Written Answers of 16 February 2000

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

  Legal Advisers
  Mr. Burnett
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what guidance his Department has issued to ensure that legal advisers working on a conditional fee basis make disclosures of that fact to any other party to litigation or to a transaction; and if the guidance provides that such disclosures be made. [110034]

  Mr. Lock
  At present there is no need for special guidance as the opponent's liability for costs is unaffected if a claimant chooses to finance litigation through a conditional fee agreement. However, the success fee in a conditional fee agreement and the premium for any insurance policy against costs will become recoverable from the losing party from 1 April, when the relevant provisions of the Access to Justice Act 1999 come into force. On 1 February, the Government published a report entitled "The Government's Conclusions Following Consultation on Conditional Fees: Sharing the Costs of Litigation". In view of the opponent's potential liability for increased costs if there is a success fee or insurance premium, the report includes recommendations to the Civil Procedure Rule Committee as to how rules of court might deal with issues of disclosure. Copies of the report have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Nottinghamshire Police (PFI)
  Mr. Coaker
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the progress of the PFI project involving vehicle supply, support and maintenance for Nottinghamshire Police; and if he will make a statement. [110345]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  I understand that negotiations between the Nottinghamshire Police and the preferred bidders for this project are continuing, with a view to a contract being signed early in the next financial year.

  Gambling Review Body
  Mr. Stephen Twigg
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he plans to announce the appointment of the Chairman of the Gambling Review Body and the body's terms of reference. [110759]

  Mr. Straw
  Further to the reply I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Dundee, West (Mr. Ross) on 8 December 1999,Official Report, column 534W, I have today appointed Sir Alan Budd as Chairman of the Gambling Review Body.
  538W
  Sir Alan Budd is Provost of Queen's College, Oxford, and a former Chief Economic Adviser to the Treasury. The position is unpaid.

  We will make a further announcement on the membership of the Review Body in the next few weeks. We hope it will start work shortly after Easter to report by the Summer 2001.

  The terms of Reference for the gambling review are as follows:
  Consider the current state of the gambling industry and the ways in which it might change over the next 10 years in the light of economic pressures, the growth of e-commerce, technological developments and wider leisure industry and international trends.
  Consider the social impact of gambling and the costs and benefits.
  Consider, and make recommendations for, the kind and extent of regulation appropriate for gambling activities in Great Britain, having regard to:
  their wider social impact;
  the need to protect the young and vulnerable from exploitation and to protect all gamblers from unfair practices;
  the importance of preventing gambling from being carried out in a way which allows crime disorder or public nuisance;
  the need to keep the industry free from infiltration by organised and other serious crime, and from money laundering risks;
  the desirability of creating an environment in which the commercial opportunities for gambling, including its international competitiveness, maximise the United Kingdom's economic welfare; and
  the implications for the current system of taxation, and the scope for its further development.
  Consider the need for, and, if necessary, recommend new machinery appropriate for carrying out that regulation which achieves a more consistent and streamlined approach than is now possible and which is financed by the gambling industry itself.
  Consider the availability and effectiveness of treatment programmes for problem gamblers and make recommendations for their future provision, potential costings and funding.
  In conducting this review, the body should not consider changes to the National Lottery, but it will need to look at the impact on the Lottery of any proposed changes, including an assessment of the potential effect on the income to good causes.

  Sex Offenders
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many prisoners are undergoing treatment on a sex offender therapy programme; how many prisoners have been recommended for treatment on such a course in the past year; and by how much demand for places outstrips supply; [110082]

  (2) what is the average time between recommendation for treatment on a sex offender therapy programme and placement on such a course. [110083]

  Mr. Boateng
  Records are kept centrally of the number of sex offender treatment programmes running at any one time, but not of the number of offenders participating in them. However, given that there is an average of eight inmates attending each of the 48 programmes currently in progress, about 384 prisoners will be receiving treatment at the moment.

  No records are kept centrally of the number of prisoners who have been recommended for a place on the programme and this information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The programme is open to all adult male prisoners who have been convicted of a sexual offence, to those whose index offence appears to have had

  539W
  a sexual motive and to those who have been convicted of a sexual offence in the past and are assessed as needing to participate in the programme. Candidates must be assessed as suitable for participation in the programme and they must be willing to participate in it.

  There are considerable variations between the dates on which individual prisoners are assessed for participation in the programme and the commencement of treatment. It would not be feasible to make places available on demand for all prisoners who need to undergo it, and the Prison Service, therefore, operates a waiting list system. For determinate sentenced prisoners, the order of priority is determined by an assessment of risk of re-offending balanced against time left to serve; for life sentenced prisoners by their tariff date, or by proximity of the next parole review if the tariff has expired or none was set. In addition to that, programme treatment managers need to ensure that each group has a balance of different types of offender. This means that a prisoner at the top of a waiting list may not necessarily be selected for the next programme. For these reasons, average waiting times between assessment and participation have little significance and are not recorded centrally.

  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he has taken in response to the report by HM Inspector of Prisons into Wymott Prison; and what plans he has to increase the provision of sex offender therapy programme places there. [110084]

  Mr. Boateng
  In accordance with the protocol for handling inspection reports, the Prison Service produced an action plan within 30 working days of publication of the report. All but three of the 104 recommendations have been accepted, and an updated action plan showing the progress made will be produced in April 2000, nine months after publication of the report.

  Additional resources have been made available under the Government's Comprehensive Spending Review and the number of sex offender treatment programmes is set to increase as follows: 48 places in 1999–2000, 56 places in 2000–01, and 72 places in 2001–02.

  Immigration and Asylum (Scottish Executive)
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has held with the Scottish Executive concerning a bilateral concordat in relation to the implementation of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999; and if he will make a statement. [109225]

  Mrs. Roche
  Implementation of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 in Scotland is being pursued in accordance with the administrative arrangements set out in the general concordat between the Home Office and the Scottish Executive. In particular, the National Asylum Support Service is maintaining close contact with the Scottish Executive to ensure the effective implementation of the new asylum support arrangements in Scotland.

  Cycling Offences
  Mr. Key
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list by police force the number of fixed penalty cycling offences committed monthly since 1 August 1999. [110021]
  540W
  Mr. Charles Clarke
  Information on the new fixed penalty offences introduced on 1 August 1999 is not yet available.

  Each police force has been asked to monitor the fixed penalty provisions which came into force on 1 August 1999, and the figures will be published later in the year.

  Monthly figures, however, are not being collected centrally.

  National Fire College
  Mr. Clifton-Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in relation to the National Fire College at Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, when he will commence implementing the recommendations of the Options Review and over what timescale the implementation will be completed; what discussions he has had with the unions about the recommendations; and what discussions he has had with the private sector about the recommendation to form a private public sector partnership. [110228]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  I refer to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary to my hon. Friend the Member for Eccles (Mr. Stewart) on 20 December 1999,Official Report, columns 370–71W. This makes it clear that we have invited the views of all interested parties, including the trade unions, by 18 February 2000. We shall also be seeking the advice of the Central Fire Brigades Advisory Council. We will take further decisions on implementation in the light of these consultations.

  Polling Booths
  Mrs. Brinton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what plans he has to increase the accessibility of polling booths to the aged who are disabled; [109988]

  (2) if he will estimate the increase in the number of people aged 65 or over who would vote in a national election if all polling booths were accessible to those with disabilities [109987]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  The Representation of the People Bill includes measures specifically aimed at increasing the accessibility of polling places to disabled voters. In addition, guidance on national minimum access standards for polling places was issued in June 1999; new guidance on disabled access to electoral services is being developed, and grants are available to local authorities for temporary ramps and polling screens. No statistics are collected on the age or disability of voters.

  Remploy
  Mr. Caton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what Remploy products his Department has purchased in the last three years. [109932]

  Mr. Straw
  The following Remploy products have been purchased by my Department over the last three years.
  541W

  Year

  Product

  1997

  Office furniture Binders

  1998

  Office furniture Binders

  1999

  Office furniture

  Franchise
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for legislation that would allow long-term residents in the UK from member states of the European Union to be able to vote in all UK elections. [109997]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  European Union citizens can vote in local and European Parliamentary elections in the member state in which they are resident. We have no plans unilaterally to extend these voting rights to Parliamentary elections in this country.

  West Mercia Police
  Mr. Michael J. Foster
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many civilians were employed by West Mercia Police Authority in each year since 1979. [110120]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  The information requested is set out in the table.

  West Mercia Constabulary Civilian support staff—1979 to 1999

  Year (As at 31 March)

  Number of civilians

  1979

  493

  1980

  519

  1981

  540.5

  1982

  560.5

  1983

  604.5

  1984

  701.5

  1985

  742.5

  1986

  760

  1987

  750

  1988

  744

  1989

  772

  1990

  832

  1991

  836

  1992

  850

  1993

  925

  1994

  918.5

  1995

  949

  1996

  963.7

  1997

  942.1

  1998

  974.6

  1999

  975.2

  1999 (30 September)

  963.6

  Asylum Seekers
  Mr. Gerrard
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what is his policy with regard to the detention of asylum claimants from states which are party to an association agreement with the European Union; [110031]
  542W
  (2) what information is given by his Department to asylum seekers from states which are party to an association agreement with the European Union regarding their rights to establish themselves in the UK. [110032]

  Mrs. Roche
  Association agreements do not provide an automatic right of establishment. Information regarding the right of establishment is not provided routinely, but is available to asylum seekers and others on request.

  Decisions on whether detention is appropriate are made on a case-by-case basis. Detention is used only as a last resort, and only those who are inadmissible passengers, illegal entrants or subject to deportation action may be detained. The existence of an association agreement between an asylum seeker's country of origin and the European Union is not taken into account.

  Burns Inquiry
  Dr. Gibson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) who determined the criteria used in drawing up lists of those invited to(a) give oral evidence to the Burns Inquiry, (b) attend seminar sessions to discuss commissioned research and (c) set up public meetings for the Burns Inquiry team; [109949]

  (2) who set down the criteria used to determine which organisations were consulted in drawing up the list of hunting events for members of the Burns Inquiry to attend. [109954]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  The Committee of Inquiry into Hunting has been set up as a committee which is independent of Government. Terms of reference have been given to the Committee, as set out in the reply by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary to my hon. Friend the Member for Wirral, South (Mr. Chapman) on 9 December 1999,Official Report, columns 617–18W.

  The conduct of the Committee, within those terms of reference, is a matter for the Chairman and the members of the Inquiry team.

  Dr. Gibson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the(a) individuals put forward by interested parties and (b) organisations approached for nominations for membership of the Burns Inquiry. [109953]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  Organisations and Government Departments approached for suggestions for names of potential members of the Inquiry team into hunting included:

  The Cabinet Office;

  Campaign 2000 (the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the International Fund for Animal Welfare and The League Against Cruel Sports);

  The Country Landowners Association;

  The Countryside Agency;

  The Countryside Alliance;

  The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions;

  The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food;

  The National Trust;

  The office of the Secretary of State for Wales; and

  The Wildlife Network.

  543W
  We consulted organisations on the basis that nominations would be received in confidence. It would not be right, therefore, for me to divulge individual names.

  Electronic Tracking
  Mr. Bob Russell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 8 February 2000,Official Report, column 142W, on electronic tracking, how many offenders have been granted a variation in the hours of a home detention curfew by prison governors; and in the case of each offender on how many occasions the variation was granted. [110135]

  Mr. Boateng
  The information requested is not held centrally and could be made available only at disproportionate cost by an examination of individual prisoner records.

  Crime (Young People)
  Mr. Blizzard
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will provide financial support for the work of prisons with schools to direct young people away from crime; [109526]

  (2) if he will make it his policy for prisons to use serving prisoners in controlled circumstances to assist young people to address their offending behaviour; [109527]

  (3) if he will provide financial support for the work of prisons in developing programmes to address the offending behaviour of young people referred from local courts and youth offending teams; [109525]

  (4) if he will make it his policy to include prison staff on youth offending teams. [109524]

  Mr. Boateng
  Under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, local authorities must plan how youth justice service systems will be delivered locally. If they choose, they may seek to involve the Prison Service in the delivery of those services, including work with schools and the secondment of prison staff to youth offending teams. Funding for this work will, however, in general have to be found from youth offending team resources, since the Prison Service is funded to work with offenders in custody.

  Austria (Bilateral Meetings)
  Mr. Jim Murphy
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the previously planned meetings, and their subject, between his Department and its Austrian counterpart which have been cancelled since the formation of the new Austrian Government. [109869]

  Mr. Straw
  No meetings between my Department and its Austrian counterparts have been cancelled since the formation of the new Austrian Government, since, so far as I am aware, none were planned.

  Mr. Jim Murphy
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many bilateral meetings were held between his Department and its Austrian counterpart in each of the last five years; and what subjects were discussed at each meeting since May 1997. [109902]
  544W
  Mr. Straw
  My Department does not hold a central record of bilateral meetings with counterparts in other European Union member states. But bilateral meetings with Austrian counterparts in recent years have included:a visit to Vienna by the United Kingdom's then K4 Co-ordinator on 16–17 September 1997;
  a visit I made to Vienna on 14 May 1998 for talks with the then Austrian Ministers of Interior and Justice; and
  a return visit to London 25 November 1998 by the then Austrian Interior Minister.

  All three meetings were in connection with the United Kingdom and Austrian presidencies of the European Union and covered a variety of topics on the Justice and Home Affairs Council agenda.

  Hunting with Dogs
  Dr. Stoate
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the Government's plans to ban hunting with dogs. [109549]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary to my hon. Friend the Member for Worcester (Mr. Foster) on 11 November 1999,Official Report, columns 787–88W.

  Sunday Elections
  Mr. Trickett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the additional cost per elector of pilot schemes under which elections take place on Sunday. [109767]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  A number of local authorities have applied to run pilot schemes which involve weekend voting but no scheme which provides for voting on Sunday only will be run.

  Trial by Jury
  Miss Widdecombe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the(a) number and (b) cost of additional appeals to the Crown Court against the (i) verdicts and (ii) sentences of magistrates, under his proposals to restrict the right to trial by jury. [108099]

  Mr. Straw
  [holding answer 2 February 2000]: Only 1 per cent. of defendants appeal against conviction and sentence following a trial in the magistrates courts and the model which has been used to estimate costs assumes that the effect will be de minimis. Even if as many as 10 per cent. of previously electing defendants chose to appeal following conviction after a contested trial, there would be fewer than 200 additional appeals, at a cost of less than £250,000.

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

  Broadcasting
  Mr. Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with the EU authorities on the framework for public financing for broadcasting with special reference to licence fee supplements. [110072]
  545W
  Janet Anderson
  [holding answer 14 February 2000]: My officials met Commission officials on 26 January, primarily to discuss the Commission's decision on BBC News 24. The various funding options identified in the report of the independent panel, chaired by Gavyn Davies, "Review of the Future Funding of the BBC", were briefly discussed.

  Mr. Alan Simpson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which(a) organisations and (b) individuals he has met to discuss broadcasting since 1 May 1997. [109995]

  Janet Anderson
  My right hon. Friend has discussed broadcasting with a wide range of organisations and individuals since 1 May 1997, and with many of them a number of times. Diary records are not kept by subject matter and it would not be possible to identify all such meetings, formal and informal, in order to provide the comprehensive list sought.

  Museums, Libraries and Archives Council
  Mr. Peter Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with which body the Chief Executive of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council has a contract of employment. [110108]

  Mr. Chris Smith
  [holding answer 14 February 2000]: The Chief Executive of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council has a contract of employment with the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLAC).

  New Millennium Experience Company
  Mr. Peter Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what procedures were followed in the selection of a candidate for the new Chief Executive of the New Millennium Experience Company; [109470]

  (2) if he will make a statement of the role of Lord Falconer of Thoroton in the appointment of the new Chief Executive of the New Millennium Experience Company. [109472]

  Janet Anderson
  [holding answer 10 February 2000]: The NMEC Board appointed Pierre-Yves Gerbeau as Chief Executive of the Company on 7 February. Mr. Gerbeau's appointment reflects the view that a different approach and different skills are now needed to manage the project successfully during its year of operation. A number of possible candidates were considered before deciding to appoint Mr. Gerbeau. Under the terms of the Financial Memorandum governing relations between the NMEC and its Shareholder, Lord Falconer of Thoroton has approved the appointment.

  Mr. Peter Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the balance of the revenues of the New Millennium Experience Company and the operating costs of the Dome. [106354]

  Janet Anderson
  [holding answer 24 January 2000]: It is too early at this stage to make a conclusive estimate but I fully expect the New Millennium Experience Company to meet its income targets and complete the Millennium Experience project within the original £758 million cash-limited budget.

  Millennium Dome
  Mr. Bob Russell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which schools in the Colchester constituency will be eligible to receive free tickets to visit the Millennium Dome; how many pupils in each school will be eligible; and what are the arrangements for the allocation of tickets. [106467]

  Janet Anderson
  Every school in the Colchester constituency is eligible to apply for up to 100 free tickets to the Dome under the New Millennium Experience Company's (NMEC) Education Tour scheme. Up to 1,000,000 free tickets are available. The available free tickets are allocated over a series of ballots. The first ballot, for tickets available in February, March and April, took place in November 1999. The second ballot, for tickets available in May, June and July, will take place in February 2000. The third ballot, for tickets available in September, October and November, will take place in June 2000. The final ballot, for tickets available in December, will take place in September 2000. NMEC, through the Education and Learning Experience Managers in its 12 offices countrywide (Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the North-East, Yorkshire and Humberside, the North-West, the East Midlands, the West Midlands, the East, the South-East, the South-West and London), and through the regional media will continue to ensure that all schools are fully aware of the free ticket scheme and of the education visit arrangements.

