Written Answers of 20 April 2000

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Asylum Seekers
  Mr. Ashdown
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if Mr. Tharcisse Muvunvi and Captain Valentine Strasser have been granted asylum within the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement. [113142]

  Mrs. Roche
  [holding answer 7 March 2000]I will write to the right hon. Member shortly.

  Miss Geraldine Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers have been relocated to Morecambe in the last 12 months. [120014]

  Mrs. Roche
  Local authorities have been responsible for accommodating destitute asylum seekers in the last 12 months. Therefore, we do not know the number of asylum seekers who may have been relocated to Morecambe in the last 12 months.

  Miss Geraldine Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his policy regarding the relocation of asylum seekers to seaside resorts through(a) voluntary and (b) compulsory dispersal schemes; and if he will make a statement. [120017]

  Mrs. Roche
  The Home Office has not dispersed any asylum seekers under the voluntary dispersal arrangements. This is an arrangement between local authorities.

  Under the New Asylum Support Service arrangements, brought in on 3 April 2000, all areas of the United Kingdom will be expected to share the responsibilities of destitute asylum seekers. Those asylum seekers who are eligible for support are being dispersed on a fair and rational basis around the country. On this basis, destinations may include seaside resorts. However, it is our clear intention that no local authority should have a disproportionate share of the responsibility.

  Miss Geraldine Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what is his policy on consulting hon. Members on the relocation of asylum seekers to their constituencies; [120016]

  (2) what information is provided to hon. Members representing constituencies in the North West of England from the National Asylum Support Service and the North West Regional Consortium about proposals for relocating asylum seekers in their constituencies. [120019]

  Mrs. Roche
  A letter will shortly be sent to Members of Parliament advising of the likely cluster areas for dispersal during the first three months of the new arrangements.
  592W
  Miss Geraldine Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what plans the National Asylum Support Service has to use the Grosvenor Hotel in Morecambe to house asylum seekers; [120015]

  (2) what visits have been made by his Department's officials to Morecambe to look at potential properties to house asylum seekers. [120018]

  Mrs. Roche
  The National Asylum Support Service (NASS) has no plans to use the Grosvenor Hotel to house asylum seekers. NASS officials have not visited Morecambe to look at potential properties.

  Mr. Webb
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department by what means it is possible for a person with a well-founded fear of persecution in another country legally to enter the United Kingdom(a) when holding valid travel documents from the regime which they are fleeing and (b) in the absence of such documents. [120052]

  Mrs. Roche
  All asylum applications, irrespective of the applicant's method of entry, are considered in accordance with the criteria set out in the 1951 United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. To be recognised as a refugee, a person must be outside his or her country of nationality and have a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.

  As a matter of law, any asylum applicant who gains entry by material deception having presented a valid travel document or who enters without any documents or using false documents is an illegal entrant.

  Mr. Whittingdale
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the hon. Member for Maldon and East Chelmsford will receive a reply to his letter of 24 January to the Minister of State, the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Mrs. Roche), concerning the proposal to house asylum seekers in the Maldon district. [119963]

  Mrs. Roche
  The information necessary to provide the answer has been subject to protracted inquiries. I apologise for the delay and a reply will be sent to the hon. Member shortly.

  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the amount(a) spent, (b) claimed and (c) reimbursed to each local authority in the United Kingdom, and in total, in relation to expenditure on asylum support in each six month period since 1 April 1999; how many payments to local authorities are (i) outstanding and (ii) in dispute; and if he will make a statement. [120055]

  Mrs. Roche
  Tables showing the amount spent, claimed and reimbursed to each local authority in the United Kingdom have been placed in the Library. It is not shown in six month periods; for the first eight months from 1 April 1999 to 5 December 1999, these costs were covered by a special grant report, for the four months
  593W
  from then until 31 March 2000, the costs were covered by grant paid under the Asylum Support (Interim Provisions) Regulations 1999. These are shown separately. In each case, the amount claimed is the amount that has been paid.

  All claims received by the National Asylum Support Service so far have been paid, but all are still subject to audit.

  Miss Geraldine Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria must be met by those wishing to provide accommodation to the National Asylum Support Service. [120057]

  Mrs. Roche
  The accommodation provider will have a contract with the National Asylum Support Service. They will ensure that the accommodation is "suitable" in that it will be of an adequate standard; the relevant standard. The relevant standards are the same as those applied by local authorities when re-housing any homeless residents.

  Private Security Industry
  Mr. Caton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to implement his proposals for regulation of the private security industry. [119566]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  As we indicated in our White Paper last year, we intend to introduce legislation as soon as parliamentary time permits.

  Mr. Caton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to bring forward proposals for better regulation of private investigators. [119567]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  Our White Paper of last year, "The Government's Proposals for Regulation of the Private Security Industry in England and Wales", proposed that a new authority should be established to set and improve standards in the industry and to license those who work in the private security field. The White Paper proposed that licensing should apply to private investigators in due course.

  Custody (Vulnerable Adults)
  Mr. Boswell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what specialist training and standard

  £ million

  Planned expenditure

  Initiative

  Expended so far

  2000–01

  2001–02

  Active Community Demonstration Projects

  0.5

  1.36

  1.36

  Drug Treatment Testing Orders1

  1.75

  20

  40

  Youth Justice Pilots2

  1.3

  0.1

  n/a

  Reducing Burglary3

  12

  4

  Up to 42

  Targeted Policing3

  6.7

  15.6

  Up to 10.7

  CCTV3

  57.2

  40.98

  90

  Locks for pensioners3

  n/a

  4.5

  6.5

  1 Funding added to probation grant. Y1 figures is for pilot areas. Y2 figure is for pilot areas to continue until October when the programme will be rolled out nationally subject to ministerial decision.

  2£22 million annually has been built into local funding settlements from April 2000 onwards to resource national rollout from June 2000 of the new youth justice measures under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. This figure reflects estimates in the November 1997 White Paper and the Financial Memorandum to the Crime and Disorder Bill.

  3These initiatives are part of the Crime Reduction Programme, which has a three year budget including evaluation, development running and other overhead costs. Figures shown are what has been committed so far. Total available over three years to 2002 is £62 million for Reducing Burglary, £33 million for targeted policing, £153 for CCTV and up to £11 million for locks for pensioners (depending on take up). Figures of £4 million for targeted policing and 6 million for reducing burglary have been earmarked for evaluation.

  4 There is potential for a further £5 million spend on deferred bids.

  594W
  protocols are made available to custody officers for handling persons with learning difficulties and other vulnerable adults. [119996]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  The Codes of Practice under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 require the presence of an appropriate adult whenever a mentally disordered person (including a person with learning difficulties) is being detained or questioned.

  National Police Training (NPT) has developed a two-week training course for Custody Officers which is available for delivery by forces. The course, which includes the content of the provisions of the Codes of Practice, is regularly updated and revised. It is, however, essentially for Chief Officers to decide on the training to be undergone by their officers.

  The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) recognise the value and importance of the custody officer training package, and continue to work with NPT in promoting the use of this course by police forces.

  Regeneration-related Initiatives
  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will list the number and value of(a) bids and (b) grants made in each of the last three financial years for which figures are available, for each (i) area-based and (ii) other regeneration-related initiative for which his Department is responsible; [119796]

  (2) if he will list for each (a) area-based and (b) other regeneration-related initiative for which his Department is responsible (i) the amount budgeted and (ii) the total expended in each financial year for the planned lifetime of each initiative. [119788]

  Mr. Straw
  The Home Office is responsible for a number of initiatives which although not directly aimed at regeneration, contribute indirectly to the regeneration of deprived areas. The information requested on the sums already expended and planned budgets for the current and next financial years in respect of these initiatives is given in the table. Expenditure plans beyond March 2002 will be determined by the current spending review.
  595W
  The information requested on bids for and grants made in each of the last three financial years for each initiative, could not be collected in the time available. I will write to the hon. Member with the information shortly and place a copy of the letter in the Library.

  Prohibited Weapons
  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prohibited weapons are held by private individuals in England by permission of the Secretary of State. [119870]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  The Secretary of State's authority to possess prohibited weapons is only granted to those people who can show they have a genuine need to possess them, almost always to allow them to follow their trade or profession. Authorities are conditioned to limit holdings of prohibited firearms to the minimum number required and specify stringent security conditions under which the weapons are to be kept.

  The vast majority of authorities are held by companies who either manufacture, sell or transport such weapons or who need them for research, development or testing purposes.

  There are only five private individuals in England authorised by the Secretary of State to possess a total of 1,282 prohibited weapons. The vast majority of these are held by one person in one of the most comprehensive private collections of historic firearms in the world. The remaining firearms are held by a forensic firearms expert; a lecturer and technical consultant; the owner of a private museum; and a professional trapper of dangerous animals who is called in by the police to deal with such animals as escaped big cats.

PRIME MINISTER

  Royal Prerogative
  Mr. Baker
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the occasions in the last three months when powers under the Royal Prerogative were exercised on advice from him. [118412]

  The Prime Minister
  As Prime Minister and Minister for the Civil Service, a number of powers under the Royal Prerogative are exercised on my advice. These include a range of public appointments, the conduct of foreign affairs and defence, and the management and regulation of the Civil Service. Records are not kept of the individal occasions on which such powers are exercised.

  Regulation of Investigatory Powers Bill
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on his policy in respect of the use his Office, its agencies and public bodies will make of the powers relating to the authorised obtaining of communications data in Part I, Chapter II of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Bill once the Bill is enacted.[119505]

  The Prime Minister
  I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary on 19 April 2000,Official Report, column 509W.

  British Nuclear Fuels
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Prime Minister (1) if he will make it his policy in answering questions tabled by hon. Members to indicate in each case whether British Nuclear Fuels assisted in the preparation of the reply; [120047]

  (2) if he will list each of the (a) oral and (b) written parliamentary answers he has provided since May 1997 which were based on information provided by British Nuclear Fuels. [120049]

  The Prime Minister
  Internal advice and the source of such advice is not made public in line with exemption 2 of the "Code of Practice on Access to Government Information".

PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL

  Millennium Bug
  Mr. Gareth R. Thomas
  To ask the President of the Council if she will make a final statement on the impact of the Millennium Bug on Government Departments and Agencies. [120545]

  Mrs. Beckett
  I am pleased to report that, as I predicted in my answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Warwick and Leamington (Mr. Plaskitt) on 28 February 2000,Official Report, columns 135-36W, thanks to the hard work carried out in Government Departments and Agencies, the Leap Year date change had a negligible impact on them. Very few incidents were reported, and none of them had any impact on the public. Completed questionnaires will be placed, as usual, in the Libraries of the House and published on the internet, as had been the Government's practice throughout. This degree of openness and transparency has been one of the distinguishing features of the Year 2000 programme.

  These will be the last questionnaires. My assessment of the impact of the Bug is that is has been very slight, both for central Government and for all the essential services in the national infrastructure. As I have said before, and repeat now, this success was not a matter of chance. Many people worked long and hard to bring it about. Government and businesses will continue to be vigilant throughout the year; but there is no longer any need for systematic monitoring.

EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT

  New Deal for Schools
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when he will announce the funding available following bids under the most recent phase of the New Deal for Schools; and if he will make a statement. [118336]

  Jacqui Smith
  Allocations to local education authorities were announced on 11 April 2000.

  Pupil Behaviour
  Mr. Coaker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what new measures he will
  597W
  make available to the city academies to help ensure high standards of behaviour by pupils; and if he will make a statement. [118679]

  Jacqui Smith

  [holding answer 11 April 2000]The first City Academies to be established under the Education Act 1996 will be operating under funding arrangements agreed with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State. They are due to be set up in the autumn of 2001. Detailed arrangements for managing behaviour will be for the schools themselves to determine, but they will have access to my Department's guidance on a range of behaviour issues.

  School Sixth Forms
  Mr. Willis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the schools in England and Wales with sixth forms and the relevant LEA giving the number of pupils in year(a) 12, (b) 13 and (c) 14+ for each of the past three years and the cost per full-time student in each of these schools. [119690]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  The Department does not publish information on maintained schools with a sixth form in England at individual school level. Information held at local education authority area is contained in tables, copies of which have been placed in the Library.

  The Department is currently collecting information on sixth forms in maintained secondary schools for January 2000 and this data will be published in a statistical volume in September.

  For information on sixth forms in Wales, I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

  Special Schools
  Mr. Gerald Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many(a) maintained and (b) independent special schools there were in (a) 1970 and (b) 1999; how many children attending those schools came from broken homes; and what was the cost of the maintained special schools in both years. [119769]

  Jacqui Smith
  In 1999 there were 1,148 maintained special schools and 84 independent approved schools. Latest expenditure available for costs in relation to maintained special schools is for 1998–99 and shows a unit cost of £10,350 per pupil. We do not have comparable figures for 1970 and we do not collect information on the domestic arrangements for children who attend these schools.

  Exclusions
  Mr. Gerald Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many children in(a) primary and (b) secondary schools were excluded in (i) 1970, (ii) 1980 and (iii) 1999; and if he will estimate how many of those came from broken homes. [119768]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  The number of permanent exclusions from maintained schools (except special schools) submitting returns under the voluntary national exclusions reporting system which covered the period from April 1990 to April 1992 was 2,910 in year one and 3,833 in year two.
  598W
  Figures on permanent exclusions were first collected by my Department in January 1996 in respect of the academic year 1994–95 and have since been collected annually. Data on permanently excluded pupils' family background have not been collected. The figures currently available are shown in the following table.

  Information on permanent exclusions for the academic year 1994–95, and academic years 1995–96 to 1997–98, were also published in two separate statistical releases, entitled "Permanent Exclusions from schools in England" on the 30 September 1998 and 16 June 1999, respectively. Both releases are available in the Library.

  Provisional figures for permanent exclusions from schools in England for the academic year 1998–99 will be published in a statistical first release in May.

  Maintained primary and secondary schools: Number of permanent exclusions in each academic year

  Primary

  Secondary

  1994–951

  1,365

  9,197

  1995–96

  1,068

  10,344

  1996–97

  1,575

  10,463

  1997–98

  1,539

  10,187

  1 The number of permanent exclusions was estimated to take account of a small number of schools that did not provide any information on their permanent exclusions

  Statemented Children
  Mr. Gerald Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many children were statemented in(a) 1970, (b) 1980 and (c) 1999; and how many came from broken homes. [119767]

  Jacqui Smith
  There are no figures available for 1970 and 1980; statements of special educational needs were only introduced after the implementation of the 1981 Education Act, in 1983. In 1999, 255,584 children had statements. We do not collect information on the domestic arrangements of children who have statements.

