Written Answers of 18 December 2000

ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS

  Waste
  Mr. Brake
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much waste was imported for use in cement kilns in each of the last 10 years. [142262]

  Mr. Meacher
  The estimated quantity of hazardous waste imported into the United Kingdom from 1997 to date for use as fuel in cement and lime kilns is as follows:

  Tonnes

  1997

  3,580

  1998

  2,932

  1999

  8,209

  2000

  7,150

  Final figures for 2000 will not be available until the summer of 2001 since, under European law, the kilns have 180 days following receipt of the waste to provide the UK regulatory authorities with a certificate of recovery confirming the actual quantity of waste used as a fuel.

  Accurate information about imports solely for cement kilns, rather than for cement and lime kilns can be provided only at disproportionate cost. Information about waste burnt imported for burning at such facilities before 1997 is not available since the UK regulatory authorities do not hold such data.

  Mr. Brake
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what emission standards are applicable to cement kilns and high temperature incineration plants. [142259]

  Mr. Meacher
  Processes subject to Directives 89/369/EEC and 89/429/EEC on the reduction of air pollution from municipal waste incineration plant, and 94/67/EC on the incineration of hazardous wastes are required to comply with the emission limits set out therein. Other processes subject to Integrated Pollution Control (IPC) are expected to achieve the benchmark emission standards set out in the Environment Agency's published guidance notes in accordance with BATNEEC. Benchmark emission standards for cement works are set out in the Agency's IPC Guidance Note S2 3.01, and for incinerators in Guidance Note S2 5.01. Where hazardous waste is burned in cement kilns, the processes must comply with the terms set out in the Hazardous Waste Incineration Directive. Specific emission limits have been set for each plant and are stated in individual authorisation, which can be obtained from the public registers located at the relevant local Environment Agency or local authority office.
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  Mr. Brake
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will amend planning regulations to require a planning application to be submitted when composition of materials to be burnt in cement kilns is modified significantly. [142263]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  The modification of the composition of materials to be burnt in cement kilns would not, in itself, constitute a change of use for which planning permission would be needed. We therefore have no intention to amend the planning system to require a planning application in such cases.

  Any proposal to burn a modified composition of fuel will, however, require the operator to submit an application for a variation to their authorisation where they are regulated under the Integrated Pollution and control regime. If the variation is significant, the Environment Agency must consult with interests parties prior to its determination.

  Mr. Brake
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what tonnage of hazardous waste was disposed of in cement kilns and high temperature incineration plants in each of the last 10 years. [142260]

  Mr. Meacher
  The estimated quantity of hazardous waste disposed of in cement and lime kilns, and high temperature incinerators from 1997 to date are set out in the table.

  Tonnes

  Quantity in cement and lime kilns

  Quantity in high temperature incinerators

  1997

  51,895

  126,978

  1998

  131,325

  123,646

  1999

  117,937

  117,996

  Final figures for 2000 will note be available until the summer of 2001 since, under European law, both types of facilities have 180 days following receipt of imported hazardous waste to provide the UK regulatory authorities with a certificate of disposal or recovery confirming the actual quantity of waste handled.

  Accurate information about waste disposed of in cement kilns, rather than for cement and lime kilns can be provided only at disproportionate cost. Any information about waste disposed of at these facilities prior to 1997 could be provided only at disproportionate cost, since the UK regulatory authorities are not required to hold data for previous years.

  Mr. Brake
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) if he will list the locations of cement kilns and high temperature incinerators in the UK; [142257]

  (2) what tonnage of emissions there were for each cement kiln and high temperature incineration plant per year in each of the last 10 years; [142261]

  (3) if he will list the cement kilns with combustion-emission monitoring equipment in place. [142265]

  Mr. Meacher
  A list of 15 cement kilns and 64 high temperature incinerators1, including three merchant high temperature incinerators, has been placed in the House Library. All of the cement kilns listed have equipment in

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  place for monitoring emissions to air. Reported emissions from each site are publicly available on the Environment Agency's Pollution Inventory for each year since the site was authorised under Integrated Pollution Control. IPC was phased in during the early to mid 1990s. The Pollution Inventory can be accessed on www.environment-agency.gov.uk. Details of emissions prior to authorisation under IPC are not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  1 All processes listed under Chapter 5.1 of the Environmental Protection (Prescribed Processes and Substances) Regulations SI1991/No.472.

  Mr. Brake
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list emission limits applicable to plants burning fuel. [142266]

  Mr. Meacher
  Plant burning fuel which are subject to regulation under Part I of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 are required to use the best available techniques not entailing excessive cost (BATNEEC) for preventing the release of harmful substances; where that is not possible emissions must be minimised and rendered harmless.

  Plant burning fuel listed under Chapter 1.3, Part A, of the Environmental Protection (Prescribed Processes and Substances) Regulations SI1991/No.472 are expected to achieve the benchmark emission standards set out in the Environment Agency's published guidance notes in accordance with BATNEEC. Benchmark emission standards for combustion processes are set out in IPC Guidance Note S3 1.01, for combustion plant. Specific emission limits are set for each plant and stated in individual authorisations which can be obtained from the public registers located at the relevant local Environment Agency or local authority office.

  Mr. Brake
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to allow the export of hazardous waste from the UK. [142264]

  Mr. Meacher
  The legally binding UK Management Plan for Exports and Imports of Waste currently prohibits all exports of waste for disposal. This approach is consistent with longstanding UK policy that developed countries should be self-sufficient in waste disposal. Consistent with the UN Basel Convention, exports of hazardous waste for recovery are permitted only to OECD countries and Liechtenstein.

  This summer the UK Government went out to consultation on revised UK export and import policies. The consultation paper proposed an exception to the current prohibition on exports for disposal in two tightly defined circumstances:

  (a) to allow exports from Northern Ireland to Ireland for disposal so long as such movements are consistent with local waste management plans being drawn up under Northern Ireland's waste strategy; and

  (b) to allow exports to other EC member states and countries covered by the European Free Trade Area for trial runs. This is to allow UK companies to evaluate waste management processes in the EU and help decide whether or not to import the technology into the UK.

  The consultation paper proposed no change to UK policy on exports of hazardous waste for recovery.
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  The Government are currently considering responses to the consultation exercise.

  Houses in Multiple Occupation
  Mr. Ruane
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many deaths there were from(a) carbon monoxide poisoning and (b) fire in houses in multiple occupation in (i) each of the last 20 years in England and (ii) 1980 to 1998 in Wales. [141687]

  Mr. Meacher
  [holding answer 11 December 2000]:
  Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning

  I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 13 November 2000, Official Report, column 479W which provided information on carbon monoxide poisoning deaths from all fossil-fuelled appliances from 1985–2000, and carbon monoxide poisoning, deaths from the supply and use of flammable gas from 1981–2000. These data do not separately identify poisoning deaths in homes in multiple occupation, and it is not therefore possible to provide the additional information requested.

  Fire

  The information is in the table.

  Deaths from fires in multiple occupancy dwellings, England and Wales, 1980–99

  Year

  England and Wales

  England

  Wales

  1981

  192

  1—

  1—

  1981

  191

  184

  7

  1982

  165

  162

  3

  1983

  181

  173

  8

  1994

  158

  157

  1

  1985

  162

  160

  2

  1986

  189

  186

  3

  1987

  168

  162

  6

  1988

  187

  181

  6

  1989

  176

  168

  8

  1990

  167

  164

  3

  1991

  143

  134

  9

  1992

  169

  163

  6

  1993

  118

  114

  4

  1994

  121

  119

  2

  1995

  148

  143

  5

  1996

  154

  145

  9

  1997

  150

  144

  6

  1998

  150

  141

  9

  19992

  114

  110

  4

  1 Not available

  2 1999 Data are provisional

  Source:

  Home Office, Fire Damage Report Form (FDRI)

  Energy Efficiency
  Mr. Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many people over 60 years(a) have had work carried out and (b) he estimates will have had work carried out by 31 March 2001 under the new home energy efficiency plus scheme. [142485]

  Mr. Meacher
  The table identifies the number of people over 60 years of age who have(a) received HEES and HEES Plus measures up to 30 November 2000; and (b) are projected to do so up to 31 March 2001:
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  Financial year 2000–01

  HEES

  HEES plus

  Completed jobs as of 30 November

  10,430

  35,363

  Completed jobs projected from 1 December to 31 March 2001

  25,028

  85,478

  The new Home Energy Efficiency Scheme (HEES) for England was launched on 1 June 2000. It replaced the more limited scheme that operated since 1991. HEES provides packages of insulation and heating measures, linked to the condition of the property and the circumstances of the householder. The grant maximum has been increased from £315 to £2,000. The scheme is broken down as follows:
  HEES—for households with children in receipt of an income-related benefit and those households receiving a disabled benefit. Some 4 million households are eligible. The grant maximum is £700 for households using mains gas, solid fuel, oil or off-peak electric for heating.
  For households using more expensive on-peak electric, bottled gas or paraffin for heating, the maximum grant is £1,000.
  HEES Plus—for over 60s in receipt of an income-related benefit. Some 3.7 million households are estimated to be eligible. The measures include, for the first time, installation of central heating systems for the main living areas. The maximum grant is £2,000.
  In addition HEES Plus recipients who live in a Home Office designated high crime areas' may be able to have security measures—door and window locks—provided through a separate Home Office grant.

  Mr. Ian Stewart
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many grants were awarded under the home energy efficiency scheme in the Eccles constituency between 1997–98 and 1999–2000; and what was the(a) total value of grants and (b) average value of grants. [142482]

  Mr. Meacher
  The table identifies the value of grants and the average spend per property in the Eccles constituency for the financial years 1997–2000:

  £

  Financial year

  Value of grants

  Average value of grants

  1997–98

  296,960

  168

  1998–99

  365,397

  246

  1999–2000

  423,702

  227

  The new Home Energy Efficiency Scheme (HEES) for England was launched on 1 June 2000. It replaced the more limited scheme that operated since 1991. HEES provides packages of insulation and heating measures, linked to the condition of the property and the circumstances of the householder. The grant maximum has been increased from £315 up to £2,000. As a consequence, the average value of work per household will substantially increase in the current financial year.

  (London) Traffic
  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what recent discussions has he had with the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police on ways in which to increase the speed of flow of traffic in the London metropolitan area. [142530]
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  Mr. Hill
  None. The Mayor of London and Transport for London are now responsible for strategic transport matters in London.

  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he next plans to meet leaders of the transport industry to discuss ways in which HGV vehicles can be discouraged from using roads in central London. [142533]

  Mr. Hill
  Neither my right hon. Friend nor I have any such plans. This is a matter for the Mayor of London and the Association of London Government's Transport and Environment Committee.

  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) how many times in the last year he has met staff of the Mayor of London to discuss(a) the average speed of road traffic in London and (b) the ways in which the flow of traffic on London roads can be improved; [142564]

  (2) how many times in the last year he has met the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis to discuss the flow of traffic on London roads. [142695]

  Mr. Hill
  Neither my right hon. Friend nor I have had any such meetings. However, before 3 July 2000, officials of the Government Office for London, the Highways Agency and the Traffic Director for London had regular meetings with the Metropolitan police at operational level. On that date the Mayor of London and Transport for London became responsible for strategic transport matters in the capital.

  Unlicensed Cabs
  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) when he last met representatives of the London Hackney Carriage Trade to discuss the activities of unlicensed private hire vehicles in central London; [142528]

  (2) when he plans to introduce regulations concerning competition between licensed taxis and (a) minicabs and (b) unlicensed operators in central London; [142555]

  (3) what steps he is taking to curb the activity of unlicensed private hire vehicles in the centre of London; [142554]

  (4) what recent discussions he has had with minicab companies in central London concerning the (a) safety of vehicles and (b) training of drivers. [142529]

  Mr. Hill
  A system of licensing London's private hire operators, drivers and vehicles is being introduced in three stages through the implementation of the Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998. From 22 January next year, Transport for London will start licensing London minicab operators; from 22 October it will be an offence to operate minicabs without the appropriate licence. Transport for London will take forward the second and third phases of implementation. I understand that they are having discussions with the taxi and private hire trades. It is already an offence to tout for minicab services; enforcement is a matter for the police.

  Heathrow Express
  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he expects the speed restrictions on the Heathrow Express to be lifted. [142580]

  Mr. Hill
  Railtrack says that as at 15 December there is currently one 40mph emergency speed restriction on the down line at Ladbroke Grove, imposed following the Hatfield derailment. Railtrack is working to remove this emergency speed restriction as soon as possible.

  Road Casualties (London)
  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what recent discussions he has held with transport safety organisations to discuss the level of(a) cyclist and (b) pedestrian casualties in metropolitan London. [142535]

  Mr. Hill
  DETR Officials have met officers of Transport for London and the Road Safety Officers of the Boroughs on a number of occasions to discuss these issues, particularly in the context of the Mayor's Transport Strategy.

  Railways
  Mr. Hoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what financial assistance the Government have provided to(a) Railtrack and (b) rail operating companies in each of last three years. [142877]

  Mr. Hill
  Government subsidies are paid to train operating companies (TOCs) in the form of Support for Passenger Rail Services (SPRS) paid by the Franchising Director and grants paid by Passenger Transport Executives (PTEs). The table provides details, for 1997–98, 1998–99 and 1999–2000, of SPRS and PTE payments to TOCs.

  Passenger grants paid to TOCs, etc.

  £ million cash prices

  1997–98

  1998–99

  1999–2000

  SPRS payments

  1,429

  1,196

  1,031

  PTE payments

  375

  337

  312

  Total Government subsidies to TOCs

  1,804

  1,533

  1,343

  Since privatisation, no Government subsidies have been paid direct to Railtrack, but the company's profitability is contingent on public money. Some 85 per cent. of Railtrack's income is paid to the company by TOCs in access charges, a substantial proportion of which are supported by Government subsidies.

  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 13 December 2000,Official Report, column 160W, concerning the rail network, if he will provide the same information for the period 1992 to 1997. [143357]

  Mr. Hill
  Due to the implementation of a new database by the Health and Safety Executive, the information requested by the hon. Member is not currently available. I will write with the information in January and a copy will be placed in the Library of the House.

  Ports Directive
  Mr. Syms
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what representations he has received from United Kingdom ports on the proposed EU Directive on ports services; [142840]

  (2) if it is Her Majesty's Government's policy to oppose the proposed EU Directive on port services; [142839]

  (3) what assessment he has made of the cost of the proposed EU Directive on port services; [142838]

  (4) when United Kingdom ministers will discuss the proposed EU directive on port services with their counterparts in other EU member states. [142841]

  Mr. Hill
  [holding answer 15 December 2000]: The European Commission has not yet published its proposals for a Directive on access to port services, but officials have been keeping in touch with the Commission's thinking, and we understand that proposals may be launched early in the new year. Once these are public, we shall consult widely on them, aiming to take account of the full range of views on the possible impact, including port and terminal operators, port service providers, port users and customers, trade unions and other interests. There will also be opportunities for discussions with other member states. There are likely to be a number of important issues that will need to be addressed. Representations have been received from the UK Major Ports Group and we are also aware of the views of the British Ports Association and a number of port and terminal operators. Our general policy is to support the broad principles of liberalisation and competition in the provision of port services, subject to appropriate safeguards and standards.

  Legacy plc
  Mr. Peter Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what due diligence inquiries have been undertaken into the financial supporters of Legacy plc. [143272]

  Ms Armstrong
  Inquiries were made by the competition team, as is normal practice in a matter of this nature. The competition team has advised on bids and bidders throughout the process and will continue to advise while negotiations carry on with Legacy plc.

  Mr. Peter Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) when Treasury Holdings acquired a financial interest in Legacy plc; and what that financial interest is; [143271]

  (2) when he was informed of Treasury Holdings' financial interest in Legacy plc. [143275]

  Ms Armstrong
  The precise details are commercially confidential. However, Treasury Holdings' involvement in the Legacy plc bid has been known for some time.

  Mr. Peter Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what guarantees have been(a) sought from and (b) given by Legacy plc regarding the retention of the Millennium Dome structure for a minimum period of time. [143274]
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  Ms Armstrong
  Details of negotiations with Legacy plc are commercially confidential. However, the rules of competition require that the Dome structure is retained for a minimum of 15 years.

  Mr. Peter Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what the involvement is of BT, 3Com, Sun Microsystems and NTL in relation to Legacy plc's bid for the Millennium Dome. [143273]

  Ms Armstrong
  Such information is commercially confidential while negotiations with Legacy plc continue.

  Homes Bill
  Mr. Dawson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if the provisions contained in Part I of the Homes Bill relate to park homes. [143313]

  Mr. Mullin
  Possible changes to the provisions on the sale of park homes are being considered separately following the report of the Park Homes Working Party, published earlier this year. We have consulted on, and are considering, the Working Party's recommendations.

  Structural Funding (Merseyside)
  Mrs. Ellman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions which projects put forward for Objective 1 funding in the Merseyside programme are being re-assessed in relation to the rulings made by the European Commission concerning state aid. [143175]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  None of the projects presently receiving funding from the 1994–99 Structural Funds Objective 1 programme on Merseyside have been re-assessed because of state-aid issues. The Merseyside Structural Funds Programme Secretariat is currently appraising applications for funding under the 2000–06 Objective 1 programme. It is a condition for the receipt of grant that all projects accepted for funding must comply with the European Commission State Aid rules and the appraisal process will take this into account for all applications.

  Private Rented Sector
  Ms Glenda Jackson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will give additional powers to local authorities to enable them to more fully investigate complaints from private rented sector tenants about harassment and unlawful eviction by landlords. [143311]

  Mr. Mullin
  Local authorities already have powers under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977 to investigate and prosecute complaints of harassment and illegal eviction.

  My Department has recently published a research report on harassment and unlawful eviction, and accompanying best practice guidance for local authorities on dealing with harassment and illegal eviction, including advice on overcoming barriers to effective action.

  We have discussed the position with representatives of Tenancy Relations Officers, but have no current plans to change the law.
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  Ms Glenda Jackson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will publish a national register of actions taken by local authorities against the harassment and illegal eviction of private rented sector tenants. [143312]

  Mr. Mullin
  We have no plans to publish such a register.

  Gas Installation (Safety)
  Helen Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many prosecutions have been initiated by the Health and Safety Executive in each of the past five years under the Gas Safety (Installation in Use) Regulations 1998. [142641]

  Mr. Meacher
  The Gas Safety (Installation and Use Regulations) 1998 replaced the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1994. The number of informations laid in each of the last five years under these regulations is as follows:

  Year

  Number

  1995–96

  113

  1996–97

  144

  1997–98

  223

  1998–99

  256

  1999–2000

  208

  The 1999–2000 figures are provisional. Finalised figures for prosecutions in 1999–2000 will be available during April 2001.

  Helen Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps he is taking to protect the public from the dangers arising from do-it-yourself gas fitting work; and if he will make a statement. [142640]

  Mr. Meacher
  By law only a competent person can carry out gas fitting work. The Government, the Health and Safety Commission and the Health and Safety Executive undertake various awareness-raising and publicity activities to make the public aware of this. The Executive's leaflets and its Gas Safety Advice Line explain that do-it-yourself work can be dangerous and is likely to be illegal. Retailers have been contacted to encourage them to remind purchasers of gas fittings about the importance of using only competent, registered installers for gas fitting work.

  The Commission addressed this question in its recent Gas Safety Review. Its review report proposes increased publicity to discourage do-it-yourself gas work, more encouragement to retailers to provide 'point of sale' safety advice to consumers and encouragement to equipment manufacturers to include warnings in product literature.

  While the Commission has concluded in its Review that there is insufficient hard evidence from incident data at present to justify the introduction of a legal ban, it has proposed that the Executive should introduce improved arrangements for the reporting of incidents and the identification of accident causation, including do-it-yourself activity, so that the scale of the potential problem can be more accurately assessed. It is envisaged that the legal position will be reviewed again when this information has become available.

  Aircraft Noise Limits
  Fiona Mactaggart
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he has reached a decision on the outcome of the 1997 to 1999 consultation on his proposals to reduce the noise limits for aircraft departing from Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted and to improve monitoring of efficiency; and if he will make a statement. [143599]

  Mr. Mullin
  On 24 November 1997 the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions published a new consultation paper proposing lower noise limits and improved monitoring arrangements. This consultation followed the Court Order of 16 April 1997, made after challenges by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to the 1996 decision on this subject. The Order, made with the consent of the parties, enabled interim arrangements to be put in place until the outcome of the new consultation. The November 1997 paper was also challenged by IATA but the association withdrew its application for leave to apply for judicial review when the Department undertook to publish a supplementary consultation paper. That was done on 26 March 1999. All the proposals were unchanged. They were:

  (a) to relate the noise limits to a fixed reference distance, 6.5 km from start of roll;

  (b) to continue to monitor noise levels at the fixed monitors in Lmax dBA and to apply the noise limits to all departing aircraft except Concorde and a number of specified exemptions (see (h));

  (c) to reduce the noise limits by 3 dBA (daytime) and 2 dBA (night-time), to 94 dBA and 87 dBA respectively;

  (d) to retain the five monitors at Gatwick and eight monitors at Stansted currently operating under the interim arrangement, but to resite a Stansted monitor to a better position. At Heathrow to keep the eight sites in the interim arrangements and to add two further monitors as previously proposed;

  (e) to calculate the positional adjustments on a revised basis;

  (f) to allow a reduction of not more than 2 dB of the noise recorded in specified tail wind conditions;

  (g) to require aircraft to be at a height of 1000 ft aal at 6.5 km from start of roll;

  (h) to exempt from the new daytime noise limits certain aircraft given exemptions from the Chapter 2 phase out requirements in accordance with the provisions of the EC Directive;

  (i) to begin a further review of both monitoring efficiency and noise limits in 2000.

  Comments were invited on any aspect of the proposals and on the details covered in the supplementary paper. The closing date for responses was 4 June 1999. Taking account of the information and comments we received, we have decided to implement the proposals, with two modifications:

  (a) to reduce the night-time noise limit by 2 dB, to 87 dba as proposed, but to apply it only during the night quota period (2330–0600), retaining the present night-time limit (89 dBA) for the rest of the night period, 2300–2330 and 0600–0700;

  (b) to implement the new daytime noise limit of 94 dBA from 25 February 2001 but to implement the new night-time noise limit from the start of the next summer night restrictions season (ie from 25 March 2001), rather than between 2–3 months from the date of the decision announcement, as was indicated in the consultation paper.