  Mr. Hoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) which schools in the Chorley constituency will be eligible to receive free tickets to visit the Millennium Dome; [105039]

  (2) how many pupils in each school in the Chorley constituency will be eligible for free tickets to visit the Millennium Dome. [105040]

  Janet Anderson
  [holding answer 17 January 2000]: Every school in the Chorley constituency is eligible to apply for up to 100 free tickets to the Dome under the New Millennium Experience Company's (NMEC) Education Tour scheme. Up to 1,000,000 free tickets are available. The available free tickets are allocated over a series of ballots. The first ballot, for tickets available in February, March and April, took place in November 1999. The second ballot, for tickets available in May, June and July, will take place in February 2000. The third ballot, for tickets available in September, October and November, will take place in June 2000. The final ballot, for tickets available in December, will take place in September 2000. Approximately 12 per cent. of all free tickets are available to schools in the North West region as this is the approximate proportion of the school population in that region. NMEC, through the Education and Learning Experience Managers in its 12 offices countrywide (Scotland, Wales, northern Ireland, the north-east, Yorkshire and Humberside, the north-west, the east Midlands, the west Midlands, the east, the south-east, the south-west and London), and through the regional media will continue to ensure that all schools are fully aware of the free ticket scheme and of the education visit arrangements.

  Mr. Bob Russell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what provision is made for students with learning difficulties attending further
  547W
  education establishments to be allocated free tickets to visit the Millennium Experience; and if he will make a statement. [108724]

  Janet Anderson
  The New Millennium Experience Company are not making free tickets for the Dome available to further education establishments. Free tickets are available to up to 1 million schoolchildren aged between eight and 16. Groups of students are charged £14.50 per head and student card holders wishing to make their own arrangements pay £16.50. NMEC is happy to discuss any special needs which particular visitors and groups might have—for example, special needs groups can bring an enabler with them free of charge and can use the on site car park, provided they are Orange Badge Holders and book beforehand. Hosts can be prepared to receive a particular group and ensure that its members are able to move through zones at their own pace, and buggies and wheelchairs can be arranged. All special needs requirements can be arranged on the Dome ticket line (0870 606 2000) when booking Dome tickets.

  Mr. Hoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what travel assistance is being provided to schools in the Chorley constituency visiting the Dome. [105041]

  Janet Anderson
  [holding answer 17 January 2000]: The costs attributable to the New Millennium Experience Company's (NMEC) Education Tour scheme at the Dome, including administration of the scheme, the tickets themselves and the management costs of implementing it throughout the year, are being met by NMEC from the Millennium Experience project budget. It is, however, established practice with school trips for the schools to make arrangements for travel and subsistence themselves. NMEC provides all schools with details of travel companies who are offering packages specifically aimed at schools. Additionally, many schools are also well placed to negotiate favourable deals through their established relationships with local travel operators.

  Millennium Experience (Sponsorship)
  Mr. Spring
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) if he will list the Millennium Experience zones for which final sponsorship arrangements remain outstanding; [106407]

  (2) if he will list the (a) zones and (b) corporate sponsors of the Millennium Experience for which agreed sponsorship moneys remain outstanding. [106207]

  Janet Anderson
  [holding answer 27 January 2000]: The target for the New Millennium Experience Company was to raise £150 million of sponsorship value towards its overall income requirement of £758 million. While the company's approach to sponsorship focused on individual exhibit zones, other forms of sponsorship—for example Official Supplier status—were also pursued and achieved. Consequently, once the £150 million was delivered, the company could remain within its £758 million cash-limited budget and deliver the Millennium Experience as planned, even if some exhibit zones were without sponsorship support. Sponsorship support has been achieved for the Work, Learning, Talk, Journey, Body, Shared Ground, Self Portrait, Home Planet, Money
  548W
  and Mind zones. Sponsorship support has also been achieved for Our Town Stage and donations have been received for the Faith zone.

  In addition, sponsorship has been achieved for Skyscape and the Greenwich Pavilion, which are integral parts of the Millennium Experience but outside the Dome. Exhibit zones without sponsorship support, but delivered within the cash-limited budget, are Play, Rest, Timekeepers, Living Island and the Millennium Show in the Central Arena.

  Those sponsors who have signed contracts with NMEC have paid, and are paying, sponsorship moneys according to the terms of their contracts. The three contracts, outstanding as at 10 February and detailed in my answer to the hon. Member for East Surrey (Mr. Ainsworth) on 14 February 2000, Official Report, column 442W, are being taken forward urgently by NMEC and moneys due under their terms will be paid accordingly. The actual amounts are subject to confidentiality provisions applicable to both parties.

  BBC
  Mr. Alan Simpson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will take steps to widen the accountability of the BBC. [109993]

  Janet Anderson
  The independent review panel on the future funding of the BBC made a number of recommendations on BBC transparency and accountability. We intend to announce our decisions on those recommendations shortly.

  Transfrontier Television
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has to ratify the amendment to the Protocol of the European Convention on Transfrontier Television to enable it to enter into force on 1 October 2000. [110081]

  Janet Anderson
  The Protocol amending the European Convention on Transfrontier Television will enter into force on 1 October 2000, provided that no State Party to the Convention notifies the Secretary General of the Council of Europe of an objection to its entry into force. The United Kingdom has no plans to make such an objection.

ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS

  Local Government Finance
  Mr. Brooke
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will exempt from being classified as excessive council tax rises the consequences of complying with the proposals of the Secretary of State for Education and Employment for passporting the increase in education standard spending assessments to education budgets. [110414]

  Ms Armstrong
  The Secretary of State will not be deciding whether to determine any principles to identify excessive budgets until all local authorities have set their budgets for 2000–01.
  549W
  Mr. Brooke
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what his policy is on hypothecating standard spending assessments. [110413]

  Ms Armstrong
  Standard Spending Assessments are a component of the calculation of Revenue Support Grant, which is unhypothecated.

  Air Quality Strategy
  Mr. Green
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what resources he has made available to local authorities to enable them to meet the targets set out in the Air Quality Strategy. [108335]

  Mr. Meacher
  [holding answer 3 February 2000]: Since 1997, the Government have provided additional resources each year via the local government finance settlement to enable authorities to carry out their air quality management duties. We have also provided supplementary credit approvals to the value of £12 million over the same period to allow for capital expenditure on air quality monitoring equipment. We have issued guidance and established helpdesks to help with any technical difficulties. Where road transport is the major source of local air pollution, we have encouraged authorities to use their local transport plans where appropriate to bid for additional resources to tackle the problem.

  Eurostar
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Stafford (Mr. Kidney) of 19 January 2000,Official Report, column 450W, when the consultant's report on Eurostar services to the North was completed and submitted to Ministers; and when he plans to make a statement on the report. [109296]

  Mr. Hill
  [holding answer 9 February 2000]: The finalised report was completed and submitted to Ministers in January. An announcement of its publication will be made to the House shortly.

  Regional Development Agencies
  Mr. Breed
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what criteria he uses to assess whether potential members of regional development agency boards have expertise in rural matters. [109808]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  Candidates are assessed against a range of criteria, which includes demonstrating a detailed understanding of rural and environmental issues and/or a track record of success in the rural economy.

  The specific knowledge and expertise sought has varied from region to region and has included experience and knowledge of agriculture and land use industries, experience of social and economic issues affecting rural areas, experience of small and medium businesses in the rural environment and knowledge of issues such as CAP reform. The relative importance of these elements has depended on the balance of skills and expertise available from other potential board members.

  Public Bodies
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list those non-departmental public bodies responsible to his Department which hold their(a) board and (b) working meetings in public; if he will set out the reasons for the remaining meetings being held in private; and if he will arrange to place in the Library the minutes of, and papers presented at, open board meetings of NDPBs responsible to his Department. [105077]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  Of the executive NDPBs sponsored by DETR, only the eight Regional Development Agencies are statutorily required to hold an annual board meeting in public, following the publication of their annual reports. However, the following bodies do hold at least one annual open board meeting:

  Docklands Light Railway;

  Countryside Agency;

  English Nature;

  English Partnerships;

  Environment Agency;

  Health & Safety Commission and Executive;

  Housing Action Trusts (all five bodies);

  Local Government Commission for England;

  London Regional Passengers Committee; and

  National Forest Company.

  Other NDPBs, including the Housing Corporation and the Traffic Director for London, hold meetings for stakeholders as and when necessary, and the Environment Agency's regional advisory committees hold their meetings in public. NDPB meetings are held in private for good reason: commercial confidentiality; personal confidentiality; legal matters; and operational reasons.

  Many of DETR's executive NDPBs publish the minutes of board meetings and, in some cases, papers on the internet or make them available in paper form or do both. For this reason, and because of the volume of paper involved, I do not propose to ask bodies to place minutes of, and papers for, open board meetings in the Library.

  Biosafety Protocol
  Mr. Chaytor
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what are the Government's objectives in the forthcoming negotiations on the Biosafety Protocol in Montreal; and if he will make a statement. [105574]

  Mr. Meacher
  [holding answer 19 January 2000]: I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 9 February 2000, Official Report, columns 159–60W.

  Genetically Modified Organisms
  Dr. Gibson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his policy on the European Commission amendments to Directive 90/220 (Deliberate Release of Genetically Modified Organisms). [108091]

  Mr. Meacher
  The European Commission's amendments to Directive 90/220/EEC that have been incorporated in the Council's Common Position reflect the political agreement that was reached at the June 1999 Environment Council. The amendments include stricter provisions for environmental risk assessment and
  551W
  monitoring, the time limitation of consents, a tough new labelling regime and the identification and phasing out of antibiotic marker genes where they pose a risk to human health and the environment.

  Homelessness
  Mr. Blizzard
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his policy on the provision of accommodation for homeless young single people who do not have family support. [110139]

  Mr. Mullin
  Local authorities currently have a duty under the Housing Act 1996 to accommodate unintentionally homeless people in priority need, which includes those who are vulnerable.

  The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions' revised Code of Guidance on the Allocation of Accommodation and Homelessness, due to be published later in the year, will recommend that authorities treat 16 and 17-year-olds who have no back-up support as vulnerable, because of their age and circumstances, and therefore in priority need.

  The revised Code of Guidance will recommend that authorities develop strategies for co-ordinated working between agencies, including the value of exploring joint assessments at an early stage for those with multiple needs. The Guidance will also explicitly refer to the need for this approach when assessing homelessness applications from vulnerable people and when dealing with the needs of young people between the ages of 16–18. The forthcoming Housing Green Paper is likely to include proposals for reform of the homelessness legislation to provide further protection for unintentionally homeless people in priority need.

  Sustainable Waste Management
  Mr. Brake
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what funding he has made available to local authorities for recycling, composting and other sustainable waste management initiatives for each financial year since the introduction of the landfill tax. [110030]

  Mr. Mullin
  There has been no specific funding for such initiatives by authorities, but schemes for new waste management facilities can be eligible for funding under the PFI. To date, 7 such schemes have been endorsed and will receive a total of £316.7 million of PFI credits.

  As we said in the draft National Waste Strategy, "A way With Waste", we recognise that the move to more integrated, sustainable waste management could incur costs to local authorities. We are therefore considering options for providing more resources to local authority waste management as part of the current Spending Review.

  Remploy
  Mr. Caton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what Remploy products his Department has purchased in the last three years. [109934]
  552W
  Ms Beverley Hughes
  The Department purchased from Remploy office desking and pedestals during the period 1 January 1997 to 31 October 1997 after which the contract with the Department of Transport expired.

  The value of this furniture was £39,561 and was purchased by the Central Services Unit of the Department of Transport and the Vehicle Inspectorate Executive Agency (VIEA).

  Rent Assessment Panels
  Mr. Lepper
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the organisations which have been invited to respond to the consultation paper, entitled "Rent Assessment Panels: Financial Management and Policy Review". [109927]

  Mr. Mullin
  My Department invited the following organisations to respond to the consultation paper published on 18 November 1999:

  All Party Parliamentary Group for Leasehold Reform and Commonhold

  Association of Regulated Tenants' Associations

  Association of Residential Letting Agents

  Association of Residential Managing Agents

  Association of Retirement Housing Managers

  The Bar Council

  British Property Federation

  Camden Federation of Private Tenants

  Campaign for Fairer Fair Rents

  Coalition for the Abolition of Residential Leasehold

  Council on Tribunals

  DETR Trade Union Side

  The Enfranchisement League

  Federation of Independent Advice Centres

  Flat Owners Self-Help Network

  Kensington and Chelsea Staying Put

  The Law Society

  Leasehold Advisory Service

  Leasehold Enfranchisement Association

  Leasehold Enfranchisement Limited

  Lord Chancellor's Department

  National Assembly for Wales

  National Association of Citizens' Advice Bureaux

  National Association of Estate Agents

  National Consumer Council

  National Federation of Residential Landlords

  Rent Assessment Panels in England and Wales

  Rent Service Agency

  Residential Landlords' Association

  Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors

  Scottish Executive

  Shelter

  Small Landlords' Association.

  553W
  My Department also invited comments from the following organisations who requested a copy of the consultation paper:

  Advice Information and Mediation Service for Private Retirement Housing

  Association of London Government

  Brent Private Tenants' Rights Group

  Brighton, Hove and District Leaseholders' Association

  Bromford Housing Group

  Independent Housing Ombudsman

  Liverpool Federation of Council Tenants and Residents' Associations

  Local Government Association

  Private Tenants' Rights Project

  South East Landlords' Association Group.

  RAF Base, Little Rissington
  Mr. Clifton-Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions in relation to the Planning Inspector's report on the application for change of use for the hangars at the former RAF base at Little Rissington, Gloucestershire, when(a) the inspector's hearing was concluded, (b) the inspector submitted her report to Ministers and (c) the Minister made a decision. [110227]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  The public inquiry concluded on 7 January 1999 and the Government Office for the South West (on behalf of the Secretary of State) received the Inspector's report on 2 August 1999. The decision in this case has been delayed in large part to the complexity of the issues and the changing status of the development plan. The case will be ready to submit to the Secretary of State in the very near future.

DEFENCE

  Strategic Defence Review
  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which programmes set out in the Strategic Defence Review have been(a) cut, (b) delayed and (c) cancelled as a result of the costs incurred by the Kosovo deployment. [108743]

  Mr. Hoon
  The costs of the Kosovo deployment have had no impact on programmes set out in the SDR. However, the Kosovo deployment has meant that we have not yet been able to implement as much of the SDR as we would have liked at this stage. Some force elements, particularly those in the Army's Formation Readiness cycle, whose training has been disrupted by the deployment to Kosovo, will not be at full readiness levels as soon as planned.

  Tracer/FSCS System
  Mr. Gill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he last discussed the Tracer/FSCS system with his United States counterpart; and what conclusions were reached. [109859]

  Dr. Moonie
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence has not had any specific discussions about Tracer with his US counterpart.

  Eurofighter
  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions his Department has had with the Norwegian Government about the possible purchase of the Eurofighter; and if he will make a statement. [109799]

  Dr. Moonie
  Discussions with the Norwegian Government are continuing and cover various aspects of governmental support, such as training, to assist in this important marketing campaign. Ministers of the Eurofighter nations have agreed to accept Norway as a member of the NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency should she choose to buy Eurofighter.

  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what impact the production of the Meteor Missile in the United Kingdom will have on the missile selection process for the Eurofighter; and if he will make a statement. [109523]

  Dr. Moonie
  We are currently evaluating the bids we have received from two companies, Matra BAe Dynamics and Raytheon Systems Ltd., to meet our requirement for a Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile for Eurofighter. Our assessment will take into account the industrial issues associated with each bid together with a wide range of other factors including missile performance, cost, technical risk and overall value for money.

  Cruise Missiles (Kosovo)
  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Cruise missiles launched from UK submarines during the Kosovo conflict. [109837]

  Mr. Hoon
  The Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAM) fired from HMS Splendid made a highly effective contribution to the NATO air campaign in Kosovo. They provided a major step forward in UK capability, enabling precision attacks at long range against selected targets. Tomahawks were particularly valuable during periods of poor weather when fewer manned aircraft were able to operate.

  Dervish Anti-personnel Land Mines
  Mrs. Ray Michie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to meet representatives from Edinburgh University to discuss the funding of the Dervish anti-personnel land mines clearance project. [109586]

  Dr. Moonie
  None.

  Nancekuke
  Ms Atherton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what archive files relating to Nancekuke are restricted for publication by the 30-year-rule; and if he will publish them early. [109947]

  Dr. Moonie
  It is not possible to identify the holding of all archived files relating to defence activities at Nancekuke without incurring disproportionate cost. All department records are reviewed under well established procedures and those selected for permanent preservation are released in accordance with the provisions of the Public Records Acts, 1958 and 1967.

  European Council (Helsinki)
  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes in military structures are required in order to implement the common foreign and security policies agreed at the Helsinki European Council. [109956]

  Mr. Hoon
  At the Helsinki European Council, EU member states agreed:

  (a) to establish the new structures necessary for the EU to decide and, where NATO as a whole is not engaged, act in response to crises. These bodies will include a Military Committee and a Military Staff; and

  (b) to set up, from March 2000, the interim arrangements required for the EU to develop its military crisis management procedures, including an interim body of military representatives of member states' Chiefs of Defence.

  Defence Diversification Agency
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the budget for the Defence Diversification Agency for the financial year 1999–2000. [110317]

  Dr. Moonie
  The Defence Diversification Agency (DDA) was launched in 1999 with a notional budget of £2 million per annum for its first three years. In the Agency's start-up year (financial year 1999–2000) the forecast budget was set at £1.5 million to take account of the planned ramp up in its operations. The forecast actual spend against this budget is projected to be around £1.1 million.

  Cluster Bombs
  Mr. Livsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if cluster bombs available for use by the armed services(a) at present and (b) within the last three years contain depleted uranium. [110223]

  Mr. Spellar
  No cluster bombs available for use by UK Armed Forces now or at any time during the last three years have contained depleted uranium.

  Advertising Budgets
  Mr. Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the average cost of issuing a media release from his Department in 1999. [110277]

  Dr. Moonie
  During 1999, the average cost to my Department of distributing a media release centrally was approximately £78.50.

  Mr. Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his Department's advertising budget for(a) 1999–2000 and (b) 2000–01. [110264]

  Dr. Moonie
  The information is not available in the requested format. However, MOD's forecast expenditure for 1999–2000 on PR, marketing and business support services (together with expenditure by the Chief of Public Relations but not including the salaries of staff or associated costs) totals £4.849 million. Recruitment costs are not included.

  The corresponding figure for 2000–01 is £3.750 million.