  Standard Spending Assessments
  Mr. Sanders
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the education standard spending assessments per pupil for(a) England, (b) Devon, (c) Torbay and (d) Plymouth for the current financial year. [119855]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  The following table shows the education standard spending assessment (SSA) per pupil and the DfEE special and specific grant allocations per pupils for the areas requested for 2000–01. The special and specific grant totals includes the money for schools announced in the Budget on 21 March.

  £

  SSA per pupil

  Special/specific grants per pupil

  England

  2,782

  145

  Devon

  2,649

  160

  Torbay

  2,712

  141

  Plymouth

  2,695

  145

  Performance and Assessment
  Mr. Hilary Benn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will publish the mechanism used to calculate a school's improvement since its last inspection as reported in the Performance and Assessment report using a 7-point scale. [119920]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  PANDA (Performance and Assessment) reports are a matter for Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools, Chris Woodhead. I have asked him therefore to write to my hon. Friend and to place a copy of his letter in the Library.

  Websites
  Mr. Maclennan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what his Department's policy is on(a) advertising and (b) acknowledging company sponsorship on the websites of his Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies; which companies (i) have placed advertisements and (ii) are acknowledged as sponsors on those websites; how much revenue has been received for each financial year since 1997 from such advertisements and sponsorship; and if that revenue has been retained within the budget of his Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies. [119547]

  Mr. Wills
  [holding answer 19 April 20001]My Department follows the guidance on advertising given in the "Framework policy and guidelines for the use, management and design of public sector websites" published by the Cabinet Office, which recommend that:Government sites are permitted to carry advertising. In designing pages. Departments and agencies should ensure that advertisers' branding does not detract from the effectiveness and appearance of their own branding or that of the Government as a whole. Particular attention should be given to avoid any implication of endorsement of products or services or of contradiction between Government messages and those of advertisers.

  My Department does not currently carry advertising or receive sponsorship for its websites and as a consequence no revenue has been received or retained within the budget of the Department. That is also the position, to the best of my knowledge, in relation to the websites of my Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies.

  Local Information Availability
  Ms Oona King
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps his Department is taking to improve the availability of local labour market, learning and skills information. [120484]

  Ms Jowell
  I am pleased to announce that we are funding an increase in the sample size of the Labour Force Survey in England of approximately 40,000 households per year to improve the availability of local labour market, learning and skills data in partnership with the Office for National Statistics. This was recommended in the second report of the Skills Taskforce and, in addition, will aid in the monitoring of adult learning targets and the monitoring of equal opportunities issues at the local level.

  Teacher Training Agency
  Mr. Ben Chapman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will publish the recently completed Financial Management Survey of the Teacher Training Agency. [120483]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  In accordance with the Government's policy of conducting quinquennial reviews of all non-departmental public bodies, my Department has undertaken a review of the Teacher Training Agency. I am today publishing the results of stage two of the quinquennial review, which comprised a financial management survey of the agency.

  The survey report states that the agency has good levels of financial control and has in place effective organisation, finance and management structures and systems. The report's recommendations will help the agency to address the areas for relatively minor improvement which have been identified, and make best use of resources in taking forward its corporate objectives.

  Copies of the financial management survey report are being placed in the Library of both Houses.

  Correspondence
  Sir Brian Mawhinney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when the right hon. Member for North-West Cambridgeshire will receive a substantive response to his letter of 16 February on behalf of his constituent, Mr. Holmes. [120020]

  Mr. Wills
  A reply was issued on Wednesday 19 April 2000.

  Grant-maintained Schools
  Mr. Clappison
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many former grant maintained schools have(a) used and (b) exhausted their reserves since 1998. [120259]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  Information on the public balances held by former GM schools at the beginning and end of the 1999–2000 financial year will not be published by LEAs until 30 September 2000. Information on their private balances is not collected by local authorities or central government.

  Mr. Clappison
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many former grant-maintained schools have sought financial contributions from the parents; and how much has thereby been raised since 1998. [120260]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  Information on this is not collected by central or local government.

  School Meals
  Mr. Robert Jackson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when he plans to make regulations and issue guidelines about minimum nutritional standards in school meals; and if he will make a statement. [119465]

  Jacqui Smith
  We intend to lay regulations setting minimum nutritional standards for school lunches before the summer recess, and to make available guidance to school caterers this autumn. The regulations will come
  601W
  into effect in all maintained schools in April 2001. The standards have been developed in a practical non-prescriptive manner to ensure pupils receive good quality meals. Headteachers are now free to choose different suppliers for meals as a result of the Government's fair funding arrangements and these standards will help to ensure they are of consistent quality.

  Mr. Robert Jackson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment which foodstuffs listed in the guidelines for minimum nutritional standards in schools contain iron, zinc, selenium and protein. [119502]

  Jacqui Smith
  We intend that the regulations setting minimum nutritional standards for school lunches will set food—rather than nutrient—based standards. We shall aim for workable standards which will not contain compulsory food items. Schools and local education authorities will be required to offer options from the four main food groups.

  Supplementary guidance for caterers will offer advice and list those food items which best provide the nutrients which are particularly important in a young person's diet, such as iron.

  Mr. Robert Jackson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what measures he plans to put in place to monitor the operation of, and enforce the guidelines for, minimum nutritional standards in schools.[119501]

  Jacqui Smith
  Schools and local education authorities will be under a duty to comply with the regulations which will set out the new nutritional standards for school lunches. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will investigate any complaints that the standards are not being met and will if necessary issue a direction to ensure compliance with the statutory duties. Guidance on the regulations will include advice on monitoring of nutritional standards. Finally, the Department will be evaluating the impact of the nutritional standards over time.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  MIRAS
  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what assessment he has made of the impact of the abolition of MIRAS on unemployed people with endowment mortgages; [119966]

  (2) what plans he has to increase income support, or other state assistance, following the abolition of MIRAS, for unemployed people who are paying increased mortgage repayments as a result of mis-selling of endowment mortgages. [119965]

  Mr. Bayley
  There should not be any effect due to the loss of MIRAS. Benefit was recalculated from 6 April automatically, and customers received a notification from the Benefits Agency, informing them of the change to their benefit. An endowment mortgage does not affect the recalculation of benefit. The mortgage scheme only makes payments on the interest element of the mortgage.

  Benefit Fraud Inspectorate
  Mr. Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when the report on the Contributions Agency by the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate was published; and if he will place a copy in the Library. [119821]

  Mr. Rooker
  The BFI report on the then Contributions Agency was published in July 1999. A copy was placed in the Library and can also be found on the Department's internet site at www.dss.gov.uk/

  State Pension
  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the cost of increasing the basic state pension in line with average earnings over the next five years in(a) Scotland and (b) the UK. [119868]

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

  Estimate for Great Britain and Scotland

  £ million

  Great Britain

  Scotland

  Year

  Gross cost

  Net cost

  Gross cost

  2000–01

  350

  250

  50

  2001–02

  900

  700

  100

  2002–03

  1,650

  1,250

  150

  2003–04

  2,450

  1,900

  250

  2004–05

  3,300

  2,600

  300

  Notes:

  1. Costs are rounded to the nearest £50 million and are in 2000–01 benefit rates.

  2. Costs include benefits whose rates are linked by statute to the rate of basic Retirement Pension.

  3. Gross costs are estimated by the Government Actuary's Department. Costs net of means-tested benefit savings have been estimated using the Policy Simulation Model and PENSIM.

  4. Net costs are not available for Scotland.

  5. UK figures are not available.

  Mr. Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the average length of time that(a) male pensioners, (b) female pensioners and (c) all pensioners have drawn the basic state retirement pension at five yearly intervals since 1970. [120053]

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

  The mean and median length of time in years since reaching pensionable age for the population of pensionable age

  Men aged 65+

  Women aged 60+

  Men and Women aged 65+/60+

  Mean

  Median

  Mean

  Median

  Mean

  Median

  1970

  7.6

  6.1

  10.9

  9.5

  9.9

  8.3

  1975

  7.6

  6.2

  11.3

  10.0

  10.1

  8.6

  1980

  7.8

  6.7

  11.8

  10.8

  10.5

  9.2

  1985

  8.4

  7.4

  12.2

  11.3

  11.0

  9.8

  1990

  8.6

  7.3

  12.8

  11.4

  11.4

  10.0

  603W

  The mean and median length of time in years since reaching pensionable age for the population of pensionable age

  Men aged 65+

  Women aged 60+

  Men and Women aged 65+/60+

  Mean

  Median

  Mean

  Median

  Mean

  Median

  1995

  9.0

  7.8

  13.3

  12.3

  11.8

  10.3

  1998

  9.2

  8.1

  13.4

  12.4

  11.9

  10.6

  Notes:

  1. Estimates are supplied by the Government Actuary's Department and are based on population estimates supplied by the Office for National Statistics.

  2. Figures relate to Great Britain.

  3. Estimates are likely to overestimate average durations of State Retirement Pension claims, due to those who claim their pension after State pension age.

  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the annual cost in(a) Scotland and (b) the UK of raising the basic state pension to the level of the minimum income guarantee for (i) all pensioners, (ii) pensioners aged over 70 years and (iii) pensioners aged over 80 years. [119867]

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

  Estimates for Great Britain and Scotland of the cost of raising the basic state pension to the level of the M1G in the year 2001–02

  £ million

  All pensioners

  Pensioners over 70

  Pensioners over 80

  Great Britain

  Gross cost

  5650

  3750

  1450

  Net cost

  4500

  2850

  950

  Scotland

  Gross cost

  500

  300

  100

  Notes:

  1. Costs are rounded to the nearest to the £50 million and are 2000/1 benefit rates.

  2. Costs do not include benefits whose rates are linked to the rate of basic Retirement Pension as the question asked for the pensioner costs only.

  3. Gross costs are estimated by the Government Actuary's Department. Costs net of means-tested benefit savings have been estimated using the Policy Simulation Model.

  4. Net costs are not available for Scotland.

  5. UK figures are not available.

  Reviews, Task Forces and Advisory Groups
  Mr. Willetts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what(a) Reviews, (b) Task Forces and (c) Advisory Groups have been established by his Department since 22 February 1999; what is their membership; and what reports have (i) been published and (ii) are due to be published by (1) them and (2) other such bodies established before 22 February 1999. [119949]

  Mr. Rooker
  A table containing the information requested on Task Forces, Reviews and Advisory Groups has been placed in the Library.

  Full lists detailing Government Task Forces and Review Groups will be published every six months. The next list covering the period to the end of April will be published in due course.

  Benefits Agency
  Mr. Rooney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what performance targets he has set the Benefits Agency for 2000–01; and if he will make a statement.[120588]

  Angela Eagle
  The targets we have set BA for 2000–01 are as follows.

  They reflect our determination to reform the welfare state and to modernise the Social Security system to encourage work for those who can and provide security for those who cannot.

  They underpin the Departmental Aim and Objectives set out in our Public Service Agreement.

  Further information on BA plans for 2000–01 is contained in their business plan, which will be published on 5 May. Copies will be placed in the Library.

  Targets for 2000–01 are:

  Benefits Agency Secretary of State Targets 2000–01

  Active Customer Focused Service Delivery

  1. By March 2001 extend the scope of electronic service offered to the public, namely by providing a wider range of services available via the internet.

  2. Seek to improve key customer services, set out in Benefits Agency Customer Charter, namely by providing:

  easy access to accurate benefit information;

  accurate and timely payments; and

  effective complaints handling.

  3. Implement an action plan to establish a Performance Management Unit to reduce variations in performance within the Agency specifically, by March 2001:

  Improving the performance of the lowest performing offices;

  Improving the management information to underpin performance improvements.

  4. Continue to work with the Employment Service, Local Authorities and private and voluntary sectors in 12 locations to pilot ONE.

  5. From May 2000, introduce a take-up campaign, contacting at least two million pensioners and encouraging them to claim the pensioner Minimum Income Guarantee in order to make inroads into pensioner poverty.

  6. By October 2000, deliver a national Retirement Pensions telephone claims service.

  7. From November 2000, deliver improvements in computer produced notifications to Income Support customers.

  8. By March 2001, work with others in the Department to develop, pilot and evaluate broad based measures of consumer focus and satisfaction, so we can introduce new arrangements during 2001.

  Secure and Accurate Services

  9. Reduce by 30 per cent. losses from fraud and errors in Income Support and Jobseekers Allowance by March 2007, with at least a 10 per cent. reduction by March 2002.

  10. By March 2001, work with others in the Department to prepare the way for extending ACT as the normal method of payment in a programme starting from 2003 and concluding in 2005, so that

  a programme of customer research can be conducted;

  payment processes can be improved to better support Automated Credit Transfers.

  605W
  Investing in our People

  11. By December 2000, contribute to the reduction in public sector sickness by reducing absences by 10 per cent. from 1998 Public Service Agreement baseline levels.

  12. By 31 March 2001, work with others in the Department to develop, pilot and evaluate new ways of measuring staff perception of the organisation to improve satisfaction and motivation.

  Effective Management of Money

  13.To recover £135 million in cases where benefit has been overpaid, contributing to the Department's overall target of £175 million.

  Housing Benefit
  Mr. Salmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what the effect on housing benefit expenditure will be if social rents in(a) Scotland and (b) the UK were reduced by (i) 5 per cent. (ii) 10 per cent. and (iii) 15 per cent. [119978]

  Angela Eagle
  The information is in the table.

  Estimated savings in Housing Benefit expenditure1 for percentagereductions in social rents2 at 2000–01 prices3

  £ million

  5 per cent.

  10 per cent.

  15 per cent.

  Scotland

  40

  90

  130

  Great Britain

  420

  830

  1,240

  1 Estimates relate to gross Housing Benefit expenditure (the amounts actually paid to claimants) in respect of the current financial year 2000–01

  2 Social' rents are taken to refer to Local Authority and Registered Social Landlords

  3 Estimated results are based on a combination of information from the Family Resources Survey 1997–98, uprated to 2000–01 prices and benefit levels, along with the forecasts underlying the Departmental Report 2000.

  Notes:

  1. The information relates to Scotland and Great Britain. The Department forecasts only apply to Great Britain, therefore it has not been possible to supply corresponding data for the UK.

