I will write to my hon. Friend as soon as I have received it.

  Operation Nightshade
  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 16 March 2000,Official Report, column 268W, what was the purpose and cost of Operation Nightshade; and when it was completed. [116965]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis informs me that Operation Nightshade was an investigation into the activities of criminals involved with importation of drugs, the supply of firearms and money laundering. It was completed in June 1994. He also informs me that information about the cost of the Operation is not available.

  Keith Green
  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 16 March 2000,Official Report, column 269W on Mr. Keith Green, if the officer who interviewed Mr. Keith Green in the hospital wing of Brixton Prison on 16 December 1997 was the officer referred to in his answer relating to the interview of 9 December 1997; and if he will make a statement. [117014]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis informs me that the answer is yes.

  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when(a) the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis and (b) the PCA received the report of the investigating officer into the complaint of Keith Green; and what has been the cause of delay in its completion. [117017]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis informs me that the investigating officer's report was received by the Complaints Investigation Branch on 23 June 1999 and not sent to the Police Complaints Authority (PCA). The Complaints Investigation Branch wrote to the PCA on the 10 December 1999 to inform them of the decision of the Crown Prosecution Service not to proceed further with the complaint. He also informs me there was no delay in the completion of the investigation.

  Mr. Roger Crooks
  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 16 March 2000,Official Report, column 268W, for what purpose Roger Crooks was interviewed by SO13 on 24 June 1994; and if he will make a statement. [116964]
  380W
  Mr. Charles Clarke
  The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis informs me that officers of SO13 interviewed Mr. Roger Crooks on 21 June 1994 about matters that involved the supply of firearms.

  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 16 March 2000,Official Report, column 268W, on which occasions, subsequent to 24 June 1994, Roger Crooks has been interviewed by SO13; and if he will make a statement. [116963]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis tells me that there is no record that SO13 interviewed Roger Crooks after 21 June 1994.

  Detective Keith Pedder
  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department under what powers manuscripts and other documents belonging to former detective Keith Pedder were(a) seized and (b) continue to be held; and if Keith Pedder is entitled to have access to them. [117016]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  I refer to the reply I gave my hon. Friend on 16 March 2000,Official Report, column 268W. The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis tells me that the documentation forms part of an ongoing investigation and that it would not be appropriate for him to comment further at this stage.

  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will write to the hon. Member for Thurrock when the inquiry into the complaint of former detective Keith Pedder is completed. [117013]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  Yes.

  Police Complaints Process
  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 16 March 2000,Official Report, column 267W, on the CIB/Kent police investigation, what was the purpose and cost of the CIB/Kent police investigation; and when it was completed. [116966]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis informs me that the purpose was to investigate the criminal activities of persons involved in the supply of drugs. The combined cost of the Criminal Investigation Bureau/Kent investigation was in the region of £417,000. It was completed in November 1999.

  Operation Cornwall
  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the estimated cost, to date, of Operation Cornwall. [117015]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis informs me that it would be inappropriate, for operational reasons, to provide details of the costs associated with this ongoing inquiry.

  Prison Service
  Mr. Pickthall
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women are employed in the Prison Service; and what proportion this represents of the total work force. [116850]
  381W
  Mr. Boateng
  The total number of women employed in the Prison Service in England and Wales on 29 February 2000 was 11,639. This represents 26.7 per cent. of the total work force.

  DNA Samples
  Mr. Webb
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to legislate to allow DNA samples given voluntarily by members of the public in the course of a police investigation to be retained by the police provided consent has been given by the donor. [117283]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  This proposal was included in the consultation exercise on "Proposals for Revising Legislative Measures on Fingerprints, Footprints and DNA Samples", launched on 30 July 1999. We are now considering the most appropriate way to take these proposals forward.

  Metropolitan Police Vehicles
  Mr. Coaker
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Metropolitan police PFI contract for vehicle supply and maintenance; [117333]

  (2) what recent representations he has received from the Nottinghamshire police about the effectiveness of the Metropolitan police PFI contract for vehicle supply and maintenance. [117332]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  The Chairman of the Nottinghamshire Police Authority wrote to my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary on 2 March seeking information about the Metropolitan Police Service contract for the repair and maintenance of its vehicle fleet. It is for the Metropolitan police to assess the effectiveness of the contract. I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that the monitoring of repairs has shown some work not up to the required standard and that the Metropolitan police is taking a rigorous approach with the contractor in addressing those concerns.

  Firearms
  Mr. Corbett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average time taken for(a) issuing and (b) renewing firearm certificates and shotgun licences in (i) Devon and Cornwall, (ii) Avon and Somerset, (iii) South Wales, (iv) Northumberland, (v) West Midlands and (vi) Cambridgeshire; and what the figures were in each of the previous five years. [117525]

  Devon &Cornwall

  Avon & Somerset

  Northumbria

  West Midlands

  Cambridgeshire

  Police Officers

  2000

  127

  0

  3150

  2

  0

  1999

  222

  0

  25

  3

  0

  1998

  222

  0

  25

  7

  0

  1997

  222

  0

  25

  11

  0

  1996

  222

  0

  25

  12

  0

  1995

  222

  2—

  25

  12

  0

  382W
  Mr. Charles Clarke
  The information is not kept centrally, but I understand from the forces concerned that the average number of weeks taken for issuing and renewing firearm certificates and shotgun licences is given in the tables.