  Paper and Timber Products
  Mr. Reed
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will ensure that paper and timber products 556W
  purchased by his Department are independently certified by the Forest Stewardship Council as coming from a sustainable source; [110158]

  (2) what steps he has taken to ensure that paper and timber products purchased by his Department come from a sustainable source. [110157]

  Dr. Moonie
  In line with the recommendations of a recent Government-wide review, it is my Department's policy to procure timber and timber products only from sustainable sources and, in the case of tropical hardwood, to require independent verification of those sources. The scheme operated by the Forest Stewardship council is one of a number of available verification schemes mentioned in the DETR's Green Guide for Buyers. Where practicable, the use of reclaimed timber or timber products is also considered. Guidance on the use of paper is set out in the Ministry of Defence's Environmental Manual (JSP 418) and will be reviewed as part of the implementation of the Department's corporate Environmental Management System. A copy of JSP 418 has been placed in the Library of the House.

  Departmental Housing
  Mr. Duncan Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his Department's housing repair programme. [105564]

  Dr. Moonie
  [holding answer 18 January 2000]: The Ministry of Defence plans cyclical maintenance and responds to requests for repairs through works services contracts. In Great Britain those works are managed by the Defence Housing Executive (DHE) who have a total repair and maintenance budget of £105.361 million in the current Financial Year. An additional £7.650 million is budgeted for carpets and curtains. Together these support the stock of some 64,000 houses. DHE have strict performance targets for meeting repair requests and these are being upheld.

  Overseas and in Northern Ireland repairs and maintenance are actioned through the individual Service establishment's overall repairs and maintenance budget. This covers all Service buildings and office accommodation as well as housing and it is not possible to identify precisely the expenditure for housing alone.

  Mr. Duncan Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what funding his Department has allocated for each of the next three years for the renovation of service housing. [105563]

  Dr. Moonie
  [holding answer 18 January 2000]: The funding allocated for the next three years for the renovation of the married quarters estate (the upgrade programme) in Great Britain is as follows:

  Financial year

  £ million

  2000–01

  79.7

  2001–02

  78.8

  2002–03

  69.5

  There is no separate programme for the renovation of Service housing overseas which is undertaken with general estate maintenance.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Advertising Budgets
  Mr. Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the average cost of issuing a media release from his Department in 1999. [110278]

  Mr. Byers
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 9 February 2000,Official Report, column 208W.

  Mr. Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is his Department's advertising budget for(a) 1999–2000 and (b) 2000–01. [110265]

  Mr. Byers
  Most of the Department's publicity budgets, and the details of expenditure on advertising, are not held centrally. Also, in most cases a budget for advertising is not identified separately from other types of publicity or programme spend. The information requested could be produced only at disproportionate cost.

  Companies House
  Mr. Hoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the quinquennial review of Companies House will take place; and what the terms of reference for the review will be. [110934]

  Mr. Alan Johnson
  I am today launching the Quinquennial Review of Companies House.

  Agencies and non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs) are at the heart of our programme to modernise government. The Government are committed to achieving better public services that are of higher quality and are more responsive to the needs of the people who use them. Regular Agency and NDPB reviews are an important element in ensuring that we have in place the right structures to deliver the Government's agenda effectively and to provide a strong focus on improving future performance.

  The terms of reference for the Review of Companies House are:
  To consider and to make recommendations regarding:
  First, the organisational status which would be most appropriate for the operation and policy of Companies House in the future, taking into account its contribution to the objectives of the Department and of the Government as a whole, including the Modernising Government agenda, developments in the national and international legislative, regulatory and commercial environment; and
  Second, whether any changes should be made to the way in which Companies House operates, including its aims and objectives, targets and financial controls; the scope of the activities undertaken; and whether its activities could be done more effectively.
  In carrying out both stages of the review, the views of customers, staff and their trade unions, consumers and other interested parties will be fully taken into account.
  The review is to be undertaken in accordance with the latest Cabinet Office guidance, published on 31 January 2000.

  The Review will be carried out by officials in the Department of Trade and Industry, with specialist advice as appropriate. The work of the Review Team will be overseen by a Steering Group chaired by the Director General of Competition and Markets and including an
  558W
  independent member. The aim will be to complete the review within about six months, as recommended in the Cabinet Office guidance.

  As indicated in the terms of reference, the Review Team is seeking the views of interested parties. A questionnaire is available from:

  Companies House Review Team

  Department of Trade and Industry

  Bay 104

  151 Buckingham Palace Road

  London SW1W 9SS

  tel: 020 7215 1548

  email: cca.comments@lond02.dti.gov.uk

  Comments should be sent to the same address by 17 March 2000.

  Austria (Bilateral Meetings)
  Mr. Jim Murphy
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many bilateral meetings were held between his Department and its Austrian counterpart in each of the last five years; and what was discussed at each meeting since May 1997. [109903]

  Mr. Caborn
  This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Mr. Jim Murphy
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list those previously planned meetings and their subject, between his Department and its Austrian counterpart which have been cancelled since the formation of the new Austrian Government. [109905]

  Mr. Caborn
  The 'Britain Now' campaign, which was to involve a series of commercial and cultural events and was due to be held in Austria in May 2000, has been postponed. It may be rescheduled when the political climate is right and when commercial interests in the events themselves are more secure.

  Departmental Functions (Food)
  Mr. Yeo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if all food served at his Department's official functions meets the standards of production required of domestic producers. [109774]

  Dr. Howells
  [holding answer 11 February 2000]: Only caterers who meet the statutory requirements of food safety legislation are used as suppliers to the Department. They are audited for compliance before being used for the first time, and then at least annually.

  EU Structural Funds
  Mr. Blizzard
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if money from a private company, acting in the capacity of a port authority, is eligible as matched funding for European Objective 2 funding. [110138]

  Mr. Caborn
  It is perfectly acceptable for projects supported by the structural funds to be part-funded by the private sector. The Government encourage programme partnerships to provide for flexibility in their programmes between private and public funding. The amounts of public and private funding required for programmes are set out in the financial tables in each Single Programming Document which must be agreed with the European Commission.

  Cash Machines (Surcharges)
  Mr. Chidgey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will use his powers under the Prices Act 1974 to regulate the charging of cash machine customers; and if he will make a statement. [109484]

  Dr. Howells
  [holding answer 11 February 2000]: I believe that any charges for cash machines should be clearly displayed before the transaction proceeds. I am aware that the banking industry is currently considering this in the context of the revision to the Banking Code and I hope that a voluntary agreement ensuring transparency will be achieved. Nevertheless, if this is not, I will use my powers in section 4 of the Prices Act 1974 to require the industry to display charges clearly.

  Mr. Chidgey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what powers he has to regulate the charging of cash machine customers. [109483]

  Dr. Howells
  [holding answer 11 February 2000]: Under section 4 of the Prices Act 1974 the Secretary of State may by order require that charges for services such as the use of cash machines are indicated.

  From 1 March the Director General of Fair Trading will have the power to examine such matters under the Competition Act 1998.

  General Pinochet
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what advice he has received from the Trade Attaché of the British Embassy in Chile concerning the trade effects of the arrest of General Pinochet. [110114]

  Mr. Caborn
  [holding answer 14 February 2000]: The Commercial Section within our Embassy in Santiago provides regular advice on trade-related opportunities and developments. British companies remain active in Chile, although trade over the past year has been affected by the impact of the Asia crisis on the sub-region, including Chile, rather than by the detention of Senator Pinochet.

  Export Credits Guarantee Department
  Ms Oona King
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the unrecovered loans issued by the Export Credits Guarantee Department over the last 15 years which are attributed to defence-related contracts, broken down by(a) country, (b) financial amount and (c) equipment. [108740]

  Mr. Caborn
  From information readily available, the value claims paid by ECGD in respect of defence-related contracts under guarantees issued in the last 15 years and which remain outstanding for recovery is as follows:

  £million

  Country

  Value of claims outstanding

  Algeria

  98

  Egypt

  46

  Indonesia

  131

  Jordan

  253

  Kenya

  16

  The equipment supplied under these contracts includes aircraft, artillery, naval vessels, vehicles, communications and ancillary equipment.
  560W
  Dr. Cable
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the losses attributable to defence-related business with the ECGD broken down by(a) country, (b) goods and (c) financial amounts concerned for each year from 1997 to 1999. [108766]

  Mr. Caborn
  [holding answer 7 February 2000]: No business for which ECGD has issued cover in the period 1997 to 1999 has given rise to losses.

  However ECGD has recognised losses in this period in respect of business which was the subject of guarantees issued prior to 1997. In the case of defence-related business the losses are as follows:

  £ million

  Market

  Amount written off

  Burkina Faso

  0.6

  Egypt

  0.7

  Tanzania

  0.1

  Details of the goods are not readily available.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Traffic Accidents
  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have been killed or seriously injured in road traffic accidents in Northern Ireland since 1988. [110318]

  Mr. Ingram
  The following table shows the number of fatalities and serious injuries in road traffic accidents in northern Ireland since 1988:

  Year

  Fatalities

  Serious injuries

  1988

  178

  1,969

  1989

  181

  2,014

  1990

  185

  1,993

  1991

  185

  1,648

  1992

  150

  1,841

  1993

  143

  1,725

  1994

  157

  1,648

  1995

  144

  1,532

  1996

  142

  1,599

  1997

  144

  1,548

  1998

  160

  1,538

  1999

  141

  1—

  1 Not yet available

  Armed Robbery
  Mr. Paterson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many armed robberies there have been in Northern Ireland since the Good Friday Agreement. [110052]

  Mr. Ingram
  [holding answer 14 February 2000]: There have been 729 armed robberies in Northern Ireland during the period from 10 April 1998 to 10 February 2000.
  561W
  Mr. Paterson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will estimate the number of people who have been held at gunpoint in armed robberies in Northern Ireland since the Good Friday Agreement. [110316]

  Mr. Ingram
  The number of persons held at gunpoint during the 729 armed robberies recorded since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

SCOTLAND

  Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if, in relation to the Memorandum of Understanding published in October 1999, he has attended a joint ministerial committee to discuss matters relating to the implementation of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999; and if he will make a statement. [109226]

  Dr. Reid
  The implementation of this Act in Scotland has been the subject of regular contact between the Home Office and the relevant bodies in Scotland. UK Government Ministers are in frequent contact with Scottish Ministers on a wide range of matters. This issue has not been the subject of a meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee.

  Bilateral Concordats
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if, in relation to the Memorandum of Understanding published in October 1999, he will list the bilateral concordats between the Scottish Executive and UK Government Departments; and if he will make a statement. [109227]

  Dr. Reid
  The following bilateral concordats between UK Government Departments and the Scottish Executive have been published:

  1. Cabinet Office

  2. Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions

  3. Department for Education and Employment

  4. Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (main concordat)

  (a) Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (subject specific concordat on Fisheries)

  (b) Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (subject specific concordat on State Veterinary Services and Animal Disease Compensation)

  5. Office for National Statistics/General Register Office for Scotland

  6. Department of Trade and Industry

  7. HM Treasury and Department of Trade and Industry (subject to specific concordat on public procurement and related international obligations)

  8. Health and Safety Executive

  9. Department of Culture, Media and Sport

  10. Ministry of Defence

  11. Lord Chancellor's Department

  12. European Structural Funds

  13. HM Treasury

  14. Department of Health

  15. Home Office

  16. Department of Social Security.

  562W
  The bilateral concordats are administrative, not legally binding, agreements between UK Government Departments and the Scottish Executive, setting out their working relationships.

PRIME MINISTER

  Austria
  Dr. Julian Lewis
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on his policy on the inclusion of the Freedom Party in the Government of Austria. [108949]

  The Prime Minister
  We made clear our concern at the inclusion of the Freedom Party in the Austrian Government. We have welcomed the fact that the new Austrian Government has committed itself to abiding by the common obligations and values of EU membership, but we will be judging it by its future actions.

  NHS Beds (Oxfordshire)
  Dr. Harris
  To ask the Prime Minister what is his policy on providing NHS beds to patients in Oxfordshire. [108951]

  The Prime Minister
  It is the responsibility of individual health authorities to determine the most appropriate balance of health services locally, including the range and number of beds available to the local community.

  The hon. Member will be aware that the report of the Government's National Beds Inquiry was published for consultation last week. The facts revealed by the report support our plans to build a new bridge of NHS care for older people between hospital and home and will support the first national strategy for providing NHS beds in 30 years.

  The conclusions of the report underline the need for us to consider a variety of forms of care, from acute to community provision, depending on the circumstances. Some services will be provided in a large hospital, some in community hospitals and some will be via improved care services in the home.

  Iraq
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Prime Minister what account Her Majesty's Government have taken of the representations of(a) Denis Halliday, (b) Hans von Sponeck and (c) other senior officials of UN Agencies in relation to UN sanctions in relation to child nutrition and mortality in Iraq. [108953]

  The Prime Minister
  The Government are very concerned about reports of child morality rates and malnutrition in Iraq. We continue to support efforts to target the humanitarian effort there towards the most vulnerable.

  Meanwhile, UN Security Council Resolution 1284, which was drafted and piloted through the Council by the UK, includes a raft of measures providing for an increased and improved "oil for food" programme. It also calls on

  563W
  the Government of Iraq to prioritise its spending under "oil for food" more effectively and to address the needs of vulnerable groups.

  If the Iraqi Government had chosen to prioritise properly the humanitarian assistance which has been made available since the start of "oil for food" in 1996, the suffering of the Iraqi people would have been hugely reduced.

  Engagements
  Mr. Prior
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 16 February. [108947]

  The Prime Minister
  This morning I had meetings with Ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House I will have further such meetings later today.

  Sir Peter Tapsell
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 16 February. [109970]

  The Prime Minister
  This morning I had meetings with Ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House I will have further such meetings later today.

  UN Agencies (Representations)
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Prime Minister what account the Government have taken of the representations of(a) Denis Halliday, (b) Hans von Sponeck and (c) other senior officials of UN agencies in relation to (i) aggravated water shortage in Turkey and (ii) US and UK bombing and the effect on child mortality in Iraq. [108790]

  The Prime Minister
  We are not aware of any representations by UN officials regarding "aggravated water shortage in Turkey".

  All actions by UK and US forces in the No Fly Zones are in response to Iraqi threats and are made in self-defence, as is their right under international law. Our forces make every effort to avoid civilian casualties. Iraqi claims to the contrary should be treated with caution. The Government of Iraq has, for example, previously blamed coalition aircraft for civilian casualties on days when no aircraft were patrolling the No Fly Zones.

  Local Government Elections
  Mr. Evans
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on his policy in respect of the voting system for local government, with particular reference to proportional representation. [110334]

  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 15 February 2000]: We have consistently made clear that we do not propose to change the local government voting system, other than the introduction of the Supplementary Vote system for the election of directly elected mayors. The Local Government Bill now in the House of Lords makes provision for these mayors.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

  Advertising Budgets
  Mr. Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what is her Department's advertising budget for(a) 1999–00 and (b) 2000–01. [110252]

  Mr. Foulkes
  DFID does not have a specific advertising budget. However, paid advertising in relation to recruitment currently costs around £1 million annually.

  Mr. Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what was the average cost of issuing a media release from her Department in 1999. [110266]

  Mr. Foulkes
  Our Department issued 89 media releases in 1999 at a total cost of £10,350. The average cost for issuing a press release was £116.29.

  East Timor
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list the projects and their costs in the reconstruction programme for East Timor. [108904]

  Clare Short
  At a multi-donor meeting on East Timor in Tokyo in December last year, the UK worked successfully for an international collaborative approach to East Timor. The UN Transitional Administration (UNTAET) and East Timorese representatives will set priorities for reconstruction and the transition to independence; the World Bank and Asian Development Bank will co-ordinate detailed analysis of needs; and donors will operate in this framework working jointly wherever possible. Often a sector-based, programmatic approach will be followed rather than one based on a plethora of small projects.

  Donors pledged a total of $522 million for East Timor at the Tokyo meeting. The UK will provide £13 million over three years, the bulk of it channelled through Trust Funds established by the World Bank and the UN. This is in addition to £5.5 million which we made available in the immediate aftermath of the crisis in East Timor which has supported the humanitarian work of a number of international organisations and NGOs, and has helped restore the power supply in Dili.

  Sri Lanka
  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in north and east Sri Lanka. [109517]

  Clare Short
  The humanitarian situation in Sri Lanka remains difficult as a result of the ongoing conflict. Further displacements occur each time the conflict escalates. Officials from my Department continue to monitor the situation closely. We fund a number of agencies (including Oxfam, Save the Children Fund, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the United Nations Children's Fund) who have well-established programmes providing relief and rehabilitation for those displaced by the conflict.

  External Consultants
  Mr. Willis
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what is the(a) number and (b) value of contracts let by her Department since May 1997 to external consultants and advisers for the management of competitive tendering processes. [109300]

  Mr. Foulkes
  Since May 1997, our Departments has not used external consultants or advisers for the management of competitive tendering processes.

  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list for the financial year 1998–99 the number and total value of contracts let by her Department with external consultants and advisers that have(a) been put out to competitive tender, (b) not been put out to competitive tender and (c) been let on a non-commercial basis, stating in each case the names of the individuals or organisations that have carried out the work. [109067]

  Mr. Foulkes
  [holding answer 8 February 2000]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development gave him on 24 November 1999, Official Report, column 132W. Our Department's spend on external consultants and advisers in 1998–99 was £1.83 million. Ten contracts with a value of £926,154 were awarded after competitions. The remaining 24 contracts, with a value of £903,846, were awarded without competition. There were no contracts awarded on a non-commercial basis.