  2. Figures are rounded to £10 million

  Pensioners
  Mr. Willetts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many pensioners have been entitled to means-tested benefits in each of the past five years; how many are expected to be entitled to be means-tested benefits in each of the following five years; and what proportion those represent of total pensioners in each year. [119944]

  Mr. Rooker
  The information requested is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the following tables.

  Total of number of pensioner benefit units receiving and number entitled but not receiving means tested benefits in 1996–97

  Number in millions

  As percentage of all pensioner benefit units

  Income Support

  2.0 to 2.3

  26 to 29

  Housing Benefit

  1.9 to 2.1

  24 to 27

  Council Tax Benefit

  3.4 to 3.9

  43 to 50

  606W

  Total of number of pensioner benefit units receiving and number entitled but not receiving means tested benefits in 1997–98

  Number in millions

  As percentage of all pensioner benefit units

  Income Support

  2.0 to 2.3

  25 to 29

  Housing Benefit

  1.8 to 2.1

  23 to 26

  Council Tax Benefit

  3.2 to 3.8

  41 to 48

  Notes:

  1. Estimates refer to pensioners in private households, in Great Britain

  2. Self-employed pensioners are excluded from counts of benefit recipients and entitled non-recipients

  3. Pensioner benefit units here include couples where either member is over 60

  4. Estimates are presented as ranges because estimates of entitled non-recipients are in ranges.

  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the annual cost of(a) removing the means test for benefits for pensioners and (b) keeping SERPS in (i) Scotland and (ii) the UK. [119869]

  Mr. Rooker
  The cost of removing the means test for benefits for pensioners depends on what assumptions are made. The net cost of uprating the basic State Pension to the level of the Minimum Income Guarantee is around £4.5 billion, excluding the effect on linked benefits. Retaining SERPS in preference to the State Second Pension would result in a cost saving because the State Second Pension will be more generous to some 18 million low and moderate earners, carers and long-term disabled people with broken work records. Estimates apply to Great Britain. Separate costs for Scotland are not available.

  Mr. Salmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the proposed pensioners tax credit; and when it will come into force. [119971]

  Mr. Rooker
  My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in his Budget Statement, proposed that the pensioner credit should be introduced in the next Parliament.

  Mr. Webb
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer to the right hon. Member for Fylde (Mr. Jack) of 17 April 2000,Official Report, columns 401-02W, on pensions, if he will estimate his Department's expenditure on pensioners as a proportion of GDP in each year from 1979–80 to 1990–91. [120239]

  Mr. Rooker
  The information is in the table.

  Expenditure on people over 60 as a percentage of all social security benefit expenditure and as a percentage of GDP

  Expenditure as a percentage of:

  Year

  Expenditure (cash £ million)

  All expenditure

  GDP

  1979–80

  10,138

  53.99

  4.91

  1989–81

  12,134

  53.55

  5.15

  1981–82

  14,357

  51.83

  5.56

  1982–83

  16,105

  50.92

  5.70

  1983–84

  17,456

  49.41

  5.70

  1984–85

  18,496

  48.39

  5.61

  1985–86

  20,172

  48.38

  5.58

  1986–87

  21,697

  48.31

  5.58

  1987–88

  22,866

  48.97

  5.32

  1988–89

  23,652

  49.97

  4.94

  607W

  Expenditure on people over 60 as a percentage of all social security benefit expenditure and as a percentage of GDP

  Expenditure as a percentage of:

  Year

  Expenditure (cash £ million)

  All expenditure

  GDP

  1989–90

  25,715

  51.25

  4.92

  1990–91

  28,490

  50.42

  5.06

  Notes:

  1. Expenditure figures are consistent with Table 3 of the 2000 Departmental Report (Cm 4614) and earlier equivalents.

  2. Social Security benefit expenditure includes non-Departmental funded expenditure on Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit and earlier equivalents.

  Combined Pension Statement
  Mr. Willetts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will place in the Library a copy of the combined pension statement launched on 12 April, referred to in departmental press release 00/114. [119945]

  Mr. Rooker
  I have placed in the Library an example of the combined pension statement issued by the Prudential, which includes details of both state and private pension rights.

  Winter Fuel Payments
  Mr. Willetts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much it has cost to administer the winter fuel payments in each year since their introduction; and what the projected costs are for the forthcoming year. [119938]

  Angela Eagle
  The information is in the table.

  Cost to administer the winter fuel payments since their introduction

  £ million

  Year

  Cost

  1997–98

  13.7

  1998–99

  13.1

  1999–2000

  14.3

  Notes:

  1. Administration costs for 2000–01 are not yet finalised.

  2. A provisional estimate of £10.2 million was anticipated; however, this does not include publicity costs or the extra costs resulting from the ECJ ruling.

  Minimum Wage
  Mr. Salmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what the additional cost to his Department's wage bill would be(a) in Scotland and (b) the UK if the minimum wage for all age groups was raised to (i) £4, (ii) £4.20 and (iii) £4.50 per hour. [119980]

  Angela Eagle
  The information is in the table.

  The additional pay bill cost for the Department of Social Security of rises in the minimum wage

  £

  Additional costs

  Rate of minimum wage

  All DSS staff (including Scotland)

  DSS staff based in Scotland

  4.00

  2,634,176

  308,366

  4.20

  7,398,281

  869,668

  4.50

  15,260,259

  1,803,400

  Data Matching
  Mr. Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if his Department has completed checking the individual payroll items against the departmental central index; and if he will make a statement. [119860]

  Mr. Rooker
  This Department does not at present match its payroll data against the departmental central index (DCI). To do so would involve a change of conditions of service of its staff and would have implications in respect of data protection legislation.

  However, the large employers unit of the Contributions Agency, now part of the Inland Revenue, does carry out a reconciliation of National Insurance contributions paid by employees of companies against its records. In common with other large employers, this Department has been examined by this unit.

  There is no evidence of widespread benefit fraud by staff: the last payroll cleansing exercise conducted by the Contributions Agency of the Department's payroll identified only one member of staff claiming benefit using their own national insurance number.

  Company Pension Schemes
  Mr. Willetts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many pension schemes of companies that have(a) gone into liquidation and (b) otherwise ceased to exist are awaiting regulatory approval for their winding-up. [119950]

  Mr. Rooker
  There is no system of regulatory approval for pension schemes that wind-up. The Inland Revenue gives approval in respect of arrangements made by the trustees to secure the pension rights when a scheme ceases to be contracted-out of the State Earnings Related Pension Schemes (SERPS). There are about 24,000 schemes in the process of ceasing to contract out. Many of them will also be winding-up. No information is available about schemes winding up because the sponsoring employer is insolvent.

  Government Pensions Liability
  Mrs. Lait
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 21 March 2000,Official Report, columns 477-78W, on Government pensions liability, what is the Government's liability in each case in each of the years referred to as a percentage of estimated gross domestic product assuming that gross domestic product increases in real terms at (a) 1.5 per cent. per annum and (b) 2 per cent. per annum. [120066]

  Mr. Rooker
  The information is in the table.

  With real GDP growth of 1.5 per cent. per year pension expenditure is estimated to increase as a proportion of GDP between 2000–01 and 2030–31, from 4.3 per cent. to 4.7 per cent. After 2030–31 the proportion of GDP represented by pension expenditure falls, from 4.7 per cent. to 3.8 per cent. by 2050–51.

  With real GDP growth at 2.0 per cent. per year pension expenditure as a proportion of GDP follows a more general pattern of decline, from 4.3 per cent. in 2000/01 to 3.0 per cent. in 2050–51. This more general pattern of decline is wholly attributable to the faster increase in GDP.
  609W

  Government's pensions liability as a proportion of GDP assuming real growth of 1.5 per cent. per annum, 2.0 per cent. per annum in GDP

  Percentage

  Year

  Real GDP growth of 1.5 per cent.

  Real GDP growth of 2.0 per cent.

  2000–01

  4.3

  4.3

  2005–06

  4.3

  4.2

  2010–11

  4.5

  4.2

  2015–16

  4.5

  4.1

  2020–21

  4.4

  3.9

  2030–31

  4.7

  4.0

  2040–41

  4.4

  3.6

  2050–51

  3.8

  3.0

  Notes:

  1. The figures have been calculated using the following assumptions: Total pension expenditure is the sum of expenditure on SERPS, State Second Pension, and the Basic State Pension.

  SERPS expenditure is based on the assumption that State Second Pension is introduced in 2002 and so any SERPS expenditure after that date is on earlier accruals.

  SERPS expenditure does not include the effects of the Inherited SERPS scheme and accompanying deferral announced on 15 March 2000.

  State Second Pension expenditure assumes the scheme becomes flat rate from 2006 onwards, when Stakeholder pensions are established. From 2006 everyone aged under 40, and earning over £9,500 (in 1999 earnings terms) chooses to contract out of State Second Pensions. Contracting out is based on the proposals contained in the current Bill.

  Increases in contracted out rebates as a result of introducing State Second Pension and Stakeholder pensions are not included in expenditure figures.

  2. Expenditure figures are consistent with those in the Government Actuary Department's report on the Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Bill 1999.

  3. GDP for future years is estimated by taking the figure for 19992000 and uprating it. GDP figures are often subject to revision in later years, and because of the long time horizon over which projection is undertaken the effects of any error corrected in a subsequent revision will be magnified.

  Source:

  Pension costs from GAD, base GDP figure from ONS.

  Regulation of Investigatory Powers Bill
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on his policy in respect of the use his Department, its agencies and public bodies will make of the powers relating to the authorised obtaining of communications data in Part I, Chapter II of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Bill once the Bill is enacted. [119515]

  Mr. Rooker
  I refer my hon. Friend to the written answer from my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary on 19 April 2000,Official Report, column 509W.

ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS

  Lawyers
  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many lawyers are employed by his Department; and how many were employed in 1995. [117813]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  On 31 March 2000, 82 lawyers were employed by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, including its Agencies.
  610W
  It is not possible to make strict comparisons with the situation that existed prior to the formation of the Department in 1997. The organisational changes that accompanied the merger of the former Department of Environment and the Department of Transport included new responsibilities for the regions. However, on 31 March 1995 the former Department of the Environment employed 39 lawyers and the former Department of Transport obtained its legal services from the Treasury Solicitors Department, who allocated 29 lawyers for the purpose.

  The increase in legal activity over the last five years is due to a variety of factors, including additional work on legislation, human rights and devolution.

  Legal Alcohol Limit
  Mr. Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 4 April 2000,Official Report, column 430W, on alcohol limits for drivers in EU member states, what were (a) the nature and conclusions of the Council of Ministers' discussions on 28 March, concerning the Commission Communications, and (b) the Treaty Article on which any such harmonisation proposal would be based. [118840]

  Mr. Hill
  At the Transport Council meeting of 28 March 2000, the European Commission presented its recently adopted Communication on road safety. The United Kingdom strongly welcomed the Communication and other member states also responded positively. The Commission indicated that blood alcohol levels would be the subject of a Recommendation. However, the Commission pointed out that the proposal for a Directive which was first presented in 1988 remains on the table if the Council wishes to debate it. It was concluded that there should be a discussion of the Communication at the Council meeting in June.

  Any harmonisation proposal would be based on Article 75 of the Treaty of Rome which, as amended by the Maastricht Treaty, covers the competence of the Union to act in the field of road safety.

  Regional Development Agencies
  Mr. Gareth R. Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will name the board member for each regional development agency with responsibility for environmental issues.[118955]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  Members are appointed by the Secretary of State on the basis of their experience and capacity and are not allocated responsibility for particular issues. However, some RDAs, as noted, have given responsibility for environmental matters to one or more of their members.

  Agency

  Members

  East of England Development Agency

  Richard Powell

  Yorkshire Forward

  Pamela Warhurst

  North West Development Agency

  Kath Reade

  South East of England Development Agency

  Kit Oliver

  East Midlands Development Agency

  Graham Chapman

  Gill Gardiner

  Bob Middleton

  611W

  Agency

  Members

  Advantage West Midlands

  Responsibility shared across all board members

  South West of England Regional

  Responsibility shared across all board members

  One North East

  Currently under consideration

  Japan (Visit)
  Mr. Loughton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what was the(a) itinerary, (b) purpose and (c) cost of his visit to Japan.[119532]

  Mr. Prescott

  [holding answer 17 April 2000]I represented the United Kingdom at the meeting of G8 Environment Ministers from Friday 7 to Sunday 9 April in Otsu, Japan. I then travelled to Tokyo where on 10 April I had meetings with Prime Minister Mori, Foreign Minister Kono and the honorary Chairman of Toyota. I also visited the Tokyo traffic control centre and met UK and Japanese businessmen. I returned to the UK on Tuesday 11 April. All travel was in accordance with the Ministerial Code and my costs for the trip were approximately £7,500.

  Parking Charges
  Mrs. Gilroy
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what his Department's policy is on use by local authorities of the revenue generated from charges for on-street car parking to pay for heritage projects and tourist facilities; and if he will make a statement. [119998]

  Mr. Hill
  The use by local authorities of on-street parking revenue surpluses is governed by section 55 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. Briefly, this provides that local authorities may use surpluses for the provision and maintenance of off-street parking facilities but if it appears to the local authority that the provision of further off-street parking provision in their area is unnecessary or undesirable, surpluses may be used for the purpose of meeting the costs of public transport services and highway or road improvement projects. Local authorities may not therefore spend revenue from on-street car parking to pay for heritage projects and tourist facilities.

  Croydon Tramlink
  Mr. Ottaway
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the passenger projections for Croydon Tramlink. [119839]

  Mr. Hill
  This is a commercial matter for Tramtrack Croydon Ltd., the private sector consortium which holds the concession to build, operate and maintain Croydon Tramlink.

  Parliamentary Answers (BNFL)
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list each of the(a) oral and (b) written parliamentary answers
  612W
  Ministers in his Department have provided since May 1997 which were based on (a) information and (b) a draft provided by British Nuclear Fuels. [120044]

  Mr. Mullin
  Internal advice and the source of such advice is not made public in line with exemption 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

  Best Value Inspection Regime
  Mr. Waterson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list those private sector companies involved in the best value inspection regime. [119990]

  Ms Armstrong
  No private sector companies are yet involved in carrying out best value inspections. However, both the Audit Commission and some of the other Inspectorates intend to use teams which include staff with private sector experience, either on secondment or as consultants. The Audit Commission are also in discussion with a number of potential private sector providers with a view to their use on future occasions.