  Also, for technical reasons, for the purpose of the tailwind allowance I have decided to use wind data from an alternative source to that described in the consultation
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  paper. I am satisfied that it is appropriate to use data from the on-airfield anemometers and wind vanes in the formula for the tailwind allowance proposed in the consultation paper (i.e. without making it necessary to adjust the formula).

  The reduction of 3 dB in the daytime limit represents a halving of noise energy but only a small reduction in loudness. This is a long accepted scientific fact; it is not disputed in the responses. The cumulative effect of even small improvements should be of benefit to many local residents, particularly those living under the departure routes from about 6.5 km from start of roll out to about 15 km. These small improvements will occur whenever an aircraft flies overhead that has changed its procedures (or adopted other measures) to meet the new noise limits.

  Some major airlines consider they will incur disproportionate costs to achieve these small benefits; conversely, many of the local authorities and other groups representing those living around the airports consider there should be greater noise reductions, to give greater benefits. I am satisfied that the requirements announced today are reasonable, having regard to what is operationally achievable (as explained in the consultation paper), to the costs that may be incurred by some airlines, the benefits that will accrue to many local residents, as I have already indicated, and the disbenefits that will be caused to others, particularly the far smaller number of people living very close to the end of a runway. Operators of heavily laden services bound for Asia-Pacific destinations that are scheduled to take off in the late evening, which would have particular difficulty in meeting the new night-time noise limit if delayed beyond 2300 hours, should be able to plan their operations with greater certainty in the light of our decision not to apply the toughest limit until 2330. I should emphasise that I do not want to encourage late departures. On the contrary, I trust operators of these services will continue to do their best to minimise delays: that will be of benefit both to their customers and to local people.

  The full decision, and the reasons for it, are set out in the document 'Noise limits for aircraft departing from Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports: decision of December 2000' copies of which have been placed in the House Library.

  Copies of all the responses, excepting details for which the author has requested confidentiality, are available for inspection by prior appointment at the DETR Library and Information Centre, Ashdown House, 123 Victoria Street, London SW1E 6DF.

  Planning Guidance (South-East)
  Fiona Mactaggart
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he intends to make an announcement about Regional Planning Guidance for the south-east. [143600]

  Mr. Raynsford
  Earlier this year, the Government published for consultation proposed changes to draft Regional Planning Guidance for the south-east. We have listened to comments made and strengthened our policies for delivering an urban renaissance, providing affordable housing, avoiding profligate use of land, promoting a living countryside and encouraging development to the east of London in Thames Gateway.
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  We have given local authorities the tools they need to achieve this. Our planning guidance for housing (PPG3) contains a clearly-stated presumption that previously-developed land and existing buildings will be re-used for housing before consideration is given to developing greenfields. The draft revised RPG will set a target for the south-east that 60 per cent. of additional dwellings should be provided by recycling land or converting existing buildings.

  We have separately published advice on better design of development and on undertaking urban housing capacity studies. We have also made available (initially for comment) guidance on how to manage the release of land in such a way as to minimise unnecessary loss of greenfields to development.

  A particular concern expressed by respondents to the previous consultation was about the availability of affordable homes in the region. We agree that affordability is of key importance, not least to maintain economic growth in the south-east. The draft revised RPG now provides stronger guidance on the provision of affordable homes. We also set out measures to help increase the supply of affordable homes in the Housing Policy Statement made to the House last week and especially the Government's proposals to introduce a new Starter Home scheme to help around 10,000 key workers, particularly teachers, nurses and police officers, buy their own homes.

  Moreover, we are significantly increasing resources available for housing. We are doubling funding for the Housing Corporation's Approved Development Programme between 2001–02 and 2003–04 to support new social rented housing. In additional, there will be more than £360 million spending next year by housing authorities in the south-east outside London.

  In our Proposed Changes in March, we made clear that we rejected the rigid "predict and provide approach" taken by the Panel chaired by Professor Crow which conducted the public examination into the draft RPG. Nor could we accept the proposals of the regional planning body (SERPLAN) which did not take proper account of the region's future housing needs. We proposed to provide 43,000 additional houses on average each year throughout the region outside London. This compared with the 55,000 dwellings a year recommended by the Panel and the local authorities' (SERPLAN) proposals for 33,000 a year.

  We have now decided in the light of consultation to revise the proposed housing provision downwards to an average of 39,000 a year, at least for the next five years. As a result of our policies, backed up by the new tools we have recently announced, we intend that no more land should be used for housing than SERPLAN assumed would be required in planning for 33,000 additional dwellings a year. After 2006, it is likely to be necessary to plan for the higher figure of 43,000 individual dwellings to meet housing needs but that will be a matter for review under our flexible 'plan, monitor and manage' approach. The review will take full account of the proposed studies on the potential growth areas of Milton Keynes, Ashford and the London-Stansted-Cambridge corridor.
  14W
  We asked SERPLAN to advise on how the proposed rate of housing provision should be distributed across the region. That advice was not forthcoming. We have therefore proposed in the new draft RPG a county distribution in line with that set out in the existing RPG9: that took account of the need to regenerate the Thames Gateway which is a continuing aim. Comments are invited on this proposed distribution by 12 February 2001.

  Copies of the draft revised RPG and accompanying documents are being distributed to those who participated at the Public Examination earlier this year and those who responded to the public consultation on the previous document, "Proposed Changes to Draft RPG9". Copies have also been placed in the Library and made available to Members representing constituencies in the region.

PRIME MINISTER

  EU Institutions
  Mr. Lilley
  To ask the Prime Minister which areas of responsibility undertaken by European Union institutions he is seeking to remove from them. [141318]

  The Prime Minister
  This Government are firmly committed to the reform of the EU's institutions to make them work better and more efficiently. Furthermore, a key concept governing the EU is that of subsidiarity, whereby action should only be taken by the European Union if the objectives cannot be achieved by the member state alone.

  Ministerial Visits
  Sir Brian Mawhinney
  To ask the Prime Minister if it remains his policy that Ministers should notify right hon. and hon. Members in advance if Ministers plan to make an official visit to their constituencies. [141531]

  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 11 December 2000]: Yes.

  Nice Council
  Mr. Mitchell
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will list those agreements reached at the European Council Meeting in Nice to permit enhanced co-operation on matters not within the scope of existing EU treaties stating the position taken by the United Kingdom on each such agreement and the reasons for it. [142385]

  The Prime Minister
  No such agreements were reached. Enhanced co-operation will remain possible only within the limits of the EU's competence.

  CCT and Best Value
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his oral statement of 6 December 2000,Official Report, column 31, what was the basis for his statement concerning the costs of compulsory competitive tendering and Best Value. [142508]

  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 13 December 2000]: The net benefits of Best Value are considerably greater than those of compulsory competitive tendering (CCT). The estimates of annual savings under CCT were in the region of £500 million to £550 million per annum. Best Value aims to improve efficiency by 2 per cent. per

  15W
  authority per annum—a total saving equivalent to £1.5 billion per year. It has only been in place since 1 April this year, but already the first Best Value reviews are revealing the very significant scope for savings which will be available to reinvest in improving services.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Sri Lanka
  Mr. McDonnell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Government have made to the Government of Sri Lanka concerning the massacre of 25 Sri Lankan youths on 25 October. [143387]

  Mr. Hain
  We were shocked to learn of the terrible massacre at the Bindunuwewa Rehabilitation Centre. We have made clear our concerns to the Sri Lankan Government and I raised the incident with the Sri Lankan Prime Minister when I visited Colombo last month. We are pleased that the Government quickly undertook to conduct a full inquiry into the massacre. We have underlined the need for the inquiry to be independent, swift and transparent.

  Kenya
  Mr. McDonnell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent talks(a) he and (b) his officials have had with the Kenyan Government on the economic, environmental and political prospects of Kenya. [143385]

  Mr. Hain
  During my most recent visit to Kenya on 27 November I had detailed discussions with President Moi and a wide range of his Government officials on the political and economic prospects for Kenya. Our High Commission maintains a constant dialogue with all sides of the political debate in Kenya on a wide range of issues.

  Entry Visas
  Mr. Rendel
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his reply of 12 December 2000,Official Report, column 122W, how many of his decisions to overturn the refusal of entry visas at posts in India since October 1999 involved applications for workers employed by (a) SHRICO and (b) other companies to work on the new Temple in Wembley. [143068]

  Mr. Vaz
  None of my decisions to overturn visa refusals at Indian posts have involved workers employed by SHRICO or other companies to work on the new Temple in Wembley.

DEFENCE

  Ship Repairs
  Mr. Duncan Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when HMS Ark Royal will return to operational service; when(a) HMS Bulwark and (b) HMS Albion will enter into service; and when he expects the repairs to HMS Tireless to be completed. [143071]
  16W
  Mr. Spellar
  [holding answer 15 December 2000]: HMS Ark Royal is currently in refit and will be available for operational duties from spring 2002. HMS Bulwark and HMS Albion both enter into service in 2003. We plan to complete the repair of HMS Tireless by the end of March 2001.

  Swiftsure Submarines
  Mr. Duncan Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Swiftsure class submarines he expects to be operational next year. [143046]

  Mr. Spellar
  [holding answer 15 December 2000]: HMS Superb, HMS Sceptre and HMS Splendid are expected to be operational next year.

  DERA
  Mr. Key
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he intends to privatise the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency by means of(a) outright sale to an existing plc or a consortium of plcs, (b) sale to venture capital strategic investors, (c) an initial purchase flotation and (d) other means; and what is his timetable for the privatisation. [141354]

  Dr. Moonie
  [holding answer 12 December 2000]: I refer the hon. Member to the announcement which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence made in the House on 24 July 2000, Official Report, columns 777–89, about our intention to proceed with the implementation of the Core Competence model for the DERA Public Private Partnership (PPP). Under Core Competence, around three quarters of the current DERA organisation will be turned into a company, referred to as NewDERA. For strategic reasons, the remainder will be retained within MOD to carry out functions that could not appropriately be transferred to the private sector.

  The exact method and timing of sale will depend on value for money considerations, but our preference is to seek a flotation on the stock market as soon as the company's potential is suitably developed. We will keep open the option to seek a strategic investor as an interim step.

  The PPP timetable is challenging and envisages organisational separation of NewDERA and the retained elements will be complete early in the new year. This will be followed by a period of shadow operation to test the organisations and their infrastructures. Once this is complete, NewDERA would be vested with its assets and established as plc.

  Mr. Key
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he and his officials have had with(a) employee representatives, (b) management and (c) pension fund companies about future pension arrangements for current DERA employees. [141359]

  Dr. Moonie
  [holding answer 12 December 2000]: Officials have worked closely with employee representatives in designing pension arrangements for employees who will transfer to the new company. Trade Union representatives were invited to, and have participated in, a pension scoping group which was established to explore potential pension schemes. As this

  17W
  work has progressed, dialogue has continued with employee representatives and we will shortly begin a period of formal consultation on a selected scheme.

  In addition to formal consultation, a series of roadshows for all affected employees will be conducted in the new year and these will offer staff the opportunity to learn more about the detail of the new scheme benefits and to have their options explained.

  To ensure that the new scheme meets the Government's commitment to providing broad comparability with the public sector pension scheme, detailed discussions have taken place between DERA management, MOD officials and relevant Government Departments including the Government Actuary's Department, HM Treasury and the Cabinet Office. These discussions will continue as the scheme is established and its rules and administrative arrangements are developed.

  Early in the process, DERA appointed actuarial and pension fund consultants to assist them in the development of occupational pension arrangements. There have been no discussions with pension fund companies.

  Mr. Key
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if DERA Boscombe Down will(a) remain a military airfield and (b) become a civil airport subject to the Civil Aviation Authority; and if he will make a statement. [141355]

  Dr. Moonie
  [holding answer 12 December 2000]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier. The future regulatory status of the DERA Boscombe Down airfield has yet to be confirmed. Work to achieve this is part of the detailed implementation process currently under way and includes discussions between the Ministry of Defence and the CAA.

  Mr. Key
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence by what legal process he will change the status of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency from an agency of his Department to(a) a Government owned company and (b) a plc; and what will be the timetable. [141356]

  Dr. Moonie
  [holding answer 12 December 2000]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier. On the date of Vesting, the relevant assets of the existing DERA will be transferred via a Business Transfer Agreement into a wholly Government owned company created under the Companies Act 1985.

  Mr. Key
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the future status of DERA Boscombe Down within the proposed private-public sector partnership. [141357]

  Dr. Moonie
  [holding answer 12 December 2000]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier. Under Core Competence, only those most sensitive parts of DERA such as the Chemical and Biological Defence laboratories at Porton Down will remain in MOD. DERA activities at Boscombe Down will form part of the new company, NewDERA.

  Mr. Key
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will set out the timetable for(a) the introduction of shadow structures and operations and (b) the establishment and ownership of a plc at DERA Boscombe Down. [141358]
  18W
  Dr. Moonie
  [holding answer 12 December 2000]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier. The timetable for the implementation of the Core Competence model envisages organisational separation of NewDERA and RDERA will be complete early in the new year. This will be followed by a period of shadow operation to test both organisations and their respective infrastructures. Only once this is completed satisfactorily will NewDERA (of which DERA Boscombe Down would be part) be vested with its assets and established as a plc wholly owned by Government. The precise timing of any transaction thereafter will depend on value for money considerations.

  Mr. Key
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many DERA employees will cease to be civil servants from 1 April 2001. [141360]

  Dr. Moonie
  [holding answer 12 December 2000]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier. At the point of Vesting, around three quarters of current DERA employees, approximately 9,000 personnel, will cease to be civil servants.

  Drug Rehabilitation
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the role of drug rehabilitation activity in the Armed Forces. [143101]

  Mr. Spellar
  The Armed Forces regard drug taking as a matter of the utmost seriousness. A comprehensive drugs education and awareness programme, together with a random Compulsory Drugs Testing (CDT) programme is employed to dissuade Armed Forces personnel from taking drugs. A positive CDT test result by a member of the Services will, in most cases, lead to an administrative discharge which no rehabilitation offered. Those few personnel who test positive, and are retained under exceptional circumstances, receive a formal warning and are closely monitored and subject to no-notice drug re-testing for a period of between two and five years. They also attend the routine Services' drug education and awareness programme during the monitoring period.

  The position for those Service personnel who are detained at the Military Corrective Training Centre (MCTC) following a conviction for a drug related criminal offence is slightly different. MCTC employ a civilian drugs counsellor to provide confidential counselling and advice to drug offenders. This support is enhanced further by a civilian medical officer and welfare officer.

  War Widows
  Dr. Julian Lewis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on service pensions for war widows who have subsequently remarried. [141825]

  Dr. Moonie
  I will assume that the hon. Member refers to those widows who have been awarded a War Widow's Pension by the DSS War Pensions Agency and who have, in addition, been awarded an attributable forces family pension under the Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS). Attributable pensions for widows and widowers of ex-Service personnel were introduced to the AFPS in 1973.
  19W
  The Defence and Social Security Secretaries announced, on 20 July 2000, that widow and widowers in receipt of an attributable forces family pension are to retain their pension if they remarry or cohabit. These changes, took effect from 31 October. Previously, an attributable widow's pension was withdrawn on remarriage or cohabitation, although it would have been automatically restored on second widowhood or at the end of a period of cohabitation. Those widows or widowers who had already remarried (before 31 October), and had their attributable pension withdrawn, were not included in the change. Those in receipt of a DSS War Widows' Pension or a non-attributable widows or widowers' pension were also not affected by the change; their pensions will still cease on remarriage or cohabitation.

  The question whether widows who had already remarried should have their pensions restored was considered; however, it was decided not to include them because those women had chosen to remarry in the full knowledge that their pension would cease. Furthermore, successive Governments had held fast to the principle that improvements to public sector pension schemes are not applied retrospectively because the cost of doing so would mean it would be extremely difficult to introduce any improvements for current members of the armed forces.

  HMS Invincible
  Mr. DuncanSmith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which helicopter squadron(a) is allocated to HMS Invincible and (b) will be allocated to her in 2001. [143037]

  Mr. Spellar
  [holding answer 15 December 2000]: No anti-submarine warfare (ASW) squadron is being specifically allocated to HMS Invincible in 2001. A Carrier Air Group including a ASW helicopter component will always be available for the Fleet Flagship Aircraft Carrier if required. HMS Invincible will continue in this role until April 2001, when she hands over to HMS Illustrious. 820 Naval Air Squadron will provide the ASW component in 2001.

  RAF-Luftwaffe Tornado Squadron
  Mr. Duncan Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made in the establishment of a joint RAF-Luftwaffe Tornado Squadron. [143027]

  Mr. Spellar
  [holding answer 15 December 2000]: There are no plans to form a joint RAF-Luftwaffe Tornado squadron.

  Theft (Faslane)
  Mr. Duncan Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what investigations are taking place into alleged thefts at Faslane naval base; and if he will make a statement. [143049]

  Dr. Moonie
  [holding answer 15 December 2000]: The Ministry of Defence Police currently has 74 cases of alleged theft at Her Majesty's Naval Base Clyde under investigation. It would not be appropriate for me to comment further regarding on-going police investigations.

EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT

  Dyslexia
  Mr. Kidney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what improvements he(a) has made and (b) intends to make for meeting the special educational needs of dyslexic pupils. [141958]

  Jacqui Smith
  We are committed as a Government to helping all children with special educational needs (SEN) to develop their full potential. We are taking a number of steps to raise the awareness of dyslexia and help teachers to improve the identification and assessment of children who have or may have dyslexia, including through baseline assessment, which—although this is not its primary purpose—can be a useful first screen to help teachers identify where a child has learning needs which may require further, more specialist investigation and assessment. The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority is now consulting on our proposals for revising statutory baseline assessment, including our proposal that the 90 current baseline assessment schemes be replaced by a single national scheme, which should help to improve the identification of learning needs. Any national scheme will incorporate the features of local schemes that have been most successful in identifying possible SEN. Training for teachers to support the new scheme would focus on how to use it to identify learning needs needing further investigation and how to devise strategy to help children progress.

  The National Literacy Strategy has raised standards for all children, including those with dyslexia, and we have started to build on this success by introducing pilot projects in September in 17 LEAs involving over 200 schools to transform standards in English and mathematics for 11 to 14-year-olds. We will implement this nationally in 2001.

  We are also taking work forward in partnership with some of the voluntary organisations that support children with dyslexia, including the British Dyslexia Association and the Dyslexia Institute. This includes the Department, together with the National Lottery Charities Board and WH Smith, funding a two year "Spell It" (Study Programme to Evaluate Literacy Learning through Individualised Tuition) research project run by the Dyslexia Institute to evaluate the effects of structured programmes of intervention, targeted at seven year old pupils who are experiencing specific difficulties in learning to read, write and spell. Two key aspects of the project are to develop activities that parents can do at home and to share the knowledge and skills of specialist teachers more widely.

  Following a seminar convened by the DfEE in July 1999 to bring together bodies with an interest and expertise in the field of teaching children with dyslexia, the Pathways Group was formed consisting of representatives from the DfEE and key partners in the field of dyslexia. The Group has been engaged in producing a leaflet designed to help teachers interested in pursuing further training on specific learning difficulties to access relevant training. It is envisaged that the leaflet will direct these teachers towards more detailed course information which will be available via the Department's Inclusion website.
  21W
  Children with dyslexia, along with all children with SEN, will also benefit from more general measures we are taking to support children with SEN. These include: the Special Educational Needs and Disability Bill, announced in the Queen's Speech in 6 December; the revision of the SEN Code of Practice, and the Standards Fund, through which we are spending £82 million in 2001–02 to improve support for children with special educational needs, which represents a 50 per cent, increase from the £55 million this year.

  Statutory Scrutiny
  Tony Wright
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many (i) further education trusts, (ii) foundation schools and (iii) city technology colleges were in existence on 1 April; and if they are(a) statutorily required to publish annual reports, (b) statutorily required to publish annual accounts,

  Question

  FE sector

  Foundation schools

  City Technology Colleges

  A

  Statutorily required to publish annual reports?

  FE sector do not have to publish an annual report just examination results.

  Yes

  14 of the 15 CTCs are limited companies and as such are required to prepare and publish an annual report. The remaining CTC has no legal status, an annual report is prepared but not published.

  B

  Statutorily required to publish annual accounts?

  Yes. Requirement of instrument of government.

  Yes

  14 of the 15 CTCs are limited companies and as such are required to prepare and publish their annual accounts. The remaining CTC has no legal status, an annual account is prepared but not published.

  C

  Subject to the jurisdiction of the parliamentary or local government ombudsman?

  No. The funding councils are subject to the parliamentary ombudsman. Complaints about individual colleges can be made to either the funding council or the Secretary of State.

  Yes

  No, the commissioner would only be able to test whether CTCs were in his jurisdiction if a complaint were made to him.

  D

  Subject to audit by the National Audit Office?

  No, but the NAO have the right to inspect accounts (section 53 of the FHE Act 1992).

  Yes

  No, the NAO have inspection rights but do not audit.

  E

  Subject to audit by the National Audit Office?

  No

  Yes

  No

  F

  Statutory requirement to admit the public to committee meetings?

  No. It is up to the governing body to decide who can attend a governing body or committee meeting. Members of the public do not have a statutory right to attend such meetings.

  No. It is up to the governing body to decide who can attend a governing body or committee meeting. Members of the public do not have a statutory right to attend such meetings.

  No

  G

  Statutory requirement to hold public meetings?

  No

  Yes, at least one a year.

  No, but they are required to hold an Annual Governors meeting with parents.

  H

  Statutory requirement to publish the agendas of meetings?

  Yes. (Instrument of Government)

  Yes

  No

  I

  Statutory requirement to publish the minutes of meetings?