  Locally Employed Staff (Wages)
  Mrs. Gillan
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what is the salary scale for her Department's locally employed staff in(a) Bangkok, (b) Bridgetown, (c) Delhi and (d) Pretoria. [106327]

  Mr. Foulkes
  [holding answer 24 January 2000]: The information is as follows:

  Grade

  Minimum

  Maximum

  (a) Bangkok

  LEI

  Baht

  575,340

  961,620

  LEII

  Baht

  414,660

  728,940

  LEIII

  Baht

  303,936

  564,036

  LEIV

  Baht

  193,224

  405,624

  (b) Bridgetown

  A2

  Barbados $

  95,306

  137,608

  B1

  Barbados $

  64,217

  92,993

  B2

  Barbados $

  44,497

  70,960

  C1

  Barbados $

  27,365

  49,515

  C2

  Barbados $

  22,111

  31,089

  LEVa

  Barbados $

  17,603

  27,326

  LEVb

  Barbados $

  15,447

  23,601

  (c) Delhi

  A3

  Rupees

  540,000

  1,080,000

  B1

  Rupees

  405,000

  702,000

  B2

  Rupees

  243,000

  432,000

  C1

  Rupees

  162,000

  297,000

  C2

  Rupees

  108,000

  189,000

  D

  Rupees

  86,400

  145,800

  (d) Pretoria

  B1

  Rand

  110,460

  171,360

  B2

  Rand

  72,590

  122,640

  C1

  Rand

  52,500

  81,445

  C2

  Rand

  34,500

  61,992

  Austria (Bilateral Meetings)
  Mr. Jim Murphy
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many bilateral meetings were held between her Department and its Austrian counterpart in each of the last five years; and what was discussed at each meeting since May 1997. [109878]

  Mr. Foulkes
  The last bilateral meeting between UK and Austrian Development Ministers took place on 22 June 1998, when the Secretary of State for International Development met Mrs. Ferrero-Waldner, the Austrian Minister for Foreign Affairs. The work programme for the Austrian presidency of the European Union was discussed.

  The cost of researching all ministerial or official bilateral meetings in the last five years would be disproportionate.

  Mr. Jim Murphy
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list those previously planned meetings and their subject, between her Department and its Austrian counterpart which have been cancelled since the formation of the new Austrian Government. [109893]

  Mr. Foulkes
  No bilateral meetings between the Department for International Development and its Austrian counterpart had been planned to take place after the formation of the new Austrian Government.

  Colombia
  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support her Department gives to human rights training programmes for the Colombian army. [109520]

  Clare Short
  Our Department does not give any support to human rights training programmes for the Colombian army.

  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which British non-Governmental organisations in Colombia are supporting the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare's campaign to encourage peaceful resolution within the country. [109521]

  Mr. Foulkes
  Our Department has provided £149,905 for a Save the Children Fund project where they are working with five local partners in Colombia, including the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare. The project is meeting the immediate needs of children and adolescents while simultaneously addressing the longer-term rehabilitation aspects including conflict resolution, human rights and local capacity building.

EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT

  "Computers Within Reach"
  Mr. Caton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the impact of the Computers Within Reach scheme on low-income learners and families. [109984]

  Mr. Wills
  The Government are making £15 million available for a pilot scheme—Computers Within Reach—to enable those who cannot afford new
  567W
  computers to acquire reconditioned computers for use in the home for the purpose of improving their employment prospects, for lifelong learning, or for their children's homework. The pilot scheme will run from April, and evaluation findings of the initiative will be made available in due course.

  Mr. Caton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he has identified the pilot areas for the introduction of the Computers Within Reach scheme for low-income learners and families. [109982]

  Mr. Wills
  Proposals submitted in response to the Computers Within Reach prospectus published in autumn 1999 are currently being assessed. A final list of pilot projects and areas will be published later this spring.

  Mr. Caton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when the Computers Within Reach pilot projects for low-income learners and families will begin. [110312]

  Mr. Wills
  The Computers Within Reach scheme to pilot arrangements in England for enabling those who cannot afford new computers to acquire reconditioned or remaindered computers for use in the home will run from April 2000.

  Miss Geraldine Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans the Government have to enable families on low incomes to gain access to home computers. [109184]

  Mr. Wills
  The Government have made £15 million available for a pilot scheme—Computers Within Reach—to enable those who cannot afford new computers to acquire reconditioned computers for use in the home for the purpose of improving their employment prospects, for lifelong learning, or for their children's homework. The pilot scheme will run from April.

  Mr. Breed
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will announce the areas for the pilot scheme for the Computers Within Reach Programme; and what criteria he uses in selecting these pilot areas. [108607]

  Mr. Wills
  The selection of pilot projects for the Computers Within Reach initiative is currently under way, and includes assessment of proposals submitted in response to the prospectus published in autumn 1999 and follow-up visits to shortlisted projects. All those satisfying an assessment of their technical and financial capability of fulfilling their commitment under the terms of the initiative will be accepted, and a list, with the geographical areas which the projects intend to cover, will be published later this spring.

  Specific grants supporting Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) initiatives launched since May 1997

  £ million

  DfEE specific grant

  1997–98

  1998–99

  1999–2000

  2000–01

  Standards Fund

  School Effectiveness/Improvement

  —

  71.5

  125.5

  145.3

  Induction for Newly Qualified Teachers

  —

  2.4

  Part of School Improvement Grant

  Part of School Improvement Grant

  SSAs
  Mr. Trickett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the education standard spending assessment per(a) primary and (b) secondary pupil in (i) England and Wales and (ii) Wakefield District; what the reasons are for the difference between the two figures; and if he will make a statement. [109805]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  Information for England is given in the table for 2000–01. Education Standard Spending assessments do not cover Wales. The differences between the figures for England and those for Wakefield are a result of the authority's standard spending assessment which reflects social deprivation, area costs and demographic changes.

  £

  England

  Wakefield

  Primary SSA per pupil

  2,474

  2,314

  Secondary SSA per pupil

  3,175

  2,982

  Mr. Paul Marsden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how much of Shropshire County Council's standard spending assessment increase for education will not be spent on education; and if he will make a statement. [110121]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  As part of our drive to raise standards in schools, the Government have announced an extra £1.1 billion for education standard spending assessments in 2000–01, of which Shropshire's share is £4.57 million. I understand that Shropshire County Council has not yet finalised its budget plans for the next financial year. We shall continue to urge them to use all of this additional funding for education.

  Departmental Initiatives (Grants)
  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the initiatives launched by his Department since May 1997 under which specific grants are allocated, indicating in each case and for each financial year the funding provided by central Government. [109309]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  [holding answer 10 February 2000]: The following table lists the education initiatives launched since May 1997 under which specific grants are located, showing for each initiative the amount of funding allocated by the Government in each financial year. The figures for the Standards Fund do not include local education authorities' contributions. The 5.7 per cent. and 5.4 per cent. national increases in Education Standard Spending in 1999–2000 and 2000–01 respectively, include provision for authorities' contributions to the Standards Fund. The Government are also making £390 million available, over the three years from 1999–2000, to increase by 66 per cent. the number of free early years education places available for three-year-olds by 2002.
  569W

  Specific grants supporting Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) initiatives launched since May 1997

  £ million

  DfEE specific grant

  1997–98

  1998–99

  1999–2000

  2000–01

  Baseline Assessment

  —

  4.7

  Part of School Improvement Grant

  Part of School Improvement Grant

  National Curriculum Assessment

  —

  11.4

  Part of School Improvement Grant

  Part of School Improvement Grant

  Effective use of National Curriculum Results

  —

  2.5

  Part of School Improvement Grant

  Part of School Improvement Grant

  School Leadership

  —

  6.9

  21.0

  24.9

  Advanced Skills Teachers

  —

  0.6

  6.4

  9.5

  Local Recruitment Measures

  —

  —

  2.9

  Transferred to Teacher Training Agency

  Early Years Training and Development four-year-olds

  —

  4.5

  4.5

  4.5

  Early Years Training and Development three-year-olds

  —

  —

  1.5

  2.3

  Early Excellence Centres

  —

  1.9

  4.2

  2.1

  National Literacy Strategy—Primary

  —

  24.6

  24.4

  24.1

  National Numeracy Strategy—Primary

  —

  —

  24.8

  34.0

  Summer Literacy Schools and Key Stage 3 Literacy

  —

  3.7

  6.5

  Part of merged grant below

  Summer Numeracy Schools

  —

  0.3

  1.5

  Part of merged grant below

  National Numeracy Strategy—Key Stage 3

  —

  —

  0.5

  Part of merged grant below

  Summer Literacy and Numeracy Schools and Literacy and Numeracy at Key Stage 3

  —

  —

  —

  10.3

  Playing for Success

  —

  0.8

  1.5

  1.7

  Family Literacy

  —

  1.7

  2.5

  Part of Family Literacy and Numeracy

  Family Numeracy

  —

  —

  0.5

  Part of Family Literacy and Numeracy

  Family Literacy and Numeracy

  —

  —

  —

  3.5

  Local Authority Lifelong Learning Development Plans

  —

  —

  4.5

  9.0

  Qualifications

  —

  9.5

  9.5

  9.5

  Work Related Learning

  —

  2.0

  2.0

  Part of School Improvement Grant

  Special Educational Needs

  —

  9.0

  17.5

  27.5

  Social Inclusion: Pupil Support

  —

  10.2

  28.7

  70.0

  Drug Prevention

  —

  3.5

  3.7

  Part of Social Inclusion grant

  Youth service

  —

  1.0

  1.0

  Part of Social Inclusion grant

  National Grid for Learning

  —

  51.0

  52.2

  102.5

  School Security

  —

  15.0

  16.4

  16.5

  Beacon Schools

  —

  1.3

  5.5

  8.0

  Specialist Schools

  —

  19.3

  41.8

  To be allocated

  Ethnic Minority Pupil Achievement (EMAG)

  —

  —

  81.6

  95.0

  Education of Traveller and Displaced Persons

  —

  —

  8.9

  Part of EMAG

  Expanding central music services

  —

  —

  6.2

  10.3

  Protecting central music services

  —

  —

  28.9

  29.9

  Access Fund for pupils aged 16–19 in schools

  —

  0.0

  6.0

  9.0

  Year 6 Booster Classes

  —

  13.5

  48.0

  42.0

  Asset Management Plans

  —

  —

  7.0

  —

  Health Education Partnerships: Pilot projects

  —

  0.6

  2.0

  To be allocated

  Numeracy Consultants and Leading Maths Teachers

  —

  0.6

  —

  Part of the National Numeracy Strategy

  Portable CD Rom Systems for SEN Coordinators

  —

  4.0

  —

  —

  Books for Schools

  23.5

  73.5

  —

  —

  Childrens Parliament

  —

  0.04

  —

  —

  PCs for Chairs of Education

  —

  —

  0.3

  —

  Applications for Education Action Zones

  —

  —

  1.0

  —

  Small Education Action Zones

  —

  —

  0.1

  —

  Education Maintainence Allowances

  —

  —

  13.2

  31.9

  Excellence in Cities (EiC): Development

  —

  —

  0.8

  —

  Learning Mentors and Learning Support Units (EiC)

  —

  —

  16.9

  34.3

  Gifted and Talented Children (EiC)

  —

  —

  6.0

  18.0

  Best Practice Research Scholarships (EiC)

  —

  —

  0.2

  —

  City Learning Centres (EiC)

  —

  —

  1.8

  To be allocated

  Dom-x Project

  —

  —

  0.2

  To be allocated

  Study Support Summer School Pilots

  —

  —

  0.4

  —

  Support for Parent Governor Representatives

  —

  —

  0.2

  0.2

  Working Environment Fund

  —

  —

  20.0

  20.0

  Administrative Assistance in Small Schools

  —

  —

  20.0

  30.0

  PCs for Heads of Small Primary and Special Schools

  —

  —

  3.0

  —

  New National Curriculum

  —

  —

  —

  9.0

  Teenage Pregnancies

  —

  —

  —

  5.0

  Study Support

  —

  —

  —

  9.8

  Teaching Assistants

  —

  —

  —

  117.0

  Small School Support Fund

  —

  —

  —

  10.0

  Performance Management and Threshold Assessment Training

  —

  —

  —

  12.0

  Supported Early Retirement Scheme for Heads

  —

  —

  —

  5.6

  Adult: Pupil Ratios in Reception Classes

  —

  —

  —

  8.6

  Total Standards Fund

  23.5

  351.4

  683.6

  1,002.8

  Capital grants paid through the Standards Fund

  Removal of Outside Toilets

  —

  16.5

  —

  —

  Energy Management

  —

  13.2

  —

  —

  Reduction of Infant Class Sizes (Capital)

  —

  45.4

  80.0

  60.0

  Seed Challenge Capital Grant

  —

  —

  —

  30.0

  Capital grants paid through the Standards Fund and other routes

  New Deal for Schools

  83.0

  257.0

  340.0

  To be allocated

  Formula Capital Grant

  —

  —

  —

  186.9

  570W 571W

  Specific grants supporting Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) initiatives launched since May 1997

  £ million

  DfEE specific grant

  1997–98

  1998–99

  1999–2000

  2000–01

  Total Capital

  83.0

  332.1

  420.0

  186.9

  Other specific grants

  Reduction of Infant Class Sizes (Revenue)

  —

  22.0

  80.0

  160.0

  Education Action Zones

  —

  11.9

  30.0

  59.0

  Nursery Education Grant

  637.0

  130.0

  125.0

  To be allocated

  Total other specific grants

  637.0

  163.9

  235.0

  219.0

  Notes:

  1. Grant for the Education of Traveller and Displaced Persons was in existence prior to May 1997 but became a standard Fund grant in 1999–2000.

  2. Ethnic Minority Pupil Achievement replaced the schools' education element of the Home Office Section 11 grant.

  3. Both grants for the reduction of class sizes will be paid through the Standards Fund mechanism from 1999–2000 but are covered by their own Regulations and are therefore listed outside the Standards Fund.

  4. The Books for Schools grant includes provision for grant maintained schools paid via the Funding Agency for Schools.

  5. In 1998–99 a large proportion of nursery education funding was channelled through the Revenue Support Grant.

  6. Nearly £1.5 million of credit approval has been allocated for the removal of outside toilets, in addition to the £16.5 million of grant allocated through the Standards Fund.

  7. Under the New Deal for Schools, grant that has not been paid through the Standards Fund has been paid direct to voluntary aided schools and to former grant-maintained schools (either direct or through the Funding Agency for Schools).

  8. Formula capital grant is paid to schools either through the Standards Fund or direct to Voluntary Aided schools.

  Funding
  Mr. Ruane
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the funding per pupil in(a) primary and (b) secondary schools for each local education authority in descending order in the last year for which figures are available; and what plans he has to tackle the disparity in funding between local education authorities. [110245]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  [holding answer 15 February 2000]: Set out in the table, in descending order, is the funding for LEA maintained primary (including pre-primary) and secondary schools, on a per pupil basis, for the financial year 1997–98, the latest year for which final figures are available.

  The Government announced in November 1998 a three-year review in partnership with local government to look for a way of distributing revenue support grant which is simpler, more stable, more robust and fairer than the present arrangements for SSAs.