  Departmental Initiatives
  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the number and value of(a) bids for and (b) grants made in each of the last three financial years for which figures are available, for each (i) area-based and (ii) other regeneration-related initiative for which his Department is responsible. [119798]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  The information requested is not held centrally and could not be collected in the time available. I will write shortly with the information to the hon. Member.

  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list for each(a) area-based and (b) other regeneration-related initiative for which his Department is responsible (i) the amount budgeted and (ii) the total expended in each financial year for the planned lifetime of each initiative. [119793]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  Expenditure since 1997 and the amounts budgeted for this financial year and for 2001–02, for the area-based and other regeneration-related initiatives for which my Department is responsible are set out as follows. The level of funding for each of these initiatives beyond March 2002 is being considered in the current spending review. Information on planned budgets and the total expenditure in previous years for other regeneration programmes may be found in the departmental Annual Report.

  £ million

  (i) Amount budgeted

  2000–01

  2001–02

  Area-based initiatives

  Single Regeneration Budget

  813.8

  878.5

  New Deal for Communities

  120.7

  450.0

  Other regeneration-related initiatives

  European Regional Development Fund

  286.2

  231.2

  Coalfields Regeneration Trust

  20.6

  18.2

  613W

  £ million

  (ii) Total expenditure

  1997–98

  1998–99

  1999–20001

  Area-based initiatives

  Single Regeneration Budget

  458.8

  560.9

  679.1

  New Deal for Communities

  —

  0.2

  48.5

  Other regeneration-related initiatives

  European Regional Development fund

  191.5

  229.4

  336.2

  Coalfields Regeneration Trust

  —

  —

  1.0

  1 Provisional outturn

  Severance Payments
  Dr. Gibson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on his policy relating to monitoring severance payments made to council officials. [119859]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  The Local Government (Discretionary Payments)(Amendment) Regulations 1999 introduced provisions which require local authorities in England and Wales to formulate and publish a written statement of their policy in connection with the exercise of their discretion to pay compensation, including severance payments, under parts II, III and IV of the Local Government (Discretionary Payments) Regulations 1996.

  The 1999 regulations require each employing authority to be satisfied that their policy is workable, affordable and reasonable having regard to the foreseeable costs. In that way, elected members have direct responsibility for the decisions taken within the terms of their published policy statement and are locally and legally accountable for them to local council taxpayers and to the District Auditor.

  My Department does not monitor individual severance payments made by local authorities, nor would it be appropriate to intervene in the way such authorities exercise these statutory functions. We do, however, remain in close touch with the Audit Commission, the Employers' Organisation and other interested parties on the continuing effectiveness of these regulations.

  High Hedges
  Mr. Green
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many submissions he received in response to the consultation paper on high hedges; and if he will make a statement.[119861]

  Mr. Mullin
  We have received some 3,000 responses to this consultation, which we are currently analysing. We hope to make a statement, setting out our decisions on the way forward on this issue, and the reasons for them, by the summer.

  Rough Sleeping
  Mr. Lansley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what the Government have done to implement the findings of reports of the Social Exclusion Unit on rough sleeping.[119976]

  Ms Armstrong
  Following the publication of the Social Exclusion Unit report, the Rough Sleepers Unit was established in April 1999 to deliver the Prime 614W
  Minister's target of reducing rough sleeping by two-thirds by 2002. On 15 December 1999 the Government published their strategy on rough sleeping, "Coming in from the Cold", which set out in detail how we intend to meet the target. The Rough Sleepers Unit is working across Whitehall and beyond to implement the strategy and reduce rough sleeping.

  Water Abstraction
  Mr. Burgon
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what scope he plans for the use of economic instruments in relation to water abstraction. [120589]

  Mr. Meacher
  Within the next two weeks, my Department will publish "Economic Instruments in Relation to Water Abstraction: a consultation paper". Copies will be placed in the Library of the House on the day of publication. The paper will say that the Government take the view that economic instruments may be applied to water abstraction in the following way:

  (a) abstraction charges should remain limited to recovery of the Environment Agency's water resources management costs, but should be increased to the extent necessary to meet licence curtailment compensation costs when, but not before, these are incurred, thereby providing incentive for low-value users of water to reduce their licences voluntarily;

  (b) trading in licences should be encouraged in such a way that it delivers environmental benefits together with economic gains, within the regulatory requirements of the abstraction licensing system as it will be following the changes which the Government announced on 31 March 1999, Official Report, column 756-57, and which it will bring forward in a forthcoming Water Bill;

  (c) the Environment Agency should actively encourage abstraction licence trading with a general presumption that trading may be possible in most areas, and in particular by:

  ensuring that its licensing administrative processes operate speedily and efficiently, making full use of e-mail and other electronic means;

  clearly identifying, within its Abstraction Management Strategies, the scope for trading and any unavoidable limitations to particular types of trades;

  establishing an Internet site on which prospective buyers and sellers can record their interest in trading; and by

  requiring trading prices and other details of completed trades to be placed on the same Internet site.

  The Government will consider this view further in the light of responses to the consultation paper and will announce their firm intentions in due course.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Correspondence
  Miss Geraldine Smith
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when the hon. Member for Morecambe and Lunesdale will receive a reply to her letter to him dated 3 January regarding farming issues in Morecambe and Lunesdale. [119741]

  Ms Quin
  I replied to the letter from my hon. Friend the Member for Morecambe and Lunesdale on 19 April 2000.

WALES

  Energy Efficiency
  Mr. Brake
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what has been the percentage change compared to 1990–91 in his Department's energy efficiency in each year since 1990–91; and if he will make a statement. [118996]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State my hon. Friend the Member for Mansfield (Mr. Meale) on 22 July 1999,Official Report, columns 580-84W, which reported progress for all central government Departments to 31 March 1998.

  Figures for the Wales Office are currently included within the data for the National Assembly for Wales.

  Mr. Brake
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his Department's energy efficiency performance target, expressed as a percentage change in comparison to 1990–91, for each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement. [118997]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment on 22 March 2000,Official Report, columns 548-49W.

  Birth Certificates
  Mr. Caton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales for what purposes his Department requires a birth certificate to be furnished by(a) employees, (b) contractors,(c) those applying for employment and contracts and (d) other persons.[120310]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  My Department requires those applying for employment to provide either a birth certificate, passport, or driving licence in order to prove identity. Contractors, potential contractors, and other persons are not required to provide their birth certificates.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

  Pest Control
  Mr. Sanders
  To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee how many reports of(a) mice and (b) other vermin in the Palace of Westminster he has received in each of the last five years.[119557]

  Sir Sydney Chapman
  Reports of mice and other vermin in the last five years have been as follows:

  Year

  Mice

  Other vermin

  1995

  113

  32

  1996

  187

  34

  1997

  135

  20

  1998

  53

  30

  1999

  102

  29

  Mr. Sanders
  To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee what action is being taken to reduce the numbers of(a) mice and (b) other vermin within the Palace of Westminster. [119556]
  616W
  Sir Sydney Chapman
  A specialist pest control contractor is employed regularly to set and check bait boxes in all areas, particularly in Refreshment Department areas and other places where mice are seen. Further specialist advice is obtained from the MAFF expert. Apart from mice, the only other vermin generally found in the Palace of Westminster are insects; these are treated with insecticides appropriate to the type of pest and situation.

CABINET OFFICE

  Public Appointments
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what contracts are let with KPMG relating to public appointments. [118295]

  Marjorie Mowlam
  The information is not held centrally. However, in respect of public bodies sponsored by the Cabinet Office, no contracts are held with KPMG relating to public appointments.

  Regulation of Investigatory Powers Bill
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will make a statement on her policy in respect of the use her Department, its agencies and public bodies will make of the powers relating to the authorised obtaining of communications data in Part I, Chapter II of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Bill once the Bill is enacted. [119513]

  Marjorie Mowlam
  I refer to the answer my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary gave on 19 April 2000,Official Report, column 509W.

  Drug Action Teams
  Mr. Lansley
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what financial and logistical support the Cabinet Office has provided for Drug Action Teams. [119960]

  Mr. Ian McCartney
  Drug Action Teams (DATs) are a partnership of local agencies such as health and local authorities, police, probation and local eduction authorities. Funding for their activities is channelled for the most part through these agencies. However, they receive a grant from the Home Office Drug Prevention Advisory Service (DPAS) to fund the running costs for DATs, namely the post of the co-ordinator and administration costs. That grant is set to rise from some £5 million to some £6.7 million over this year to fund the creation of additional DATs, bringing the total up to some 150.

  DATs are supported by DPAS in partnership with the UK Anti Drugs Co-ordinator and Cabinet Office UK Anti Drugs Co-ordination Unit (UKADCU). DPAS provides the link between central government and local delivery and has nine regional offices providing advice and support to the DATs in their area in driving forward the Co-ordinator's Strategy. The Co-ordinator and staff of UKADCU also visit DATs and, in partnership with DPAS, organise conferences for DATs to discuss current and future issues.

  National Farmers Union
  Mr. Lansley
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what meetings she has had with the National Farmers Union as part of her duties as Chair of the Ministerial Group on Rural Affairs. [119937]

  Marjorie Mowlam
  None. I am currently arranging a mutually convenient date for a meeting with the President of the NFU, Ben Gill.

  Special Advisers
  Mr. Lansley
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what public speaking engagements have been undertaken by special advisers within her Department in each of the last three years. [119968]

  Marjorie Mowlam
  The UK Anti-Drugs Coordinator and his Deputy have undertaken a large number of public speaking engagements in support of the Government's strategy to combat illegal drugs.

  Other special advisers within the Cabinet Office have not undertaken any official public speaking engagements over the last three years.

  Mr. Lansley
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will list the foreign visits taken by Ministers on which they were accompanied by a special adviser since May 1997. [119933]

  Marjorie Mowlam
  Information in the form requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. 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 is currently being assembled, and will be published as soon as possible. The overall figure on spend on Ministers' travel overseas will include the cost of travel of any Special Advisers accompanying Ministers.

  Drugs (Prisons)
  Mr. Lansley
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what targets are to be set for reducing the use of drugs in prisons; and what specific measures relate to those targets. [119930]

  Mr. Ian McCartney
  My Department has agreed the following targets with the Prison Service:

  By March 2000
  Have established CARATs, (Counselling, Assessment, Referral, Advice and Throughcare) the basic treatment framework to improve the assessment, advice throughcare and support of prisoners; and put in place more and better quality treatment programmes.
  Put in place more dogs trained to detect drugs; more CCTV in visits areas; obtain better information about supply routes and availability of drugs to prisoners; and discourage families from smuggling drugs.

  By March 2002
  Ensure that the CARATs annual caseload reached 20,000; that there are 30 new prison-based rehabilitation programmes and that 5,000 prisoners per year go through treatment programmes.
  Have developed and implemented a model to assess the levels and routes of supply of drugs within prisons.
  618W
  To reduce the rate of positive tests from prison random drug tests from 20 per cent. (in 1998–99) to 16 per cent.
  The targets for March 2000 have been met through the introduction of CARATs in all prisons and twenty-one new treatment programmes. A further eight treatment programmes and four new therapeutic communities will start this year. There are 60 new passive and twelve new active drug dogs, bringing the totals to 121 and 196 respectively. CCTV is available in visits areas in 118 prisons. Improving intelligence is an ongoing task. New sanctions for visitors caught smuggling drugs were introduced in April 1999. They include a ban on the visitors concerned and the imposition of closed visits for three months.

  The Prison Service is on course to meet these targets.

  Mr. Lansley
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what meetings she has had in the last year with prison governors on the reduction of drug use in prisons. [119961]

  Mr. Ian McCartney
  None. My right hon. Friend the Minster for the Cabinet Office visited HMP Kirklevington Grange at Yarm, Cleveland, on Friday 11 February. This visit was to launch the Learning Labs initiative and to meet participants on the Prisoners' Passport project. On this occasion the prison governor was unable to be present.

  Mr. Lansley
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will give details of the financial support provided by her Department for programmes designed to reduce the use of drugs in prisons. [119959]

  Mr. Ian McCartney
  The Prison Service receives no financial support from the Cabinet Office to support its drugs strategy.

  The Prison Service received an additional £76 million from HM Treasury for the three year period 1999–2000 to 2001–02 for its drugs strategy as a result of the Comprehensive Spending Review.

  Online Services
  Mr. Lansley
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of Government services are currently available online through the internet. [119934]

  Mr. Ian McCartney
  My Department is currently preparing the spring 2000 report monitoring progress towards the targets for electronic service delivery, which will identify the information requested by the hon. Member. I will be placing the report in the Libraries of the House.

  Mr. Lansley
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will list the targets she has set concerning the online availability of Government services. [119967]

  Mr. Ian McCartney
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Basildon (Angela Smith) on 30 March 2000,Official Report, column 203W.

  People's Panel
  Mr. Lansley
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will publish the 3, 4 and 5 waves of quantitative research carried out through the People's Panel. [120009]
  619W
  Mr. Ian McCartney
  The Government are committed to publishing the results of research carried out using the People's Panel. The results of the third wave of research were published on 15 July 1999, and the fourth wave of research on 3 April 2000. On 17 January 2000 we also published the results of a re-analysis of the first three waves of research which looked at the attitudes of older people. On each occasion, publication was announced by issue of a press release and copies of summaries placed in the House Libraries and on the People's Panel website at www.servicefirst.gov.uk/index/pphome.htm.

  The fifth wave of research, examining people's satisfaction with, and expectations of, public services is currently under way. We plan to publish the results in July.

  Executive Agencies and NDPBs
  Mr. Lansley
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the timetable is for future option studies for executive agencies and NDPBs. [120008]

  Mr. Stringer
  I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Tamworth (Mr. Jenkins) on 7 March 2000,Official Report, columns 608-09W. The Executive Non-Departmental Public Bodies 1999 Report, Cm 4657, and the Executive Agencies 1999 Report, Cm 4658, which were published and laid in both Houses on that day listed the current position regarding the quinquennial review of the non-departmental public bodies and the agencies included in each report.

  Performance and Innovation Unit
  Mr. Lansley
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what meetings she has had with the Prime Minister to discuss the work of the Performance and Innovation Unit on management of cross-cutting policies. [119953]

  Marjorie Mowlam
  I have not had any meetings with the Prime Minister specifically to discuss the work of the Performance and Innovation Unit on management of cross-cutting policies, but this subject does come up from time to time in our frequent discussions across a range of subjects.