  Issue

  Renewal

  Firearms

  Shotguns

  Firearms

  Shotguns

  Devon and Cornwall

  10-12

  10-12

  10-12

  10-12

  Avon and Somerset

  6

  6

  8

  8

  South Wales

  8-10

  6-8

  8-10

  6-8

  Northumbria

  6-8

  6-8

  6-8

  6-8

  West Midlands

  4

  4

  4

  4

  Cambridgeshire

  5.2

  4.2

  4.6

  4.1

  1995

  1996

  1997

  1998

  1999

  Devon and Cornwall

  1—

  1—

  1—

  1—

  1—

  Avon and Somerset

  1—

  1—

  1—

  1—

  1—

  South Wales

  Firearms grant

  6-8

  6-8

  6-8

  6-8

  6-8

  Firearms renewal2

  6-8

  6-8

  6-8

  1—

  1—

  Shotgun grant

  5-7

  5-7

  5-7

  5-7

  5-7

  Shotgun renewal2

  6-8

  6-8

  6-8

  1—

  1—

  Northumbria

  Firearms grant

  6-8

  6-8

  6-8

  6-8

  6-8

  Firearms renewal3

  .5

  .5

  .5

  1—

  1—

  Shotgun grant

  6-8

  6-8

  6-8

  6-8

  6-8

  Shotgun renewal3

  .5

  .5

  .5

  1—

  1—

  West Midlands

  1—

  1—

  1—

  1—

  1—

  Cambridgeshire

  Firearms grant

  4.4

  5.4

  4

  3.8

  4.3

  Firearms renewal

  3

  5

  3.1

  1—

  1—

  Shotgun grant

  3

  4.7

  4.6

  3.4

  3.6

  Shotgun renewal

  1.7

  3.4

  2.4

  1—

  1—

  1 Not applicable

  2 Renewals by post 1-3 weeks

  3 Postal

  Note:

  Not all forces were able to provide information for the previous 5 years. There were in any event no renewals in 1998 and 1999 due to the extended life of certificates from 3-5 years.

  Mr. Corbett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) police officers and (b) civilians are involved in the administration of firearm and shotgun controls; and what the figures were in each of the previous five years in (i) Devon and Cornwall, (ii) Avon and Somerset, (iii) Northumberland, (iv) West Midlands and (v) Cambridgeshire. [117539]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  The information is not held centrally, but the information, obtained from the forces concerned, is given in the table.
  383W

  Devon & Cornwall

  Avon & Somerset

  Northumbria

  West Midlands

  Cambridgeshire

  Civilians

  2000

  147

  22

  8

  17

  9.5

  1999

  10

  19

  8

  16

  9.5

  1998

  10

  19

  8

  13

  9.5

  1997

  13

  19

  9

  12

  10.5

  1996

  13

  19

  9

  8

  10.5

  1995

  13

  11

  9

  8

  10.5

  1 Also deal with other non-firearms related inquiries as part of their duties.

  2 Supported by beat officers as needed.

  3 Specifically trained to carry out firearms inquiries as well as their other duties.

  Casinos
  Mr. Burgon
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what responses he has received to his consultation letter regarding proposals to extend the opening hours of casinos in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement. [117693]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  I published this consultation paper on 11 November 1999 and the consultation period ended on 31 January 2000. The Home Office received 2,820 responses, mostly from casino staff. 2,809 of the responses opposed the proposals. Six were neutral and five expressed support.

  Many casino staff were concerned about the impact which the proposal would have on them and their families, about the difficulties in travelling home especially for female staff in the early hours, and about more exposure to passive smoking. Some also said that management had not consulted them about the proposed change. They wanted us to regulate these employment issues by using the law rather than through employee/employer negotiations.

  The unions opposed the change. They drew attention to the lack of recognition for collective bargaining purposes in casinos and to the timing of the implementation of the union recognition provisions of the Employment Relations Act 1999.

  Some residents' associations were also worried about increased noise early in the morning and additional traffic.
  384W
  Having considered the responses very carefully, I have nevertheless concluded that we should proceed with the proposal. The issue is not the number of responses, but the strength of the argument for restricting commercial freedom. Casinos will not be obliged to adopt longer opening hours, but they will have more flexibility to meet consumer demand and increase their competitiveness. The changes will not so significantly affect the running of casinos as to require deferment pending the outcome of the independent gambling review, which is to start after Easter. The Gaming Board for Great Britain has no objections.

  The Government understand the concerns about the impact of additional operating hours on casino staff and their families or on local residents. But the Gaming Act 1968 provides a regulatory framework for gambling in the public interest and is not designed to regulate normal employer/employee relations, which is subject to employment laws and the new provisions of the Employment Relations Act 1999. We agree with the view expressed by the unions that any changes to casino hours should not be made before the union recognition provision of the Act is in force. The longer hours will not, therefore, be available until the end of July this year. In addition, it will continue to give to licensing authorities power to impose restrictions on casino hours where necessary to prevent disturbance or annoyance to the occupiers of other premises in the vicinity so that the concerns of residents can be considered.

  The Scottish Executive has consulted on a similar exercise in respect of casinos in Scotland and will report the outcome separately.

  We will place a revised Regulatory Impact Assessment in the Library when the Order is laid.

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