  £

  Funding per pupil

  Pre-primary and primary

  London, City of

  3,946

  Isles of Scilly

  2,852

  Lambeth

  2,832

  Kensington and Chelsea

  2,649

  Tower Hamlets

  2,593

  Westminster, City of

  2,553

  Hammersmith and Fulham

  2,535

  Hackney

  2,384

  Camden

  2,381

  Lewisham

  2,335

  Islington

  2,332

  Haringey

  2,314

  Southwark

  2,313

  Wandsworth

  2,210

  Harrow

  2,158

  Greenwich

  2,150

  Bradford

  2,122

  Waltham Forest

  2,117

  Hounslow

  2,062

  Merton

  2,054

  Brent

  2,018

  Ealing

  2,010

  572W

  £

  Funding per pupil

  Barking and Dagenham

  1,974

  Birmingham

  1,949

  Newcastle upon Tyne

  1,937

  Richmond upon Thames

  1,932

  Rutland

  1,922

  Croydon

  1,905

  Enfield

  1,894

  Sutton

  1,872

  Doncaster

  1,870

  Cumbria

  1,865

  Newham

  1,854

  Barnet

  1,846

  Sandwell

  1,837

  Southampton

  1,831

  Kingston upon Thames

  1,820

  Redbridge

  1,812

  Isle of Wight

  1,803

  Portsmouth

  1,802

  Suffolk

  1,789

  Coventry

  1,784

  Bristol, City of

  1,780

  Surrey

  1,776

  Bedfordshire

  1,770

  Wolverhampton

  1,758

  Hertfordshire

  1,754

  Bolton

  1,743

  Luton

  1,743

  Bromley

  1,741

  Havering

  1,741

  West Sussex

  1,736

  Hillingdon

  1,735

  Nottinghamshire

  1,732

  Leicester City

  1,731

  Essex

  1,721

  Norfolk

  1,713

  Cheshire

  1,711

  Knowsley

  1,709

  Bath and North East Somerset

  1,709

  Leeds

  1,694

  Kent

  1,694

  Somerset

  1,694

  Sheffield

  1,693

  Durham

  1,690

  North Somerset

  1,689

  Gateshead

  1,688

  Kingston Upon Hull, City of

  1,688

  Liverpool

  1,687

  573W

  £

  Funding per pupil

  Wiltshire

  1,687

  Lancashire

  1,684

  Lincolnshire

  1,684

  Hampshire

  1,683

  Rochdale

  1,680

  Shropshire

  1,679

  East Sussex

  1,675

  Cornwall

  1,670

  Warwickshire

  1,668

  Hereford and Worcester

  1,666

  Gloucestershire

  1,664

  Oldham

  1,662

  Derby City

  1,661

  Leicestershire

  1,661

  South Gloucestershire

  1,659

  North Lincolnshire

  1,658

  Kirklees

  1,656

  Calderdale

  1,647

  Sunderland

  1,645

  North Yorkshire

  1,645

  Manchester

  1,643

  East Riding of Yorkshire

  1,641

  Dorset

  1,641

  Walsall

  1,640

  North Tyneside

  1,639

  North East Lincolnshire

  1,635

  Buckinghamshire

  1,634

  Devon

  1,633

  Solihull

  1,623

  Redcar and Cleveland

  1,620

  York, City of

  1,614

  Milton Keynes

  1,614

  Berkshire

  1,614

  Oxfordshire

  1,614

  Northumberland

  1,611

  Tameside

  1,599

  Wirral

  1,596

  Stoke-on-Trent

  1,596

  Bexley

  1,595

  Trafford

  1,594

  St. Helens

  1,589

  Rotherham

  1,585

  Cambridgeshire

  1,585

  Sefton

  1,584

  Northamptonshire

  1,582

  Dudley

  1,578

  Derbyshire

  1,578

  Staffordshire

  1,575

  Swindon

  1,566

  Middlesbrough

  1,563

  Stockport

  1,559

  Barnsley

  1,553

  B"right"on and Hove

  1,552

  South Tyneside

  1,546

  Salford

  1,545

  Wakefield

  1,532

  Bournemouth

  1,521

  Wigan

  1,519

  Poole

  1,518

  Hartlepool

  1,490

  Bury

  1,455

  Stockton-on-Tees

  1,439

  Darlington

  1,432

  Average

  1,739

  Secondary

  Isles of Scilly

  5,077

  Brent

  3,799

  Hammersmith and Fulham

  3,464

  574W

  £

  Funding per pupil

  Kensington and Chelsea

  3,458

  Lambeth

  3,363

  Tower Hamlets

  3,206

  Camden

  3,154

  Haringey

  3,154

  Islington

  3,147

  Westminster, City of

  3,121

  Hackney

  3,050

  Lewisham

  3,043

  Southwark

  3,022

  Harrow

  2,858

  Newham

  2,804

  Waltham Forest

  2,773

  Hillingdon

  2,738

  Havering

  2,737

  Ealing

  2,723

  Croydon

  2,682

  Wandsworth

  2,680

  Greenwich

  2,642

  Barnet

  2,631

  Hounslow

  2,630

  Barking and Dagenham

  2,621

  Birmingham

  2,612

  Enfield

  2,607

  Redbridge

  2,599

  Derby City

  2,595

  Sutton

  2,578

  Richmond upon Thames

  2,542

  Essex

  2,540

  Bromley

  2,539

  Bristol, City of

  2,532

  Cumbria

  2,516

  Hertfordshire

  2,516

  Calderdale

  2,504

  Wolverhampton

  2,503

  Coventry

  2,497

  Manchester

  2,491

  Merton

  2,474

  Shropshire

  2,472

  Lincolnshire

  2,471

  Kingston upon Thames

  2,468

  Norfolk

  2,462

  Newcastle upon Tyne

  2,452

  Doncaster

  2,445

  South Gloucestershire

  2,438

  North Somerset

  2,433

  Sandwell

  2,423

  Southampton

  2,409

  Lancashire

  2,404

  Kent

  2,386

  Rochdale

  2,380

  West Sussex

  2,369

  Bexley

  2,366

  Middlesbrough

  2,364

  Nottinghamshire

  2,362

  Wirral

  2,358

  Leeds

  2,358

  East Sussex

  2,358

  B"right"on and Hove

  2,354

  Sefton

  2,352

  Bath and North East Somerset

  2,348

  York, City of

  2,348

  Bolton

  2,346

  North Yorkshire

  2,345

  Liverpool

  2,336

  Cornwall

  2,328

  Hampshire

  2,327

  Solihull

  2,322

  Berkshire

  2,321

  Surrey

  2,321

  575W

  £

  Funding per pupil

  Cheshire

  2,320

  Gateshead

  2,311

  Devon

  2,310

  Leicester City

  2,308

  Portsmouth

  2,307

  Stoke-on-Trent

  2,306

  Wigan

  2,305

  Knowsley

  2,304

  Oldham

  2,304

  Salford

  2,302

  Kingston Upon Hull, City of

  2,300

  Suffolk

  2,300

  East Riding of Yorkshire

  2,298

  Leicestershire

  2,297

  Buckinghamshire

  2,287

  Derbyshire

  2,287

  St. Helens

  2,278

  North Tyneside

  2,272

  North East Lincolnshire

  2,272

  Cambridgeshire

  2,270

  Wiltshire

  2,263

  Redcar and Cleveland

  2,262

  Warwickshire

  2,261

  Walsall

  2,252

  Bournemouth

  2,248

  Trafford

  2,244

  Kirklees

  2,243

  North Lincolnshire

  2,243

  Gloucestershire

  2,243

  Northamptonshire

  2,239

  Oxfordshire

  2,235

  Luton

  2,232

  Bedfordshire

  2,231

  Somerset

  2,222

  Barnsley

  2,218

  Sunderland

  2,210

  Durham

  2,206

  Isle of Wight

  2,204

  Hereford and Worcester

  2,203

  Dudley

  2,202

  Sheffield

  2,192

  Tameside

  2,176

  Milton Keynes

  2,174

  Swindon

  2,163

  Rotherham

  2,152

  Hartlepool

  2,151

  Bury

  2,139

  Stockport

  2,121

  Stockton-on-Tees

  2,119

  Dorset

  2,116

  Staffordshire

  2,115

  South Tyneside

  2,109

  Wakefield

  2,108

  Darlington

  2,083

  Northumberland

  2,035

  Poole

  1,794

  Bradford

  1,605

  London, City of

  1—

  Rutland

  1—

  Average

  2,359

  1 Not applicable

  Local Government Finance
  Mr. Brooke
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what account he took of the speech by the "right" hon. Member for the Cities of London and Westminster of 3 February 2000,Official Report, columns 1299–1300, in writing to the Leader of Westminster City Council on 7 February. [110409]
  576W
  Ms Estelle Morris
  My "right" hon. Friend is aware of views expressed in the speech by the "right" hon. Member for Cities of London and Westminster (Mr. Brooke) of 3 February 2000. He will not take account of the level of an authority's spend in comparison with its standard spending assessment in taking decisions on whether to release its share of the £50 million grant. It is vitally important that the increased funding we have made available for education reaches education budgets. We will therefore continue to urge local authorities to passport the increase in education spending assessments to education budgets. My "right" hon. Friend will take decisions on the release of the £50 million grant to support school budgets in due course.

  Mr. Brooke
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to his letter of 7 February to the Leader of Westminster City Council, if he will take account of the authority's cash increase in central support grant when deciding whether to release the council's share of the extra £50 million special grant available for education. [110411]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  It is for an authority to decide how it uses any increase in central support protection grant in setting its budget. My "right" hon. Friend will want to see prior confirmation that an authority has increased its education budget by the increase for 2000–01 in its education standard spending assessment before making a decision on the release of its share of the £50 million special grant.

  Mr. Brooke
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what conditions will be attached to the additional special grant of £50 million for education next year; and what the reasons are for attaching these conditions. [110408]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  My "right" hon. Friend will want to see prior confirmation that the whole of an authority's increase in its education standard spending assessment has been passed on to its education budget before he takes decisions on the release of that authority's share of the £50 million special grant. Local education authorities will be required to include their share of the £50 million special grant in their schools' delegated budgets. It is vital that the £1.1 billion increase in education standard spending for 2000–01 is not diverted to other services, but reaches local education authority budgets, and that the £50 million in extra grant is used to support school budgets.

  Mr. Brooke
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will take into account the fact that an authority is already spending above its education standard spending assessment when distributing his Department's additional special grant of £50 million for education. [110412]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  My "right" hon. Friend will not take account of the level of an authority's spend in comparison with its standard spending assessment in taking decisions
  577W
  on whether to release its share of the £50 million special grant. What is important is whether an authority increases its education budget by the increase in its education SSA.

  Mr. Brooke
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many local authorities have confirmed to his Department their intention to passport the whole of their education standard spending assessment increase to their education budget in the next financial year. [110407]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  To date 113 local authorities in England have confirmed their intention to passport the whole of their education standard spending assessment increase to their education budget.

  Skills Development Fund
  Mr. Burden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the budget for the Skills Development Fund for 1999–2000; how many applications were received for assistance from the Fund for 1999–2000 and how many were successful; and what was the total value of applications for assistance from the Skills Development Fund received for the 1999–2000 bidding round. [110100]

  Mr. Wicks
  In 1999–2000, a Skills Development Fund budget of £31.75 million was allocated to the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) to enable them to support skills projects. RDAs have provided funding for over 100 SDF projects. The RDAs report that there was considerable interest in the Fund. Information is not held centrally on the number of bids received or their total value.

  Training and Enterprise Councils
  Mr. Blizzard
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will permit TECs to commit funds to Objective 2 projects during the changeover period to learning and skills councils. [110136]

  Mr. Wicks
  The Government wish to maintain the level and quality of local projects with a learning and skills focus which are supported by European funding during the changeover to learning and skills councils. My Department is currently developing a framework for managing TECs' involvement in new projects, including European programmes, and will be issuing guidance shortly to TECs and Government Offices. Where it is necessary, transition arrangements will be made for managing any forward commitment, including transferring this to the learning and skills council if this is appropriate.

  Higher Education
  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what data he has collated on the number of people participating in higher education, broken down by socio-economic group, in each of the last three years. [109980]

  Mr. Wicks
  Figures for the number of acceptances by social class are given in the table.
  578W

  Home domiciled accepted applicants to full-time and sandwich 1 undergraduate courses in the United Kingdom through the Universities and Colleges Admission System (UCAS) by social class 2 1997 to 1999

  Year of entry

  1997

  1998

  1999

  A Professional

  39,644

  38,510

  38,864

  B Intermediate

  117,360

  115,615

  115,667

  C1 Skilled non-manual

  44,804

  44,207

  44,474

  C2 Skilled manual

  37,333

  35,610

  36,286

  D Partly skilled

  23,507

  22,692

  23,097

  E Unskilled

  5,620

  5,329

  5,538

  Not known

  35,050

  36,257

  39,139

  Total

  303,318

  298,220

  303,065

  1 UCAS collect data on full-time and sandwich courses only, therefore no information on part-time acceptances is available.

  2 For students aged under 21, the social class is that of their parents, for those aged 21 and over the social class is that of the student.

  Northumberland Education Authority
  Mr. Beith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how much Northumberland Education Authority will receive from the £50 million funding he has announced for the post-16 curriculum; and if he will provide guidance on the amount which should be made available to each high school or college teaching the relevant age group. [109985]

  Mr. Wicks
  Education Standard Spending for 2000-01 takes into account the estimated recurrent costs—£35 million—of successfully implementing the forthcoming reforms to post-16 qualifications in LEA maintained schools in that year. There is no meaningful way in which the Department can put a precise figure on how much additional funding for implementing the reforms is included in the Northumberland Education Standard Spending Assessment. Nor would it be appropriate for the Department to offer guidance on the resources which should be made available to individual schools in order to implement the reforms. These decisions are, "right"ly, made locally, in the light of local needs and circumstances.

  Teachers' Pay
  Mr. Willis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if the proposed arrangements for performance-related pay for teachers in England and Wales will apply to British teachers in European schools. [109941]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  The proposed performance threshold arrangements and other pay reforms will only have statutory force for those teachers working in England and Wales who are covered by the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document. This is not the position for British teachers in European schools.

  Literacy and Numeracy Standards
  Mr. Paul Marsden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list for each year from 1992 to date the percentage of 11-year-olds that met the expected(a) literacy and (b) numeracy standards in Shropshire; and if he will make a statement. [110131]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  The information requested is shown in the following table.
  579W

  Percentage of pupils achieving Level 4 or above in KS2 English and maths tests

  Shropshire

  Telford and Wrekin

  Year

  English

  Maths

  English

  Maths

  1999

  73.7

  72.4

  67.5

  66.3

  1998

  69.1

  64.2

  59.7

  55.8

  1997

  59.1

  51.3

  n/a

  n/a

  1996

  55.4

  53.7

  n/a

  n/a

  Note:

  Primary Performance Tables were first published in 1996. Complete national KS2 test information was not available prior to that year. Telford and Wrekin local authority was established as a Unitary Council in April 1998 from within the boundaries of Shropshire local authority.

  Source:

  DfEE Performance Tables

  The national Literacy and Numeracy Targets for 2002 are that 80 and 75 per cent. of 11-year-olds should reach Level 4 and above in KS2 English and maths tests respectively.

  Oath of Allegiance
  Mr. Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many letters he has received since 1 May 1997 on(a) constituency matters and (b) other matters of Government policy from each of those Members of the House who have not taken the oath of allegiance. [108410]

  Mr. Wills
  [holding answer 3 February 2000]: Correspondence between MPs and Departments is treated in confidence unless the originating MP chooses to make such issues public.

  "Computers for Teachers"
  Mr. Levitt
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how the supplying companies were chosen for the Computer for Teachers scheme. [108437]

  Mr. Wills
  The process of identifying suitable companies involved the DfEE issuing a prospectus, to which interested suppliers responded. Their proposals contained financial and historical information on their business, the specifications of computers being offered and a detailed plan of the ways in which the company would support prospective customers. Detailed checks were made on these responses, including checks on the financial strength and stability of the companies concerned. Final selection was made on the basis of advice provided by BECTa to the Tender Board assembled for the purpose. Their decisions and recommendations to the DfEE were arrived at in the light of the proposals received and the results of the checks carried out.

  Mr. Levitt
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what arrangements he has put in place to allow small local suppliers to take part in the Computers for Teachers scheme. [108438]

  Mr. Wills
  Following the announcement of 12 October, copies of the prospectus were issued on request to interested companies. Nothing in the prospectus precluded applications from small suppliers.

  Learning and Skills Councils
  Mr. Chaytor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if local authorities will have designated representation on the proposed national and local learning and skills councils. [109083]

  Mr. Wicks
  We have reiterated during the Lords Committee Stage of the Learning and Skills Bill that we would certainly expect national and local LSCs to include members who understand the needs of local communities through current local authority experience. But we also said it would be wrong to go further than that and specify a particular proportion of places for local authority representatives. It would be difficult then to ensure representation for all the other national partners and stakeholder organisations with an interest in post-16 learning.

  We also made it clear that Local authorities will be central partners in the new post-16 arrangements—not just in providing and securing learning opportunities in schools and through adult and community learning but also as organisations which are uniquely placed to provide vision and leadership for communities. The new arrangements will mean that local authorities have a greater influence over the whole range of post-16 provision since local LSCs will be required to consult local authorities on their plans and set out in them the post-16 learning provision which LEAs will secure.

  Disruptive Pupils
  Dan Norris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps he is taking to ensure schools receive the support they need to deal with disruptive pupils. [110238]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  The key to tackling poor behaviour is early intervention. My "right" hon. Friend issued guidance on pupil attendance, behaviour, exclusion and re-integration to Local Education Authorities and schools in July of last year. The School Inclusion: Pupil Support Standards Fund grant will provide £140 million to schools and Local Education Authorities in 2000–01 to help them tackle behaviour problems before they escalate. Nearly £100 million must be devolved to secondary schools. Additional resources are going to secondary schools in some city areas as part of the 'Excellence in Cities' initiative, which will include support for Learning Mentors and Learning Support Units to help combat disruption in the classroom. These measures will help meet the targets to reduce truancy and exclusions by one third by 2002.

  Internet
  Mr. Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the primary schools in Lancashire which(a) are and (b) are not connected to the internet via the Lancashire National Grid for Learning. [108808]

  Mr. Wills
  [holding answer 7 February 2000]: As at March 1999, national connection figures stood at 93 per cent. of secondary schools and at least 62 per cent. of primary schools having internet connections.

  581W
  Information provided by Lancashire Local Education Authority indicates that as at October 1999, 313 primary schools had access to the internet. The 200 primary schools remaining are due to be connected to the internet by the end of July 2000. The Department does not hold information on whether or not these connections are through the Lancashire National Grid for Learning.

  Information Technology (Primary Schools)
  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to develop the provision of information technology within primary schools. [108518]

  Mr. Wills
  [holding answer 7 February 2000]: The implementation of the National Grid for Learning will support investment of £657 million in information and communications technology in maintained schools in England in the period up to 2002. Primary schools were the focus for expenditure in the first phase of this programme (1998–99). This has led to unprecedented improvements in connectivity. Last year there was a four fold improvement in internet connections in primary schools to 62 per cent. We are making increased levels of funding available in the period 2000–02 to enable the remaining primary schools to become connected to the internet and the Grid. At the same time this will enable more primary schools to invest in networked ICT.

  Departmental Staff
  Mr. Hilary Benn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to extend the new statutory "right" to time off for parental leave to staff in his Department whose children were born before 15 December 1999. [108792]

  Mr. Wills
  The Department for Education and Employment will consider whether it is appropriate to extend the new statutory "right" for parental leave to staff whose children were born before 15 December 1999 as part of the 2000 pay round.

  Departmental Press Releases
  Mr. Willis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many press releases were issued by his Department in each year since 1995. [109305]

  Mr. Wills
  The number of press releases issued for each year from 1995 to 1999 by this Department are as follows:

  Year

  Number

  1995

  472

  1996

  443

  1997

  447

  1998

  598

  1999

  605

  A-level Points Scores
  Mr. Chaytor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what recent research he has commissioned on the relationship between the size of school sixth forms and average A-level points scores; [109126]
  582W
  (2) what recent research he has commissioned on the relationship between local authorities' average GCSE and A-level points scores, their admissions policies at 11 plus and the structure of post-16 provision. [109127]

  Mr. Wicks
  [holding answer 15 February 2000]: The Department has not recently commissioned any research of these types.

  Computers in Schools
  Dr. Cable
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if all the computers being installed in schools under the Government's initiative for computers in schools are able to provide access to the internet. [105157]

  Mr. Wills
  The Government are making available over £700 million over the four years 1998–2002 for the networking and equipping of schools in the UK. The Government are committed to ensuring that all schools are connected to the internet by 2002, but it is for schools to decide their own pattern of ICT purchasing, and whether they make use of services and systems supporting internet connection from each computer, in the light of their own needs and development plans.

  The Department published last year the results of the latest annual survey of ICT in provision in schools. Subsequent surveys will indicate the growth in number of schools with internet connections.