  Yes. (Instrument of Government)

  Yes

  No

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  (c) subject to the jurisdiction of the parliamentary or local government ombudsman, (d) subject to audit by the National Audit Office, (e) subject to audit by the Audit Commission, (f) statutorily required to admit the public to committee meetings, (g) statutorily required to hold public meetings, (h) statutorily required to publish the agendas of meetings, (i) statutorily required to publish the minutes of meetings, (j) statutorily required to publish the papers or documents for meetings, (k) statutorily required to keep and make publicly available a register of members' interests, (l) statutorily required to consult and report to local authorities in their areas on their plans and policies and (m) statutorily subject to scrutiny by local authorities in their areas of operation. [142398]

  Mr. Wicks
  On 1 April 2000 there were(a) 425 colleges in the FE sector, (b) 858 foundation schools and 19 foundation special schools and (c) 14 City Technology Colleges and one City College for the Technology of Arts.
  23W

  Question

  FE sector

  Foundation schools

  City Technology Colleges

  J

  Statutory requirement to publish the papers or documents for meetings?

  Yes. (Instrument of Government)

  Yes

  No

  K

  Make publicly available a register of members' interests?

  Yes. (Instrument of Government)

  Yes

  No, but most CTCs have or are in the process of preparing registers of interests.

  L

  Statutory requirement to consult and report to local authorities in their areas on their plans and policies?

  No. FE colleges are self governing bodies.

  Yes

  No

  M

  Statutorily subject to scrutiny to local authorities in their areas of operation?

  No. FE colleges are self governing bodies.

  Yes

  No

  Cross-sectoral Bodies
  Tony Wright
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the local, sub-regional and regional partnerships, boards of zones and other cross-sectoral bodies supported by his Department; and the funding streams with which they are associated. [142184]

  Mr. Wills
  This information is not held centrally. Recent reports point to a wide range of formal, informal, statutory and non-statutory partnerships covering a wide range of interests. As a result, the Government are trying to encourage greater rationalisation. The recently issued draft guidance on local strategic partnerships is intended to encourage the development of a single co-ordinated framework for partnership arrangements at the local level. We have also set up the Regional Co-ordination Unit. The Unit has recently published an action plan which sets out how the Government intend to modernise the way it works at regional and local level and improve the way services are delivered on the ground.

  Modern Apprenticeships
  Mr. Brady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many Modern Apprenticeships there are in the engineering industry. [141696]

  Mr. Wicks
  [holding answer 11 December 2000]: On 30 June 2000 (the latest date for which figures have been published) there were 17,200 young people on Advanced Modern Apprenticeships in Engineering Manufacturing and Engineering Construction in England, accounting for 13 per cent. of those in training on all Advanced Modern Apprenticeships. For Foundation Modern Apprenticeships, there were 3,000 young people in Engineering Manufacturing in England, accounting for 4 per cent. of the total.

  Classroom Assistants
  Mr. Brady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) how much money has been paid in subsidies to schools to recruit classroom assistants under the New Deal; [141690]

  (2) how many jobs as classroom assistants have been created under the New Deal. [141692]
  24W
  Ms Jowell
  [holding answer 11 December 2000]: The New Deal is about making people employable, through training and experience of work for example, rather than directly creating jobs. People who find jobs helped by New Deal do so in the regular labour market.

  Civil Records Bureau
  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and employment what representations he has received from youth organisations on the effects of having their volunteers checked by the Civil Records Bureau. [142699]

  Mr. Wicks
  My Department has received representations from the National Council for Voluntary Youth Services, three other national voluntary youth organisations, and one local council for Voluntary Youth Services, about proposals for the payment for checks on the suitability of volunteers to work with children and young people.

  School Inspectors
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will provide statistical analysis of the professional background of those serving as school inspectors in England. [142585]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  Information is not held centrally about all those who undertake inspection work in schools in England. Ofsted holds information about HM Inspectors of Schools and those who are registered or enrolled to conduct or assist with inspections of schools under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996. I have asked HM Chief Inspector of Schools in England, Mike Tomlinson, to write to the hon. Member and to place a copy of his letter in the Library.

  University Funding
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what overall average amount of funding per student English universities received in each of the last four years. [142587]

  Mr. Wicks
  The publicly planned funding per full-time equivalent higher education student in England is published annually in the departmental report for the Department of Education and Employment. The table shows the publicly
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  planned funding per full-time equivalent higher education student in England, at 1999–2000 prices. Unit funding per student rounded to the nearest £5 is:

  £

  1989–90

  7,620

  1990–91

  6,935

  1991–92

  6,585

  1992–93

  6,090

  1993–94

  5,745

  1994–95

  5,585

  1995–96

  5,335

  1996–97

  4,980

  1997–98

  4,845

  1998–99

  4,820

  1999–2000

  4,785

  2000–01

  4,750

  The rate of decrease slowed appreciably in the last four years, and my right hon. Friend announced on 18 July that for the first time in over a decade there will be a real-terms increase in funding per student in 2001–02, which will be sustained in the following two years.

  School Travel
  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many schools in(a) London and (b) the rest of England take part in schemes to promote walking to school. [142198]

  Jacqui Smith
  [holding answer 13 December 2000]: The information requested is not held centrally. However, the Government, working with the School Travel Advisory Group (STAG), have introduced a number of initiatives to support safer routes to school, including promoting walking to school. We have also produced guidance to schools, governors and Local Education Authorities to help them put in place measures to encourage healthier, safer and more sustainable school travel.

  NVQs
  Mr. Boswell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will report progress on the re-accreditation of national vocational qualifications. [142296]

  Mr. Wicks
  [holding answer 13 December 2000]: There has been a 20 per cent. reduction in the number of NVQ titles since they peaked in 1997. The QCA accredits NVQs on a rolling basis and future market needs will be reflected through their re-accreditation programme.

  Standards Fund
  Mrs. May
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will set out, for each local education authority in England for 2000–01, the amount of standards fund grant(a) contribution received from central Government, (b) contributed by the local education authority, (c) devolved directly to schools and (d) spent centrally by the local education authority in total. [142488]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  [holding answer 13 December 2000]: Nationally, the DfEE is providing £1,741 million in grant for the Standards Fund this year, and local
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  education authorities are contributing £604 million. At least 75 per cent. of all Standards Fund grants must be devolved to schools.

  Tables showing the contributions made by DfEE and local education authorities, on an individual local education authority level, split between revenue and capital grants, have been placed in House of Commons Library.

  Figures on the precise level of Standards Fund grant which individual local education authorities have devolved to schools, and have held centrally, are not available. The LEA comparative table of budgeted expenditure, published on 29 June, shows each local education authority's level of delegated funding, including devolved Standards Fund grant. A copy of the table has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

  Mrs. Anne Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how much money was paid to Cambridgeshire schools through the Standards Fund in each year since 1997–98. [142871]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  The following table shows payments made to, or to be made, to Cambridgeshire County Council from the Standards Fund in 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–2000 and 2000–01. The figure for 1999–2000 is provisional, subject to audit. The figure for 2000–2001 is the total grant currently expected to be paid to Cambridgeshire this financial year. The figures include all grants paid through the Standards Fund payment system, excluding New Deal for Schools Capital, which is not part of the Standards Fund programme. The amount actually paid to schools will depend on local expenditure decisions by schools and the local authority.

  Standard Fund payments to Cambridgeshire County Council

  £

  1997–98

  2,599,357

  1998–99

  3,374,197

  1999–2000

  5,365,139

  2000–01

  14,881,499

  Rudolph Steiner Schools
  Mr. Coaker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what decision he has made on the public funding of Rudolph Steiner schools; and if he will make a statement. [142822]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  We are considering, in discussion with the Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship, what the scope might be for providing public funding to Steiner schools. No conclusions have yet been reached.

  Education Policy
  Mr. Coaker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what discussions he plans to have with(a) the Children and Young People's Unit and (b) the Minister for Youth about consulting children and young people on the development of education policy. [142825]
  27W
  Ms Estelle Morris
  I attach great importance to ensuring that the views of young people are taken into account in developing education policy and assessing its impact. I shall be working closely with the Children and Young People's Unit and the Minister for Young People to ensure that good practice is shared and built upon.

  School Rolls
  Mr. Coaker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what data he collects on the(a) numbers and (b) circumstances of pupils who are not on school rolls. [142826]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  Section 19 of the Education Act 1996 places a responsibility on local education authorities to provide suitable education outside school for children unable to attend school because of illness, exclusion from school or otherwise. By 2002 provision for pupils excluded from school must be full time.

  LEAs reported that in January 2000 there were 15,089 pupils of compulsory school age not on the roll of a school or pupil referral unit. This figure includes those pupils being educated at home by local authorities, in community homes or units and arrangements made for the education of children in travellers' families. We do not collect centrally the number of pupils educated at home by their parents.

  The January 2000 Schools' Census reported that 8,479 pupils were being educated at pupil referral units (PRUs).

  Statutory guidance from the DfEE advises local education authorities to set up systems for collecting data on the number of children of all ages who are out of school, and their achievements. Such a register will help authorities ensure that vulnerable groups do not become lost in the system between education and employment.

  Training and Enterprise Councils (Assets)
  Mr. Boswell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a progress report on negotiations with training and enterprise councils for the apportionment of their assets spent; and how many(a) have or (b) have not yet reached agreement with the Department, the value of assets taken into public ownership or divested elsewhere and the value of such public assets put under the control of local learning and skills councils. [142630]

  Mr. Wicks
  [holding answer 14 December 2000]: Discussions are progressing well with individual TEC/CCTEs about the precise distribution of their asset base. We expect to reach decisions in principle with all TECs early in the new year. The final position will not be know until well into the new financial year after TECs have delivered their contracts and completed their final year's accounts. I will update the hon. Member on progress in the new year.

  Learning and Skills Council
  Mr. Boswell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the readiness of the Learning and Skills Council's information technology systems for its opening for business in April 2001. [142631]
  28W
  Mr. Wicks
  [holding answer 14 December 2000]: The Learning and Skills Council's information technology (IT) systems are currently under development. A number of IT suppliers have been appointed, including FI Group for systems development and ICL for the support and maintenance of IT equipment. The general approach is to manage the transition to the Learning and Skills Council by making maximum use of existing systems from Training and Enterprise Councils and the Further Education and Funding Council and then gradually phasing in new systems. Some Learning and Skills Council systems, eg for payroll and finances, are already in place. Others will be brought in before the Council becomes fully operational.

  Women in Public Life
  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on progress made towards the achievement of the Commonwealth Heads of Government target on the proportion of women in decision-making roles in political, public and private sectors by 2005. [142513]

  Ms Jowell
  [holding answer 14 December 2000]: Statistics are not currently held centrally on all areas listed. However, of the 35,000 appointments made to public bodies some 33 per cent. are held by women. This represents a rise of 10 per cent. on the position in 1991. The Government intend that 50 per cent. of all public appointments should be held by women. In some areas, such as appointments to NHS bodies, this has already nearly been achieved (some 48 per cent.), and the Women's Unit and the Public Appointments Unit are working closely together on strategies which will be sustainable over time to accelerate the overall rate of progress towards that target.

  Eighteen per cent. of those elected to the House of Commons, 37 per cent. of those elected to the Scottish Parliament and 40 per cent. of those elected to the National Assembly of Wales are women. 23 per cent. of Cabinet members are women. While the Government believe that a more representative proportion of women in political office strengthens the democratic process, selection procedures remain a matter for the political parties concerned.

  Statistics are not held centrally on women's participation in decision-making across the private sector. However, work continues to develop opportunities for women to participate equally in decision making in the private sector. For example, the Government's work-life balance campaign aims to raise awareness of the benefits of introducing policies and working practices which enable employees to balance their work with other responsibilities and needs in their lives.

  Specialist Colleges
  Caroline Flint
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps he is taking to help schools in coalfield communities meet the match funding requirements for the establishment of specialist sports or arts colleges. [143142]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  The Government part fund the Youth Sport Trust and the Technology Colleges Trust to help schools seeking to apply for sports and arts college
  29W
  status. This help includes advice and support on seeking and attracting appropriate sponsorship from the private sector including donations from charitable foundations, private trust funds and individuals.

  The Government recognise the difficulties which some schools face in raising the private sector sponsorship to support their applications for specialist schools status. It is a challenging task, particularly in areas of socio-economic and rural deprivation. In recognition of this the Government have recently reduced the minimum sponsorship requirement from £100, 000 to £50,000. In return, a school designated as a Specialist School receives a further £100,000 towards its capital building project and additional annual grants totalling around £500,000 over four years.

  Free Alarm Clocks
  Mr. Brady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many free alarm clocks have been distributed to jobseekers by his Department. [142836]

  Ms Jowell
  [holding answer 15 December 2000]: We are determined to help people into work as quickly as possible. Local managers have the authority to decide the best way of doing that for each individual, including buying alarm clocks where that makes a difference to someone's chances of finding work We do not hold records centrally on the numbers of alarm clocks that have been given to jobseekers.

  Connexions
  Mr. Boswell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what the proposed salary scale is for Connexions personal advisers; and whether the scale is linked to the pay of teachers. [142814]

  Mr. Wicks
  Connexions Personal Advisers will be employed directly by Connexions Partnerships be seconded to partnerships from a range of organisations, or be employed by organisations sub-contracted to deliver Personal Adviser services. We are also working with Partnerships to broaden the pool of people from which Personal Advisers will be recruited. It would not, therefore, be appropriate to impose national salary scales, and there will not be a direct link to the pay of teachers. We have, however, been working with Connexions Pilots on how best to harmonise terms and conditions, and I will shortly be issuing guidance on setting salary scales to Connexions Partnerships.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Vibration White Finger
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on medical examinations for vibration white finger in respect of the intermittent nature of the condition. [142153]

  Mrs. Liddell
  The medical assessment process for Vibration White Finger (VWF) has been developed with experts in the area of vibration disease. It allows for a claimant with a history of exposure to vibration to undertake a number of controlled tests and to set out for the examining doctor their symptoms.
  30W
  This enables the doctor to build up a detailed picture of the claimant's hand condition in order that the diagnosis can be confirmed and the severity of the condition assessed.

  In severe sufferers there is a continuous disability.

  Foundries
  Mrs. Organ
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent representations he has received from the foundry industry concerning new(a) domestic and (b) European regulations. [142524]

  Mr. Alan Johnson
  On 23 November I chaired a metals tripartite meeting involving the trades unions and the metals industry trade associations. The foundry industry representatives took the opportunity to draw my attention to their increasing concerns about the burden of domestic and European regulations, particularly in respect of the environment, health and safety, energy and employment. Previous foundry industry representations to Ministers have involved my right hon. Friend the Minister for Trade on anti-dumping issues.

  In addition the foundry industry and its representative bodies continue to have a good working relationship with DTI officials and matters such as these are discussed.

  Mrs. Organ
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the compliance cost to the foundry industry of the climate change levy to be implemented in April 2001. [142729]

  Ms Hewitt
  There are no compliance costs associated with payment of the climate change levy, as the sum payable will be added to energy bills. However, there may be some limited compliance costs for those businesses who enter Negotiated Agreements to deliver energy or carbon savings in return for the 80 per cent. discount, depending on the existing level of energy monitoring within individual businesses.

  Mrs. Organ
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many(a) foundries have closed and (b) jobs have been lost from the foundry industry in the last two years. [142685]

  Mr. Alan Johnson
  We estimate that just over 75 foundries have closed or announced the intention to close over the last two years resulting in some 3,600 job losses.

  Mrs. Organ
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent assessment has made of the economic situation of the foundry industry. [142522]

  Mr. Alan Johnson
  The Department has recently commissioned a new series of competitiveness analyses of the metals sectors, including the foundry industry. Work is under way and the final reports are due to be completed in spring 2001. The outcome of the research will be shared with the trade associations representing the industry in due course.

  Mrs. Organ
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what support from(a) central Government and (b) RDAs the foundry industry has received in each of the last two years. [142523]
  31W
  Mr. Alan Johnson
  The DTI has provided grant funding of £480,111 (1998–99) and £233,193 (1999–2000) under the Innovation budget (including Sector Challenge) for sectoral competitiveness work in support of the foundry industry. The Department is also supporting other foundry industry projects this financial year as well as the new competitiveness analysis study, but to date only a proportion of the funding has actually been paid (£55,582).

  In addition, Regional Selective Assistance grants totalling £465,000 (1998–99), £773,000 (1999–2000) and £169,000 (2000–01 to end November) have been paid to companies in the foundry industry.

  It is not possible to separately identify financial support from other DTI (or other Government) schemes that have directly benefited companies in the foundry industry.

  Information on specific RDA support to particular industry sectors is also not readily available.

  Departmental Advertising
  Mr. Clappison
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list for(a) 1996–97, (b) 1997–98, (c) 1998–99, (d) 1999–2000 and (e) 2000–01, (i) his Department's total spending on advertising campaigns, (ii) the cost of each individual advertising campaign and (iii) the criteria that were established to gauge the effectiveness of each campaign; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of each campaign based on these criteria. [142709]

  Dr. Howells
  The DTI's expenditure on advertising through the Central Office of Information is set out in the tables. The criteria for assessing the effectiveness of each publicity initiative varies depending on the nature of the policy or service involved, and a judgment on the best means of getting messages to the target audiences. Specific advertising strategies form part of a wider range of activities to publicise individual policies or services, and it is sometimes difficult to untangle the impact of advertising from other actions. However, measures of success are incorporated into the planning for all campaign and advertising expenditure, and full account is taken of the guidance issued by the Cabinet Office on the use of public funds for this purpose.

  DTI advertising expenditure through COI

  Period

  Advertising activity

  Amount (£)

  1996–97

  Queens Awards

  185,295

  Export licences

  8,510

  Import licences

  58,674

  Biotechnology Means Business

  178,991

  Business Links

  2,527,747

  Fireworks safety

  85,150

  Invest in Britain

  9,377

  Miscellaneous

  110,230

  Total

  3,163,974

  32W

  DTI advertising expenditure through COI

  Period

  Advertising activity

  Amount (£)

  1997–98

  Import licences

  58,110

  Export licences

  6,808

  Languages for Export

  21,545

  Firework safety

  73,096

  Business Links

  1,331,702

  IT for All

  653,289

  Invest in Britain

  21,750

  Queens Award

  24,500

  Miscellaneous

  182,837

  Total

  2,373,637

  1998–99

  Import licences

  48,776

  Export licences

  7,659

  Queens Award

  228,159

  Firework safety

  73,863

  Working Time Regulations

  646,150

  Business Links

  1,021,351

  Carbon monoxide

  46,260

  Trade-UK

  7,198

  IT for All

  100,641

  National Minimum Wage

  3,363,881

  Total

  5,543,938

  1999–2000

  Export awareness

  19,402

  National Minimum Wage

  377,585

  Import licences

  58,417

  Export licences

  12,699

  Information Society Initiative

  852,375

  Miners compensation

  164,768

  Queens Award

  61,512

  Metrication

  22,213

  Carbon Monoxide

  71,805

  Export USA

  2,915

  Foresight

  55,605

  Miscellaneous

  15,277

  Total

  1,714,573

  2000–01 (to date)

  Import licences

  7,300

  Export licences

  8,648

  Small Business Service

  92,234

  National Minimum Wage (Youth)

  732,552

  National Minimum Wage (autumn)

  3,505,048

  Distance selling

  17,953

  Miners compensation

  142,899

  Miscellaneous

  4,887

  Total

  4,511,521

  Minimum Wage
  Mr. Alexander
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many employers have been found to be in contravention of national minimum wage legislation since its inception. [142700]

  Mr. Alan Johnson
  During the period April 1999 to November 2000, as a result of their investigations, National Minimum Wage Compliance Officers found some 2,500 employers to be in contravention of national minimum wage legislation.

  Mr. Webb
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if subpostmasters are covered by minimum wage regulations; and if he will make a statement. [143095]

  Mr. Alan Johnson
  The National Minimum Wage Act and Regulations apply to "workers" as defined in section 54 of the Act, plus agency workers and home workers as defined in sections 34 and 35. It is for
  33W
  employment tribunals to determine whether certain individuals do or do not count as workers, depending on the facts in each individual case. The contractual arrangements of subpostmasters may vary from case to case. Where there is a dispute about an individual's status for minimum wage purposes, section 28 of the Act puts the burden of proof on the alleged employer to prove that the individual is not a worker. If this cannot be proved, then the individual will be taken to be a worker.

  Mr. Alexander
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many calls have been received by the Minimum Wage Hotline(a) nationally and (b) from Scotland to date. [142690]

  Mr. Alan Johnson
  During the period April 1999 to November 2000 over 170,000 calls in total were handled by the National Minimum Wage Helpline. In addition, a private sector helpline took 50,000 calls between January and March 1999. Therefore the total number of calls received up to the end of November 2000 is in excess of 220,000.

  Information on the location of callers is not recorded by region or country. The vast majority of calls to the helpline are simply for information and advice and there is no need to take personal details.

  Developing Countries
  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the impact of the General Agreement on Trade in Services on developing countries. [142512]

  Mr. Caborn
  [holding answer 14 December 2000]: The General Agreement on Trade in Services was one of the agreements concluded at the end of the Uruguay round. It applies to all member countries of the World Trade Organisation (the majority of whom are developing countries) and includes specific provisions relating to flexibility for individual developing countries, particularly the least-developed countries.

  The GATS provides for successive rounds of negotiations aimed at achieving progressive liberalisation of trade in services. Each member country, including developing countries, chooses for itself both which sectors they want to liberalise and the extent of that liberalisation by choosing the commitments they make (the "bottom-up" approach). They do not have to liberalise if they choose not to. In the current round, which began in January 2000, developing countries have sought to emphasise the importance of liberalisation in sectors of export interest to them, such as tourism services and movement of people. The Government support the GATS negotiations and believes that its results should bring benefits to all WTO members, including developing countries.

  Fuel Prices
  Mr. Jenkin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the average retail price of petrol and diesel in each EU country indicating the percentage of the price which is accounted for by taxation. [142741]
  34W
  Mrs. Liddell
  [holding answer 14 December 2000]: The latest available information for premium unleaded petrol and diesel prices and taxes is for September 2000 and is shown in the table.