  Social Exclusion Unit
  Mr. Lansley
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what meetings she has had with the Prime Minister in the current year to discuss the work of the Social Exclusion Unit. [119956]

  Marjorie Mowlam
  I have not had any meetings with the Prime Minister in the current year specifically to discuss the work of the Social Exclusion Unit, but this subject does come up from time to time in our frequent discussions across the range of my responsibilities.

  Press Officers
  Mr. Lansley
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many times press officers have accompanied Ministers on foreign visits in each of the past three years. [119931]
  620W
  Marjorie Mowlam
  Details of press officers accompanying Ministers on foreign visits are not held centrally. I can, however, respond regarding foreign visits of Cabinet Office Ministers since May 1997.

  As Minister for the Cabinet Office I have not been accompanied by a press officer on any of my foreign visits, nor was my predecessor. Records indicate that, since May 1997, press officers have accompanied other Cabinet Office Ministers as follows: my right hon. Friend the Member for South Shields (Dr. Clark) on five occasions and my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool, Walton (Mr. Kilfoyle) on two occasions.

  Government Car Service
  Mr. Lansley
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will list gross expenditure on the Government Car Service in 1999–2000. [120058]

  Mr. Ian McCartney
  Responsibility for this matter has been delegated under the terms of the Framework Document to the Government Car and Despatch Agency. I have asked its Chief Executive, Mr. Nick Matheson, to write to the hon. Gentleman.

  Letter from Nick Matheson to Mr. Andrew Lansley, dated April 2000:
  The Minister of State. Cabinet Office has asked me in my capacity as the Chief Executive responsible for the Government Car Service to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the gross expenditure for the Agency in 1999–2000.
  The estimated gross expenditure for the Government Car Service for 1999–2000 is £7.7 million. The accounts for the full year are currently being finalised and will be audited by the NAO.

  Regulatory Impact Assessments
  Mr. Lansley
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans she has to review the operation of regulatory impact assessments. [119936]

  Mr. Stringer
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Crosby (Mrs. Curtis-Thomas) on 10 April 2000,Official Report, column 53W.

  Mr. Lansley
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many Departments have reported on their regulatory performance in departmental reports published in April 2000 in terms agreed with the Regulatory Impact Unit. [120011]

  Mr. Stringer
  All of the key regulatory Departments have published Regulatory Reporting sections in their Annual Departmental Reports. The key Departments are:

  Department of Trade and Industry. Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Treasury, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, Inland Revenue, Department of Health, Home Office, Health and Safety Executive, Department for Education and Employment, Customs and Excise.

  Social Exclusion Funds
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will introduce new arrangements for providing funds to deprived communities to tackle social exclusion that do not rely on matched funding from the communities concerned: and if she will make a statement. [119577]
  621W
  Marjorie Mowlam
  My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister launched consultation on 12 April on the Social Exclusion Unit's framework National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal. This includes analysis of the obstacles to securing funding in deprived communities and proposals to overcome them.

  In addition, this Government have already committed £800 million over 10 years to the New Deal for Communities programme which is being used to regenerate some of England's poorest neighbourhoods.

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

  Museums and Galleries (London)
  Mr. Dismore
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which national museums and galleries in London are funded by his Department. [119806]

  Mr. Alan Howarth
  The national museums and galleries in London sponsored by my Department are as follows: the British Museum; the Imperial War Museum, including its branches at the Cabinet War Rooms and HMS Belfast; the National Gallery; the National Maritime Museum, encompassing the Royal Observatory, Greenwich; the National Portrait Gallery; the Natural History Museum; the National Museum of Science and industry (the Science Museum); the Tate Gallery, encompassing Tate Britain and Tate Modern; the Victoria and Albert Museum, including its branches at the Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood and the Theatre Museum, Covent Garden and the Wallace Collection. The Royal Armouries, which has a major museum at Leeds, and the Museum of Artillery at Fort Nelson near Portsmouth, also has a site within the Tower of London.

  Regulation of Investigatory Powers Bill
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement on his policy in respect of the use his Department, its agencies and public bodies will make of the powers relating to the authorised obtaining of communications data in Part I, Chapter II of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Bill once the Bill is enacted. [119512]

  Mr. Chris Smith
  I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary on 19 April 2000,Official Report, column 509W.

  Online Services
  Mr. Robert Jackson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the services which(a) his Department and (b) the executive agencies responsible to his Department (i) provide online and (ii) expect to be deliverable online by 2002. [119445]

  Mr. Chris Smith
  My Department is currently collecting data as input into the Cabinet Office spring 2000 report on the progress towards the delivery of all Government services electronically by 2005. I do not want to pre-empt that report but I can say that we are looking very closely at the opportunities arising from electronic service delivery. My Department relaunched its website a month ago providing access to a range of departmental information and services as well as linking out to our 622W
  wider sectors who are already creating a range of exciting online services such as the 24 Hour Museum and the BTA's "VisitBritain" tourist information site. These are already proving very popular and provide an indication of how service delivery will develop over the coming years.

  This is an area that is fundamental to my Department's aims of quality, access, education and developing the creative economy, and our service delivery plans will reflect this.

  Correspondence
  Sir Brian Mawhinney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the right hon. Member for North-West Cambridgeshire will receive a substantive response to his letter of 28 January on behalf of his constituent, Mr. Aylin. [120021]

  Mr. Chris Smith
  I give my sincere apologies to the right hon. Member for North-West Cambridgeshire for the delay in responding to his letter of 28 January on behalf of his constituent, Mr. Aylin. I replied to his letter on 19 April.

  Stonehenge
  Mr. Key
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will announce the preferred developer of the Stonehenge visitor centre; and if he will make a statement. [119786]

  Mr. Alan Howarth
  A further statement will be made as soon as it is appropriate.

  Countess Road, Amesbury
  Mr. Key
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the properties in Countess Road, Amesbury(a) which have been purchased on behalf of English Heritage and (b) on which there is an option to purchase on behalf of English Heritage; and if he will make a statement. [119787]

  Mr. Alan Howarth
  English Heritage owns 18 Countess Road and a small paddock which is accessed from Countess Road and has an option to acquire land at Countess East which includes 14 and 16 Countess Road.

HEALTH

  Asylum Seekers
  Mr. Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent (i) directly and (ii) indirectly on asylum seekers in(a) 1995, (b) 1996, (c) 1997, (d) 1998 and (e) 1999; and what estimate has been made of expenditure in 2000. [119487]

  Mr. Hutton

  [holding answer 17 April 2000]The Home Office will be responding to this Question on behalf of Government as a whole, using information that we have provided to them.

  NHS Treatment Guidelines
  Mr. Gerrard
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he is taking to review the NHS guidelines for the treatment of people from abroad. The Under-Secretary of State for Health, [120003]

  Ms Stuart
  Policy on overseas visitors is kept under continuous review. New regulations were recently introduced which require the new primary care trusts to identify and charge overseas visitors where necessary and which also clarified the removal of Hong Kong from the list of countries with which we hold reciprocal healthcare agreements. (The National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Amendment Regulations 2000. SI 2000 No.602).

  In addition, we are looking at the current guidance available to hospitals and the public with a view to producing revised versions which are more user friendly.

  Medicines Control Agency
  Helen Jackson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the high level targets for the Medicines Control Agency for 2000–01. [120348]

  Yvette Cooper
  The high level targets for the Medicines Control Agency are included in its Annual Business Plan, copies of which have been placed in the Library today.

  Physical Punishment
  Mr. Brazier
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his Department's consultation document "Protecting Children, Supporting Parents", if he will list the eight countries in which there are explicit bans on physical punishment by parents, citing the documentary evidence for the existence of the ban in each country. [119817]

  Mr. Hutton
  The countries concerned are listed in the document. They are: Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Austria, Cyprus, Croatia and Latvia.

  The documentary sources are the Acts and Statutes of the relevant countries.

  Circular HSC 1999/162: LAC (99) 28
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many reports he has received from the Social Services Inspectorate about the implementation of circular HSC 1999/162: LAC (99) 28; and how many of these reports indicate that the circular is not being properly implemented. [119862]

  Mr. Hutton
  No formal reports have been received. However, the Social Services Inspectorate regularly undertakes detailed assessment of local social service authorities' performance including services for learning disabled people. In addition, a survey of the use of the Direction on Choice to which the circular refers was carried out in 1998 and this was followed up by a series of regional seminars in the summer of 1999 to disseminate the lessons learned. We are also developing a national learning disability strategy to be launched later this year which will aim to eliminate inconsistencies in service delivery.

  Regeneration Initiatives
  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will list for each(a) area-based and (b) other regeneration-related initiative for which his Department is responsible (i) the amount budgeted and (ii) the total expended in each financial year for the planned lifetime of each initiative; [119789]

  (2) if he will list the number and value of (a) bids and (b) grants made in each of the last three financial years for which figures are available, for each (i) area-based and (ii) other regeneration-related initiative for which his Department is responsible. [119795]

  Ms Stuart
  Health action zones (HAZs) are the only area-based initiative for which the Department is responsible. Most of the additional resources available to health authorities in HAZs are allocated on the basis of a NHS weighted capitation formula rather than through a bidding process. Health Authorities that are HAZs received and spent an additional £5.6 million in the first year of the initiative (1998–99) and £89.4 million in 1999–2000 (£3 million less than budgeted for). Resources for 2000–01 and beyond have yet to be finalised.

  Other initiatives classified as regeneration-related initiatives are the Healthy Schools Initiative, Personal Medical Services (PMS) Pilots and the Primary Care and Primary School Partnership pilots.

  The resources budgeted for and allocated to the Healthy Schools Initiative, which has now been rolled out across England, were £1.2 million in 1998–99 and £2.9 million in 1999–2000. £5.7 million will be available in 2000–01. No decisions have been made about resources for future years. The cost of the initiative is shared equally between the Department of Health and the Department for Education and Employment.

  PMS pilots receive a "fair share" of the resources that would have been available from the general medical services non-cash limited pool. The only additional resources they receive are for preparation costs. The preparation costs for the first two waves of PMS pilots were £2 million in 1997–98, £2 million in 1998–99 and £3 million in 1999–2000. No decisions have yet been made on a third wave.

  The Primary Care and Primary School Partnership pilots were budgeted to receive £350,000 in 1999–2000 and 2000–01. £100,000 was carried forward from 1999–2000. No decisions have yet been made about further expenditure.

  Slimming Drugs
  Mr. Gale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he intends to implement the ruling of the European Court on the reinstatement of slimming drugs proscribed by the Medicines Control Agency on 9 April. [119995]

  Ms Stuart
  The United Kingdom Licensing Authority has today rescinded the ban on the marketing of amfepramone, following the European Court's decision to suspend the European ban. Although there are no new safety concerns with this product, in the interests of public health and reassurance to patients, the urgent advice of the Committee on the Safety of Medicines has been
  625W
  sought. The European Court has not given any decision in relation to the European ban on phentermine—another anorectic substance previously on the UK market.

  PFI Projects
  Mr. Swayne
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the annual revenue cost is for each of the next 20 years of the PFI projects approved to date.[118861]

  Mr. Hutton
  The information requested is shown in the following table, and represents private finance initiative schemes which have reached financial close.

  £ million

  Financial year

  Annual revenue cost1

  2000–01

  114.67

  2001–02

  204.41

  2002–03

  268.96

  2003–04

  317.53

  2004–05

  317.01

  2005–06

  317.26

  2006–07

  314.69

  2007–08

  313.03

  2008–09

  310.92

  2009–10

  307.52

  2010–11

  305.14

  2011–12

  304.16

  2012–13

  304.20

  2013–14

  304.24

  2014–15

  303.68

  2015–16

  300.86

  2016–17

  300.24

  2017–18

  300.32

  2018–19

  300.97

  2019–20

  299.62

  1 All schemes with a capital value greater than £1 million

  Royal Commission on Long-Term Care
  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the latest estimate of the cost of full implementation of the report of the Royal Commission on Long-Term Care in(a) Scotland and (b) the UK. [119858]

  Mr. Hutton
  I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 2 December 1999,Official Report, columns 444-45. The pro rata costs for Scotland are normally estimated to be 10 per cent. of the United Kingdom total.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  St. Helena
  Dr. Marek
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will direct the Governor of St. Helena to establish a minimum wage on St. Helena. [119807]

  Mr. Battle
  The St. Helena Government is committed to reviewing the feasibility of introducing a minimum wage this financial year, against the background of a 10 per cent. increase in salaries and wages for civil servants (70 per cent. of the workforce) from 1 April 2000 and a reduction in income tax and raising of tax thresholds in the Appropriation Bill passed in March.

  Iran
  Mr. Gareth R. Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent developments there have been in the trial of the 13 Jews detained in Iran for espionage; and if he will make a statement. [120481]

  Mr. Hain
  Since my statement to the House on 11 April, we have learned that, despite earlier announcements the majority were accused of lesser charges, 10 of the 13 defendants are being tried for espionage and that the trial is being held in closed session. We continue to press our deep concern at these developments on the Iranian authorities, in consultation with our EU partners, stressing the need for a transparent and fair trial.

  Zimbabwe
  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he plans to take with respect to the granting of export licences for military materials to Zimbabwe. [119864]

  Mr. Hain
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 9 February 2000,Official Report, columns 184-85W to the hon. Member for Richmond Park (Dr. Tonge).

  We are deeply concerned by the continuing violence in Zimbabwe resulting in the death of another farmer on 18 April and the continued attacks and killings of members of the opposition. We continue to monitor developments closely. We take the internal situation into account when considering applications for licences for the export of any goods controlled for strategic reasons. All export licence applications are considered against the UK national criteria and those in the EU Code of Conduct on Arms Exports. If there is a clearly identifiable risk that the proposed export might be used for internal repression or external aggression the licence is refused.

SCOTLAND

  Works of Art
  Mr. Brake
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much has been spent on(a) the upkeep and (b) the purchase of works of art in his Department for each financial year since 1992. [117474]

  Dr. Reid
  Details relating to the Government Art Collection were given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on 4 April 2000,Official Report, column 392W.

  The costs of the upkeep and the purchase of works of art in the then Scottish Office for each financial year since 1992 are given in the table. Figures for 1999–2000 include Scottish Office expenditure up to 1 July 1999 and for the Scotland Office for the remainder of the year.