  Percentage schools connected

  DfEE survey

  March 1996

  Primary

  5

  Secondary

  47

  Special

  8

  March 1998

  Primary

  17

  Secondary

  83

  Special

  31

  March 1999

  Primary

  62

  Secondary

  93

  Special

  60

PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL

  Departmental Functions (Food)
  Mr. Yeo
  To ask the President of the Council if all food served at her Department's official functions meets the standards of production required of domestic producers. [109780]

  Mrs. Beckett
  On any occasion when I host departmental functions where food is served, food is obtained from domestic producers who are subject to the necessary legal requirements.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Chechnya
  Mrs. Gillan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has held
  583W
  with representatives of the Russian Government about Russia's proposals for ending the war in Chechnya; and if he will make a statement. [110330]

  Mr. Vaz
  [holding answer 15 February 2000]: We have had frequent discussions with the Russian Government since the outbreak of hostilities in Chechnya, but have seen no specific Russian proposals for ending the war, other than through military means. We have consistently emphasised to them that their military offensive has an unacceptable human cost and will not solve the problem in the long-term. We have urged Russia to seek a political solution in Chechnya and to make use of the good offices of the OSCE in order to bring this about. My "right" hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary will reiterate this message when he visits Moscow on 21–22 February.

  Mrs. Gillan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Russian Government concerning the level of civilian casualties in the Chechen war. [110329]

  Mr. Vaz
  [holding answer 15 February 2000]: We have repeatedly made representations to the Russian Government about the war in Chechnya. We have stressed to them that the human cost of their military offensive is unacceptable and that they must pursue a political settlement. My "right" hon. Friend the Prime Minister raised our concerns with Mr. Putin on 20 December 1999. My "right" hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has also been in frequent touch with the Russian Foreign Minister about this, most recently on the telephone on 31 December 1999 and 11 January.

  My "right" hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary expects to make further representations on Chechnya when he visits Moscow on 21–22 February.

  Intergovernmental Conference
  Mr. Norman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the nomination of his representative for the intergovernmental conference preparatory group. [107365]

  Mr. Vaz
  The UK's representative to the intergovernmental conference preparatory group will be Sir Stephen Wall, the UK's Permanent Representative to the European Union.

  Indonesia
  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the(a) Indonesian and (b) Chinese Governments concerning treatment of ethnic Chinese inhabitants within Indonesia. [109677]

  Mr. Battle
  My "right" hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary and I raised our concerns about sectarian violence in Indonesia with President Wahid in London on 1 February. We have not made representations to the Chinese Government on this issue.

  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the religiously motivated violence in Maluku, Indonesia. [109522]
  584W
  Mr. Battle
  We remain deeply concerned about the violence and loss of life in Maluku. Religion is only one of a number of factors involved. My "right" hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary and I raised these concerns with President Wahid and his Foreign Minister when they were in London on 1 February. President Wahid reaffirmed his commitment to securing lasting peace between the two communities. We shall support him vigorously in his efforts and stand ready to help him in any way possible.

  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps have been taken to send a UN human "right"s rapporteur to Maluku, Indonesia. [109546]

  Mr. Battle
  My "right" hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary discussed the situation in Maluku with President Wahid in London on 1 February. President Wahid reaffirmed his commitment to find a fair and lasting solution through dialogue to the troubles in the province. The Joint Assessment Mission to Maluku of 22–27 January, by the Indonesian Government and international agencies including the United Nations, was an important first step in determining the best way forward.

  Austria (Bilateral Meetings)
  Mr. Jim Murphy
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list those previously planned meetings, and their subject, between his Department and its Austrian counterpart which have been cancelled since the formation of the new Austrian Government. [109895]

  Mr. Vaz
  There were no previously planned meetings, and therefore none that have been cancelled.

  Mr. Jim Murphy
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what guidance he has given to the British Ambassador to Austria in respect of(a) official contacts and meetings with ministers of the new Government, (b) official contacts with officials of the new Government and (c) promoting Britain's interests in Austria. [109867]

  Mr. Vaz
  According to the measures of the 14 EU member states there are no restrictions on the contacts of the Ambassadors of the 14 in Vienna; contacts between officials also remain unrestricted. Her Majesty's Ambassador in Vienna will use his discretion in developing contacts with a new Government. He will continue to promote Britain's interests there.

  Mr. Winnick
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Britain's relations with Austria. [109815]

  Mr. Vaz
  [holding answer 11 February 2000]: I have made clear the Government's deep concern and distaste at the inclusion in the Austrian Government of a far-"right" party which appeals to xenophobia. Together with our 13 other partners in the European Union we have implemented measures which will serve to limit the bilateral relationship between the UK and Austria. I have welcomed the fact that the new Austrian Government have committed themselves to abiding by the common obligations and values of EU membership, to combating all forms of discrimination, and to dealing constructively

  585W
  with the country's Nazi past. We will be watching them closely and judging them on whether they fulfil the commitments they have made.

  Israel
  Dr. Starkey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of evidence presented to the European Commission concerning products processed in Israeli settlements in occupied territories which have been imported into the Community under the EC Trade Agreement with Israel in violation of that Agreement's Origin Rules Protocol; and if he will make representations to the Commission about acting on the evidence presented. [109539]

  Mr. Vaz
  Customs and Excise is participating in a European Commission initiative to establish the true origin of goods which have been exported to the United Kingdom and other member states under the provisions of the Interim Agreement on trade and trade-related matters between the European Community and the State of Israel. So far investigations have failed to substantiate the alleged non-compliance with the provisions of the Agreement. We will continue to assist the Commission in its investigations and to support the continuing dialogue between the Commission, the Israeli Government, and the Palestinian Authority on this issue.

  Sri Lanka
  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Commonwealth counterparts concerning Sri Lanka's membership of the Commonwealth. [109513]

  Mr. Hain
  None.

  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment his Department has made of the civil war in Sri Lanka. [109515]

  Mr. Hain
  We are concerned about the continuing ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka and believe a lasting solution can be reached only through a political settlement. We welcome the Leader of the Opposition's recent offer of support for the President's devolution package. We have made it clear that we stand ready to help in the resolution of the conflict if both sides ask us to play a role.

  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received concerning the Sri Lankan Government's press reporting of the civil war there. [109538]

  Mr. Hain
  Concerns have been expressed about military censorship in Sri Lanka. We believe it is important for the Sri Lankan Government to maintain their commitment to press freedom, although this needs to take account of the need for military security.

  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his European counterparts concerning the civil war in Sri Lanka. [109514]

  Mr. Hain
  The ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka is discussed frequently in EU fora.
  586W
  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to encourage a political settlement between the Sri Lankan Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam. [109516]

  Mr. Hain
  We take every opportunity at bilateral meetings to stress the need for a political settlement to end the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka. We have made it clear that we stand ready to help if both sides ask us to play a role.

  Okinawa G8 Summit
  Ms Drown
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the dates of the preparatory meetings of officials for the Okinawa G8 Summit in July. [109529]

  Mr. Hain
  So far there have been two meetings of senior officials to prepare for the Okinawa Summit. G8 Heads' Representatives met on 23–24 January and Foreign Ministry officials met on 5–6 February. Between now and the Summit there will be further meetings of these and Finance Ministry officials to prepare the Summit agenda. In addition there are a number of expert level groups looking at different issues on the G8 agenda such as Nuclear Safety and Non-Proliferation. The Japanese Presidency of the G8 has not publicised the dates yet.

  Meetings of Education, Environment, Finance and Foreign Ministers have also been arranged in advance of the Summit (on 1–2 April, 7–9 April, 8 July and 12–13 July respectively).

  G7/8 2000 calendar

  Date

  January

  22

  Finance Ministers' Meeting (G7)

  Tokyo, Japan

  23–24

  Sherpa Meeting

  Kyoto, Japan

  February

  5–6

  Foreign Affairs' Sous-Sherpa Meeting

  Nara, Japan

  9

  Education Ministers' Preparatory Meeting

  Tokyo, Japan

  28–29

  Political Directors' Meeting

  Kyoto, Japan

  March

  4

  Finance Sous-Sherpa Meeting

  Kyoto, Japan

  11–12

  Foreign Affairs' Sous-Sherpa Meeting

  Karuizawa, Japan

  April

  1–2

  Education Ministers' Meeting

  Tokyo, Japan

  4–5

  Sherpa Meeting

  Ireland

  7–9

  G8 Environment Ministers' Meeting

  Japan

  15

  Finance Ministers' Meeting

  Washington DC

  May

  15

  Finance Sous-Sherpa Meeting

  Karuizawa, Japan

  15–16

  Sherpa Meeting

  Karuizawa, Japan

  27–28

  Political Directors' Meeting

  Miyazaki, Japan

  28–29

  Foreign Affairs' Sous-Sherpa Meeting

  Miyazaki, Japan

  June

  17

  Finance Sous-Sherpa Meeting

  Fukuoka, Japan

  29–1

  Plenary Sherpa Meeting

  Okinawa, Japan

  July

  8

  Finance Ministers Meeting

  Fukuoka, Japan

  12–13

  Foreign Ministers' Meeting

  Miyazaki, Japan

  21–23

  G7/8 Annual Summit

  Okinawa, Japan

  Remploy
  Mr. Caton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what Remploy products his Department has purchased in the last three years. [109935]

  Mr. Hain
  The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not purchased any products from Remploy during the last three years.

  Cameroon
  Mr. Chaytor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Cameroon in respect of the arrest of Justice Frederick Ebong, Chief Ayamba and James Sam Sabum; and what assurances he has been given concerning(a) their welfare, (b) their condition and (c) location of their detention. [110066]

  Mr. Hain
  Justice Ebong, Chief Ayamba and James Sabum were arrested on 8 and 9 January and are being held in Yaounde for firearm offences, following their alleged participation in demonstrations in the South West. Prison conditions are being monitored by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

  We regularly raise our concerns about human "right"s and prison conditions with the Government of Cameroon (GoC). We have urged them to respect human "right"s and their international obligations. We have also called on them to charge prisoners within 72 hours, as stipulated by Cameroonian law. We did this most recently on 1 February. We will continue to monitor the situation carefully.

  Mr. Chaytor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received which estimate the total number of members of the Southern Cameroons National Council detained in Yaounde, Buea and Limbe following demonstrations held on 8 and 9 January. [110067]

  Mr. Hain
  The British High Commission in Yaounde has received reports that 25 SCNC members were arrested following these incidents. We are concerned about this as we are about the general deterioration in human "right"s in the Cameroon.

  Mr. Chaytor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received which estimate the total number of English-speaking political prisoners in Nkondengui Prison, Yaounde, Cameroon. [110068]

  Mr. Hain
  We are aware that 25 English-speaking prisoners are being held in Nkondengui Prison, Yaounde. They were arrested for alleged firearms offences.

  Common Foreign and Security Policy
  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans there are to ensure a continuation of democratic scrutiny by delegates from the national parliaments of the member and associate member states of the Western European Union following its being subsumed into the European Union. [109950]

  Mr. Vaz
  The European Union is still considering the modalities for the inclusion of those functions of the WEU necessary for the EU to fulfil its new responsibilities in 588W
  international crisis management. No decisions have been taken in the EU or WEU on the future of the WEU Assembly.

  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what political structures are planned to implement the common foreign and security policy provisions of the Helsinki European Council agreement. [109955]

  Mr. Vaz
  The report to the Helsinki European Council on strengthening the common European policy on security and defence called for a standing Political and Security Committee to be established, and, as an interim measure, for an interim political and security committee to be set up. It called for appropriate structures to be established for dialogue and information on issues related to security and defence policy and crisis management with European NATO members who are not members of the EU and other countries who are candidates for accession to the EU.

  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what changes in European Union political institutions are planned in order to implement the common foreign and security policies agreed at the Helsinki European Council. [109951]

  Mr. Vaz
  The Helsinki European Council adopted conclusions and a report on strengthening the common European policy on security and defence. These do not address the roles of the institutions of the European Union.

  NATO
  Mr. Maude
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in setting up consultative mechanisms to integrate the non-EU member countries of the NATO alliance into the planning and conduct of future EU-led operations. [109976]

  Mr. Vaz
  The Portuguese presidency will report to the Feira European Council in June on proposals for modalities of consultation and/or participation that will allow third states to contribute to EU military crisis management.

  Mr. Maude
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what mechanisms have been set up to ensure adequate consultation between NATO and the EU following the EU Presidency Progress report to the Helsinki European Council on strengthening the common European policy on security and defence. [109981]

  Mr. Vaz
  Initially, EU/NATO relations are being developed on an informal basis, through contacts between NATO's Secretary General and the EU's CFSP High Representative. The Portuguese presidency will report to the Feira European Council in June on recommendations for EU/NATO modalities.

  South Africa
  Mr. Fabian Hamilton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of South Africa regarding the case of Mzwakhe Mbuli. [110171]
  589W
  Mr. Hain
  The South African Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD) is still investigating the allegation that the South African police coached witnesses to implicate Mr. Mbuli in the armed robbery for which he was convicted. The High Commission in Cape Town is aware of the investigation and will continue to monitor it.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Cattle
  Mr. Chaytor
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many of the cattle in the United Kingdom diagnosed as suffering from BSE in each of the last two years for which records are available were(a) female and (b) male. [109329]

  Ms Quin
  The table shows the number of confirmed cases of BSE reported in the UK in the calendar years 1998 and 19991, by sex:

  Sex

  1998

  19991

  Male

  5

  4

  Female

  3,191

  2,166

  Total

  3,196

  2,170

  1 Preliminary figures for 1999 as at 9 February 2000

  GM Crops
  Joan Ruddock
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what recent communications he has received from the European Commission regarding the inclusion of(a) 98/294/CE ELGINA Monsanto Bt maize, (b) 97/98/CE COMPA CB Novartis Bt/Ht maize, (c) 97/98/CE JORDI CB Novartis Bt/Ht maize and (d) 98/293/CE CHARDON LL Aventis Ht maize GM seeds in the EU Common Catalogue; and if he will make a statement; [110289]

  (2) what recent advice he has received about the inclusion of (a) 98/294/CE ELGINA Monsanto Bt/Maize, (b) 97/98/CE COMPA CB Novartis Bt/Ht Maize, (c) 97/98/CE JORDI CB Novartis Bt/Ht Maize and (d) 98/293/CE CHARDON LL Aventis Ht Maize GM seeds in the EU Common Catalogue; and if he will make a statement [110323]

  (3) if EU marketing consent has been given for 97/98/CE JORDI CB Novartis Bt/herbicide tolerant maize; on which national seeds lists the seeds are currently included; and if they are subject to field trials in any EU state. [110292]

  Ms Quin
  [holding answer 15 February 2000]: The EU Commission has written to member states informing them of their proposal to add these varieties to the Common Catalogue, and inviting comments on that proposal. Inclusion on the Common Catalogue is governed by the requirements of EU Directive 70/457 as amended recently by Directive 98/95. It is for the Commission to determine whether all of the requirements of the Directives have been met. We do not have information about field trials in other member states, but CHARDON LL is on the Dutch National List, ELGINA is on the Portuguese National List, COMPA CB is on the Portuguese and Spanish National Lists and JORDI is on the Spanish National List.
  590W
  Inclusion on the Common Catalogue would not practically affect the position in the UK where the voluntary agreement with the seeds/biotec industry ensures that no marketing of these GM varieties will take place until the current programme of farm scale trials has been completed satisfactorily and independently evaluated.

  Joan Ruddock
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he intends to lay the draft Seeds (National Lists of Varieties) Regulations 2000 before Parliament. [110322]

  Ms Quin
  [holding answer 15 February 2000]: The consultation period on these draft Regulations ended on 31 January 2000. We are currently considering the responses we have received and will bring the Regulations before Parliament as soon as possible.

  Regional Service Centres
  Mr. Luff
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent discussion he has had with trade unions about closures of his Department's regional service centres. [110180]

  Ms Quin
  [holding answer 15 February 2000]: My "right" hon. Friend the Minister is due to meet the Departmental Trade Union Side on 24 February to discuss the report of the Review of CAP Scheme Administration.

  Mr. Luff
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the future of his Department's regional service centre in Worcester. [110181]

  Mr. Morley
  [holding answer 15 February 2000]: My "right" hon. Friend the Minister is currently considering the report of the review of CAP Scheme Administration which he commissioned from PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) last autumn. The report recommends that the CAP scheme processing functions currently carried out in MAFF and the Intervention Board should be merged to create a new paying agency, and that the IT systems should be redeveloped to enable claim forms to be submitted and processed electronically. Farmers without access to the Internet would be able to submit their forms via third parties. On this basis PWC consider that it will be possible to deliver a significantly better service to claimants and to reduce the cost to the taxpayer of administering the CAP schemes.

  The Department is also drawing up plans to align other aspects of its regional activities with the Government Office network, so as to ensure that it can participate effectively in the formulation of policy at regional level.

  The future of the Department's Regional Service Centre at Worcester and of the other eight Regional Service Centres, will be decided in the context of these two reviews. Radical reorganisation of CAP scheme processing will only be possible if funding can be made available in the Spending Review 2000.

  Regional Offices
  Mr. Martlew
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list his Department's regional offices that are included in the review of service delivery. [110222]
  591W
  Ms Quin
  The Regional Service Centres covered by the Review of CAP Scheme Administration are located in Bristol, Cambridge, Carlisle, Crewe, Exeter, Northallerton, Nottingham, Reading and Worcester. The Intervention Board's offices at Reading and Newcastle upon Tyne are also included in the Review.

  Mr. Martlew
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he received the report he commissioned regarding reorganisation of his Department's regional offices; and if he will make a statement. [110221]

  Ms Quin
  My "right" hon. Friend the Minister received the PriceWaterhouseCoopers report of their Review of CAP Scheme Administration on 25 January 2000. He is currently considering the recommendation to merge the CAP scheme processing functions carried out by MAFF's Regional Service Centres and the Intervention Board.

  Farmers (Low Interest Loans)
  Dan Norris
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to introduce low interest rate loans for farmers. [110236]

  Ms Quin
  I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Chorley (Mr. Hoyle) on 24 January 2000,Official Report, column 13W.

  Bees
  Mr. Paice
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what powers are available to him to control the importation of bees from New Zealand. [110122]

  Ms Quin
  Importation of bees into the UK is subject to the Importation of Bees Order 1997, which was made under the Bees Act 1980.

  Mr. Paice
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many consignments of bees from New Zealand have come to the United Kingdom in each of the last three years; and what authorisations he has issued for the importation of bees from New Zealand during 2000. [110123]

  Ms Quin
  Figures on the number of consignments are not available. However, the numbers of queen bees imported into the United Kingdom from New Zealand in the past three years are 1,305, 977 and 883 respectively. There have as yet been no imports of bees from New Zealand in 2000.