  Pence per litre1

  Pump price

  Tax and duty

  Per cent. tax component

  EU unleaded and petrol prices2, 3

  Austria

  59.16

  35.24

  59.6

  Belgium

  68.54

  42.96

  62.7

  Denmark

  69.48

  45.64

  65.7

  Finland

  73.75

  47.58

  64.5

  France

  70.08

  47.58

  67.9

  Germany

  64.59

  43.36

  67.1

  Greece

  50.47

  25.70

  50.9

  Ireland

  58.72

  33.39

  56.9

  Italy

  68.58

  43.30

  63.1

  Luxembourg

  52.84

  28.45

  53.9

  Netherlands

  74.74

  47.67

  63.8

  Portugal

  54.38

  25.62

  47.1

  Spain

  51.22

  29.83

  58.2

  Sweden

  71.97

  47.02

  65.3

  UK

  80.17

  60.76

  75.8

  EU diesel prices3

  Austria

  50.25

  26.12

  52.0

  Belgium

  56.68

  27.60

  48.7

  Denmark

  59.39

  32.96

  55.5

  Finland

  54.60

  28.51

  52.2

  France

  57.14

  33.37

  58.4

  Germany

  53.20

  30.51

  57.4

  Greece

  47.46

  22.52

  47.5

  Ireland

  52.03

  29.25

  56.2

  Italy

  56.88

  32.86

  57.8

  Luxembourg

  46.01

  21.48

  46.7

  Netherlands

  55.70

  29.85

  53.6

  Portugal

  38.19

  20.61

  54.0

  Spain

  43.99

  22.60

  51.4

  Sweden

  59.41

  33.21

  55.9

  UK

  82.31

  61.08

  74.2

  1 Prices converted to pounds sterling using mid September exchange rates

  2 Premium unleaded 95RON

  3 Prices as at mid September 2000

  Source:

  European Commission Oil Bulletin

  Ultra-low Sulphur Petrol
  Mr. Jenkin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will estimate how much ultra-low sulphur petrol was distributed by oil companies to garages in the UK in the last month. [142743]

  Mrs. Liddell
  [holding answer 14 December 2000]: According to the latest data collected by HM Customs and Excise, 42 per cent. of deliveries released for consumption in the UK were ultra-low sulphur petrol.

  Mineworkers' Compensation Scheme
  Mr. Ennis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) how many bereavement awards have been granted to date to the widows of former miners under the mineworkers' compensation scheme; [142818]

  (2) what (a) maximum and (b) minimum bereavement award has been granted to the widows of former miners under the mineworkers' compensation scheme. [142819]
  35W
  Mrs. Liddell
  As at 3 December the Department had paid some 4,400 Bereavement Awards and Loss of Society Awards (the equivalent in Scotland), totalling nearly £37 million, to widows of former miners suffering from respiratory diseases. Individual awards ranged from £3,591 to £13,490, with the average award being £8,492 (these vary because of the different statutory awards, dependent on the date of death, and accumulated interest).

  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will waive the additional Government-sponsored health test from those former miners who are assessed by the Benefits Agency as suffering from chronic bronchitis and emphysema. [142634]

  Mrs. Liddell
  The Department is legally obliged to ensure that compensation is properly paid out in accordance with the High Court ruling on the conditions for which British Coal were found liable. An examination has been made of the possibility of using the DSS medical; regrettably, they are not sufficiently detailed to allow an accurate assessment of the degree of injury for which compensation is to be paid and take no account of exposure to dust or of smoking or the progression of disability over time, which are required by the court to enable the accurate assessment of special damages.

  Type 45 Destroyer
  Dr. Cable
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment his Department has made of the industrial implications of the Ministry of Defence moving from a competitive to a non-competitive procurement strategy for the Type 45 Destroyer programme. [142744]

  Mr. Alan Johnson
  [holding answer 14 December 2000]: I am advised by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence that his Ministry has not moved from a competitive to a non-competitive procurement strategy for the Type 45 Destroyer programme. I have therefore not undertaken any such assessment.

  START
  Mr. Page
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on START; and what progress has been made since May 1997. [R] [142880]

  Mrs. Liddell
  [holding answer 15 December 2000]: START, built and operated by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority at Culham in Oxfordshire from 1991, was a pioneering innovation in the research into the generation of electricity by means of nuclear fusion. START was the world's first working spherical device (the 'spherical tokamak') in which magnetic fields are used to confine the very high temperature plasmas required for energy release from fusion.

  There were two important achievements in the period from May 1997. First, a world record for the ratio of plasma pressure to magnetic pressure was demonstrated, three times greater than the record from less compact tokamaks. Secondly, it was demonstrated that the spherical tokamak plasma could easily be made to enter a stable, improved mode of operation, in which energy leakage from the plasma is reduced.

  START ceased operations on 31 March 1998. Since then its larger successor MAST ("MegaAmpere Spherical Tokamak") has been built at Culham and is confirming
  36W
  the great promise of START. Following the success of START, spherical tokamaks have been built in the US, the Russian Federation, Japan and Brazil.

  I have asked UKAEA to send the hon. Member further information on START and MAST and copies will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

  Universal Banking Services
  Sir Peter Emery
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made on plans for a universal bank for the Post Office. [142694]

  Mr. Byers
  The Post Office and the banks are working together to develop the concept of universal banking services.

  Mr. Page
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to cap the number of people who may hold a basic bank account with the universal banking services. [142959]

  Mr. Alan Johnson
  [holding answer 15 December 2000]: There are no plans to cap the number of people who may hold a basic bank account.

  Royal Mail
  Mr. Syms
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action he has taken to resolve the dispute between the Royal Mail and trade unions affecting Royal Mail services in London NW1. [142956]

  Mr. Alan Johnson
  [holding answer 15 December 2000]: Industrial relations at Royal Mail are a matter for the Post Office and the trade unions.

  Mr. Syms
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on Royal Mail postal deliveries in London NW1. [142953]

  Mr. Alan Johnson
  [holding answer 15 December 2000]: Royal Mail postal deliveries in London NW1 and nationally are an operational matter for the Post Office.

  Sub-post Offices
  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry under what powers he plans to instruct the Post Office to maintain the rural network of sub-post offices. [142881]

  Mr. Byers
  [holding answer 15 December 2000]: My hon. Friend the Minister for Competitiveness placed a formal requirement on the Post Office to maintain the rural network and to prevent any avoidable closures of rural post offices in a letter dated 17 November to the Chief Executive.

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

  Digital Television
  Mr. Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what plans he has to set a date beyond which non-digital television sets cannot be sold; [141631]
  37W
  (2) what estimate he has made of how many television sets (a) able and (b) unable to receive digital television transmissions have been sold since his announcement in November 1999 that analogue services would be cut off. [141632]

  Janet Anderson
  Around 25,000 integrated digital television sets were sold in the last 12 months. Nearly all of the other new television sets sold are also able to receive digital television transmissions by using a set-top box. Some cheaper sets may not have the necessary socket, though we have no information about the exact number. We are currently negotiating a European directive stipulating that all the television sets sold in Europe should have at least one open interface socket permitting the connection of a digital receiver.

  A date beyond which non-digital television sets cannot be sold can be set only with the agreement of the European Commission. Such a measure is currently being considered by the European Commission.

  Wembley Stadium
  Mr. Bob Russell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement about the future of Wembley Stadium. [142591]

  Mr. Chris Smith
  [holding answer 14 December 2000]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for East Surrey (Mr. Ainsworth) on 15 December 2000, Official Report, column 294W.

  Millennium Dome
  Mr. Bercow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement on the sale of the Millennium Dome. [141898]

  Janet Anderson
  [holding answer 11 December 2000]: On 20 November, the Government announced that Legacy plc had been awarded preferred bidder status. Legacy plc confirmed that they will resolve all outstanding contractual issues within an agreed timetable. Negotiations continue, and if all goes well the Government expect to exchange contracts during February. Progress will be reviewed regularly.

WALES

  Urban II Initiative
  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the extent to which the Urban II initiative bid for Wales will be affected by the European Commission's rejection of the United Kingdom's overall submission. [143164]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  The Commission has not rejected the United Kingdom's proposals. Discussions are continuing about the total number of programmes which can proceed. However, I am confident that this will not affect the position of the West Wrexham bid.

  Regional Development Agencies
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if the strategy funds for Regional Development Agencies, announced in the pre-Budget Statement, also apply to the Welsh Development Agency. [142584]
  38W
  Mr. Paul Murphy
  The pre-Budget Report announcement concerned English Regional Development Agencies, and gave them more budgetary flexibility, and a new Strategic Programme, allowing Regional Development Agencies to switch resources into the new Strategic Programme for innovative schemes that meet their economic and other strategic aims.

  The Spending Review provided increased resources for Regional Development Agencies and Wales received Barnett consequential of those increases in the usual way. It is for the Assembly to determine how to allocate its resources among its programmes according to its own priorities, and its recent budget announcements set out detailed plans, including increased funding, for the WDA for the next three years.

  Census Form
  Mr. Gareth Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement as to the proposed census form for Wales. [142379]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  The Government have made an unprecedented commitment to ensuring a successful census in Wales. Anyone who writes that they are Welsh in the ethnic identity section of the census form will be counted as such. Unlike a simple tick box this will identify those Welsh people who are from black, asian or other backgrounds. We are explicitly recognising the diversity of those who regard themselves as Welsh and who have other ethnic backgrounds.

  As with every census there will be an advertising campaign to make sure that everyone fills the forms in. But in Wales there will be additional emphasis on making sure that people are aware that they can state that they are Welsh.

  A question on the country of birth will enable people to indicate that they were born in Wales and respondents will be asked whether they can understand, speak, read or write in the Welsh language.

  An expanded and enhanced Labour Force Survey will ask questions about Welsh identity for the first time, and the Office for National Statistics has pledged to publish a special report based on these findings, combined with information from the census.

  Mr. Gareth Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the First Secretary of the National Assembly for Wales on the proposed census form for Wales. [142380]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  I have regular discussions with the First Secretary about a range of issues, including the 2001 census.

  As the census informs billions of pounds of spending in Wales, whether through the Welsh Block grant, allocations to police or fire services, or overall measures of economic performance and thus economic aid, we have discussed how any disruption of the census, either through non co-operation or eleventh hour changes to its format, runs the risk of losing precious resources for Wales.

SCOTLAND

  McDermott International Ltd.
  Mr. David Stewart
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received about the winding up of the occupational pension plan operated by the UK section of McDermott International Ltd. [143085]

  Dr. Reid
  I have received representations from my hon. Friend about this matter. I know my hon. Friend is meeting OPAS (the Pensions Scheme Advisory Service) which can provide advice on these issues. The responsibility for ensuring the proper statutory procedures of occupational pension schemes rests with the Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority. The Pensions Ombudsman can investigate complaints of maladministration from members of occupational pension schemes.

HEALTH

  Fluoride
  Mr. Kidney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the York Review of fluoride in drinking water; and if he will make a statement as to the implications for public policy. [142239]

  Mr. Denham
  The report of the systematic review of water fluoridation undertaken by the National Health Service Centre for Reviews and Dissemination at the University of York concluded that fluoridating water helps to reduce tooth decay and found no clear evidence of adverse effects on general health.

  The report did, however, identify the need for more good quality research and we have asked the Medical Research Council to set up a working group to advise on whether further research in the area of water fluoridation and human health is required. We will be discussing the report with representatives of the water industry. When this action is complete we will review the need for legislation.

  Departmental Policies (Blackpool, South)
  Mr. Gordon Marsden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set out, including statistical information relating as directly as possible to the constituency, the effect on the Blackpool, South constituency of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [142228]

  Mr. Denham
  The income and expenditure figures for North West Lancashire health authority for the last four financial years, as per final accounts, are in the table.

  £000

  Total income

  Total expenditure

  1996–97

  313,497

  312,965

  1997–98

  295,579

  294,947

  1998–99

  313,804

  313,769

  1999–2000

  374,664

  376,367

  Note:

  The overspend in 1999–2000 was a combination of a planned overspend supported by the balance sheet, provisions and prescribing.
  40W
  Capital allocations to the two National Health Service trusts based in and around Blackpool were as follows:

  £000

  Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde

  Blackpool Victoria

  Unconditional1

  1996–97

  1,004

  2,190

  1997–98

  1,004

  2,190

  1998–99

  803

  1,752

  1999–2000

  857

  2,072

  2000–01

  883

  1,925

  Conditional2 (approved)

  1996–97

  -300

  3,752

  1997–98

  —

  5,119

  1998–99

  —

  3,800

  1999–2000

  —

  9,528

  2000–01

  755

  5,200

  1 Unconditional, i.e the trust is free to determine use of the money.

  2 Conditional, i.e the allocation relates to a specific, agreed project.

  Clinicians
  Tony Wright
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if clinicians are allowed to participate in clinical governance arrangements; and what sanctions are available if they do not. [142188]

  Mr. Denham
  The arrangements for clinical governance provide a coherent and comprehensive framework of measures to assure and improve the quality of patient care in the National Health Service. These arrangements are multi-disciplinary and all clinicians are expected to participate in their delivery.

  The Health Act 1999 places a duty of quality on primary care trusts, health authorities and NHS trusts. They must ensure that this duty is discharged properly by putting and keeping in place arrangements for continuously monitoring and improving the quality of health care they provide through the implementation of clinical governance. NHS organisations are responsible for ensuring that clinicians participate fully in clinical governance arrangements.

  The Commission for Health Improvement will monitor the implementation of clinical governance through a rolling programme of clinical governance reviews.

  Clinical governance is underpinned by arrangements for professional appraisal. The NHS Plan proposes that, subject to Parliament, by April 2001, all doctors working in primary care, whether as principals, non-principals or locums, will be required to be on a list of a health authority and be subject to clinical governance arrangements. These will include annual appraisal and mandatory participation in clinical audit.

  The NHS Plan also sets out provisions for making annual appraisal and effective job plans mandatory for all consultants. The intention is to introduce an agreed mechanism for employer-based appraisal, by April 2001, as a contractual requirement. The outcome of the appraisal process will need to be compatible with, and to feed into, the processes of clinical governance and General Medical Council revalidation, which will require all doctors to demonstrate that they remain fit to practise in their chosen field.

  Mixed-sex Specialist Wards
  Mr. Bruce George
  To ask the secretary of State for Health (1) how many representations he has received against the abolition of mixed-sex specialist wards in the last year; [142553]

  (2) from whom he has received recent representations against the abolition of mixed-sex specialist wards; and what plans he has to review his policy in response to them. [142547]

  Mr. Denham
  I have not received any representation against the abolition of mixed-sex specialist wards.

  Mr. Bruce George
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to utilise specialist-trained nurses and how many will become available if specialist mixed-sex wards are abolished. [142549]

  Mr. Denham
  It is for local managers to decide how best to use their staff but it is likely that any specialist-trained nurses currently employed in mixed-sex wards will be re-deployed to deliver specialist services in a single sex environment.

  Mr. Bruce George
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will retain multi-bay mixed-sex specialist dermatological wards in order to provide specialist treatment. [142552]

  Mr. Denham
  We remain committed to achieving the three specific objectives we have set for eliminating mixed-sex accommodation. These are:Ensuring that appropriate organisational arrangements are in place to secure good standards of privacy and dignity for hospital patients;
  Achieving fully the Patient's Charter standard for segregated washing and toilet facilities across the National Health Service; and
  Providing safe facilities for patients in hospital who are mentally ill which safeguard their privacy and dignity.

  It is our aim to achieve these objectives in the vast majority of health authorities by 2002.

  Mr. Bruce George
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment his Department has made as to the cost-effectiveness of single sex wards and whether they comprise best practice in respect of the provision of specialist treatment; and if he will make a statement. [142548]

  Mr. Denham
  It is a matter for National Health Service trusts, after appropriate liaison with their local health authorities and NHS Executive regional offices, to identify cost-effective ways of achieving our objectives on eliminating mixed-sex accommodation.

  Many hospitals are able to deliver specialist services to their patients in a single sex environment. It is our view that it is best practice for NHS trusts to enhance privacy and dignity, thereby increasing the quality of the service they provide to patients.

  Food Labelling
  Dr. Iddon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the work of the Food Standards Agency in previewing food labelling in respect of proposals that will provide consumers with accurate 42W
  and comprehensive information about the contributions of some food products to the reduction of disease risk exposure; and if he will make a statement; [142707]

  (2) what steps he is taking at a European level to promote initiatives to improve labelling information for consumers of food products to provide accurate and comprehensive information about the contributions of certain food products in the reduction of disease risk exposure; and if he will make a statement. [142763]

  Ms Stuart
  We have accepted the advice of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) that in the interests of informed consumer choice, European Union legislation should allow those foods which play a role in reducing the risk of certain diseases to make relevant claims. It has also agreed that there should be an effective and practical system at EU level for the verification and approval of such claims.

  The FSA is pressing the European Commission to amend European Community food labelling rules to improve the level and clarity of information on food labels.

  A summary of the changes being pursued has been published by the FSA in its action plan on food labelling, copies of which are available in the Library.

  Hospital Waiting Times
  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of patients have been waiting over one year for inpatient treatment in(a) West Surrey and (b) Durham in (i) 1997 and (ii) at the latest date for which figures are available. [142992]

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

  Percentage

  Proportion of patients waiting over a year for inpatient treatment as on:

  31 March 1997

  31 October 2000

  West Surrey Heath Authority

  5.5

  11.7

  County Durham and Darlington Health Authority

  0.0

  1.5

  Source:

  QF01 quarterly waiting times return/monthly waiting times return

  We are committed to reducing waiting times for outpatient appointments and inpatient treatment. We addressed this in the National Health Service Plan announced in July where we pledged that, by the end of 2005, the maximum inpatient waiting time will be cut from 18 months now to six months and the maximum outpatient waiting time will be cut from over six months now to three months. Provided we can recruit the extra staff, and the NHS makes the necessary reforms, our eventual objective is to reduce the maximum wait for any stage of treatment to three months by the end of 2008.

  Stroke Patients
  Mrs. Spelman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on access to NHS specialist services for people with stroke; what plans he has to end the postcode variations in care for stroke patients; and if he will make additional resources available for the treatment of this condition. [142835]

  Mr. Denham
  [holding answer 15 December 2000]: "Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation" included stroke as a priority for action and proposes a target reduction in stroke mortality of at least two fifths by 2010 for people under 75.

  The forthcoming National Service Framework (NSF) for Older People will drive up the quality, and reduce variations in services for older people. It will set national standards and define service models for the health and social care older people receive; put in place programmes to support implementation; and establish milestones and performance indicators against which progress will be measured. It is expected that the NSF will cover conditions prevalent among older people such as stroke and that it will apply to all stroke patients.

  The Budget last March provided around £4 billion extra year on year for England for this year and the next three years (ie 2000–01 to 2003–04).

  Ambulance Service
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the number of additional ambulances and crew required for the London Ambulance Service to achieve an average eight-minute response rate for urban trusts. [142139]

  Ms Stuart
  It is not possible to identify the additional number of ambulances and crew required for the London Ambulance Service to achieve an average eight-minute response rate for urban trusts.

  Hospital Discharges
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set out for each health authority, by NHS region, the reason, number and percentage of over 75-year-olds whose discharge was delayed in each quarter of the last three years. [141457]

  Mr. Denham
  The information requested has been put in the Library.

  Health Authority Funding
  Mr. Andrew George
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much Government funding has been allocated for 2000–01 for each health authority in England and Wales(a) in total and (b) per head of population. [142888]

  Mr. Denham
  The 2000–01 allocation and the 2000–01 allocation per weighted head of population for each health authority in England are given in the table. All figures include the additional £660 million announced on 28 March 2000.

  Funding of health authorities in Wales is a matter for the Assembly for Wales.
  44W

  Health authority

  2000–01 allocation (£000)

  Allocation per weighted head of population (£)

  Avon

  641,970

  681

  Barking and Havering

  281,533

  694

  Barnet

  228,234

  691

  Barnsley

  171,548

  669

  Bedfordshire

  344,831

  663

  Berkshire

  484,623

  666

  Bexley and Greenwich

  318,047

  729

  Birmingham

  749,780

  693

  Bradford

  344,396

  684

  Brent and Harrow

  342,135

  704

  Bromley

  201,306

  688

  Buckinghamshire

  407,599

  668

  Bury and Rochdale

  276,730

  687

  Calderdale and Kirklees

  402,907

  687

  Cambridgeshire

  442,411

  671

  Camden and Islington

  357,147

  710

  Cornwall and Isles of Scilly

  345,751

  701

  County Durham

  452,736

  674

  Coventry

  221,753

  669

  Croydon

  223,107

  681

  Doncaster

  216,860

  688

  Dorset

  487,298

  701

  Dudley

  200,507

  677

  Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow

  524,548

  688

  East and North Hertfordshire

  318,662

  679

  East Kent

  431,841

  705

  East Lancashire

  384,249

  683

  East London and the City

  547,564

  666

  East Riding

  395,257

  689

  East Surrey

  267,914

  703

  East Sussex, Brighton and Hove

  551,376

  705

  Enfield and Haringey

  356,859

  691

  Gateshead and South Tyneside

  278,161

  682

  Gloucestershire

  364,311

  708

  Herefordshire

  108,512

  685

  Hillingdon

  169,434

  684

  Isle of Wight

  100,622

  736

  Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster

  321,111

  637

  Kingston and Richmond

  237,277

  706

  Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham

  638,243

  705

  Leeds

  516,653

  694

  Leicestershire

  570,686

  670

  Lincolnshire

  429,691

  681

  Liverpool

  379,504

  702

  Manchester

  380,061

  704

  Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth

  455,914

  700

  Morecambe Bay

  224,098

  710

  Newcastle and North Tyneside

  365,337

  696

  Norfolk

  504,549

  688

  North and East Devon

  328,698

  697

  North and Mid Hampshire

  320,050

  693

  North Cheshire

  217,660

  694

  North Cumbria

  217,846

  691

  North Derbyshire

  249,371

  684

  North Essex

  555,679

  687

  North Nottinghamshire

  260,428

  672

  North Staffordshire

  335,037

  678

  North West Lancashire

  352,074

  688

  North Yorkshire

  474,576

  684

  Northamptonshire

  356,996

  694

  Northumberland

  215,290

  687

  Nottingham

  428,772

  673

  Oxfordshire

  364,378

  672

  Portsmouth and South East Hampshire

  364,591

  688

  Redbridge and Waltham Forest

  323,694

  714

  Rotherham

  174,259

  682

  Salford and Trafford

  340,055

  701

  Sandwell

  224,323

  684

  Sefton

  211,790

  709

  Sheffield

  399,623

  698

  Shropshire

  270,975

  678

  Solihull

  133,724

  690

  Somerset

  318,840

  691

  South and West Devon

  419,811

  698

  South Cheshire

  443,804

  694

  45W

  Health authority

  2000–01 allocation (£000)

  Allocation per weighted head of population (£)

  South Derbyshire

  375,652

  677

  South Essex

  463,389

  677

  South Humber

  216,561

  701

  South Lancashire

  206,248

  702

  South Staffordshire

  352,315

  686

  Southampton and South West Hampshire

  359,457

  688

  St. Helen's and Knowsley

  258,206

  684

  Stockport

  193,464

  691

  Suffolk

  434,142

  694

  Sunderland

  219,431

  682

  Tees

  405,341

  682

  Wakefield

  232,337

  693

  Walsall

  179,574

  679

  Warwickshire

  320,497

  699

  West Hertfordshire

  346,924

  691

  West Kent

  618,824

  694

  West Pennine

  325,991

  676

  West Surrey

  401,226

  706

  West Sussex

  513,306

  684

  Wigan and Bolton

  410,052

  667

  Wiltshire

  380,058

  702

  Wirral

  248,242

  710

  Wolverhampton

  175,993

  677

  Worcestershire

  329,672

  692

  England total

  34,234,888

  688

  Health Pay Review Bodies
  Mrs. Anne Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the reports and recommendations of the health pay review bodies. [143602]

  Mr. Milburn
  I am responding on behalf of my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the reports of the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration (DDRB) and the Review Body on Nursing staff, Midwives, Health Visitors and Professions Allied to Medicine (NPRB), which are published today. I understand that a similar announcement is being made by the First Minister and the Minister for Health and Community Care in Scotland. Copies of the reports are available in the Vote Office and the Library. I am grateful to the chairmen and members of both Review Bodies for their hard work.