  £

  Year

  Upkeep

  Purchase

  Total

  1992–93

  0

  0

  0

  1993–94

  0

  653.65

  653.65

  1994–95

  0

  621.36

  621.36

  1995–96

  0

  92,920.27

  92,920.27

  627W

  £

  Year

  Upkeep

  Purchase

  Total

  1996–97

  0

  0

  0

  1997–98

  475.88

  0

  475.88

  1998–99

  0

  3,435.37

  3,435.37

  1999–2000

  0

  3,062.75

  3,062.75

  Expenditure in 1995–96 includes costs relating to the completion of the new Scottish Office headquarters building at Victoria Quay, Edinburgh. These items totalled £73,927.00.

  Energy Efficiency
  Mr. Brake
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the percentage change compared to 1990–91 in his Department's energy efficiency in each year since 1990–91; and if he will make a statement. [119000]

  Dr. Reid
  Information from the former Scottish Office is only available from 1991–92. Details of the percentage change in energy consumption from that date are:

  Year

  Percentage change

  1991–92

  0

  1992–93

  +6

  1993–94

  +8

  1994–95

  +13

  1995–96

  +19

  1996–97

  +13

  1997–98

  +4

  1998–99

  -4

  1999–2000

  1-10

  1 Estimated

  The percentage change figures indicate that, until 1996, energy consumption was increasing. This was largely because the period in question coincided with the rapid expansion of information technology and, in particular, the growth of desktop computing and associated equipment. Since then, significant improvements have been made.

  These figures do not include the Scottish Prisons Service and the Scottish Courts Service.

  Mr. Brake
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his Department's energy efficiency performance target, expressed as a percentage change in comparison to 1990–91, for each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement.[119001]

  Dr. Reid
  My Department took on its present form on 1 July 1999, following devolution in Scotland. We have not yet set energy efficiency targets for the next five years but any targets set will be in line with the Government's environment and climate change commitments.

  Regulation of Investigatory Powers Bill
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on his policy in respect of the use his Department, its agencies and public bodies will make of the powers relating to the authorised obtaining of communications data in Part I, Chapter II of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Bill once the Bill is enacted. [119519]
  628W
  Dr. Reid
  I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to him by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary on 19 April 2000,Official Report, column 509W.

  Prohibited Weapons
  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many prohibited weapons are held by private individuals in Scotland by the permission of the Secretary of State.[119871]

  Dr. Reid
  No prohibited weapons are currently held by private individuals in Scotland by the permission that was previously granted by the Secretary of State and is now granted by Scottish Ministers.

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

  Regulation of Investigatory Powers Bill
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement on his policy in respect of the use his Department, its agencies and public bodies will make of the powers relating to the authorised obtaining of communications data in Part I, Chapter II of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Bill once the Bill is enacted. [119509]

  Jane Kennedy
  I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to him on 19 April 2000,Official Report, column 509W, by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary.

  Legal Aid
  Mr. Hunter
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what assessment he has made of the potential for conflict of interest when legal aid managers award legal aid to clients of solicitors' firms in which their spouses are partners. [119698]

  Mr. Lock
  Before the establishment of the Legal Services Commission on 1 April 2000, the Legal Aid Board was responsible for granting applications for legal aid. In 1998, the Board introduced a Code of Conduct for its staff. All key members of staff were required to ensure that any possible conflicts of interest were identified at an early stage and that appropriate action was taken to resolve them.

  The requirements under the Staff Code of Conduct continue to apply to all staff of the Legal Services Commission, which is the successor to the Legal Aid Board. Where a conflict of interest is reported, the Senior Manager will make arrangements to ensure that the staff member concerned is not involved in any decision relating to the award or management of legal aid, or funding under the Access to Justice Act 1999, to the firm or organisation in which he or she has an interest.

  Mr. Hunter
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what has been the total cost of(a) civil and (b) criminal legal aid in Northern Ireland in each year since 1990. [119696]

  Mr. Lock
  Net expenditure in relation to civil legal aid, advice by way of representation, legal advice and assistance and criminal legal aid in Northern Ireland since 1990–91 is as follows:
  629W

  £ million

  Civil

  ABWOR

  LAA

  Criminal

  Total

  1990–91

  2.89

  1.30

  2.20

  5.80

  12.19

  1991–92

  3.45

  1.37

  2.83

  7.17

  14.82

  1992–93

  3.73

  1.64

  4.93

  9.61

  19.91

  1993–94

  3.62

  1.49

  5.21

  6.68

  17.00

  1994–95

  4.38

  1.29

  4.67

  9.59

  19.93

  1995–96

  4.64

  1.28

  5.68

  14.18

  25.78

  1996–97

  5.68

  1.46

  4.60

  14.33

  26.07

  1997–98

  5.75

  1.87

  3.68

  17.55

  28.85

  1998–99

  6.47

  1.45

  6.24

  15.93

  30.09

  Mr. Hunter
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the firms of solicitors in Northern Ireland with clients who have received(a) civil and (b) criminal legal aid each year since 1990; and how much (i) civil and (ii) criminal legal aid they received. [119697]

  Mr. Lock
  The administration of the legal aid scheme in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Law Society of Northern Ireland under the Legal Aid, Advice and Assistance (Northern Ireland) Order 1981. This function is exercised through the Legal Aid Committee which is a Committee of the Council of the Law Society of Northern Ireland and the Legal Aid Department which is a Department of the Law Society. The Legal Aid Department is also responsible for the administration of criminal legal aid on the Lord Chancellor's behalf.

  The number of firms of solicitors in Northern Ireland with clients who have received civil legal aid since 1997, excluding advice by way of representation and legal advice and assistance, is 484. For the same period the number of firms of solicitors in Northern Ireland with clients who have received criminal legal aid is 452. Copies of the lists have been laid in the Library of the House of Commons.

  The amounts received by these firms of solicitors for civil legal aid and criminal legal aid in 1997–98 and 1998–99 were as follows:

  £ million

  Civil

  Criminal

  1997–98

  2.99

  8.10

  1998–99

  3.37

  6.71

  A breakdown of the amount paid to each firm in each year since 1990 could only be determined by undertaking a vast amount of work on the Legal Aid Department's former and now obsolete computer, checking manual records and extracting information of part of a year for the new computer system, which is currently being installed. This work would disrupt the implementation of the new computer system and divert staff from their tasks of processing legal aid applications. Accordingly the information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Mediation and Reconciliation
  Mr. Gerald Howarth
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how much was 630W
  spent by governmental departments in (a) 1970, (b) 1980 and (c) 1999 on mediation and reconciliation schemes to support marriages. [119766]

  Jane Kennedy
  The figures for 1970 and 1980 are not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. In the financial year 1999–2000 the Lord Chancellor's Department spent £3.2 million on marriage and relationship support. In line with Sir Graham Hart's recommendations in his report on Marriage Support Funding (November 1999), the allocation is being increased to £4 million in 2000–01; £4.5 million in 2002–02; and to £5 million in 2002–03.

  Divorce Cases
  Mr. Gerald Howarth
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what proportion of the Legal Aid Fund was spent on divorce cases in(a) 1970, (b) 1980 and (c) 1999; and how much was spent in each of those years in 1999 prices. [119764]

  Mr. Lock
  Legal Aid is not normally available for divorce proceedings. It is available however for matters ancillary to divorce, such as spousal maintenance and property issues, and for residence and contact matters relating to children.

  In 1979–80 and 1998–99, expenditure on all proceedings relating to divorce and ancillary matters represented 30 per cent. and 18 per cent. of the total Legal Aid Fund respectively.

  At 1999 prices, the amounts spent on matrimonial proceedings were:

  1999: £175.5 million

  1980: £65.0 million

  Comparable figures for the year 1969–70 are not available.

  Libel Actions (Financial Backers)
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department in how many failed libel actions brought since 1995 the litigant has refused to disclose to the court the identities of those who helped finance the action so that costs could be recovered; what steps the court took in each case; and if he will make a statement. [120002]

  Mr. Lock
  The Lord Chancellor's Department does not keep statistics of libel cases which fail and in which the litigant has refused to disclose to the court the source of those who helped to finance the action. It is not possible to keep records of the costs outcomes of libel cases because many cases do not reach trial but are settled by agreement. In settled cases the court will not be privy to the arrangement on costs.

  The question of financial support for defamation proceedings will be addressed in a consultation paper to be issued by my Department in the near future.

  Public Records
  Mr. Bercow
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement on
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  progress made since March 1999 on allowing access to documents over 30 years old to which s.3(4) of the Public Records Act 1958 applies. [119835]

  Mr. Lock
  It is now normal procedure, when government departments and agencies make applications for the Lord Chancellor's permission to retain records over 30 years old, for officers of the Public Record Office to encourage them to allow public access. Such applications are further scrutinised by the Lord Chancellor's Advisory Council on Public Records. The Advisory Council may request access for the public as a condition of an application proceeding to receive the Lord Chancellor's approval.

  As a result, the public will be granted access to the great majority of the records retained under s.3(4) since March 1999. The commonest reason for access to be refused is that the retained records remain sensitive. In such cases access would undermine the reason for retention.

  Judicial Appointments
  Mr. Dismore
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what assessment he has made of the implications for judicial appointment procedures in England and Wales of the proposals for judicial appointments commissions for Scotland and for Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [119803]

  Jane Kennedy
  The Lord Chancellor is aware of the proposals for Scotland and Northern Ireland. He has decided to appoint a Commissioner for Judicial Appointments in England and Wales as recommended by Sir Leonard Peach following his scrutiny of the appointments procedures and to take forward his other recommendations for change. The Commissioner, as recommended by Sir Leonard, will give the Lord Chancellor independent and impartial advice on the full range of appointments matters. Further reform is not ruled out for the future, but not immediately planned, now that the existing system has been investigated and endorsed subject to certain changes which will be implemented and evaluated.

  Queen's Counsel
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many Queen's Counsel are from ethnic minority communities, broken down between(a) men and (b) women. [120082]

  Mr. Lock
  The information is not available in the form requested.

  Before 1989, applicants for appointment as Queen's Counsel were not invited to declare their ethnic origin. Since that year, applicants have been invited to declare their ethnic origin, but they are not obliged to do so. There is, therefore, no definitive record of the number of Queen's Counsel of ethnic minority origin.

  Sine 1989 (and including this year), 22 applicants who chose to declare an ethnic minority origin have been appointed as Queen's Counsel; of these, 19 are men and 3 are women.
  632W
  Mr. Dismore
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many of the Queen's Counsel to be appointed on Maundy Thursday are(a) women, (b) from ethnic minority backgrounds, (c) solicitors and (d) (i) below the age of 45 and (ii) above the age of 60 years; and what was the (A) highest, (B) lowest, (C) average and (D) mean declared fee income of (x) successful and (y) unsuccessful candidates. [119819]

  Mr. Lock
  The Lord Chancellor's Department's press notice number 134/00, issued for publication on Maundy Thursday, announces the names of those to be appointed Queen's Counsel on Wednesday 3 May, and I refer my hon. Friend to that notice.

  That press notice includes, as it has in previous years, statistical information on the numbers of female, ethnic minority and solicitor applicants and successful applicants. Following a recommendation in Sir Leonard Peach's report into the appointment processes of judges and Queen's Counsel, it also includes for the first time a table indicating the averages and quartile distributions of the average declared fees for all applicants, unsuccessful applicants and successful applicants.

  The additional information requested by my hon. Friend is that 41 of the successful applicants are under 45; and none is over 60 years of age.

  Regeneration-related Initiatives
  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the number and value of(a) bids for and (b) grants made in each of the last three financial years for which figures are available, for each (i) area-based and (ii) other regeneration-related initiative for which his Department is responsible. [119797]

  Mr. Lock
  This Department has not received any bids or made grants for area-based or other regeneration-related initiatives in any of the last three financial years.

TREASURY

  Married Couple's Allowance
  Mr. Swinney
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the number of households which will lose entitlement to married couple's allowance in 2001–02 who will not become entitled to the children's tax credit; and what(a) the average loss per household will be in such cases and (b) the total saving will be for the Treasury from this group. [116577]

  Dawn Primarolo

  [holding answer 28 March 2000]We are replacing the married couple's allowance with the children's tax credit, which is worth more than twice as much and is better targeted on the families who most need support—those with growing children. As a result of the measures we have taken, including the introduction of the Working Families Tax Credit and record increases in Child Benefit, families with children will be on average £850 a year better off from April 2001. Estimates of the
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  total expected cost and yield of the abolition of MCA and the introduction of children's tax credit have been published in Table A2.1 of the FSBR.

  Tobacco Taxation
  Mr. Field
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what amount of money he estimates the increased tobacco taxation will raise for expenditure on the NHS; and if the expenditure projections for the NHS will be sustained irrespective of the yield from tobacco taxation. [117036]

  Mr. Andrew Smith
  The projected exchequer yield from the increased tobacco duty of £235 million in the full year, as set out in Table A 13 in the FSBR, is taken into account in the commitment of the extra £2 billion to the NHS in 2000–01, which we are guaranteeing to meet.

  Regulation of Investigatory Powers Bill
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on his policy in respect of the use his Department, its agencies and public bodies will make of the powers relating to the authorised obtaining of communications data in Part I, Chapter II of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Bill once the Bill is enacted. [119507]

  Dawn Primarolo
  I refer to my hon. Friend to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary on 19 April 2000,Official Report, column 509W.

  Comprehensive Spending Review
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Departments have submitted environmental appraisals with their draft public service agreements for the second comprehensive spending review; and if he will make a statement. [118859]

  Mr. Andrew Smith

  [holding answer 17 April 2000]It was a requirement that the analysis submitted by all Departments to inform the spending review include consideration of the impact of their proposals and programmes on sustainable development.

  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the objectives of the second comprehensive spending review. [118860]

  Mr. Andrew Smith

  [holding answer 17 April 2000]: The aim of the 2000 spending review is to determine how best Departments' programmes can contribute to the achievement of the Government's objectives, in particular their aims of:

  opportunity for everyone to fulfil their potential through education and employment:

  a fair and inclusive society in which communities are healthy and secure;

  higher productivity, sustainable growth and effective co-operation with our European and international partners.

  The review will entail a rigorous scrutiny of Departments' performance in delivering effective and responsive services, improving efficiency and managing assets and other resources. It will also consider a range of issues which cross departmental boundaries.
  634W
  The review will set new departmental spending plans within the firm overall limits for public spending announced in the Budget.