  Genetic Modification
  Mr. Webb
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to place genetically modified seeds on the National Seeds List; if any seeds so listed could thereby be used legally in animal feed; and if he will make it his policy not to list any GM seeds until the current programme of safety research has been completed. [109593]

  Ms Quin
  [holding answer 11 February 2000]: Ministers are required by the Seeds (National Lists of Varieties) Regulations 1982 (as amended) to consider
  592W
  applications for the entry of plant varieties to the UK National List. Such applications are considered against the requirements of these regulations: namely that a variety is distinct, uniform and stable (DUS) and has a value for cultivation and use (VCU) over those varieties already on the National List. Where the statutory criteria are met, a variety may be proposed for addition to the National List, and where they are not, it is proposed for refusal for addition to the National List. People affected by the proposed decision may make representations and be heard before the decision is taken.

  In addition, before a GM plant variety may be proposed for addition to the National List, a marketing consent must have been promulgated under Directive 90/220/EEC, and where appropriate, clearance obtained under the Novel Foods Regulation No.258/97/EEC. Where all of these criteria have been met, a proposal may be made for addition of a plant variety to the National List.A GM forage maize variety (CHARDON LL) has completed National List tests and trials. The trait involved has a marketing clearance under Directive 90/220/EEC, including use for animal feed. It also has clearance under the Novel Foods Regulation. The application for the addition of this variety to the National List is being considered and a decision is likely to be taken shortly about whether to propose the variety for addition to the National List.

  The UK's farm scale evaluation programme is additional to the environmental and health assessments of GM crops referred to above. The recent agreement between Government and SCIMAC precludes the general commercialisation of GM maize until 2003 at the earliest—subject to the results of the farm-scale evaluation programme. The programme is intended to provide objective evidence of the effect of growing of these GM crops on a farm scale on biodiversity.

  Joan Ruddock
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the antibiotic marker genes, and the antibiotics to which they convey resistance, that have been used in the genetic modification of crops which are used as animal feed in the United Kingdom. [109594]

  Ms Quin
  [holding answer 11 February 2000]: Kanamycin and ampicillin resistance marker genes, in either complete or disrupted form, have been used in crops which could be used principally in the form of processed by-products in animal feed. These crops are not grown commercially in this country.

  Farmers (Shropshire)
  Mr. Paul Marsden
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many farmers there were in (a) Shrewsbury and Atcham and (b) Shropshire in (i) 1997 and (ii) 1998. [110127]

  Ms Quin
  The figures requested are given in the tables:

  Analysis of the agriculture labour force with Shrewsbury and Atcham

  Category

  1997

  1998

  Total labour force

  2,092

  2,164

  Total farmers, partners and spouses

  1,275

  1,281

  Total all other workers

  817

  883

  593W

  Analysis of the agricultural labour force within Shropshire

  Category

  1997

  1998

  Total labour force

  11,782

  12,069

  Total farmers, partners and spouses

  7,156

  7,338

  Total all other workers

  4,626

  4,731

  Source:

  Agricultural and Horticultural Census

  In 1998 fundamental changes were introduced to the labour questions on the census. It appears that this change may have led to the recording of additional labour that was not previously included on the returns. The change on questions has also led to a redistribution of labour between the various categories. Caution is therefore advised when comparing the 1998 results with previous years.

  Number of confirmed cases in Friesian/Holstein breeds by year of restriction

  Breed

  pre

  1988

  1989

  1990

  1991

  1992

  1993

  Great Britain

  Canadian Holstein

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Dutch Holstein

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1

  —

  Friesian

  414

  1,859

  5,958

  11,641

  20,885

  29,326

  26,308

  Friesian X

  50

  98

  204

  408

  713

  1,172

  1,393

  Holstein

  16

  51

  146

  274

  469

  472

  394

  Holstein X

  —

  —

  —

  9

  45

  132

  107

  Red Friesian

  —

  2

  8

  28

  50

  72

  46

  Red Friesian X

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  2

  —

  Red Holstein

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1

  3

  2

  Red Holstein X

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1

  —

  Total

  480

  2,010

  6,316

  12,360

  22,163

  31,181

  28,250

  Northern Ireland

  Friesian

  —

  4

  25

  93

  138

  293

  367

  Friesian X

  —

  —

  —

  1

  4

  12

  12

  Friesian/Holstein

  —

  —

  1

  3

  2

  —

  —

  Holstein

  —

  —

  2

  3

  1

  3

  5

  Total

  —

  4

  28

  100

  145

  308

  384

  Total United Kingdom

  480

  2,014

  6,344

  12,460

  22,308

  31,489

  28,634

  Number of confirmed cases in Friesian/Holstein breeds by year of restriction

  Breed

  1994

  1995

  1996

  1997

  1998

  1999

  Total

  Great Britain

  Canadian Holstein

  —

  —

  —

  1

  —

  —

  1

  Dutch Holstein

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1

  Friesian

  18,297

  10,767

  6,011

  3,083

  2,228

  1,438

  138,215

  Friesian X

  1,278

  865

  520

  337

  346

  328

  7,712

  Holstein

  260

  159

  111

  90

  96

  81

  2,619

  Holstein X

  87

  22

  11

  2

  12

  5

  432

  Red Friesian

  47

  20

  9

  7

  3

  2

  294

  Red Friesian X

  —

  1

  —

  2

  —

  —

  5

  Red Holstein

  1

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1

  8

  Red Holstein X

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1

  —

  2

  Total

  19,970

  11,834

  6,662

  3,522

  2,686

  1,855

  149,289

  Farmers Network
  Mr. Breed
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make it his policy to support the establishment of a national network of farmers' markets. [109807]

  Ms Quin
  We support the establishment of a national network of farmers' markets and we are working closely with the National Association of Farmers' Markets who have been set up to promote the development of farmers' markets.

  BSE
  Mr. Collins
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish the latest figures for the incidence of BSE in Holstein cattle in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement. [105225]

  Ms Quin
  [holding answer 18 January 2000]: From the start of the BSE epidemic until 1 January 2000, the numbers of BSE cases confirmed in the United Kingdom for Holstein cattle, Holstein cross cattle and similar breeds are given in the table.
  595W

  Number of confirmed cases in Friesian/Holstein breeds by year of restriction

  Breed

  1994

  1995

  1996

  1997

  1998

  1999

  Total

  Northern Ireland

  Friesian

  267

  138

  59

  15

  18

  4

  1,421

  Friesian X

  2

  1

  —

  —

  —

  —

  32

  Friesian/Holstein

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  6

  Holstein

  7

  4

  3

  —

  —

  —

  28

  Total

  276

  143

  62

  15

  18

  4

  1,487

  Total United Kingdom

  20,246

  11,977

  6,724

  3,537

  2,704

  1,859

  150,776

  Note:

  Includes data from the Channel Islands and Isle of Man

  Incidence of disease cannot be calculated as my Department does not hold data on the number of cattle resident in the UK by breed.

  Pig Sector
  Mr. Hoyle
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the pig industry. [105108]

  Ms Quin
  [holding answer 17 January 2000]: Although pig market prices are 12 per cent. higher this year than last, they remain below the cost of production. As a result, pig producers are experiencing severe difficulties and the British pig breeding herd is contracting. Market prospects continue to be depressed, but there should be some further recovery in prices. Our policy is to continue to draw attention to the quality standards and high animal welfare standards in British pig production methods and to encourage retailers and caterers to take this into account when sourcing pigmeat products. The work of MAFF's verification officer is important in these respects. Frequent discussions are held with representatives of the industry.

  Sulphuric Acid
  Mr. Breed
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what studies he has(a) commissioned and (b) received on the effect on wildlife of spraying sulphuric acid on crops; and if he will publish the results of such studies. [103394]

  Ms Quin
  Sulphuric acid is approved as "commodity chemical"—a substance which has pesticidal uses but for which the major uses are non-pesticidal and which no company wishes to market as a pesticide. Commodity chemicals are assessed on the basis of information in the public domain and MAFF has not commissioned studies concerning effects on wildlife. However, under the Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme, MAFF encourages the reporting of incidents suspected of being caused by pesticides and investigates all reports received. No incidents involving sulphuric acid have been reported in the past decade.

  The most recent evaluation of sulphuric acid has been published and the underlying information is available for inspection at the Pesticides Safety Directorate in York.

WALES

  Children in Care
  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the First Secretary about children in care in Wales. [108919]

  Mr. Hanson
  I meet the First Secretary regularly to discuss a number of issues and my hon. Friend has regular discussions with Jane Hutt the Assembly Health and Social Services Secretary with responsibility for children in care.

  Rail Transport
  Mrs. Betty Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the First Secretary about rail transport in Wales. [108921]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  I meet with the First Secretary on a weekly basis and we discuss a range of issues, including transport in Wales generally and rail transport specifically.

  Mr. Donald Anderson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the First Secretary about rail transport in Wales. [108932]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  I meet with the First Secretary on a weekly basis and we discuss a range of issues, including transport in Wales generally and rail transport specifically. My hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State also meets regularly with the Assembly Secretary for Local Government, Environment and Transport.

  Cross-border Co-ordination
  Mr. Stephen O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will establish a formal mechanism to ensure cross-border co-ordination of decisions affecting communities living close to the English/Welsh border. [108922]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  The Assembly and its sponsored bodies already have effective arrangements for cross-border co-ordination of decisions with Departments and NDPBs dealing with England. An additional central mechanism would add nothing to these arrangements.

  Local Government Finance
  Mr. Edwards
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he expects to meet the First Secretary to discuss the funding of local government in Wales. [108923]
  597W
  Mr. Hanson
  My "right" hon. Friend meets the First Secretary regularly to discuss a range of issues including the funding of local government in Wales. The allocation of funding to local authorities is a matter for the National Assembly for Wales.

  National Farmers Union
  Mr. Jack
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he last received correspondence from the leadership of the National Farmers Union in Wales. [108924]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  I last received correspondence from the leadership of the National Farmers Union in Wales in late December and I addressed their Welsh Surgery on 1 February.

  Transport
  Mr. Nicholas Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he has met the First Secretary to discuss the Government's legislative programme and its impact on transport in Wales. [108925]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  I have regular meetings with the First Secretary to discuss a wide range of issues including the impact of transport in Wales and my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State also meets regularly with the Assembly Secretary for Local Government, Environment and Transport and has discussed the Transport Bill with him.

  The Transport Bill was introduced on 1 December 1999 and plays a key role in the implementation of the integrated transport strategy for England and Wales. Responsibility for many aspects of transport in Wales was transferred to the National Assembly for Wales on 1 July 1999. The main exceptions are railways, air and sea transport, which remain a central Government responsibility, working in close co-operation with the Assembly on matters affecting Wales. I am keen to continue dialogue with the Assembly and Cabinet colleagues in order to determine how best to meet the transport needs of Wales.

  Social Inclusion
  Mrs. Lawrence
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement about the development of policies to promote social inclusion in Wales. [108926]

  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the development of policies to promote social inclusion in Wales. [108927]

  Mr. Hanson
  This Government are committed to tackling Poverty and Social Exclusion. My "right" hon. Friend and I are keen to ensure that central Government and the devolved administration in Wales are working together in partnership to promote social inclusion.

  I attended the launch of the Government's new Anti-Poverty Strategy in Wales with the Assembly Health Secretary, Jane Hutt, in September. The Assembly is committed to promoting social inclusion and ensuring that strategies, objectives and targets are integrated and give a high priority to the most disadvantaged.
  598W
  The Joint Ministerial Group on Poverty, on which both the Assembly and the Wales Office are represented, had been set up to tackle poverty and social exclusion in a co-ordinated way.

  New Deal (Young People)
  Mr. Bercow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of additionality in the New Deal for Young People in Wales. [108928]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  I have made no such assessment. New Deal for young people is the responsibility of the Department for Education and Employment, on an England and Wales basis. I understand that the Department for Education and Employment have recently undertaken such an assessment covering England and Wales.

  Job Creation
  Mr. Caton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many jobs have been created in Wales since May 1997. [108929]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  Figures are not kept for numbers of jobs created in Wales. However, between May 1997 and December 1999 the seasonally adjusted count of claimants of unemployment-related benefit (i.e. Jobseeker's Allowance) has fallen from 81,800 to 59,200, a fall of 22,400 or 27 per cent.

  Higher Education Funding
  Mr. St. Aubyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with members of the Welsh Assembly on the funding of students at universities in Wales. [108931]

  Mr. Hanson
  I recently met with the National Assembly for Wales Secretary for Education and Training, when we discussed a number of issues including the funding of students at universities in Wales. Mr. Middlehurst has said that he will announce in due course increased help for students at higher education institutions in Wales through the Assembly's Higher Education Student Access funds.

  Public Expenditure
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the First Secretary about overall public expenditure in Wales. [108933]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  I usually meet the Assembly First Secretary on a weekly basis to discuss a range of issues, including this one.

  Assembly Budget
  Sir Raymond Powell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the First Secretary about the budget for the National Assembly for Wales for 2000–01. [108934]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  I normally meet the Assembly First Secretary on a weekly basis to discuss a range of issues, including this one.

  Farming
  Mrs. Ann Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he last met the First Secretary and the Agriculture Secretary of the National Assembly to discuss farming in Wales. [108935]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  I meet the First Secretary on a weekly basis and we discuss farming in Wales and the whole spectrum of Welsh agriculture. My hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Wales met the Agriculture Secretary of the National Assembly to discuss farming in Wales in late January.

  Advertising Budget
  Mr. Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his Department's advertising budget for(a) 1999–2000 and (b) 2000–01. [110254]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  My Department had no advertising budget at its inception on 1 July 1999 and it has no advertising budget proposed for 2000–01.

  Block Grant
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the size of the block grant for Wales for the next financial year. [108910]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  The total Welsh Budget for the National Assembly in 2000–01 is £7,927 million. This is a current figure which may be subject to some small changes reflecting transfers to and from other Government Departments.

  Health (Cynon Valley)
  Ann Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will discuss with the First Secretary health issues in the Cynon Valley. [108918]

  Mr. Hanson
  My "right" hon. Friend has regular meetings with the First Secretary to discuss issues affecting Wales, including health. I meet regularly with Jane Hutt, the Assembly Health and Social Services Secretary. Both my "right" hon. Friend and I would be happy to discuss any issues raised with us during these meetings.

  Funding
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps he is taking to maximise funding for Wales from abroad. [108920]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  As part of the partnership between the National Assembly and central Government I do all I can to secure inward funding.

  I am particularly pleased to note that in the period 1 May 1997 to 31 December 1999, the Welsh Development Agency has recorded 284 inward investment projects promising a total of 22,522 new jobs, 9,925 safeguarded jobs and capital investment of £1.9 billion.

CABINET OFFICE

  Paper and Timber Products
  Mr. Reed
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) if she will ensure that paper and timber products purchased by her Department are independently certified by the Forest Stewardship Council as coming from a sustainable source; [110195]

  (2) what steps she has taken to ensure that paper and timber products purchased by her Department come from a sustainable source. [110194]

  Mr. Ian McCartney
  The Cabinet Office purchases paper and timber products which come from sustainably managed sources, in line with environmental guidance prepared by HM Treasury and the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions.

  The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) label is accepted by buyers as demonstrating that timber and timber products have come from sustainably managed sources. However, it is not practicable to require that all paper and timber products purchased by the Cabinet Office are independently certified by the FSC because this might discriminate against any equally valid schemes and therefore be against public procurement. Specifying just the FSC label might also result in us failing to meet all our requirements as currently only a small percentage of timber products are currently FSC certified.

  "Better Government for Older People"
  Mrs. Brinton
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans she has to increase the number of Better Government for Older People pilot programmes; and if she will establish a pilot programme in Peterborough. [109989]

  Mr. Ian McCartney
  The Better Government for Older People programme was launched in June 1998 with 28 local authority led pilots spread throughout the UK. The pilot phase ends in March. The evaluation and application phase will continue until the end of the year.

  The Better Government for Older People Programme (BGOP) aims to improve service delivery; give older people more say; celebrate older people as achievers; and encourage improved partnerships. It is a key part of our modernising Government initiative. BGOP will provide a substantial amount of evidence on what works best in involving older people and better designing services to meet their needs. We aim to spread the lessons emerging from the programme as widely and as quickly as possible through the BGOP Network, which is open to all local authorities. Network events are being held throughout the UK, with the closest one to Peterborough being the Cambridge event on 9 March.

  Research Contracts
  Dr. Harris
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to her answer of 21 December 1999,Official Report, column 573W, on departmental research contracts, if she will (a) state total expenditure on research let by her

  601W
  Department since May 1997 and (b) list the titles of all research contracts let by her Department during 1999 and costing £20,000 or more, stating what is the value of each contract, and in each case whether the contract included (i) departmental veto over publication of the research results, (ii) departmental control over the date of publication of the research and (iii) a requirement that

  Title

  Value (£)

  "right" of Veto

  Date control

  Departmental amendments

  Performance Management Working Group Report

  24,555

  Yes

  Internal use only

  Yes

  People Survey

  25,000

  Yes

  Yes

  Yes

  Equality Proofing Research

  27,436

  No

  Yes

  Yes

  PCSPS 2000 Attitude Survey

  28,000

  Yes

  Yes

  Yes

  Women's Incomes Over Lifetime Research

  32,415

  Yes

  Yes

  Yes

  IT Infrastructure Library Redevelopment

  36,500

  Yes

  Yes

  Yes

  Governance in the Digital Economy

  36.806

  No

  No

  Yes

  Demand for 24 hour Public Service Delivery

  54,200

  Yes

  Yes

  Yes

  Research for Information System Management Guides

  60,000

  Yes

  Yes

  Yes

  Peoples' Panel Ethnic Minority Booster Research

  61,500

  Yes

  Yes

  Yes

  Information for earlier years can be obtained only at disproportionate cost. A copy of the standard Cabinet Office terms and conditions has been placed in the Library.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Winter Fuel Payment
  Mr. Prior
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what proportion of those entitled to the £100 winter fuel payment to pensioners have received it. [110341]

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

  Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. David Prior, dated 15 February 2000:
  The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your recent parliamentary question asking what proportion of those pensioners entitled to a £100 Winter Fuel Payment have now received it.
  I can now advise that of the 5,313,477 customers across all benefits identified as entitled to a £100 Winter Fuel Payment, 98% have now received their entitlement. The remaining 2% are those payments which have not been collected from the Post Office and which have been returned to the Benefit Agency (BA). They are returned for security reasons so that BA can investigate why it has not been collected by the intended recipient and determine whether any payment should be made.