  The pay recommendations of the two Review Bodies are being accepted in full and without staging.

  Nurses, midwives and health visitors are to get an across the board increase of 3.7 per cent. For the third time in three years, the award is being paid nationally in full without staging. In addition one discretionary point is being consolidated into pay ranges of grades F, G, H and I, and the flat rate elements of London Allowance, on call and standby payments are also increased by 3.7 per cent. and the flat rate elements of London Weighting are being harmonised in line with rates paid to staff above grade B.

  On top of these increases, we are also introducing Cost of Living Supplements from 1 April 2001. These will be worth between £600 and £1,000 for qualified NPRB staff in London, and between £400 and £600 for equivalent staff in high-cost areas in the South of England.

  The minimum starting pay of a newly qualified nurse will rise to £15,445, an increase of 30 per cent. in cash terms over the salary paid at 31 March 1997. In Inner London, starting pay for a new nurse will be £19,178,
  46W
  including London Weighting and the new cost of living supplement—an increase of 7 per cent. on the April 2000 figure.

  The pay of an experienced ward sister or charge nurse on the maximum of grade G will rise by 5.5 per cent. to £25,420. This reflects the 3.7 per cent. award and the consolidation of one discretionary point. An equivalent nurse in inner London will earn £29,535 including also the new cost of living supplement—a 9 per cent. increase over the April 2000 figure.

  On the issue of midwives' grading, the NPRB has endorsed the agreement reached between the parties and recommended that it be implemented from 1 April 2001. This means that all midwives will be able to move through to the maximum of grade F without needing to be promoted.

  This year, the largest increases go to the most experienced nurses, midwives and health visitors who are in the vanguard of delivering the modern NHS—providing leadership, assuring clinical and environmental standards and getting all aspects of basic nursing care right for the patients.

  The NPRB has also recommended an across the board increase of 3.7 per cent. for physiotherapists, radiographers and other professions allied to medicine (PAMs). Starting pay for basic grade PAMs with a degree after four years' training will increase on 1 April 2001 to £15,920. PAMs in the pay ranges of the Senior II, Senior I and Chief/Head/Superintendent IV, and the Chief/Head/Superintendent III grades are also to have one discretionary point consolidated in recognition of the extra responsibilities placed on them by the NHS Plan. In addition, the qualifying period for discretionary points will be reduced to one year in line with the arrangements for other NPRB staff.

  These awards are fair and reflect the contribution of the key staff in the Review Body groups to the delivery of the NHS Plan and the whole modernisation agenda.

  The Doctors' and Dentists' Review Body (DDRB) has recommended an overall pay increase of 3.9 per cent. for salaried doctors and dentists and general medical and dental practitioners.

  To encourage the retention of general medical practitioners, the DDRB has also recommended a 7 per cent. increase in seniority allowances, worth in the region of £500 for a general medical practitioner with 25 years service. This is in addition to the 3.9 per cent. increase in intended average net remuneration.

  For consultants this 3.9 per cent. increase comes on top of the £50 million package to recognise increased work load, contribution to NHS and intensity of work. Within this over £40 million will be paid out in intensity supplements to consultants this year, paid in January 2001 backdated to April 2000.

  The DDRB pay rise takes the starting consultant salary to £50,810 and a consultant on the maximum of the scale with maximum distinction award to £128,935. The number of distinction awards has also been increased by 176 which will support the Government's proposals to reform the existing schemes to give more opportunity to reward consultants for their commitment and contribution to the NHS.
  47W
  Doctors in training will benefit from this increase as well as from the new pay and banding system introduced in December 2000. This deal replaced the old, unfair system of half pay for extra hours with a banding system to reflect total hours worked. As well as giving doctors in training significant increases the pay deal acts as an incentive for employers to reduce excessive hours. With the addition of this pay increase a Pre-Registration House Officer (PRHO) on minimum of scale working more than 48 hours at most unsocial times (band 2A) will receive £26,903 and a SHO on the maximum of the scale, again in band 2A, will receive £44,820.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Flooding
  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what research he has carried out to determine which rivers in(a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Scotland have flood conditions which exceed (i) 10 ft and (ii) 15 ft above low water level, at the frequencies of (1) one in 10 years, (2) one in 50 years, (3) one in 100 years, (4) one in 200 years and (5) one in 500 years; and where information arising from such research has been published. [142030]

  Mr. Morley
  Flood defence is a devolved responsibility. I am not aware of any research that has been undertaken to provide the information sought on a consolidated basis for rivers in England. Depth of potential flooding is highly variable even within an individual river catchment, as it depends on the flow and the degree to which it is confined or controlled. However, where schemes for flood alleviation or management are proposed, a significant part of the investigation is the derivation of such information on a site-specific basis.

PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL

  Departmental Policies (Blackpool, South)
  Mr. Gordon Marsden
  To ask the President of the Council if she will set out, including statistical information relating as directly as possible to the constituency, the effect on the Blackpool, South constituency of her Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [142225]

  Mrs. Beckett
  The Privy Council Office's core role is as a Secretariat. As such it has no policies of its own which would directly affect my hon. Friend's constituency.

CABINET OFFICE

  Task Forces
  Ms Oona King
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when she will publish the next six-monthly update of information on task forces, ad hoc advisory groups and reviews established since 2 May 1997. [143497]

  Mr. Stringer
  I have today placed in the Libraries of the House lists containing updated details about those live task forces, ad hoc advisory groups and reviews established between 2 May 1997, and 31 October 2000.
  48W
  The lists also contain details about those bodies that have been wound up during the period 1 May 2000 to 31 October 2000.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Business Watch Schemes
  Mr. Bill O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many industrial business watch schemes are in operation in England working to prevent crime and theft on industrial estates; and if he will make a statement; [142181]

  (2) what assistance his Department offers to industrial business watch schemes; and if he will make a statement. [142178]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  We do not provide any direct formal or financial assistance to industrial business watch schemes, and there are no central records available as to the number of such schemes. We do, of course, welcome any such initiatives to combat crime. Among the projects to assist business to reduce crime is Business Crime Check which seeks to create, maintain and promote a database of information relevant to those who wish to reduce crime against business.

  Mr. Bill O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many businesses took part in the National Retail Business Watch scheme; and if he will make a statement. [142180]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  I am not aware of the National Retail Business Watch scheme. The Government's drive against retail crime is being taken forward by the Retail Crime Reduction Action Team (RCRAT) and its work with the police and others in the public and private sectors has already had an impact on retail crime. RCRAT has produced a comprehensive guide to setting up and managing a Retail Crime Reduction Partnership and to date almost 250 of these partnerships have been established, covering all the major shopping centres in England and Wales.

  Statutory Scrutiny
  Tony Wright
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police authorities were in existence on 1 April 2000, and if they are(a) statutorily required to publish annual reports, (b) statutorily required to publish annual accounts, (c) subject to the jurisdiction of the parliamentary or local government Ombudsman, (d) subject to audit by the National Audit Office, (e) subject to audit by the Audit Commission, (f) statutorily required to admit the public to committee meetings, (g) statutorily required to hold public meetings, (h) statutorily required to publish the agendas of meetings, (i) statutorily required to publish the minutes of meetings, (j) statutorily required to publish the papers or documents for meetings, (k) statutorily required to keep and make publicly available a register of Members' interests, (l) statutorily required to consult and report to local authorities in their areas on their plans and policies and (m) statutorily subject to scrutiny by local authorities in their areas of operation. [142400]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  There were 41 police authorities in existence in England and Wales, outside London, on 1 April. The Metropolitan Police Authority was established
  49W
  on 1 July 2000. The main legislative provisions relating to police authorities are incorporated in the Police Act 1996, the Police and Magistrates' Courts Act 1994 and various items of local government legislation. Police authorities are statutorily required to publish annual reports and annual accounts. They are subject to the jurisdiction of the Local Government Ombudsman, but not the Parliamentary Ombudsman. They are subject to audit by the Audit Commission, but not by the National Audit Office. Section 100 of the Local Government Act 1972 as amended by the Access to Information Act 1984 sets out the legislative position regarding public access to meetings and documents relating to those meetings. Police authorities are statutorily required to admit the Public to committee meetings, but not to hold additional public meetings. They are also statutorily required to publish the agendas, minutes and papers or documents for meetings. The public can be excluded from meetings during consideration of exempt items (as outlined in Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972) and papers relating to such items may also be withheld from public access. Police authorities are statutorily required to keep and make publicly available a register of members' interests. There is no statutory requirement to consult and report to local authorities in their areas on their plans and policies and they are not statutorily subject to scrutiny by local authorities in their areas of operation.

  Feltham Young Offender Institution
  Jackie Ballard
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the staffing ratios for Feltham Young Offender Institution are(a) for juveniles only and (b) for 18 to 21 year olds. [142725]

  Mr. Boateng
  The information, as at 11 December 2000, is as follows:

  Staff to prisoner ratio

  Juveniles

  1: 0.99

  18–21 year olds

  1: 1.10

  Jackie Ballard
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide a breakdown of staff at Feltham Young Offender Institution in the following categories:(a) full time, (b) part time, (c) prison officers and (d) others. [142726]

  Mr. Boateng
  The information, as at 11 December 2000, is as follows:

  Full Time

  Part Time

  Total

  Prison officer grades

  382

  6

  388

  Other grades

  229

  23

  252

  Total

  611

  29

  640

  Jackie Ballard
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the sickness rate for 1999–2000 was among prison officers at Feltham Young Offender Institution. [142724]

  Mr. Boateng
  The sickness rate for 1999–2000 for prison officer grades at Feltham young offender institution was 14.76 working days.
  50W
  Jackie Ballard
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the rate of turnover of prison officers at Feltham was in each of the past three years. [142865]

  Mr. Boateng
  The information requested is provided in the table:

  Percentage

  Turnover rate

  1997–98

  18.2

  1998–99

  13.9

  1999–2000

  22.7

  2000–011

  11.7

  1 April 2000–11 December 2000

  The figures represent the number of basic grade officers, senior officers and principal officers to have left Feltham young offender institution each year, as a proportion of staff in post. Transfers to other Prison Service establishments are included.

  Jackie Ballard
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prison officers have(a) left and (b) joined the Prison Service since 1989. [142866]

  Mr. Boateng
  Due to a change of computer system during 1995–96, reliable data on staff movements into and out of the Service are not available prior to April 1997. Between 1 April 1997 and 12 December 2000, 3,098 prison officer grades (including senior and principal officers) left the Service. Between 1 April 1997 and 12 December 2000, 3,821 people joined the Service as prison officers.

  Gurpal Virdi
  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate direct and indirect costs to the Metropolitan police of the costs and investigation in relation to Gurpal Virdi. [142498]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  I have been informed by the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that the recorded costs incurred by their Directorate of Legal Services, together with the award of compensation on the first Employment Tribunal claim by Mr. Virdi, is estimated at £401,688 (£250,000 legal costs and £151,688 compensation award).

  As well as these legal costs, there are the costs incurred in the investigation itself and the discipline hearing, which included witness attendance. To quantify these costs could be done only at disproportionate cost. It should be noted, however, that the majority of these costs are "opportunity costs" (that is work carried out in the normal course of an officer's duties) and not additionally incurred.

  Criminal Cases Review Commission
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of applicants in Criminal Cases Review Commission cases which have been referred back to the Court of Appeal, have had legal representation during their application to the Commission. [142589]
  51W
  Mr. Charles Clarke
  I understand that in 98 of the 108 cases that the Criminal Cases Review Commission has to date referred to an appellate court, the applicant has been legally represented by the time their case was referred, a proportion of 91 per cent.

  Prison Service
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations the Director General of the Prison Service has received concerning the establishment of a union for prisoners; and what response he has given. [142795]

  Mr. Boateng
  The Prison Service has been approached about the formation of representative organisations for prisoners to address matters of common interest to them. It is unclear how these organisations would operate and the Prison Service is currently seeking clarification from the parties involved.

  Rural Crime
  Sir Peter Emery
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking to combat the rise in rural crime, with special reference to the south-west. [142696]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  The British Crime Survey shows that crime levels are significantly lower in rural areas than in urban areas, with levels of burglary, violent and vehicle crime declining. Nevertheless, tackling crime and the fear of crime in all areas, including rural areas, remains a high priority for this Government. Our approach in all areas is to assist the police and the local crime and disorder partnerships to address local crime effectively.

  We announced in June that rural police forces were to benefit this year from an additional £15 million from the Police Modernisation Fund. The allocation to forces in the south-west is as follows: Avon and Somerset, £494,892; Devon and Cornwall £1,554,673; Dorset £221,858; Gloucestershire £387,093; and Wiltshire £544,900. The money rises to £30 million next year.

  This money will make a real difference to policing in rural areas. In addition, we are providing funding for a range of initiatives and projects in rural areas as part of the Government's Crime Reduction Programme. In Devon and Cornwall, these include £81,000 to tackle persistent offending in east Devon and £950,000 to tackle alcohol related crime across the force area as part of the Targeted Policing Initiative; and £367,200 for four projects as part of the Reducing Burglary Initiative.

  Freemasons
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to require police officers to disclose membership of the Freemasons. [142521]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 9 November 2000,Official Report, column 402W. The deadline for police service responses to the Home Department consultation on this subject is 31 December.

  Illegal Drugs
  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans the Government have to audit the costs of enforcing the law relating to illegal drugs. [142212]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  [holding answer 13 December, 2000]: Assessing the costs of anti-drugs activities is inherently difficult because these often form part of wider functional service expenditure. For instance, up to one third of all property crime is thought to be drugs related, imposing a considerable burden on the Criminal Justice System. Broad assessment of the costs imposed by illegal abuse on public services and the proactive measures centred on tackling their root causes were made in the 2000 Spending review. Indicative spending totals for the latter were published in the Spending Review White Paper (Cm 4807).

  The Government are committed to improving their understanding of these totals. As part of its Service Delivery Agreement, the Cabinet Office, which is responsible for the United Kingdom Anti Drugs Co-ordination Unit, will implement a robust system for tracking total anti-drugs related expenditure and outputs by March 2002 and demonstrate that by March 2004 there will have been a 45 per cent. increase in spend on proactive effort on a 2000–01 base.

  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people, broken down by ethnic group, were convicted of dealing in illegal drugs and other offences involving illegal drugs in the UK in each of the last three years. [142294]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  [holding answer 13 December, 2000]: The requested information is not available centrally. The annual publication "Statistics on Race and the Criminal Justice System" to be published in January 2001 will provide some related information. For the first time, it will show, by police force area and ethnic appearance, the number of persons arrested and the number cautioned by the police in England and Wales for drugs offences in general. Copies of this publication will be available in the Library.

  Juvenile Offenders
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many secure accommodation places there are for juvenile offenders in Wales; [142586]

  (2) if he will make it his policy to increase the number of secure accommodation places for juvenile offenders in Wales. [142583]

  Mr. Boateng
  The only Welsh secure accommodation currently available for juvenile offenders is at Hillside, a local authority secure unit in Neath. 14 of its 18 places are provided under a block contract with the Youth Justice Board, and when they are available the Board can also spot purchase from among the remaining four places.

  The Board aims to expand capacity in Wales by 2003–04 through its commissioning strategy. It is currently examining possible sites and also in discussion with the Prison Service.

  Anti-social Behaviour Orders
  Mr. Hilary Benn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list, by local authority area, the number of anti-social behaviour orders that have been(a) applied for and (b) granted. [143000]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  Over 140 anti-social behaviour orders have been issued since the measure was implemented on 1 April 1999. Figures, by local authority area, for the numbers of orders applied for and obtained during that period are not held centrally.

  Street Lighting (Denbury)
  Mr. Steen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to ensure that street lighting on the Home Office Estate in Denbury, South Devon is set to GMT; and if he will make a statement on the administrative costs of collecting the annual fee from each household on the estate for this street lighting. [142943]

  Mr. Boateng
  The street lighting has been set to take account of the change to GMT. The annual charge to each private owner on the former Prison Service quarters estate for the street lighting and other services is collected on behalf of the prison by a collecting agent who charges the Prison Service an administrative fee of £25.75 per property.

  Crime and Disorder Partnerships
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much central Government funding has been allocated in total to local crime and disorder partnerships in each year since they were established under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. [142602]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  [holding answer 15 December 2000]: The bulk of the project funding for Crime Reduction Programme Initiatives detailed in my letter of 20 November to the hon. Member, and available in the Library, is channelled through the crime and disorder reduction partnerships established under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. The Home Department also has in place an annual £1 million programme of research, consultancy support and training and seminars to help partnerships achieve their crime and disorder reduction objectives. In addition, a further £3 million this year, and £20 million in each of the following three years is available for general partnership and support.

  Police Stations
  Mr. Heald
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the police stations in the Metropolitan police area which are planned to have reduced hours when they are open to the public. [142981]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  [holding answer 15 December 2000]: The decision to restrict the opening hours of police stations is an operational matter for the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis. I understand from the Commissioner that there are currently no plans to reduce the opening hours of any police station in the Metropolitan police area.

  Mr. Heald
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the police stations in the Metropolitan police area which are planned to close. [142985]
  54W
  Mr. Charles Clarke
  [holding answer 15 December 2000]: The decision to close police facilities is an operational matter for the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis. I understand from the Commissioner that there are currently no plans to close any police stations in the Metropolitan police area.

  Mr. Heald
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the police stations in the Metropolitan police area on 1 December,(a)(b) 1997, (c) 1998 and (d) 1999. [142984]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  [holding answer 15 December 2000]: I understand from the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service that police stations within the Metropolitan police area at 21 November 2000 were as follows. Information for earlier years is not available.

  Borough

  Police stations

  Barking and Dagenham

  Barking

  Dagenham

  Marks Gate

  Barnet

  Barnet

  Colindale

  Finchley

  Golders Green

  Whetstone

  Bexley

  Belvedere

  Bexleyheath

  Sidcup

  Brent

  Chalkhill

  Harlesden

  Kilburn

  Kingsbury

  Wembley

  Willesden

  Bromley

  Beckenham

  Bromley

  Orpington

  Penge

  West Wickham

  Camden

  Albany Street

  Grays Inn Road

  Hampstead

  Kentish Town

  West Hampstead

  City of Westminster

  Belgravia

  Charing Cross

  Harrow Road

  Marylebone

  Paddington

  St. John's Wood

  West End Central

  Westminster

  Croydon

  Addington

  Croydon

  Kenley

  Norbury

  South Norwood

  Ealing

  Acton

  Ealing

  Greenford

  Norwood Green

  Perry Vale

  Southall

  Enfield

  Edmonton

  Enfield

  Ponders End

  Southgate

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  Borough

  Police stations

  Greenwich

  Eltham

  Greenwich

  Plumstead

  Thamesmead

  Woolwich

  Hackney

  Dalston

  Hackney

  Shoreditch

  Stoke Newington

  Hammersmith and Fulham

  Fulham

  Hammersmith

  Shepherds Bush

  Haringey

  Hornsey

  Tottenham

  Wood Green

  Harrow

  South Harrow

  Havering

  Harold Hill

  Hornchurch

  Rainham

  Romford

  Upminster

  Hillingdon

  Hayes

  Ruislip

  Uxbridge

  West Drayton

  Hounslow

  Chiswick

  Feltham

  Hounslow

  Islington

  Holloway

  Islington

  Kensington and Chelsea

  Chelsea

  Kensington

  Notting Hill

  Kingston upon Thames

  Kingston

  Surbiton

  Lambeth

  Brixton

  Cavendish Road

  Clapham

  Gypsy Hill

  Kennington

  Streatham

  Lewisham

  Catford

  Deptford

  Lewisham

  Sydenham

  Merton

  Mitcham

  Morden

  Wimbledon

  Newham

  East Ham

  Forest Gate

  North Woolwich

  Plaistow

  Stratford

  Tarling Road

  Redbridge

  Barkingside

  Ilford

  Wanstead

  Woodford

  Richmond upon Thames

  Richmond

  Teddington

  Twickenham

  Southwark

  East Dulwich

  Peckham

  Rotherhithe

  Southwark

  Walworth

  Sutton

  Sutton

  Wallington

  56W

  Borough

  Police stations

  Tower Hamlets

  Bethnal Green

  Bow

  Brick Lane

  Isle of Dogs

  Limehouse

  Poplar

  Waltham Forest

  Chingford

  Leyton

  Leytonstone

  Walthamstow

  Walthamstow Town Centre

  Wandsworth

  Arndale Centre

  Battersea

  Jubillee House

  Lavender Hill

  Tooting

  Wandsworth

  Heathrow

  Heathrow

  Mr. Heald
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will list the police stations in the Metropolitan police area which reduced the hours when they are open to the public in(a) 1999 and (b) 2000 [142982]

  (2) if he will list the police stations in the Metropolitan police area which have reduced the hours when they are open to the public since 1 May 1997. [142983]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  [holding answer 15 December 2000]: It is for the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis to determine the hours of business of police station public counters. I understand from the Commissioner that the following police stations reduced their opening hours in the calendar years since 1997:

  1997
  Kingsbury

  1998

  Belgravia

  Greenford

  Norwood Green

  North Greenwood

  Southgate

  Sydenham

  Beckenham

  Belvedere

  Edgware

  Gypsy Hill

  Hayes

  Penge

  Pinner

  Ponders End

  Rotherhithe

  Rushton

  Sidcup

  Surbiton

  Tooting

  Wanstead

  Wealdstone

  West Drayton

  West Wickham

  57W
  2000

  East Dulwich

  Kings Cross Police Office

  Harrow Road

  Orpington

  Paddington Green

  Uxbridge

  West Hampstead.