  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many representations his Department received in relation to this year's comprehensive spending review before 31 March; and if he will continue to accept representations from both public and private sector bodies. [119584]

  Mr. Andrew Smith
  No formal count is made, but the Treasury had received a number of representations in relation to the 2000 spending review by 31 March. Treasury Ministers will continue to accept representations from both public and private bodies while the review continues, either directly or through our colleagues in other Departments.

  Minimum Wage
  Mr. Salmond
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the additional cost to his Department's salary bill if the minimum wage for all age groups was raised to(a) £4, (b) £4.20 and (c) £4.50 an hour. [119973]

  Mr. Andrew Smith
  There would be no additional cost to the Treasury's salary bill under any of the scenarios.

  Mr. Salmond
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the additional personal tax revenue if the minimum wage was set for all age groups at(a) £4, (b) £4.20 and (c) £4.50 per hour in (i) Scotland and (ii) the UK. [119972]

  Dawn Primarolo
  It is not possible to estimate the potential impact of raising the minimum wage on the labour market, so an accurate costing is not possible.

  Inflation Figures
  Sir Brian Mawhinney
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what basis he has estimated that the inflation rate will be 3.4 per cent. in September 2000. [119994]

  Mr. Andrew Smith
  The basis for the projection that inflation will be 3.4 per cent. in September 2000 is set out in appendix Al of the Financial Statement and Budget Report.

  Sir Brian Mawhinney
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reasons the inflation rate he has assumed for September 2000 differs from the target inflation rate he has set for the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England. [119993]

  Mr. Andrew Smith
  The forecast of inflation in September 2000 referred to in the Budget is a forecast of the annual increase in the retail prices index (BPI), whereas the target inflation rate for the Monetary Policy Committee is the annual increase in retail prices excluding mortgage interest payments (RPIX).

  Working Families Tax Credit
  Mr. Willetts
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much of the forecast additional spending on Working Families Tax Credit will be spent on recipients who would
  635W
  have (a) been entitled and (b) not been entitled to Family Credit in (i) 1999–2000, (ii) 2000–01 and (ii) 2001–02. [119947]

  Dawn Primarolo
  Figures for the projected expenditure on the Working Families Tax Credit (WFTC) and Disabled Person's Tax Credit are given in Table C12 of the March 2000 Financial Statement and Budget Report. In 1998–99, the last full year for Family Credit and Disability Working Allowance, the outturn expenditure on these was £2.6 billion.

  Mr. Willetts
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been spent to date on the childcare tax credit of the Working Families Tax Credit; and what is his latest estimate of expenditure in(a) this financial year and (b) in each of the next two financial years. [108761]

  Dawn Primarolo
  [pursuant to her reply, 10 March 2000, c. 852W]The extra amounts of Working Families Tax Credit arising from the childcare tax credit in awards made by the end of January 2000 will result in expenditure of about £60 million during the 26-week period of award. It is estimated that for 2000–01, the first full year of the credit, the extra expenditure due to the childcare tax credits will be about £200 million. I very much regret that the figures given in my earlier reply were based on the average amounts of eligible child care costs, rather than the average extra award received as a result of the childcare tax credit.

  Mr. Willetts
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many parents are claiming the childcare tax credit in respect of children(a) aged under eight years and (b) over eight years; and what is the average payment per (i) family and (ii) child. [108760]

  Dawn Primarolo

  [pursuant to her reply, 10 March 2000, c. 853W]Families in receipt of the childcare tax credit received on average an extra £31 per week as a result of this credit, or £25 per week per child receiving the child care. I very much regret that the figures given in my earlier reply were the average amounts of eligible child care costs.

  Mr. Willetts
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many calls have been made to the WFTC helpline in each month since it was established. [119946]

  Dawn Primarolo
  Monthly figures on the number of calls handled by working families' tax credit helpline and response line are given in the table:

  Month

  Helpline1

  Response Line2

  September3

  389,300

  316,800

  October

  449,300

  322,700

  November

  384,900

  141,500

  December

  242,400

  42,900

  January

  406,800

  15,400

  February

  387,400

  —

  March

  502,800

  —

  1 The helpline has been in operation since the campaign launch of WFTC on the 8 September 1999.

  2 The response line has only been in operation during the first advertising campaign.

  3 The helpline and the response line were made operational on the 8 September 1999.

  Combined Heat and Power Plant
  Mr. Lansley
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action has been taken as a result of the study by property advisers to the Civil Estate concerning the case for installation of a combined heat and power plant for central Government Departments. [120024]

  Mr. Timms
  A combined heat and power plant was installed in 1997–98 as part of the replacement of the central plant of the Whitehall district heating system. Generation of electricity commenced in July 1998.

  Debt Relief
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which aspects of the Cologne G7 Summit agreement on debt relief have not been implemented by(a) the IMF, (b) the World bank and (c) individual countries. [118982]

  Mr. Timms
  The World bank, the IMF and all individual creditor countries signed up to implementation of the enhanced HIPC Initiative at the IMF/World bank annual meetings last September.

  Some individual countries, including the UK, have now gone further than last September's agreement, by committing to provide 100 per cent. relief on the commercial debts of countries qualifying under the HIPC initiative. The UK Government welcome these developments as a further step along the road to providing faster, wider and deeper debt relief, and encourages other countries to follow suit.

  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made on establishing the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Trust Fund; and what contributions have been made by(a) national and (b) international donors. [118983]

  Mr. Timms
  The HIPC Trust Fund was set up last year to assist multilateral creditors meet the cost falling to them from the enhanced HIPC framework.

  The total amounts pledged and contributed to the Trust Fund are equal to roughly $2.4 billion. (Australia has pledged $12 million; Austria $19 million; Belgium $40 million; Canada $104 million; Denmark $42 million; Finland $25 million; France $199 million; Germany $252 million; Greece $10 million; Ireland $20 million; Italy $162 million; Japan $200 million; Luxembourg $3 million; Netherlands $169 million; Norway $41 million; Portugal $22 million; Spain $128 million; Sweden $49 million; Switzerland $28 million; United Kingdom $359 million; US $600 million.)

  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) which countries have already received debt relief through the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries 2 programme; how much they have received; what progress is being made to relieve debt; and when the debt relief will be received; [118981]

  (2) what proposals he has for improving the speed and performance of the IMF implementation process of the heavily indebted poor countries initiatives. [118984]

  Mr. Timms
  Bolivia, Mauritania, Uganda, Tanzania and Mozambique have all reached their decision points under the enhanced HIPC initiative and are receiving debt relief. Bolivia will receive over $2 billion in relief: a
  637W
  30 per cent. reduction in the net present value of its debt (additional to the relief already granted under the first HIPC initiative); Mauritania will receive $1.2 billion debt relief: a 50 per cent. reduction; Uganda $4.4 billion, or a 72 per cent. reduction; Tanzania $3 billion, or a reduction of 54 per cent.; and Mozambique £2 billion in debt relief, or a 40 per cent. reduction.

  The UK was disappointed that, to date, only these five countries have started to receive relief under the enhanced HIPC initiative. In Washington, at the spring meetings of the IMF and World bank, shareholders re-affirmed their wish to see countries coming forward to decision point quickly.

  The Chancellor and the Secretary of State for International Development recently wrote to the Acting Managing Director of the IMF and Chairman of the World bank, setting out their concerns over progress and urging them to consider the introduction of a HIPC Implementation Unit. The UK therefore welcomed the announcement by the Bank and Fund that they will be setting up a joint committee on HIPC implementation, as well as providing monthly briefing sessions to both Boards on the progress of individual countries under the initiative.

  National Insurance
  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the additional revenue to the UK from(a) raising the ceiling on national insurance for employers to £1,000 a week and (b) charging national insurance at a rate of 5 per cent. for earnings over this level. [119969]

  Dawn Primarolo
  There is no ceiling for employer national insurance contributions.

  UK Debt Management Office
  Barbara Follett
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will publish the UK Debt Management Office's targets for 2000–01. [120349]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  The DMO's targets for 2000–01 are set out as follows, together with the outturn against the equivalent targets for 1999–2000. The range of targets has been extended somewhat to reflect the taking over of responsibility by the DMO for Exchequer cash management on 3 April 2000. The DMO is today also publishing its Business Plan for 2000–01. Copies will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

  Targets for the Debt Management Office 2000–01

  1. To ensure full compliance with the Government's remit for the DMO as set out in the Debt Management Report, within the tolerances and subject to the review triggers notified separately to the Office and consistently with the objectives of monetary policy. [Target fully met in 1999–2000]

  2. To ensure that the maximum time taken to issue the results of gilt auctions and structured Treasury Bill tenders does not exceed 40 minutes while achieving complete accuracy. [Target met in 1999–2000, with the exception of the auction in May 1999 when there was an unusually high number of bids]

  3. To ensure that the maximum time taken to issue the results of ad hoc Treasury Bill or other tenders does not exceed 15 minutes. [New target]

  4. To achieve complete accuracy, within agreed accounting tolerances, in the recording and reporting of transactions through the Debt Management Account, and in delivering
  638W
  money (and reconciling payments) to the NLF. [The DMA came into operation in November 1999 since when the targeted requirements have been met]

  5. To acknowledge all letters and e-mail inquiries from the public within eight working days and for at least 95 per cent. to be sent a substantive reply within three weeks. [Equivalent target in 1999–2000 fully met]

  6. To achieve less than 10 breaches of the Operational Market Notices (excluding any breaches that the Treasury accept were beyond control of the Office). [There was one breach of the gilts Operational Notice in 1999–2000]

  7. To ensure that the qualifications that the NAO have made in respect of the GOOA are satisfactorily addressed in the running and presentation of the DMA. [See target 4—The first DMA accounts will not be available until 2001–02]

  8. To ensure that the statutory constraint on DMO market borrowing (not to exceed its deposits with the NLF and Bank of England) is always met. [New target]

  9. To ensure that, where there is a late change in the forecast, any necessary use of end of day borrowing or lending facilities is notified by the due time. [New target]

  10. To achieve a minimum of 99 per cent. (by value) successful settlement of agreed trades on the due date. [New target]

  11. To achieve a minimum of 99 per cent. (by value) successful settlement of agreed trades on the due date. [New target]

  Central Government Audit
  Barbara Follett
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made in taking forward the review of central Government audit announced by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 28 February. [120482]

  Mr. Andrew Smith
  I am pleased to announce that Lord Sharman, a former senior partner at KPMG International, has agreed to lead this review. Lord Sharman will report to (as well as being a member of) a Steering Group chaired by the Chief Secretary. Arrangements are being made to provide him with appropriate support. The full membership of the Steering Group will be announced in due course.

  Fuel Duty
  Sir Brian Mawhinney
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reason he raised fuel duty by 3.4 per cent. in his recent budget. [119992]

  Mr. Timms
  I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Angus (Mr. Welsh) on 5 April 2000,Official Report, column 497W.

  Departmental Running Costs
  Mr. Lansley
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the increase in the overall running costs of Government departments. [119962]

  Mr. Andrew Smith
  The recently published figures for the running costs of Government Departments show that the final spend for 1998–99, the latest year for which final data are available, is £110 million less in cash terms than the previously published estimated outturn for that year.

  Spending plans published by the previous Administration were higher overall for the three years 1997–98 to 1999–2000 than this Government have achieved.
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  In real terms, administrative expenditure totalled £15,014 million in 1994–95, £14,737 million in 1995–96 and £14,323 million in 1996–97. This Government spent £13,725 million in 1997–98 and £14,003 million in 1998–99—the last year for which final figures are available.

DEFENCE

  Royal Fleet Auxiliary
  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) when he will let the contracts for the two new Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships; what is his estimate of the cost of the contracts; and if he will make a statement; [118061]

  (2) which British yards have tendered for the contract to build (a) one and (b) both of the new Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships; and if he will make a statement. [118058]

  Dr. Moonie
  This is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Defence Procurement Agency. I have asked the Chief Executive to write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from Robert Warmsley to Mr. Mike Hancock, dated 20 April 2000:
  I am replying to your questions to the Secretary of State for Defence about the procurement of two new Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships. I assume that you are referring to the Alternative Landing Ships Logistic (ALSL) Programme. This matter falls within my area of responsibility as Chief of Defence Procurement and Chief Executive of Defence Procurement Agency.
  Five UK shipyards have expressed an interest in the ALSL project and each is being invited to tender for their design and build. The five companies are:

  Appledore Shipbuilders Ltd.

  BAE SYSTEMS Marine Ltd.

  Cammell Laird Shipyard

  Harland and Wolff Shipbuilding and Heavy Industries Ltd.

  Swan Hunter (Tyneside) Ltd.

  The contract will be awarded to the shipyard that offers the best whole life value for money.
  An invitation to tender (ITT) was issued on 14 April. Contract placement for the design and build of two new ALSLs is planned to occur in late 2000. The estimated cost for the construction of the two vessels is £138M.

  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what foreign yards his Department has contacted with regard to the construction of the two new Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships; and if he will make a statement. [118660]

  Dr. Moonie
  This is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Defence Procurement Agency. I have asked the Chief Executive to write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from Robert Warmsley to Mr. Mike Hancock, dated 20 April 2000:
  I am replying to your question to the Secretary of State for Defence about the procurement of two new Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships. I assume that you are referring to the Alternative Landing Ships Logistic (ALSLs) Programme. This matter falls within my area of responsibility as Chief of Defence Procurement and Chief Executive of the Defence Procurement Agency.
  No foreign yards have been contacted about the construction of the two ALSLs.
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  ALSLs are classed as "warlike" and will be built in the UK. Five UK shipyards have expressed an interest in the ALSL project and have been invited to tender for design and build.

  Naval Procurement (Roll on/Roll off Ferries)
  Mr. Quentin Davies

  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effect of his decision to finance the Royal Navy's requirement for roll on/roll off ferries by means of a public private partnership, on the protection of the relevant contracts from the Public Procurement Directive available to military procurement contracts under the Treaty of European Union. [118663]

  Mr. Hoon
  The Ministry of Defence's requirement for a strategic sealift capability is defined as non-warlike and ships providing the service will not be warships. Rather, they will be commercial standard ro/ros. The competition for the requirement has, therefore, to be conducted under European Community and World Trade Organisation public procurement rules. In such circumstances, a MOD requirement that stipulates that service providers or suppliers provide British built ships would be contrary to our EC obligations prohibiting discrimination on the grounds of nationality.