  Community Beat Officers
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he has taken to encourage the(a) use of community beat officers and (b) assigning of named officers to patrol neighbourhoods; and if he will make a statement. [142617]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  [holding answer 15 December 2000]: The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 put police participation in local crime and disorder partnerships on a statutory footing and the Government have made it clear that they see this local partnership approach as the way forward in fighting crime. The use of community beat officers is an important part of delivering this. In his thematic inspections "Winning the Race" and "Winning the Race Revisited", in 1997 and 1999, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary endorsed the use of community beat officers responsible for problem solving within their local areas. Progress on implementing those recommendations will be assessed in a further thematic inspection report to be published in January.

  Mandatory Sentences
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on recent Court of Appeal judgments relating to the use of mandatory sentences under the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997. [142616]

  Mr. Boateng
  [holding answer 15 December 2000]: On 9 November 2000, the Court of Appeal gave judgment in the cases of Matthew Offen, Peter McGilliard, Darren McKeown, Christova Okwuegbunam and Stephen Saunders. The first four cases were appeals, while the last, Saunders, was referred by the Attorney-General under his powers to refer for unduly lenient sentences. In all the cases challenges were made to the lawfulness of the automatic life sentence provisions introduced as section 2 of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997 (now contained in section 109 of the Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000) on the grounds that the imposition of such a sentence was incompatible with rights under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) as protected by the Human Rights Act 1998.

  Section 109 of the Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 provides that an offender committing any of a list of certain offences (either sexual or violent) on two separate occasions should receive a mandatory life sentence unless there are exceptional circumstances relating to either of the offences or to the offender which would justify it not doing so.

  In giving the judgment of the Court, the Lord Chief Justice confirmed the compatibility of the legislation with the rights protected by the ECHR. It therefore remains the position that a life sentence must be given to a person
  58W
  who commits a second of the serious sexual or violent offences covered by the provision unless there are exceptional circumstances which would make it unjust to do so.

  The court upheld Offen and McKeown's appeals, substituting determinate terms of three years in place of a life sentence; dismissed Okwuegbunam and McGilliard's appeals, confirming their automatic life sentences; and found in favour of the Attorney-General in the Saunders case, quashing the 12-year determinate sentence and imposing a new automatic life sentence.

  The detailed matters for consideration relate to what should constitute "exceptional circumstances". We are currently giving consideration to these aspects of the judgment and their implications for sentencing policy.

  Police Recruitment
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he is undertaking to improve(a) retention and (b) recruitment of police officers; and if he will make a statement. [142601]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  [holding answer 15 December, 2000]: In order to improve retention of police officers we have:
  encouraged police authorities to ensure that officers are retired on grounds of ill-health only where they satisfy the requirements as to permanent disablement for police duties set out in the Police Pensions Regulations;
  been considering whether changes to those Regulations are required and we will be consulting the police service about the precise terms of revised Regulations shortly;
  set a target of 2 per cent. for reducing sickness absence in police forces in England and Wales as poor management of sickness absence may be a precursor to unnecessary medical retirement. In 1996–97 the average number of days sickness per police officer was 12.80. This declined to 11.55, or by 1.25 days per officer by 1999–2000.

  In order to improve recruitment of police officers we have:
  established the Crime Fighting Fund to enable forces to recruit 9,000 officers over and above the number they had previously planned in the three years 2000–01 to 2002–03;
  launched the first ever national recruitment advertising campaign.

  In order to improve both retention and recruitment my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary agreed to increase from 1 July 2000, by £3,327 per annum, London Allowance for officers in the Metropolitan police service and City of London police who joined on or after 1 September 1994 and receive no housing allowance.

  The Police Negotiating Board is currently looking at whether there should be an allowance for officers in any other forces, and my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary awaits any recommendations it may make on this or any other issues in relation to police pay and allowances.

  Wastage rates from the police service are very low—4.8 per cent. of total strength in 1998–99, 4.7 per cent. in 1999–2000 and 2.3 per cent. for the six months to 30 September 2000. Police recruitment is rising. In the six months to 30 September 2000, for the first time since March 1997, the number of officers recruited into the service exceeded those leaving it.

  Court Orders
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) anti-social behaviour orders, (b) sex offender orders, (c) parenting orders, (d) child safety orders, (e) reparation orders, (f) action plan orders, (g) supervision orders and (h) detention and training orders (i) have been made, (ii) have had appeals made against them and (iii) have been breached; and if he will make a statement. [142603]

  The number of new orders (as introduced under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998) made, appealed against or breached within pilot areas and nationally up to 30 June 20001

  Type of order

  Made up to 31 May 2000

  June 20001

  Appealed against

  Breached (up to 30 June 2000)1

  Anti-Social Behaviour Order2

  104

  9

  8—

  19

  Sex Offender Order3

  32

  4

  8—

  8—

  Parenting Order4

  —

  23

  8—

  1

  of which given at:

  Civil and family proceedings courts

  —

  1

  —

  —

  Criminal courts

  —

  22

  —

  —

  Child Safety Order4

  —

  —

  8—

  5,9—

  Reparation Order4

  —

  282

  8—

  35

  Action Plan Order4

  —

  263

  8—

  42

  Supervision Order6

  17,954

  764

  8—

  1,539

  Detention and Training Order7

  1,791

  460

  8—

  4

  1 Provisional.

  2 Implemented from 1 April 1999.

  3 Implemented on 1 December 1998.

  4 Piloted from 30 September 1998 and implemented nationally from 1 June 2000.

  5 If the child fails to comply with any requirement, the court may, on application of the responsible officer, discharge the order and make in respect of him a care order under s31(10(a) of the Children Act 1989. To date X such care orders have been recorded.

  6 S71 and 72 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 amended the Children and Young Persons Act 1969 strengthening the existing community penalty of a supervision order for serious young offenders. Data given in the first column covers all types of supervision orders and all young offenders. It covers the period from 1 January 1999 up to 31 May 2000.

  7 Implemented from April 1999 but data collected centrally from July 1999 onwards.

  8 Not available.

  9 Not applicable.

  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) reprimands and (b) warnings under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 have been issued in each month since their introduction; and if he will make a statement. [142604]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  [holding answer 15 December 2000]: Under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, reprimands and final warnings replaced cautions for young offenders. They were introduced in seven pilot areas from the end of September 1998 until 1 June 2000, when both reprimands and final warnings became available nationwide. During the final quarter in 1998, 1,126 reprimands and 576 final warnings were recorded (these data were collected as part of the pilot). Centrally recorded data for 1999 are given in the table. We also show provisional data for the first two quarters of 2000.

  Number of persons aged 10–17 given reprimands and final warnings within the seven pilot areas by month, 1999 and up to 30 June 20001

  Reprimands

  Final warnings

  1999

  January

  397

  202

  February

  298

  133

  March

  384

  117

  April

  491

  167

  May

  471

  242

  June2

  483

  229

  July

  317

  169

  60W
  Mr. Charles Clarke
  [holding answer 15 December, 2000]: Available information is given in the table.

  Anti-social behaviour orders have been taken out by the police and local authorities in a variety of cases and with considerable success in tackling the crime and disorder that can blight the lives of the community. Police forces and probation services have welcomed the new sex offender orders and regard them as a useful tool.

  Number of persons aged 10–17 given reprimands and final warnings within the seven pilot areas by month, 1999 and up to 30 June 20001

  Reprimands

  Final warnings

  August

  320

  174

  September

  279

  144

  October

  281

  137

  November

  188

  141

  December

  347

  196

  Total

  4,256

  2,051

  20001

  Quarter 1

  3,622

  1,060

  Quarter 2

  7,223

  2,681

  1 Provisional.

  2 Data given for Quarter 2 2000 cover the whole of England and Wales for the last month in the quarter as both reprimands and final warnings were introduced nationwide as from 1 June 2000.

  Note:

  It is thought that the centrally recorded data for these new disposals may be subject to a small amount of under-recording.

  Sentencing
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) on how many occasions the Sentencing Advisory Council has made proposals on(a) framing and (b) revising guidelines on sentencing since its establishment; and if he will make a statement; [142605]
  61W
  (2) what measures he has taken to improve consistency in sentencing between courts; and if he will make a statement. [142607]

  Mr. Boateng
  [holding answer 15 December 2000]: Section 81 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 established a new Sentencing Advisory Panel, to provide advice on sentencing to the Court of Appeal. The Panel must be informed when the Court is considering guidelines, and then provide advice, consulting with other interested parties. The Panel may also propose that the Court frame or revise guidelines if it considers this necessary or when directed to do so by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary. These provisions came into effect on 1 July 1999.

  The Sentencing Advisory Panel has made a proposal that the Court of Appeal should frame a sentencing guideline on four occasions. No proposals have yet been made to revise an existing guideline.

  On 21 September 2000, the Panel issued a consultation paper on a proposal that the Court of Appeal frame a sentencing guideline on handling stolen goods. It is hoped that advice will be submitted to the Court of Appeal in the new year.

  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the current mandatory sentences, including fixed penalty fines, and the date each came into force; and if he will make a statement. [142615]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  [holding answer 15 December 2000]: Life imprisonment is the mandatory sentence for murder. Section 109 of the Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 provides for an automatic life sentence for a second serious sexual or violent offence. Section 110 of the 2000 Act provides for a minimum seven years imprisonment for a person convicted for a third time of a Class A drug trafficking offence. These provisions were both implemented on 1 October 1997. Section 111 of the 2000 Act provides for a minimum sentence of three years imprisonment for a third time domestic burglary. This was implemented on 1 December 1999.

  There are a range of motoring offences that carry an obligatory period of disqualification from driving. A substantial number of motoring offences also carry obligatory endorsement of the offender's driving licence. Although a substantial number of offences may be dealt with by a fixed penalty, the majority of which are road traffic offences, this form of disposal cannot be regarded as a mandatory sentence.

  The Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 also makes provision for mandatory referral of certain young offenders to Youth Offender Panels where the offender and Panel will discuss and seek to agree a youth offender contract.

  Fixed penalty notices are issued at the discretion of the issuing authority. The offender is offered the choice of avoiding prosecution by paying the penalty or electing non-payment and attending court. Any sentence passed following conviction for the offence is entirely at the discretion of the court.

  Neighbourhood Warden Schemes
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the number of Neighbourhood Warden schemes in operation; what central Government funding has been(a) allocated and (b) spent on Neighbourhood Warden schemes since May 1997; what guidelines are in place relating to the operation of warden schemes; and if he will make a statement. [142606]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  [holding answer 15 December, 2000]: Neighbourhood Wardens are an important part of the Government's regeneration and neighbourhood renewal programme and of our partnership approach to tackling crime and disorder. The Policy Action Team Report 6 on Neighbourhood Wardens surveyed 50 schemes. Subsequently the Government have made funding available for Neighbourhood Warden schemes. In September this year I announced the first 50 successful new schemes, and that 42 further bids were being deferred for development. These enhanced bids have to be submitted for consideration by 15 December. I will make further announcements about these schemes in due course. It is too soon to make any formal assessment of how many schemes will be funded; we will however be evaluating the schemes in a similar way to other schemes funded under the Crime Reduction Programme.

  We have allocated a total of £13.5 million (from the Home Department and the Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions) for Neighbourhood Warden schemes over the period 2000–03. The total value of the first tranche of approved schemes is £7.6 million.

  The Neighbourhood Wardens Unit is providing technical support and guidance notes to all schemes as they develop their implementation plans. Guidance is routinely placed on the crime reduction website (crimereduction.gov.uk). Draft guidance on warden induction training has recently been circulated to successful schemes.

  Domestic Violence
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures(a) have been and (b) are planned to be taken to (i) reduce the level of domestic violence and (ii) strengthen support for victims of domestic violence; and if he will make a statement. [142608]

  Mr. Boateng
  Since 1997, the Government have undertaken a broad range of measures to reduce the level of domestic violence and strengthen support for victims. Significantly, a £7 million violence against women initiative within the Crime Reduction Programme is designed to evaluate the most effective and cost-effective interventions.

  Other recent measures include: the issue of multi-agency guidance to agencies dealing with domestic violence and of specific guidance to Health Service professionals; the issue of a new Home Department circular to the police; the inclusion of domestic violence within police Best Value performance indicators; the provision of £120 million additional capital funding for a new Safer Communities Supported Housing Fund for

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  specified vulnerable groups, including the survivors of domestic violence; and, increased funding for Victim Support.

  Other current initiatives include work with the Association of Chief Police Officers on a circular on effective use of provisions in the Protection from Harassment Act; the evaluation of probation service domestic violence perpetrator programmes; the development of a domestic violence toolkit on the Home Department's crime reduction website; planned research on possible future publicity work; and the inclusion in the British Crime Survey 2001 of a special module on domestic violence.

  Public Disorder
  Mr. Lidington
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his definition is of a public disorder incident for the purposes of the performance measures and targets set out on page 4 of the Criminal Justice System Business Plan 2000–01. [143010]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  [holding answer 15 December, 2000]: The definition of a public disorder incident adopted for the purpose of the 2000–01 business plan is
  a breach of the peace of which police are aware, which may require police intervention, or action in partnership with others.

  The offence codes covered by the definition are disturbance in public place/licensed premises/private property; drunkenness; domestic incident; march/ demonstration; civil dispute; racial/homophobic incident; neighbour dispute; other unlisted disorder/nuisance; public/sports events and hunt saboteurs. We are however considering whether alternative ways of measuring public disorder, including possibly a measure based on people's perceptions of disorder, should be used in future years.

  Drug Treatment and Testing Orders
  Mr. Lidington
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he has issued to young offender teams about the implementation of drug treatment and testing orders. [143018]

  Mr. Boateng
  [holding answer 15 December, 2000]: General guidance issued to probation services about the drug treatment and testing order, in the form of probation circulars, has been widely circulated and discussed with youth offending teams (YOTs). A specific circular for YOTs managers has been developed jointly by the Home Office Probation Unit and Youth Justice Board to identify best practice for the implementation of the Order as it relates to young offenders. This is being finalised and will be issued to all YOTs early in the new year.

  Court Sanctions
  Mr. Lidington
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many cases sanctions available to the courts in the event that a person convicted of a criminal offence fails to pay a fine were used in each of the last five years broken down by sanction; and if he will make a statement. [143004]
  64W
  Mr. Charles Clarke
  [holding answer 15 December, 2000]: Apart from information about the number of people imprisoned for fine default, the information requested is not available centrally. The most recent available figures for imprisonment are given in the table.

  Receptions of adult fine defaulters into prison in England and Wales

  Male

  Female

  1995

  18,787

  1,370

  1996

  8,094

  461

  1997

  5,964

  372

  1998

  5,048

  326

  1999

  3,512

  215

  Source:

  Prison Statistics for England and Wales, 1999, table 1.14

  Trials of provisions in the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997 made additional disposals available to a small number of courts for a limited period to deal with fine defaulters who would otherwise have gone to prison. The use made of those disposals by the courts was published in the report of the trials, "New measures for fine defaulters, persistent petty offenders and others", in February 2000. A decision has not yet been taken about making these disposals available nationally.

  Millennium Cities
  Maria Eagle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will announce the result of the competition for city status to mark the Millennium. [143421]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  I am pleased to announce that, on the advice of my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, Her Majesty The Queen has commanded that city status should be granted to Brighton and Hove, Inverness and Wolverhampton to mark the Millennium.

  Although the grant it of the honour remains a rare mark of distinction, The Queen accepted the Prime Minister's recommendation to grant city status to more than one town to commemorate the Millennium. City status will be granted by Letters Patent, which will now be prepared for presentation to Brighton and Hove, Inverness and Wolverhampton in due course.

  The unsuccessful applicants will, of course, be disappointed not to have been honoured on this occasion. The quality of the 39 applications received was very high, however, and demonstrated the pride in their communities felt by local people in towns across the United Kingdom. They will all have an opportunity for their applications to be considered again, for the grant of city status to mark Her Majesty's Golden Jubilee in 2002. The Queen has agreed to the Prime Minister's recommendation that Her Jubilee should be marked, exceptionally, by grants of city status to a suitably qualified town in each of Wales, Northern Ireland, England and Scotland.

  My officials will now initiate a review of the procedures used in the Millennium competition. Further details of the Golden Jubilee competition will be announced during the first half of next year.

  Complaints (Police)
  Mr. Ivan Lewis
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will announce the Government's proposals for a new system for dealing with complaints against the police. [143422]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  I am publishing this afternoon a framework of a new system to handle complaints made against police officers. There are some areas which require further work and we are inviting views on these so that they can be finalised.

  It was last May that I published the Government's consultation document which was based on reports of two separate studies. The first study was commissioned from the management consultants KPMG in order to take forward recommendations made by the Home Affairs Select Committee in its report on the police disciplinary and complaints procedures and by Sir William Macpherson's Report of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry. The second study was by the human rights organisation Liberty.

  The outcome of the consultation is that the Government propose to set up a new body to handle complaints; it will be called the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

  I have previously indicated my sympathy for the principle of an independent system for investigating complaints against the police and I am pleased to announce that a key element of the new system will be the independent investigations of the more serious complaints. Two other key elements of the new system will be easier accessibility to the system for complainants and more openness in dealing with complainants.

  I am very grateful to all those who took part in the consultation. In particular, the Police Complaints Authority (PCA), which has called repeatedly for reforms so that it could increase its effectiveness and independence. The PCA's response pointed the way towards independent investigations, easier accessibility and more openness.

  I have arranged for copies of the framework document to be placed in the Library.

  Firearms Certificates
  Mr. Corbett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent reports is he has received from HM Inspector of Constabulary into delays in processing standard renewal applications for firearms certificates; and if he will make a statement. [143109]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  Under the provisions of the Local Government Act 1999 all forces are required to carry out a five year rolling programme of Best Value reviews of all areas of business. In the current year five forces have indicated that they will be reviewing their firearms licensing departments in this way. The outcome will be examined by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary in accordance with their inspection protocols which were circulated to all police forces in March 2000 and which make specific reference to firearms licensing. The results will be made available through the appropriate police authority in due course.
  66W
  My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has recently announced an increase in the fees which the police can charge for issuing or renewing firearms or shot gun certificates. This will enable forces to allocate additional resources to this task where this is needed to reduce delays.

  Mr. Corbett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many current firearms certificates have been issued by Cheshire Police. [143108]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  There are currently 2,391 firearms certificates and 12,699 shot gun certificates on issue in Cheshire.

  Mr. Corbett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many firearms certificates fall due for renewal each week in the Cheshire Police area. [143105]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  I understand that on average over the current calendar year a total of eight firearms certificates and 62 shot gun certificates fall due for renewal each week.

  Mr. Corbett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for the renewal of standard firearms certificates have(a) been received and (b) been processed by Cheshire Police in each of the past six months. [143106]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  This information is given in the tables.

  Firearms/shot guns renewal applications received between 1 June 2000 to 30 November 2000

  Firearms

  Shot gun

  June

  69

  276

  July

  57

  260

  August

  36

  275

  September

  36

  315

  October

  40

  330

  November

  40

  317

  Firearms/shot guns renewed between 1 June 2000 to 30 November 2000

  Firearms

  Shot gun

  June

  50

  277

  July

  51

  219

  August

  17

  228

  September

  2

  203

  October

  5

  123

  November

  9

  42

  Child Curfew Orders
  Mr. Clappison
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the total expenditure to date on the development, administration and implementation of the child curfew order. [143097]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  We estimate development and administration costs within Government as £15,000. We do not collect data from local authorities on their development and administration costs: they would vary between authorities but we believe scoping work on a possible local child curfew scheme would cost under £5,000. No schemes have been implemented.

  Cambridgeshire Police (Suspensions)
  Mr. Corbett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) police officers and (b) civilian staff concerned with (i) administrative and (ii) operational firearms matters are suspended in the Cambridgeshire Police area. [143107]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  Currently one member of the support staff for the Firearms Licensing Department is suspended on full pay to allow an investigation to take place into internal staff issues.

  Self-inflicted Death (Prisons)
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) self-inflicted deaths and (b) incidents of self-harm there were (i) in each Prison Service establishment and (ii) in total, in 2000; how many there were in total in each of the previous three years; and if he will make a statement. [141750]

  Mr. Boateng
  The information requested is given in the tables. I regret that I am unable to provide figures for the numbers of self-harm incidents for this year. The Prison Service is looking at putting in place a new system for recording such incidents, but this will not provide data for 2000–01.

  The Prison Service is reconsidering with Ministers its suicide/self-harm strategy and an announcement will be made early in 2001.

  A. Self-inflicted deaths in HM prison establishments in England and Wales by establishment, 1997–20001

  Calendar year

  Establishment

  1997

  1998

  1999

  2000

  Total

  Altcourse

  —

  2

  3

  —

  5

  Aylesbury

  2

  —

  3

  2

  7

  Bedford

  —

  —

  1

  1

  2

  Belmarsh

  4

  1

  1

  1

  7

  Birmingham

  1

  2

  2

  3

  8

  Blakenhurst

  —

  —

  2

  1

  3

  Blundeston

  —

  1

  —

  1

  2

  Brinsford

  —

  —

  2

  3

  5

  Bristol

  1

  3

  2

  1

  7

  Brixton

  2

  1

  4

  2

  9

  Brockhill

  —

  1

  1

  2

  4

  Bullingdon

  1

  —

  —

  1

  2

  Bullwood Hall

  1

  —

  —

  —

  1

  Canterbury

  —

  —

  1

  —

  1

  Cardiff

  1

  4

  1

  —

  6

  Castington

  —

  —

  1

  1

  2

  Chelmsford

  1

  2

  1

  1

  5

  Dartmoor

  2

  1

  —

  —

  3

  Doncaster

  —

  5

  1

  5

  11

  Dover

  1

  —

  —

  —

  1

  Durham

  2

  2

  3

  1

  8

  Eastwood Park

  —

  —

  —

  3

  3

  Elmley

  —

  2

  —

  1

  3

  Erlestoke

  —

  —

  1

  —

  1

  Exeter

  1

  1

  —

  2

  4

  Featherstone

  —

  —

  —

  1

  1

  Feltham

  2

  —

  —

  1

  3

  Full Sutton

  1

  —

  —

  —

  1

  Garth

  3

  —

  1

  —

  4

  Gartered

  1

  —

  —

  —

  1

  Glen Para

  1

  2

  1

  1

  5

  Gloucester

  —

  —

  2

  1

  3

  Grendon

  1

  —

  —

  —

  1

  Haverigg

  1

  —

  —

  —

  1

  Highdown

  3

  —

  —

  —

  3

  68W

  A. Self-inflicted deaths in HM prison establishments in England and Wales by establishment, 1997–20001

  Calendar year

  Establishment

  1997

  1998

  1999

  2000

  Total

  Highpoint

  —

  —

  1

  —

  1

  Hindley

  2

  1

  1

  —

  4

  Holloway

  —

  1

  2

  1

  4

  Holme House

  2

  —

  3

  1

  6

  Hull

  2

  2

  —

  1

  5

  Kingston

  —

  1

  —

  1

  2

  Lancaster Farms

  1

  —

  —

  —

  1

  Leeds

  1

  4

  5

  3

  13

  Leicester

  —

  —

  3

  4

  7

  Lewes

  2

  2

  3

  1

  8

  Lincoln

  —

  2

  —

  —

  2

  Littlehey

  1

  1

  1

  —

  3

  Liverpool

  5

  1

  —

  2

  8

  Low Newton

  1

  1

  —

  —

  2

  Maidstone

  1

  1

  —

  —

  2

  Manchester

  —

  4

  8

  1

  13

  Moorland

  —

  —

  —

  1

  1

  New Hall

  —

  1

  1

  1

  3

  Northallerton

  —

  1

  —

  —

  1

  Norwich

  1

  5

  2

  1

  9

  Nottingham

  2

  2

  2

  3

  9

  P. E. C. S.

  2

  —

  5

  —

  7

  Parc

  1

  3

  1

  —

  5

  Parkhurst

  —

  —

  —

  1

  1

  Pentonville

  —

  —

  1

  1

  2

  Portland

  —

  —

  1

  —

  1

  Preston

  3

  2

  3

  2

  10

  Ranby

  —

  —

  1

  —

  1

  Reading

  —

  3

  —

  —

  3

  Risley

  2

  —

  1

  —

  3

  Shrewsbury

  —

  1

  —

  1

  2

  Stafford

  —

  1

  2

  1

  4

  Stocken

  —

  1

  1

  —

  2

  Stoke Heath

  —

  —

  1

  —

  1

  Styal

  —

  —

  —

  1

  1

  Swansea

  1

  —

  —

  —

  1

  Swinfen Hall

  1

  —

  —

  —

  1

  Wakefield

  —

  1

  2

  —

  3

  Wandsworth

  —

  2

  —

  7

  9

  Wetherby

  —

  —

  1

  1

  2

  Whitemoor

  —

  1

  —

  —

  1

  Winchester

  2

  5

  2

  4

  13

  Wolds

  —

  —

  1

  1

  2

  Woodhill

  1

  2

  1

  —

  4

  Wormwood Scrubs

  —

  —

  1

  1

  2

  Wymott

  1

  —

  —

  1

  2

  Total

  68

  82

  91

  79

  320

  1 As at 12 December 2000

  B. Total incidents of self-harm 1996–97 to 1998–99

  Prison

  1996–97

  1997–98

  1998–99

  Total

  Acklington

  23

  14

  33

  70

  Albany

  11

  11

  18

  40

  Altcourse

  —

  11

  38

  49

  Ashwell

  3

  2

  4

  9

  Askham Grange

  4

  4

  0

  8

  Aylesbury

  18

  32

  71

  121

  Bedford

  18

  39

  46

  103

  Belmarsh

  26

  143

  61

  230

  Birmingham

  77

  84

  71

  232

  Blakenhurst

  29

  53

  76

  158

  Blantyre House

  0

  —

  0

  0

  Blundeston

  24

  19

  9

  52

  Brinsford

  157

  90

  105

  352

  Bristol

  52

  64

  98

  214

  Brixton

  34

  70

  186

  290

  Brockhill

  11

  69

  67

  147

  Buckley Hall

  12

  11

  12

  35

  69W

  B. Total incidents of self-harm 1996–97 to 1998–99

  Prison

  1997–97

  1997–98

  1998–99

  Total

  Bullingdon

  43

  47

  70

  160

  Bullwood Hall

  0

  97

  234

  331

  Camp Hill

  11

  9

  22

  42

  Canterbury

  9

  17

  16

  42

  Cardiff

  78

  77

  91

  246

  Castington

  13

  13

  22

  48

  Channings Wood

  11

  15

  5

  31

  Chelmsford

  147

  136

  179

  462

  Coldingley

  2

  0

  0

  2

  Cookham Wood

  46

  23

  15

  84

  Dartmoor

  47

  78

  27

  152

  Deerbolt

  114

  87

  81

  282

  Doncaster

  288

  599

  479

  1,366

  Dorchester

  28

  30

  31

  89

  Dover

  9

  10

  7

  26

  Downview

  4

  2

  1

  7

  Drake Hall

  14

  9

  9

  32

  Durham

  13

  168

  224

  405

  East Sutton Park

  1

  0

  0

  1

  Eastwood Park

  176

  95

  154

  425

  Elmley

  243

  339

  371

  953

  Erlestoke

  3

  0

  0

  3

  Everthorpe

  46

  20

  8

  74

  Exeter

  21

  103

  37

  161

  Featherstone

  27

  26

  40

  93

  Feltham

  241

  292

  292

  825

  Ford

  0

  0

  1

  1

  Foston Hall

  —

  3

  17

  20

  Frankland

  32

  30

  44

  106

  Full Sutton

  33

  14

  16

  63

  Garth

  28

  11

  16

  71

  Gartree

  9

  6

  7

  22

  Glen Parva

  79

  136

  119

  334

  Gloucester

  47

  24

  47

  118

  Grendon/Spring Hill

  14

  8

  0

  22

  Guys Marsh

  22

  28

  29

  79

  Haslar

  12

  6

  4

  22

  Hatfield

  4

  1

  2

  7

  Haverigg

  7

  4

  0

  11

  Hewell Grange

  1

  0

  0

  1

  Highdown

  44

  56

  61

  161

  Highpoint

  2

  53

  63

  118

  Hindley

  40

  79

  72

  191

  Hollesley Bay

  19

  41

  22

  82

  Holloway

  139

  252

  250

  641

  Holme House

  154

  127

  95

  376

  Hull

  90

  103

  54

  247

  Huntercombe

  6

  18

  9

  33

  Kingston

  8

  1

  5

  14

  Kirkham

  2

  7

  1

  10

  Kirklevington

  0

  0

  1

  1

  Lancaster

  4

  5

  11

  20

  Lancaster Farms

  33

  31

  63

  127

  Latchmere House

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Leeds

  59

  95

  59

  213

  Leicester

  25

  106

  89

  220

  Lewes

  16

  30

  69

  115

  Leyhill

  1

  1

  0

  2

  Lincoln

  208

  87

  19

  314

  Lindholme

  8

  7

  0

  15

  Littlehey

  38

  41

  71

  150

  Liverpool

  127

  130

  98

  355

  Long Lartin

  36

  43

  26

  105

  Low Newton

  47

  65

  51

  163

  Lowdham Grange

  —

  1

  25

  26

  Maidstone

  13

  17

  18

  48

  Manchester

  86

  35

  13

  134

  Moorland

  42

  93

  97

  232

  Morton Hall

  1

  0

  1

  2

  Mount, The

  16

  2

  4

  22

  New Hall

  116

  190

  180

  486

  North Sea Camp

  0

  1

  0

  1

  Northallerton

  61

  47

  56

  164

  70W

  B. Total incidents of self-harm 1996–97 to 1998–99

  Prison

  1996–97

  1997–98

  1998–99

  Total

  Norwich

  76

  58

  37

  171

  Nottingham

  2

  66

  227

  295

  Onley

  49

  75

  77

  201

  Parkhurst

  2

  14

  56

  72

  Pentonville

  51

  41

  94

  186

  Portland

  31

  16

  34

  81

  Prescoed

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Preston

  67

  100

  68

  235

  Ranby

  30

  41

  85

  156

  Reading

  70

  72

  36

  178

  Risley

  128

  190

  62

  380

  Rochester

  15

  34

  75

  124

  Send

  0

  1

  0

  1

  Shepton Mallett

  8

  9

  6

  23

  Shrewsbury

  33

  38

  18

  89

  Stafford

  35

  32

  30

  97

  Standford Hill

  0

  1

  0

  1

  Stocken

  9

  15

  15

  39

  Stoke Heath

  50

  61

  115

  226

  Styal

  92

  96

  144

  332

  Sudbury

  1

  4

  1

  6

  Swaleside

  9

  7

  32

  48

  Swansea

  61

  133

  68

  262

  Swinfen Hall

  32

  13

  8

  53

  Thorn Cross

  3

  1

  0

  4

  Usk

  1

  0

  1

  2

  Verne, The

  6

  11

  4

  21

  Wakefield

  24

  22

  27

  73

  Wandsworth

  168

  307

  305

  780

  Wayland

  25

  23

  20

  68

  Wealstun

  2

  5

  2

  9

  Weare

  —

  12

  5

  17

  Wellingborough

  0

  7

  3

  10

  Werrington

  11

  25

  5

  41

  Wetherby

  52

  24

  42

  118

  Whatton

  1

  3

  0

  4

  Whitemoor

  45

  49

  55

  149

  Winchester

  36

  26

  69

  131

  Wolds

  30

  32

  43

  105

  Woodhill

  155

  155

  86

  396

  Wormwood Scrubs

  85

  118

  185

  388

  Wymott

  15

  26

  62

  103

  Total

  5,373

  7,022

  7,397

  19,792

  Autistic Prison Inmates
  Mrs. Ewing
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of inmates of prisons who suffer from autism. [142847]

  Mr. Boateng
  No such estimate is available.

  Operation Pre-empt
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will call for a report from the chief constable of Humberside police on the review of Operation Pre-empt; and if he will make a statement; [142761]

  (2) how many persons of Irish origin, descent or background have been the subject of notifications to the Special Branch in each year since Operation Pre-empt became live in the Humberside police area; and how many of these persons became the subject of notifications as a result of (a) being brought into custody, (b) being subject to a routine street or driver check, (c) being subject to a police inquiry for any reason and (d) being brought to the attention of the police by a member of the public; [142756]
  71W
  (3) how many persons of Irish origin, descent or background (a) reside and (b) work in the Humberside police area; [142757]

  (4) how many persons of Irish origin, descent or background in the Humberside police area are the subject of the files maintained by Special Branch; [142758]

  (5) if he will list those police authorities which operate a scheme similar or analogous to Operation Pre-empt developed in the Humberside police area; [142759]

  (6) how many files Special Branch maintains on persons of Irish origin, descent or background and how many notifications of Irish persons have been passed on to Special Branch from each police authority area. [142760]

  Mr. Straw
  Operation Pre-empt was limited to the Humberside police area and was an operational matter for the Humberside police. I understand that the chief constable asked for a review of the policy. As a result of this review the operation was withdrawn on 12 December.

  There were 4,728 people of Irish descent resident in the Humberside area at the time of the 1991 Census.

  Information held by Special Branch is the responsibility of the chief constable.

  The Government fully support the police in work to counter terrorism. The basis for this work is whether there is any information or intelligence which might link an individual to a terrorist organisation or activity, and not the nationality of those involved.

  SOCIAL SECURITY

    Lone Parents
    Mr. Heppell
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many lone parents are receiving benefits in the East Midlands. [141801]

    Angela Eagle
    The latest figures show that in August there were 55,400 lone parents receiving Income Support in the East Midlands—7,400 less than in May 1997.

    Prisoners of War (Far East)
    Mr. Andy King
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when the War Pensions Agency will start making payments to former far east prisoners of war. [141812]

    Mr. Bayley
    I refer my hon. Friend to the oral answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Reading, East (Jane Griffiths) earlier today, Official Report, column 16.

    Long-term Illness
    Mr. Quinn
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of people leaving work because of long-term illness. [141821]

    Mr. Bayley
    We believe that people with long-term illnesses should have the support to remain in work. The Inland Revenue has introduced a Disabled Person's Tax Credit (DPTC) Fast-Track to make it financially possible for sick and disabled people to stay in work. This allows people who become long-term sick or disabled while they 72W
    are in work to receive DPTC on their return to work where they need to move to a job with lower pay (e.g. because of reduced hours).

    This Department is also working with the Department for Education and Employment and the Department of Health to implement, from next year, a series of Job Retention and Rehabilitation pilots to test the effectiveness of better co-ordinated, earlier work-focused interventions by health and employment services in helping people to stay in work.

    Pension Credit
    Mr. Brazier
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he has made of the likely administrative cost of the pension credit. [141822]

    Mr. Rooker
    I refer the hon. Member to paragraph 16 of chapter 4 of the pension credit consultation document (Cm 4900).

    Mr. Coaker
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what discussions he has had with groups representing the elderly about the new pension credit. [141826]

    Mr. Rooker
    We plan to meet the main organisations representing pensioners during the consultation process.

    Mr. Casale
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the pension credit on pensioners on low and modest incomes. [141829]

    Mr. Rooker
    The credit will ensure that pensioners on low and modest incomes will be able to share in this country's growing prosperity.

    Mr. Chope
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many more pensioners will be subject to means testing as a result of the pension credit. [141807]

    Mr. Rooker
    The Pension Credit, which rewards savings, will be of direct financial benefit to around half of all pensioners.

    Benefits Advice Workers
    Mr. Grogan
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the importance of benefits advice workers in maximising take-up of benefits among those who are entitled to them. [141823]

    Mr. Rooker
    We recognise the importance of advice workers in encouraging take-up. As part of our MIG take-up campaign we are working closely with local authorities and voluntary organisations to ensure that pensioners get the help they need.

    Housing Benefit
    Mr. Allan
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the impact of the Housing Benefit verification regulations on Housing Benefit claimants. [141824]

    Angela Eagle
    The Verification Framework secures the gateway onto Housing Benefit by defining the minimum standards for collecting evidence before a claim can be paid. When operated efficiently by local authorities, it
    73W
    ensures that claims can be assessed accurately from the start, ensuring that honest claimants are paid the right amount.

    ONE Service Pilots
    Mr. Healey
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the emerging results from the ONE service pilots. [141827]

    Angela Eagle
    ONE is a radical new programme helping people of working age achieve their potential and independence.

    The first evaluation reports, on the voluntary stage of ONE, were published on 30 November. These reports indicate support for the service and a positive experience of claiming for those participating. There is also evidence that early intervention is helping clients move into work in the short and longer term.

    Housing Benefit Fraud
    Mr. Randall
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security he will make a statement on his policy for the detection of Housing Benefit fraud. [141828]

    Angela Eagle
    We continue to invest to help local authorities root out Housing Benefit fraud. We have provided over £100 million since 1998 so that local authorities can implement the Verification Framework which protects the gateway to benefit by setting out minimum standards for collecting evidence before claims are paid.

    Over 350 councils are now using the Royal Mail scheme to stop benefit cheques being re-directed from the address they have been claimed for. Our £2 million programme to make better use of IT has given 404 local authorities on-line access to essential benefit information held on departmental systems, reducing the scope for fraud and error.

    We are now building on this through the integrated inquiry service, which will give authorities access to further information to help combat fraud, including the Department's database of National Insurance numbers.

    We are working with 10 local authorities to pilot a single fraud hotline from January 2001, allowing the public to report suspected Housing Benefit fraud as well as suspicions of other benefit fraud. Our new anti-fraud incentive scheme is being phased in from next April and will make the gateway to Housing Benefit more secure, putting the focus on prevention as well as detection. The new scheme sets out the anti-fraud activities we expect local authorities to undertake, and it introduces new financial rewards for authorities that act to prevent fraud from happening in the first place.

    Mr. Grieve
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what measures his Department will take in respect of local authorities which have a poor record for addressing Housing Benefit fraud. [141832]

    Angela Eagle
    The Benefit Fraud Inspectorate is evaluating councils' performance in delivering Housing Benefit and helping them overcome weaknesses in their administration and in tackling fraud and error. Nearly 80 Inspectorate reports have been published so far. Where the Inspectorate finds evidence of service failings we 74W
    expect councils to act immediately to put matters right. If they do not, we will use our powers to direct them on the standards they are to achieve, and by when. To date we have made one such direction, to Northampton Borough Council in August 2000.

    Medical Assessments (Benefits Agency)
    Mr. John Smith
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what recent representations he has received regarding medical assessments by the Benefits Agency; and if he will make a statement. [141830]

    Mr. Bayley
    No recent representations have been received other than correspondence relating to individual claimants. In June we published the Government's response to the Social Security Select Committee's report on Medical Services. A series of regional presentations about Medical Services for representatives of welfare rights organisations took place between January and July this year.

    Fraud
    Mr. Jack
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many announcements of social security fraud reduction targets he has made since 1997; and which targets have been fully achieved. [141831]

    Mr. Rooker
    In March 1999, for the first time, we set a public service agreement target to reduce fraud and error in Income Support and Jobseeker's Allowance by at least 10 per cent. by March 2002 with a further target of a 30 per cent. reduction by March 2007.

    In July we announced, and are committed to achieving, revised targets to reduce fraud and error by 25 per cent. by March 2004 and by 50 per cent. by March 2006.

    The latest figures from the Government Statistical Service show a significant fall in fraud and error in Income Support and Jobseeker's Allowance and demonstrates we are well on track to meet our first target by 2002.

    Dr. Gibson
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what recent steps have been taken to counter benefit fraud. [141816]

    Mr. Rooker
    We are taking effective action to combat Social Security fraud. We are implementing a strategy to ensure that from the start of the claim the right benefits are going to the right people at the right time. Among the new measures we have introduced are a new fraud bill, tighter checks on new Income Support claimants, cross-checking DSS records with information from other Government Departments and the automatic transfer of claims related data from the Benefits Agency to local authorities.

    Benefit Withdrawal
    Mr. David Heath
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what arrangements he will make to ensure the welfare of dependants of those from whom benefits are withdrawn. [142141]

    Mr. Rooker
    Withdrawing benefit from those who have failed to honour their responsibilities is an established feature of the benefit system. So too are safeguards to prevent hardship.
    75W
    Our recent proposals to sanction, to withdraw or to reduce benefits payable to those twice convicted of benefit fraud will be underpinned by these safeguards. Thus, those without any other means will be able to apply for help on a similar basis to that provided to unemployed claimants who have failed to make themselves available for work. Moreover, the new proposals will not affect benefits payable for dependants, such as child benefit.

    Disability Benefits
    Sir Teddy Taylor
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he has made of the savings which will accrue to public funds from the cancellation of disablement benefits; and if he will make a statement. [142142]

    Mr. Bayley
    The reforms of Incapacity Benefit are not being driven by a need to make savings. We are committed to targeting help on those in greatest need. The cost of the improvements we are making for carers and disabled people will exceed any savings that may be made by the Incapacity Benefit reforms.

    Between April 2001 and April 2002 we will spend around £200 million more on support for disabled people and their carers. Over the period 2001–04 we will spend an extra three quarters of a billion pounds on targeted benefits for these groups.

    Benefits Agency Medical Services
    Mr. Efford
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the performance of the Benefits Agency medical services contract; and if he will make a statement. [142143]

    Mr. Bayley
    In February 2000 the Social Security Committee published a report on Medical Services.

    Our response to the report was published on 30 June 2000 (Command Paper No. 4780), and this included four additional targets which we expect Sema to meet:
    within six months to reduce the proportion of 'C grade' medical reports which fail to meet the Department's standards by 10 per cent. and within one year to reduce the proportion of `C grade' reports across all benefits to less than 5 per cent;
    within one year to demonstrate improvement in compliance with the agreed medical scrutiny guidelines for Incapacity Benefit claims so that the proportion of non-compliant reports is less than 5 per cent;
    within one year to deliver training to all doctors covering: the assessment of people with mental health problems; behaviours, attitudes and sensitivities for dealing with people with disabilities; and distress-avoiding techniques for the examination of people with musculo-skeletal conditions;
    within two years to improve customer satisfaction rates to at least 90 per cent.

    The Department is working closely with Medical Services to address these and other issues identified within the SSSC report.

    Wide-ranging audit of medical quality standards is being carried out by the Department's Chief Medical Adviser to identify and rectify poor performance.

    SERPs
    Mr. Rendel
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he next expects to review the rebate rates for those who have contracted out of SERPs and taken out private pensions. [142144]

    Mr. Rooker
    The Government Actuary is shortly expected to report to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on the level of National Insurance rebates for those contracting out of the state additional pension for the period 2002–07. Next year, when my right hon. Friend has considered the Government Actuary's advice, he will lay a report before both Houses setting out the proposed level of the rebates.