  The requirement to compete in this way is not, therefore, influenced by whether the service is provided through PFI or more traditional procurement methods. We are, of course, doing all we can within the bounds of fair competition to give UK industry the best opportunity to participate in the programme.

  Sandown-class Minehunters
  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the contract for the last two of the Sandown-class minehunters will be completed. [118903]

  Dr. Moonie
  This is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Defence Procurement Agency. I have asked the Chief Executive to write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from Robert Walmsley to Mr. Mike Hancock, dated 20 April 2000:
  I am replying to your question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking when the contract for the last two of the Sandown Class Mine Hunters will be completed. This matter falls within my area of responsibility as Chief of Defence Procurement and Chief Executive of the Defence Procurement Agency.
  HMS Blythe is due to be delivered to the Ministry of Defence on 3I March 2001.
  HMS Shoreland is due to be delivered to the Ministry of Defence on 31 December 2001.
  The contract also covers a 2 year warranty period for the completion of any outstanding work or defects after the delivery of each ship.

  Aircraft Carriers
  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made with bringing into service the two new aircraft carriers; whether the target set in the Strategic Defence Review has been adhered to; and if he will make a statement. [119168]

  Mr. Hoon
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friends the Members for Ilford, North (Ms Perham) and for Plymouth, Sutton (Mrs. Gilroy) on 17 April 2000,Official Report, columns 678-80.

  Online Services
  Mr. Robert Jackson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the services which(a) his Department and (b) the executive agencies responsible to his Department (i) provide online and (ii) expect to be deliverable online by 2002. [119444]

  Dr. Moonie
  So that the Cabinet Office can publish the spring 2000 report monitoring progress towards delivery of all Government services electronically by 2005, we are currently collecting data which will include our progress on delivering 25 per cent. of Government services electronically by 2002. I do not want to pre-empt that report, but I can say that we currently provide a range of services electronically that include receiving recruitment applications and providing general and specialist information.

  British Meat (Armed Services)
  Mr. Gill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of(a) lamb, (b) pork, (c) chicken and (d) turkey purchased for the armed services was of British origin in the last 12 months. [119702]

  Dr. Moonie
  The supply of food to the armed forces is contracted out to 3663. Our policy is aimed at sourcing British products wherever these are competitively priced. Our contractor advises that over the last 12 months the following percentages of meat were sourced in the UK—2 per cent. lamb; 100 per cent. pork; 50 per cent. bacon and gammon; and 30 per cent. chicken. No turkey was sourced in the UK.

  Meteorological Office
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what performance targets have been set for the Meteorological Office for 2000–01. [120296]

  Dr. Moonie
  The Chief Executive of the Meteorological Office is responsible for providing meteorological and related environmental services, including climate change prediction, to a wide range of customers, including the armed forces, Government, civil aviation, shipping, emergency services, media, commerce, industry and general public. It also undertakes research related to meteorology and climate. During 2000–01, the Meteorological Office will be set the following challenging targets:

  Key Target 1:
  To achieve a value for the Numerical Weather Prediction Index of at least 101.6 index points on 31 March 2001, from a baseline of 100.0 on 31 March 2000;

  Key Target 2:
  To achieve a value for the Service Quality Index of at least 107.1 index points on 31 March 2001, from a baseline of 100.0 on 31 March 1997, in line with customer requirements. The Index covers representative services and products for defence, civil aviation, public and business customers;

  Key Target 3:
  To achieve a value for the Efficiency Index of at least 103.7 index points on 31 March 2001, from a baseline of 100.00 on 31 March 2000;

  Key Target 4:
  To achieve an overall return on capital employed in 2000–01 of not less than 0 per cent., while returning an operating profit of at least £13.7 million before strategic investments;
  642W
  Key Target 5:
  To achieve strategic investments in 2000–01 of at least £13.5 million.

  Key Target 6:
  To achieve a total contribution from commercial activities in 2000–01 of not less than £3.575 million.

  In addition, a new Staff Skills Index will be developed during 2000–01. The aim will be to establish a baseline of staff competency levels, derived from the Meteorological Office's new competency-based method of staff appraisal, so that sensible targets can be set and announced for subsequent years.

  Zimbabwe
  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he plans to take in respect of(a) British military personnel serving in Zimbabwe and (b) Zimbabwean military personnel receiving training in the UK. [119866]

  Mr. Spellar
  There are no plans to change the position of British military personnel based in Zimbabwe or Zimbabwean military personnel currently receiving training in the UK. Nevertheless, we continue to keep the situation under review.

  DERA
  Mr. Simon Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many posts at the DERA establishment in Aberporth, Ceredigion will(a) transfer to NewDERA and (b) be retained within his Department as a result of his proposals in the public/private partnership consultation document. [119984]

  Mr. Hoon
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Huddersfield (Mr. Sheerman), 17 April 2000,Official Report, columns 366-67W, which outlined our proposals for the DERA public-private partnership. These are described in more detail in the consultation document, a copy of which can be found in the Library of the House, and on the Internet at www.mod.uk/commercial/ppp/dera/.

  Under our current proposals, we envisage that the capabilities provided by Aberporth will form part of the NewDERA company. It is, therefore, likely that posts at Aberporth would transfer. However, no final decisions will be taken until the current consultation exercise comes to an end. We will of course listen carefully to views and comments received during this process.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Lord Levy
  Mr. Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to his answer of 20 March 2000,Official Report, column 413W, if he will list the meetings between Lord Levy and (a) ministers and (b) officials within his Department on Government business other than in his capacity as the Prime Minister's personal envoy delivering messages in the Middle East. [117782]

  Mr. Byers
  Neither I nor any of my Ministers has met Lord Levy on Government business.

  Gas and Electricity Bills
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the annual amount spent by the average consumer on(a) gas and (b) electricity where payment is by (i) a pre-payment meter and (ii) direct debit. [118913]

  Mrs. Liddell
  Provisional estimates of average domestic gas and electricity bills for domestic consumers in 1999 are as follows:

  Average UK domestic fuel bills1—1999 provisional estimatesa

  £

  Payment method

  Standard Quarterly credit

  Monthly direct debit

  Pre-payment meter

  Gas2

  305

  267

  318

  Electricity3

  265

  256

  282

  1 Averages weighted by customer numbers

  2 An annual consumption level of 18,000kWh has been assumed

  3 An annual consumption level of 3,300kWh has been assumed. Customers with electric central heating are likely to consume considerably more electricity

  These figures are published annually in the Department's annual "Digest of UK Energy Statistics" and in the "Energy Report".

  Gas-fired Power Stations
  Mr. Gummer
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when a calculation was made of the total amount of the increase of emissions which would result from the moratorium on gas-fired power stations; and what it was. [119286]

  Mr. Byers
  Our White Paper, "Conclusions of The Review of Energy Sources for Power Generation and Government response to fourth and fifth Reports of the Trade and Industry Committee", Cm 4071, stated that it was not possible to quantify the impact of the new energy framework on emissions. This is because the aim of the policy is not to achieve any particular outcome in terms of fuel mix in generation but to create a level playing field so that all forms of generation can compete equally and as a temporary precautionary measure to ensure the artificial encouragement for new gas plant that has arisen from distortions to the electricity market does not artificially undermine security and diversity of supply.

  I announced on Monday 17 April that I would be lifting the stricter consents policy in October 2000 as soon as the new electricity trading arrangements were in place. The Government are determined to meet the UK commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 121/2 per cent. below 1990 levels in 2008–12. The stricter consents policy and the timetable for its lifting is entirely consistent with meeting that target, and with moving towards our goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 20 per cent. on 1990 levels.

  Regulation of Investigatory Powers Bill
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on his policy in respect of the use his Department, its agencies and public bodies will make of the powers relating to the authorised 644W
  obtaining of communications data in Part I, Chapter II of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Bill once the Bill is enacted. [119517]

  Ms Hewitt
  I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department on 19 April 2000,Official Report, column 509W.

  Regional Selective Assistance
  Mr. Redwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what criteria the Towers Consortium need to fulfil to be eligible for regional selective assistance. [120094]

  Mr. Byers
  The criteria are set out in the booklet on the scheme, which is freely available. A copy is in the Library of the House.

  Rover
  Mr. Redwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how quickly he could pay regional selective assistance to Rover following receipt of a valid application. [120093]

  Mr. Byers
  No such application has been received.

  Electricity Industry
  Mr. Blizzard
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress the Steering Group on Electricity Security and Stability Issues has made in following up the recommendations made by the Consultants Merz and McLellan in the White Paper, Conclusions of the Review of Energy Sources for Power Generation and Government Response to the fourth and fifth reports of the Trade and Industry Committee (Cm 4071), published in October 1998. [120544]

  Mrs. Liddell
  In the White Paper, the Government proposed a two-tier approach: an open consultancy group open to all interested parties, and a smaller steering group which would carry out most of the detailed work. The Steering Group, chaired by my Department, has published its findings today in the form of a consultation document. The group has concluded that the further work recommended by Merz and McLellan has been undertaken or is in hand and that there do not appear to be any immediate problems for the security and stability of the electricity grid system arising from the possible high levels of gas-fired generation. They have recommended that the Regulator should keep system security under review since the industry is undergoing a period of enormous change. The consultation document also addresses the individual recommendations by Merz and McLellan. Comments have been invited by Friday 16 June.

  Copies of the consultation report are being circulated, in the first instance, to all those who responded to the consultation document on the Review of Energy Sources (listed in Annex G of Cm 4071). I am placing copies in the Libraries of the House. The document is also available on the DTI website at http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/ and on request from Natalia Hill, EPTAC1b, DTI, 1 Victoria Street, London SW1H OET (Phone: 020 7215 6488).

  Regeneration
  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the number and value of(a) bids for and (b) grants made in each of the last three financial years for which figures are available, for each (i) area-based and (ii) other regeneration-related initiative for which his Department is responsible. [119800]

  Mr. Caborn
  I refer the hon. Member to the Annual report presented to Parliament pursuant to sections 11 and 15 of the Industrial Development Act 1982 and published on 26 July 1999.

  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list for each(a) area-based and (b) other regeneration-related initiative for which his Department is responsible (i) the amount budgeted and (ii) the total expended in each financial year for the planned lifetime of each initiative. [119790]

  Mr. Caborn
  I refer the hon. Member to my Department's expenditure plans, Command 4611, published earlier this month.

  Homeowner Compensation (Mining Areas)
  Mr. Bruce George
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what compensation has been paid to homeowners whose properties(a) are rendered unsaleable and (b) have suffered undue financial loss in value due to their proximity to disused mineshafts in the last five years. [119782]

  Mrs. Liddell
  No compensation has been paid in these circumstances.

  Radiocommunications Agency
  Mrs. Humble
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what targets he has set his Department's Radiocommunications Agency for 2000–01. [120543]
  646W
  Mr. Byers
  I have set the Radiocommunications Agency the following quality of service targets for 2000–01 in respect of its licensing and enforcement activities and correspondence. These are in addition to achieving an overall efficiency improvement of five per cent. over 1999–2000.

  Licensing Targets

  Category A
  Licences that involve no frequency assignment site clearance or international co-ordination: 100 per cent. of applications for new or varied services to be awarded or rejected (with explanation) within five working days.

  Category B
  Licences that involve frequency assignment but no site clearance or international co-ordination: 90 per cent. of applications for new or varied services to be awarded or rejected (with explanation) within 15 working days; the remainder to be awarded or rejected within 25 working days or an explanation of the delay to be given.

  Category C
  Licences that require frequency assignment and site clearance and/or international co-ordination: 90 per cent. of applications for new or varied services to be awarded or rejected (with explanation) within 40 working days; the remainder to be awarded or rejected within 60 working days or an explanation of the delay to be given.

  Enforcement

  100 per cent. of safety of life services reports of interference to be investigated within 24 hours.

  98 per cent. of business customers reports of interference to be investigated within five working days; the remainder within a further five days.

  98 per cent. of domestic customers reports of interference to be investigated within one month; the remainder within a further month.

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

  Act of Union: Bicentenary
  Act of Union: Bicentenary
  Zimbabwe
  Zimbabwe
  Danube Bridges: Clearance
  Danube Bridges: Clearance
  Bosnia and Herzegovina: Municipal Elections
  Bosnia and Herzegovina: Municipal Elections
  Criminal Justice: Royal Commission's Recommendations
  Criminal Justice: Royal Commission's Recommendations
  Freedom of Information Bill: Public Bodies
  Freedom of Information Bill: Public Bodies
  Freedom of Information Bill
  Freedom of Information Bill
  Identity Cards
  Identity Cards
  Illegal Immigrants: Country of Origin
  Illegal Immigrants: Country of Origin
  Kevin Chambers
  Kevin Chambers
  Sex Offenders: Procedures on Release
  Sex Offenders: Procedures on Release
  Official Documents: Classification
  Official Documents: Classification
  Stephen Lawrence Inquiry Recommendations: Implementation
  Stephen Lawrence Inquiry Recommendations: Implementation
  Magistrates' Courts: Civil Proceedings
  Magistrates' Courts: Civil Proceedings
  Asylum Appeals: Disposal Rate
  Asylum Appeals: Disposal Rate
  River Thames: Strategic Planning Guidance
  River Thames: Strategic Planning Guidance
  Post Offices: Benefit Payments
  Post Offices: Benefit Payments
  Child Support Act 1991: Reduced Benefit Directions
  Child Support Act 1991: Reduced Benefit Directions
  Generic Medicines: Pricing Policy
  Generic Medicines: Pricing Policy
  "Envoy" and "Czar": Status
  "Envoy" and "Czar": Status
  Prime Minister's Official Spokesman: Strategic Communications Unit
  Prime Minister's Official Spokesman: Strategic Communications Unit
  Prime Minister's Official Spokesman: No. 10 Internet Site
  Prime Minister's Official Spokesman: No. 10 Internet Site
  Strategic Communications Unit
  Strategic Communications Unit
  Special Advisers: Commercial Interests
  Special Advisers: Commercial Interests
  UK Online Initiative
  UK Online Initiative
  Central Government Audit
  Central Government Audit
  Hotel Accommodation: VAT
  Hotel Accommodation: VAT
  ECOFIN Exchange Rate Discussions
  ECOFIN Exchange Rate Discussions
  Industry: Gross Output Figures 1948–99
  Industry: Gross Output Figures 1948–99
  Employment Changes 1948–98, by Industry
  Employment Changes 1948–98, by Industry
  A.80 Motorway
  A.80 Motorway