    Mr. Stunell
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what has been(a) the cash flow and (b) the interest payment benefit to his Department of delays in payment of SERPs to qualified newly retired pensioners for each financial year since April 1997; and if he will make a statement. [141517]

    Mr. Rooker
    The information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

    Pensioners (Ethnic Communities)
    Mr. Dismore
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the support he is giving to pensioners from ethnic communities. [142145]

    Mr. Rooker
    Pensioners from ethnic minorities benefit from targeted policies such as the Minimum Income Guarantee. Pensioners from ethnic minorities can call the Minimum Income Guarantee tele-claim centre and speak to an interpreter, and many departmental leaflets are available in a range of languages.

    Winter Fuel Allowance
    Mr. Gerald Howarth
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security for what reason the Winter Fuel Allowance has been increased to £200 for the current year only; and what the administrative cost is of this change. [142146]

    Mr. Rooker
    As part of the transitional arrangements to our new pension reform, we decided to increase the Winter Fuel Payment—for this winter only—to £200. This is double the amount paid last winter to qualifying households.

    Within the overall context of the scheme as a whole, the extra cost of making this change is likely to be very small.

    Mr. Webb
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many automatic payments of winter fuel payment are outstanding; and how many of these he expects to have been paid by Christmas. [143090]

    Mr. Rooker
    All automatic payments where a clear entitlement has been established have been issued.

    Mr. Webb
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate how many men aged 60 to 64 years are eligible to receive backdated payments of winter fuel payment; and how many had not applied to receive a backdated payment by the deadline of 3 November 2000. [143091]
    77W
    Mr. Rooker
    We estimated that there may be up to 1.7 million men eligible for payments in respect of previous years of the scheme; however, not all of them have claimed. We have already paid 976,495 men who have chosen to claim. There is no deadline for claiming winter fuel payments for past winters.

    Benefit Policy
    Mr. Viggers
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps he takes to ensure that his policies are shaped so that benefits are made available on a basis which is fair. [142147]

    Mr. Bayley
    We are refocusing both policies and delivery to better address the needs of different client groups:

    Children and families are at the heart of the welfare reform agenda. More than a million children will be lifted out of poverty by measures introduced over this Parliament, including changes to Child Benefit and the introduction of the Working Families Tax Credit.

    We are setting up a new agency for people of working age that will provide a single access point helping those who can work to find work, and providing proper support for those who cannot.

    We are also committed to ensuring that pensioners share in the rising prosperity of this country. The Minimum Income Guarantee has boosted the income of the poorest pensioners. And we at e creating Pension Credit to help pensioners with modest savings, occupational pensions or earnings, to ensure they are rewarded for working hard to make their own provision. We are also creating a new pensions organisation that will provide pensioners with a modern, integrated service.

    Minimum Income Guarantee
    Mr. Gordon Prentice
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he has made of the take-up of the Minimum Income Guarantee. [142148]

    Mr. Rooker
    I refer my hon. Friend to my earlier response to our hon. Friend the Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn),Official Report, column 8.

    Caroline Flint
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what his estimate is of the(a) number and (b) proportion of senior citizens in the Don Valley constituency qualifying for the minimum income guarantee; and how many have (i) submitted, (ii) applied for and (iii) already received this benefit. [142053]

    Mr. Rooker
    There are 2,200 pensioners receiving the Minimum Income Guarantee in the Don Valley.

    Information about how many senior citizens have submitted or applied for the Minimum Income Guarantee is not available.

    Notes:

    1. Figures are based on a 5 per cent. sample and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling error.

    2. Pensioners are defined as where the claimant, and/or partner are aged 60 or over.

    3. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.

    Source:

    Income Support Quarterly Statistical Enquiries, August 2000
    78W
    Mr. Gordon Prentice
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will use television and radio advertisements to urge those entitled to the Minimum Income Guarantee to apply for it. [142581]

    Mr. Rooker
    The Minimum Income Guarantee take-up campaign included a national television advertising campaign.

    Mr. Gordon Prentice
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the principal reasons for the failure of applications for the Minimum Income Guarantee from those prompted to apply by the take-up campaign. [142582]

    Mr. Rooker
    The main reasons to date why those that applied for the Minimum Income Guarantee were unsuccessful are too much income or too much capital. Changes in income and capital limits take effect in April 2001.

    Mr. Alexander
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of advertising in increasing the level of uptake for the Minimum Income Guarantee(a) nationally and (b) in Scotland. [143168]

    Mr. Rooker
    The full effect of the Minimum Income Guarantee take-up will not be known until it comes to a conclusion. There are thousands more claims in the pipeline, and the effects of the last stage of the campaign will impact on claims processed up to January next year.

    Area Benefit Reviews
    Mr. Field
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he plans to publish area benefit reviews every six months. [142556]

    Mr. Rooker
    The Department will be publishing headline figures on fraud and error in Income Support and Jobseeker's Allowance every six months, to cover October to September and April to March periods.

    More detailed annual reports covering the financial year will also be published. These will also cover both ABR and QS results in full.

    The publication of all of these reports will follow National Statistics guidelines and publication will be pre-announced via the Office for National Statistics.

    Pensioners
    Mr. Corbyn
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the average income levels for pensioner households for each English region for(a) the latest date for which figures are available and (b) each of the last four years. [142302]

    Mr. Rooker
    [holding answer 14 December 2000]: The information is given in the tables. It should be noted that, due to the small sample sizes on which these estimates are based, year-on-year comparisons and comparisons between regions should be treated with extreme caution.
    79W

    Median net income of pensioners, by Government Office Region in England—Single pensioners

    Incomes in £ per week at July 1998 prices

    Government office region

    1995–96

    1996–97

    1997–98

    1998–99

    North East

    106

    113

    113

    114

    North West and Merseyside

    110

    114

    113

    116

    Yorkshire and Humber

    109

    110

    108

    111

    East Midlands

    108

    111

    113

    116

    West Midlands

    111

    110

    112

    116

    Eastern

    112

    113

    119

    118

    London

    123

    127

    130

    129

    South East

    117

    121

    126

    126

    South West

    111

    121

    117

    116

    Median net income of pensioners, by Government Office Region in England—Pension couples

    Incomes in £ per week at July 1998 prices

    Government office region

    1995–96

    1996–97

    1997–98

    1998–99

    North East

    175

    195

    198

    192

    North West and Merseyside

    191

    207

    207

    211

    Yorkshire and Humber

    193

    190

    207

    200

    East Midlands

    183

    195

    197

    193

    West Midlands

    187

    194

    211

    201

    Eastern

    203

    217

    215

    216

    London

    206

    216

    217

    245

    South East

    212

    237

    230

    238

    South West

    201

    223

    209

    228

    Notes:

    1. Estimates are based on small sample sizes and are subject to large margins of error. Therefore estimates should be treated with extreme caution. In particular, estimates will only give a very broad indication (if any) of trends over time. Likewise, comparisons between regions in any given year should also be treated with caution.

    2. Estimates relate to the median net income of pensioner units within each region, in £ per week, at July 1998 prices.

    3. Pensioner units are defined as single people over State Pension age (65 and over for men, 60 and over for women) and couples (married or cohabiting) where the man is over State Pension age.

    Source:

    Family Resources Surveys

    Child Support Agency
    Mr. Webb
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he has received notice of a pending legal challenge to the process by which the contract for the new computer system for the Child Support Agency was awarded. [143089]

    Angela Eagle
    No.

    Benefit Forms
    Mr. Baker
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps he plans to simplify benefit forms. [141814]

    Angela Eagle
    We are determined to ensure that all those entitled to claim a benefit can do so. The Department is currently developing a new Minimum Income Guarantee claim form. The lessons learned from that work will be extended to other benefits.

    McDermott International Ltd.
    Mr. David Stewart
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what representations he has received about the winding up of the occupational pension plan operated by the UK section of McDermott International Ltd. [143084]

    Mr. Rooker
    We have received representations from my hon. Friend in relation to the distribution of surplus of this occupational pension scheme.

    Occupational Pension Plans
    Mr. David Stewart
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many occupational pension plans were wound up by employers where a surplus was recorded, for(a) 1990, (b) 1991, (c) 1992, (d) 1993, (e) 1994, (f) 1995, (g) 1996, (h) 1997, (i) 1998, (j) 1999 and (k) 2000 to date; and what was the amount of surplus retained by each employer. [143087]

    Mr. Rooker
    The information requested is not available.

    IT Infrastructure
    Mr. Webb
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security which consortium was responsible for his Department's IT infrastructure prior to 23 November 2000; how long that consortium had been so responsible; how much money had been paid to that consortium over the period; which projects started by that consortium are not to be carried on by the Arcway consortium; for what reasons the contract was withdrawn from the previous consortium; when hon. Members were first told that a change was being considered; and if he will make a statement. [143088]

    Angela Eagle
    Two separate service providers—ICL and Sema—were responsible for the Department's IT network infrastructure prior to 23 November 2000, under the terms of the Focus '95 contracts. These contracts were awarded for a period of five years and had a collective value of approximately £250 million. Work in progress started during this period is being taken forward by the BT-led consortium Arcway to ensure continuity of service.

    The contract with Sema has subsequently expired and has not been renewed. On current plans the contract with ICL is due to expire May 2001. The contract awarded to the BT-led consortium Arcway, through competition, will enable the Department to move forward to a secure modernised IS/IT service.

    Announcements were made in 1996—at the start of the Accord procurement for the next generation of the Department's IS/IT systems—and in 1999 when overarching contracts were awarded to three competing consortia.

  TREASURY

    Climate Change Levy
    Mr. Clappison
    To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many horticulture firms have(a) applied for and (b) received support from the Climate Change Levy Energy Efficiency Fund. [142625]

    Mr. Timms
    [holding answer 14 December 2000]: As announced in Spending Review 2000, energy efficiency funding from the climate change levy will be administered by a business led, not for profit, limited companyߞthe Carbon Trust, which is currently being set up through the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions.

    Mr. Clappison
    To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 12 December 2000,Official Report, column 118W, on the Climate Change Levy, how many small and medium enterprises are covered by the Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations. [1430771

    Mr. Timms
    Approximately 20 per cent. of the sites covered by the Pollution Prevention and Control Part A regulations are operated by small and medium sized enterprises. However, significantly more small and medium sized enterprises will be entitled to climate change levy rebates as the size thresholds in the regulations—other than those thresholds relating to combustion plant—will not apply for this purpose.

    Mr. Clappison
    To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what relief from the Climate Change Levy is available for(a) vehicle manufacturers and (b) brewers in the UK; and in how many cases relief has been granted. [143075]

    Mr. Timms
    Significant parts of these sectors will be entitled to 80 per cent. CCL rebates under negotiated agreements and applications are currently being processed. As with other sectors, vehicle manufacturers and brewers will also be able to benefit from the NICs rebate, the exemptions for renewables and Combined Heat and Power, support for energy efficiency spending and Enhanced Capital Allowances for energy saving investments.

    Mr. Clappison
    To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his most recent estimate is of the amount of climate change levy revenue which will be forgone as a result of agreements with business sectors or individual firms. [143073]

    Mr. Timms
    The Government expects that offering an 80 per cent. discount on the climate change levy to firms which sign up to demanding negotiated agreements will save those sectors £360 million in 2001–02.

    Mr. Clappison
    To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost of the climate change levy for the china clay industry. [142486]

    Mr. Timms
    [holding answer 13 December 2000]: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave him on 12 December 2000, Official Report, column 117W.

    Mr. Clappison
    To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his most recent estimate is of the cost of the introduction of the climate change levy for the United Kingdom horticulture industry. [142620]
    82W
    Mr. Timms
    [holding answer 14 December 2000]: The climate change levy will raise an estimated £1 billion in its first year, all of which will be recycled to business via a 0.3 percentage point cut in employers' National Insurance Contributions and £150 million of spending on energy efficiency. We expect the levy to be broadly neutral between services and manufacturing. The effect on any specific business, sector or region will depend on a number of factors, including their future energy consumption, the level of employment, eligibility for discounts, use of renewable or combined heat and power energy, and take up of enhanced capital allowances. In recognition of the unique position of the UK horticulture sector, a special package of measures—including a 50 per cent. discount on levy payments—was announced in Budget 2000.

    Mr. Clappison
    To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the reduction in public sector national insurance contributions resulting from the introduction of the climate change levy on the level of public expenditure. [142964]

    Mr. Timms
    [holding answer 15 December 2000]: The impact of the introduction of the climate change levy package in April 2001 is broadly neutral for both the public and private sectors.

    Energy Efficiency Fund
    Mr. Clappison
    To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many small and medium enterprises have(a) applied for and (b) received grants from the Energy Efficiency Fund; and what is the value of the grants so made. [143076]

    Mr. Timms
    As announced in Spending Review 2000, energy efficiency funding from the climate change levy will be administered by a business led, not for profit, limited company—the Carbon Trust, which is currently being set up through the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions.

    Inheritance Tax
    Mr. Matthew Taylor
    To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the revenue yield and cost of(a) increasing and (b) reducing the length of time that inheritance tax is chargeable on gifts made within seven years before death by one year. [142245]

    Dawn Primarolo
    Increasing to eight years the period within which gifts are charged would yield about £10 million in a full year. Reducing it to six years would cost about £15 million in a full year.

  Census 2001
  Mr. Andrew George
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what consultation was carried out regarding the accessibility of the design of the England and Wales Census 2001 forms for visually impaired and deaf-blind people; [141548]

  (2) if Census 2001 returns in England and Wales from blind, partially sighted and deaf-blind people will be accepted if they are submitted in alternative formats, with particular reference to (a) large print, (b) Braille, (c) disc, (d) audio-tape and (e) e-mail; [141550]
  83W
  (3) what arrangements are in place to provide one-to-one assistance to visually impaired and deaf-blind people with completion of Census 2001 forms in England and Wales; [141551]

  (4) what provision has been made for Census 2001 enumerators in England and Wales to receive specific visual impairment and deaf-blind awareness training; [141552]

  (5) what provision has been made for Census 2001 forms in England and Wales and accompanying information to be made available to blind, partially sighted and deaf-blind people in accessible formats, with particular reference to (a) Braille, (b) large print, (c) disc and (d) audio-tape. [1415491

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  [holding answer 12 December 2000]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

  Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Andrew George, dated 18 December 2000:
  As National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales I have been asked to reply to your recent questions concerning provisions in the 2001 Census for those who are visually impaired or deafblined (141549–52).
  An important new initiative for the 2001 Census is the Community Liaison Programme, through which the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Census staff have consulted and work with community liaison groups and national organisations specifically to assist those who would find the completion of the Census questionnaire difficult. A great deal of consultation has already taken place with several organisations including the Royal National Institute for the Blind, Help the Aged, the Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation and the Royal National Institute for the Deaf to ensure that we meet the needs of disabled people, including visually impaired and deafblind people.
  General information about the Census will be available in leaflets in Braille, and in a large print version. The questions and instructions from the official Census form in Braille will be available on request. An audio tape explaining the Census and the questions is expected to be available February 2001. The Census web site will feature disability awareness issues and the text phone Helpline for the deaf will be operating from 1 April 2001.
  We do not propose to provide the Census forms themselves in Braille or in large print version since the Census is being processed using scanning and image recognition technologies which cannot accommodate forms other than in the standard format. Help in completing the form will, however, be provided by Census enumerators, on a one-to-one basis if necessary, and the blind will be able to provide their Census information by telephone to the Census Helpline or via e-mail using the Braille leaflet as a guide to the questions.
  Census Area Managers have received specialist training presented by external expert in disability awareness and this training is being cascaded down to all members of the field force. A guide for all the field staff which includes disability awareness issues is also being produced.

  Working Families Tax Credit
  Mr. Alexander
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many calls have been received by the Working Families Tax Credit Hotline to date(a) nationally and (b) in Scotland. [142691]

  Dawn Primarolo
  The Working Families Tax Credit (WFTC) helpline, and the response line, together handled about 8.4 million calls up to the end of November 2000.
  84W
  A separate count of calls from Scotland is not available, but about 9.5 per cent. of WFTC awards are to families in Scotland.

  Mr. Alexander
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to evaluate the impact of the Working Families Tax Credit. [143125]

  Dawn Primarolo
  A comprehensive programme of evaluation is in progress. The programme of work spans several years and comprises qualitative and quantitative research and analysis.

  Mr. Alexander
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact of the Working Families Tax Credit on increasing the financial incentives for women to work. [143166]

  Dawn Primarolo
  The WFTC provides support for low and middle income working families with children.

  The WFTC has been of particular benefit to lone parents, 90 per cent. of whom are women, helping to tackle poverty and support lone parents as they move off benefit and into work.

  Working Families Tax Credit, along with other tax and benefit reforms implemented during this Parliament, delivers a Minimum Income Guarantee of £208 per week for families working 35 hours a week and £152 for families working 16 hours a week. 50 per cent. of WFTC recipients are lone mothers and another 10 per cent. are couples where the woman is the main earner.

  On average, families are £30 a week better off on WFTC than on Family Credit and 35 per cent. more lone parents are receiving WFTC compared to Family Credit. The net income for a lone mother with two children is now £30 higher than it was under Family Credit.

  In addition, the Childcare Tax Credit reimburses up to 70 per cent. of parents' eligible child care costs, thereby tackling one of the main obstacles for women wanting to work. Over 100,000 lone parent families are now receiving the Childcare Tax Credit, more than twice the number that benefited from the child care disregard in Family Credit.

  Beer
  Mr. John M. Taylor
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the loss of revenue to the Treasury resulting from the purchase of beer in Europe for transport to the UK(a) legally and (b) illegally in the last three years. [142828]

  Dawn Primarolo
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Preseli Pembrokeshire (Mrs. Lawrence) on 26 November 1999 Official Report, columns 254–55W.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact of the level of the United Kingdom beer duty on the quantity of illegally imported beer from Europe into the United Kingdom. [142829]

  Dawn Primarolo
  No such assessment has been made.

  Integrated Child Credit
  Mr. Gareth Thomas
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the proposed integrated child credit will be implemented. [143256]

  Dawn Primarolo
  The Government's intention, subject to the legislative timetable, is to introduce the new integrated system of support for families with children from 2003.

  Mr. Gareth Thomas
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what preparations his Department has taken to prepare for the implementation of the integrated child credit. [143253]

  Dawn Primarolo
  Treasury departments are working with the Department of Social Security and the Department for Education and Employment on plans for the introduction of the proposed new integrated system of support for families with children

  Mr. Gareth Thomas
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will publish a consultation paper on the details of the integrated tax credit. [143255]

  Dawn Primarolo
  Paper 6 in the series "The Modernisation of Britain's Tax and Benefit System" ("Tackling Poverty and Making Work Pay—Tax Credits for the 21" Century") sets out the case, and a possible framework, for a new integrated system of support for families with children.

  Children's Tax Credit
  Mr. Webb
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many claim forms were issued for his new Children's Tax Credit and on what date; how many forms were returned in each month since then; what are the implications of the failure to return a form for the ability of a parent to receive the credit in April 2001; and if he will make a statement. [143094]

  Dawn Primarolo
  I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Havant (Mr. Willetts) on 24 November 2000,Official Report, column 341W.

  Hospital Building Programme
  Mr. Paul Marsden
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the Government hospital building programme is subject to VAT at the standard rate. [143390]

  Dawn Primarolo
  The construction of hospitals and similar buildings is standard rated for VAT, but VAT is taken into account in the funding of National Health Service Trusts.

  Income Tax
  Mr. Todd
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what income tax was payable in(a) 1999–2000 and (b) 2000–01 by a retired married couple aged 59 years with an income of £6,000 paid to the man alone, with no dependent children and with no other allowances. [143449]

  Dawn Primarolo
  The amount of tax that an individual will pay will depend on their individual circumstances.
  86W
  Mr. Todd
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what income tax was payable in 2000–01 by(a) a married couple, the man born on 5 April 1935, the woman aged 61 years, with a household income of £6,000 with no dependent children, the woman receiving no income beyond her share of the state pension and with no other allowances and (b) a married couple, the man born on 6 April 1935, the woman aged 61 years, with a household income of £6,000, with no dependent children, the woman receiving no income beyond her share of the state pension and with no other allowances. [143443]

  Dawn Primarolo
  The amount of income tax that an individual will pay will depend on their individual circumstances.

  National Insurance
  Mr. Todd
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much income tax and national insurance is payable in(a) 1999–2000 and (b) 2000–01 by a married man claiming the married couples allowance with a working income of £6,000 with no dependent children and no other allowances. [143429]

  Dawn Primarolo
  The amount of tax and national insurance that an individual will pay will depend on their individual circumstances.

  New Taxes
  Mr. Jack
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list for each new tax introduced since June 1997(a) the actual revenue raised and (b) the original revenue estimate. [143431]

  Dawn Primarolo
  All changes to the tax system are included in the relevant Financial Statements and Budget Reports. Estimated costs of tax expenditures and reliefs are given in Tax Ready Reckoner and Tax Reliefs, published on 8 November 2000. Both of these are available in the Library of the House.

  Aggregates Tax
  Mrs. Ray Michie
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what account he has taken of the(a) remoteness and (b) sparse population in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland when calculating the fixed rate of the proposed aggregates tax; and if he will make a statement; [142967]

  (2) what account he has taken of (a) the lower environmental impact of quarries and (b) the difficulties of recycling aggregates in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland when calculating the fixed rate of the proposed aggregates tax; and if he will make a statement. [142965]

  Mr. Timms
  The aggregates levy is based on independent research commissioned by the Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions which has verified that there are significant environmental costs associated with quarrying that are not already covered by regulation, including noise, dust, visual intrusion, loss of amenity and damage to biodiversity. The research looked at sites in both densely populated areas and in remote and sparsely populated areas.
  87W
  Mrs. Ray Michie
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the social and economic impact of the proposed aggregates tax on the Highlands and Islands of Scotland; and if he will make a statement. [142966]

  Mr. Timms
  The aggregates levy will bring about benefits by making the price of aggregates better reflect 88W
  their true environmental costs. This will provide an incentive for all business to use more sustainable materials and to use all aggregates more efficiently. A proportion of the proceeds from the levy will be available in a Sustainability Fund to help the Scottish Executive deliver local environmental benefits. The remaining proceeds will fund a cut in employer NICs which will deliver economic benefits nationwide.

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