  I hope this is helpful.

  Remploy
  Mr. Caton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what Remploy products his Department has purchased in the last three years. [109929]

  Angela Eagle
  Over the past three years the Department has purchased bespoke office furniture from Remploy which has been manufactured by its network of sites. The Department continues to buy furniture from Remploy. Over the last three years orders amounting to £169,000 in 1997–98, £230,000 in 1998–99 and £178,000 in the current year have been placed.
  602W
  the final research results incorporate departmental amendments; and if she will place a copy of the standard research contract currently in use by her Department in the Library. [107093]

  Mr. Ian McCartney
  Details of my Department's expenditure on research contracts let during 1999 and costing £20,000 or more are as follows:

  In addition, up to 1998, Remploy supplied printed forms to the Department. The contract for this work was re-tendered, using EU Procurement procedures. Remploy were unsuccessful in bidding for printed forms but were awarded the contract to supply business cards and other bespoke personal products to the Department. This contract is for three years, expiring in 2001. Orders totalling £21,000 in 1997–98 for printed forms were placed with Remploy. Business cards and other printed items have been purchased totalling £17,000 in 1998–99 and £6,000 to date in the current financial year. Orders this year have reduced, in part, due to a reduction in the movement of staff.

  Paper and Timber Products
  Mr. Reed
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps he has taken to ensure that paper and timber products purchased by his Department come from a sustainable source. [110198]

  Mr. Bayley
  The Government, through the Green Ministers Committee, has issued a model framework which departments have used as the basis for preparing their own environmental strategies. Among its key aims is to: conserve resources and minimise waste by reducing our reliance on virgin materials and ensuring that any products derived from wildlife—such as paper and timber—are from sustainable sources and comply with EU and international trading agreements such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

  This Department's policy statement/improvement programme which closely follows the model requires that all virgin paper used in products supplied to the Department, whether in its own "right" or as a consequence of recycled material, is obtained from sustainable managed forest sources. It also provides for timber, wood and plywood to be obtained from sustainable sources. With ownership of the Department's estate having been transferred to the private sector under the Prime contract

  603W
  the Department ensured that these commitments are enshrined in the outsourcing arrangements. The contract states:
  "the Prime contractor's purchasing policy will exclude the use of unsustainable timber".

  The Department and its contractors monitor performance on these and other aspects of its operations and reports on progress made.

  Mr. Reed
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will ensure that paper and timber products purchased by his Department are independently certified by the Forest Stewardship Council as coming from a sustainable source. [110199]

  Mr. Bayley
  The FSC label is accepted by buyers as demonstrating that timber and timber products have come from sustainably managed sources.

  However it is not practicable to require that all paper and timber products purchased by the Department are independently certified by the Forest Stewardship Council because this might discriminate against any equally valid schemes and therefore be against public procurement rules.

  Specifying just the FSC label might also result in us failing to meet all our requirements as only a tiny percentage of timber products are currently FSC certified. This is why the Department's policy statement for greening its operations contains a requirement to ensure that suppliers of paper and paper products have in place an acceptable Environmental Policy and requires satisfactory evidence of compliance with published trade or other acceptable environmental standards and guidelines. It also provides for documented proof or, if available, adequate validation under an internationally recognised certification or ecolabelling scheme to ensure that timber, wood or plywood acquired by the Department, or its contractors come from sustainable resources.

  Advertising Budgets
  Mr. Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the average cost of issuing a media release from his Department in 1999. [110271]

  Mr. Rooker
  The average cost of issuing a media release by this Department in 1999 was £51. This figure includes the costs incurred by Headquarters and Agencies. The figure given is the cost charged to us by the Central Office of Information who distribute media releases on our behalf to the national media.

  The circulation spread covers all national and regional newspapers; broadcast—both visual and radio; and specialist magazines including the specialist ethnic and disability press. In addition, Benefits Agency releases are also distributed to local newspapers including free news sheets.

  Mr. Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his Department's advertising budget for(a) 1999–2000 and (b) 2000–01. [110258]

  Mr. Rooker
  Information is not available in the format requested as the Department does not allocate an annual budget specifically for advertising. Any expenditure on advertising is included in the publicity budget. Such information as is available is as follows.
  604W
  For the current financial year the budget for Headquarters and the Benefits Agency was £10,155 million. This amount covers the publicity for the whole range of Social Security benefits in addition to information about pensions and fraud. The amount includes the production of information leaflets, helplines, advertising, exhibitions, research and other marketing activity.

  The publicity budget for 2000–01 is still under discussion and not yet finalised.

HEALTH

  Comparative Statistics
  Mr. Lilley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish figures showing the index for patients who waited less than two hours for emergency admission in(a) 1997–98 and (b) 1998–99 for (i) England, (ii) East and North Hertfordshire, (iii) West Hertfordshire and (iv) the health authority in the prospering growth area with the (1) lowest figure and (2) highest figure. [109747]

  Ms Stuart
  The 1998–99 figures showing the index for patients who waited less than two hours for emergency admissions were published in "Quality and Performance in the NHS: High Level Performance Indicators" in June 1999, copies of which are available in the Library. 1998–99 was the first year for which information on emergency admissions was published using this format.

  Care (Elderly)
  Mr. Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the latest available data on the indicators relating to(a) intensive home care for people aged over 65 years in England and (b) community based care for people over 65 years in England, in the Personal Social Services Performance Assessment Framework. [109848]

  Mr. Hutton
  [holding answer 11 February 2000]: The data for indicators in the Personal Social Services Performance Assessment Framework were published on 24 November 1999 in a summary form in "Social Services Performance 1998–99" and in detail in the form of computer tables on the Department of Health's internet site (reference: www.doh.gov.uk/paf/). Final revisions to this data notified to the Department by local authorities will be incorporated into the computer tables by the early summer of this year. Data for 1999–2000 will be published in autumn 2000.

  Departmental Expenditure Limits
  Ms Coffey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to amend the Department of Health departmental expenditure limit/running cost limit for 1999–2000. [110675]

  Mr. Milburn
  Subject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimates for Class II, Votes 1 and 2 the Department of Health Departmental Expenditure Limit for 1999–2000 will be increased by £302,308,000 from £40,455,019,000 to £40,757,327,000. The increase is the net effect of changes to Class II, Vote 1 (Hospital, community health, family health and related services, England) of £261,646,000 made up of £113,671,000 in respect of the take up of end year flexibility for NHS
  605W
  trusts, £134,000,000 from the reserve for the cost of generic drugs and clinical negligence claims and £14,000,000 from the capital modernisation fund. In addition the following transfers will take place; £1,094,000 from Northern Ireland for out of area treatments; £177,000 from the National Assembly for Wales general practitioner drug costs and £155,000 from Class III, Vote 1 (Environment, Transport and the Regions: Housing, construction, regeneration, countryside and wildlife, England) for the Victoria Pilot Project. The overall increase is partially offset by transfers of £1,250,000 to Class XII, Vote 3 (Department of Social Security: administration) for the road traffic accident element of the Compensation Recovery Unit; £190,000 to Class XIII, Vote 1 (Scottish Executive) for student bursaries and £11,000 to Class XIV, Vote 1 (National Assembly for Wales) for the Dental Service Increment for Teaching.

  The increase of £40,662,000 for Class II, Vote 2 (Department of Health, administration, miscellaneous health and personal social services, England) is the net effect of transfers (detailed below) and £16,460,000 take-up of end year flexibility (as announced by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 27 July 1999, Official Report, column 393 and £25,000,000 for claims in respect of asylum seekers grant; £580,000 (£60,000 running costs) from Class IV, Vote 1 (Home Office: administration, police, immigration and other services, England and Wales) for teenage pregnancy unit, publicity and drug project development work; £60,000 (running costs) from Class I, Vote 1 (Department for Education and Employment: programmes and central services), £60,000 (running costs) from Class III, Vote 5 (Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions: administration) and £60,000 (running costs) from Class XII, Vote 3 (Department of Social Security: administration) for the teenage pregnancy unit; £67,000 (running costs) from Class XIII, Vote 1 (Scotland and transfers to the Scottish Consolidated Fund) for the National Screening Committee; £4,000 (running costs) from Department of Health and Social Services, Northern Ireland for the National Screening Committee and Human Genetics
  606W
  Commission. The overall increase is partially offset by transfers of £1,629,000 (£138,000 running costs) to Class X, Vote 2 (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food) for BSE Inquiry costs.

  The Department's gross running cost limit will be decreased by £117,000 from £280,450,000 to £280,333,000 made up of an increase of £173,000 (detailed above) offset by and a transfer within DH DEL to programme expenditure of £290,000 for surveys and research.

  The external finance limit for NHS trusts has decreased by £122,596,000 (£50,000,000 non-Voted) from £166,596,000 to £44,000,000.

  All increases will either be offset by transfers to or from other Departmental Expenditure Limits (detailed above) or charges to the DEL Reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.

  Hospital Waiting Lists (Essex)
  Mr. Burns
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients in the Mid Essex Hospital Trust area have been treated privately but paid for by the NHS to help reduce waiting lists in the last 12 months for which figures are available; how much this has cost the NHS; how much it would have cost the NHS if an NHS hospital had carried out the treatment; and what were the transport costs for the patients. [109971]

  Mr. Denham
  The information requested is not available centrally.

  Dental Laboratories
  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria dental laboratories have to fulfil before being allowed to be used for NHS dental work. [110392]

  Mr. Hutton
  Dental laboratories, as manufacturers of custom made appliances, must meet the requirements of the Medical Devices Regulations (SI 1994 No 3017) which include registering with the Medical Devices Agency.

TREASURY

  Nancekuke
  Ms Atherton
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the documents relating to Nancekuke which have been made public that had previously been restricted under the 30 year rule. [109946]

  Dr. Moonie
  I have been asked to reply.

  Following a request from a journalist in July 1999, the Office for National Statistics authorised the early release of a file containing details of a study they had undertaken for the Ministry of Defence, looking at the incidence of industrially related illnesses at the Nancekuke establishment. A number of other papers, unrelated to Nancekuke, were authorised for release at the same time. The file containing the Nancekuke study, with the exception of one document containing individuals' names and medical records, was transferred to the Public Record Office in December 1999 and should now be available for public inspection under their reference RG 26.449.

  Registration
  Mrs. Lawrence
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the Registrar General has reported his findings of the outcome of consultation following the publication of "Registration: Modernising a Vital Service", on 8 September 1999; and if he will make a statement. [110893]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  The consultation period for "Registration: Modernising a Vital Service" ended on 6 December 1999. Over 3,500 copies of the consultation paper and 25,000 summary leaflets were distributed. The consultation paper was also available on the Office for National Statistics web-site.

  There were around 1,000 responses to the consultation paper from a wide variety of organisations, local authorities, members of the public and registration officers. There was widespread support for providing registration services in new ways, for better integration with other public services, for improving the use of technology to capture, store and share registration information and for determining national standards. These findings support the Government's commitment to the modernisation of public services in extending the scope of services and information available from civil registration and invoking better use of technology to share information in order, for example, to counter fraud.

  I have asked the Registrar General to open discussions to take forward the modernisation of civil registration. Plans for such reforms will be published by the Government in a policy document.

  Bonds
  Mr. Drew
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the advantages and disadvantages of allowing for third party monitoring where individuals enter into agreements for the issuing of bonds. [110295]
  608W
  Miss Melanie Johnson
  There has been no specific consideration of third party monitoring. However, issues of bonds and other debt securities in the UK, whether by individuals or corporate entities already need to conform with various requirements. In the case of bonds to be admitted to the Official List, issues need to comply with the Listing Rules. In the case of unlisted bonds, the relevant legislation is the Public Offers of Securities Regulations 1995.

  Mr. Drew
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to ensure that individuals who invest in bonds receive proper advice and guidance. [110294]

  Mr. Timms
  The UK has a very robust investor protection system. The Financial Services and Markets Bill will enhance and streamline this further, with the introduction of a single regulator supervising a more integrated and efficient approach.

  Investors can choose to make decisions on their own, without taking professional advice, but they have a "right" to receive accurate information that they need to decide whether the investment is "right" for them, in their circumstances.

  Investors who do receive advice must be told about the status of the person they deal with; be asked about their circumstances; be told why an investment is suitable for them in those circumstances; and must be given clear information about commission and charges, the risk, and the aims and benefits of the investment, confirmed in writing.

  IR35
  Mr. Brady
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer from what date the Inland Revenue will be in a position to inform an independent contractor whether his tax position for 2000–01 will be changed under the IR35 proposals. [110184]

  Dawn Primarolo
  [holding answer 15 February 2000]: Detailed guidance on the application of the law on employment status to workers using service companies was published on 7 February and is available in the House of Commons Library. The Inland Revenue will give advice on whether the proposed legislation will apply to current contracts which extend beyond 6 April. The guidance, and information on how to get advice from the Inland Revenue, is available on the Inland Revenue website at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/ir35.

  National Insurance Fund
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the expected balance in the National Insurance Fund at the end of the years 2000–01 and 2000–02, after taking into account proposed changes in contribution rates and the effects of the provisions of the Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999 and the Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Bill; and by how much the balance is expected to exceed the minimum level recommended by the Government Actuary. [108315]
  609W
  Dawn Primarolo
  [holding answer 3 February 2000]: Estimates for Great Britain are shown in the table:

  £ million

  Fund balance 1

  Minimum level

  Excess

  2000–012

  16,660

  7,870

  8,790

  2001–022

  18,820

  8,280

  10,540

  1 At the end of the year

  2 The estimates for these years are based on the difference between forecasts or receipts and expenditure. Changes in these forecasts could have a substantial impact on the balance

  Unemployment Statistics
  Mr. Maclean
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will provide a breakdown of the average monthly flow from the unemployment count for claimants aged 18 to 24 and unemployed for over six months for(a) each year from 1990 to 1999, (b) April 1993 to May 1997, (c) October 1997 to March 1998 and (d) April 1998 to the latest available month; [109273]

  (2) if he will provide a breakdown of the average monthly flow from the unemployment count for claimants aged over 25 and unemployed for over two years for the periods (a) April 1993 to May 1997, (b) May 1997 to June 1998 and (c) June 1998 to the latest available month. [109274]

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

  Letter from Tim Holt to Mr. David Maclean, dated February 2000:
  As Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary questions on the average monthly flow from the unemployment count for claimants aged 18 to 24 and unemployed for over six months, and for claimants aged over 25 and unemployed for over two years.
  The ONS publishes a monthly count of claimants of unemployment-related benefits. The claimant count consists of all people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance or National Insurance credits at Employment Service local offices. They must declare that they are out of work, capable of, available for, and actively seeking work during the week in which the claim is made.
  Information on the numbers of people entering and leaving the claimant count by age and duration on the unadjusted basis can be obtained from the Nomis database at the House of Commons Library.
  Between April 1993 and May 1997 in Great Britain on average there were 18,325 (4.6%) claimants aged 25 and over who had been claiming unemployment-related benefit for 2 years or more (computerised claims only) leaving the claimant count each month. The corresponding figure was 16,579 (7.3%) between May 1997 and June 1998 and 8,498 (5.8%) between June 1998 and December 1999. Computerised claims by age and duration data for Northern Ireland is only available from February 1994, therefore the data refer to Great Britain.

  NIRS2
  Mr. Webb
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the amount of interest received by the Government as a result of the late payment of benefits to pensioners due to the NIRS2 computer problem(a) to date and (b) by the end of 2000. [109849]
  610W
  Dawn Primarolo
  [holding answer 11 February 2000]: I regret the information requested can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Household Incomes
  Mr. Ruane
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will list the average household income for each region in descending order for each of the past 10 years; [110207]

  (2) if he will list the percentage of household incomes derived from social security benefits in each region of the UK in descending order. [110211]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  [holding answer 15 February 2000]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to reply.

  Letter from Tim Holt to Mr. Chris Ruane, dated 16 February 2000:
  As Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary questions on average household incomes and the percentage of household incomes derived from social security benefit.
  The attached table shows information from the Family Expenditure Survey (FES) for the period 1992 to 1998–99. Data for earlier years are not readily available and are for two-year periods.
  Like all estimates from sample surveys, these figures are subject to sampling variability, so while general trends can be seen, care should be taken in interpreting short-term changes in the data. In 1998–99, for example, in most regions the true average is unlikely to differ from the estimate by more than 7 per cent either way, but in Northern Ireland it may be 15 per cent either way and in the North West 13 per cent, both areas having small samples. In the Rest of the South East, however, the range is only 5 per cent either way. Standard Statistical Regions (SSRs) are used for England because data are not available for Government Office Regions for the earlier years.

  The FES shows the proportions of household income derived from social security benefit for 1996–1999 as follows.

  SSRs and UK countries

  Proportion of gross income deriving from social security benefits

  Northern Ireland

  22

  Wales

  19

  North

  18

  Scotland

  16

  North West

  15

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  15

  West Midlands

  14

  East Midlands

  13

  United Kingdom

  13

  England

  12

  South West

  12

  East Anglia

  12

  Greater London

  10

  Rest of South East

  9

  611W
  These figures are also subject to sampling variability. Data for 1996–97, 1997–98 and 1998–99 have therefore been combined to reduce this variability. In most regions the true figure for each percentage is unlikely to differ from the estimate by more than 1½ percentage points either way. In Northern Ireland the range is 3½ percentage points each way but in the Rest of the South East less than 1. SSRs are used for England because data are not available for Government Office Regions for the earlier years requested in the average household income question.

  Technical note

  The ranges quoted are the 90% confidence intervals. There is only a one-in-ten chance that the true figure lies outside this estimated range.

  Average gross weekly household income by Standard Statistical Region and UK country ranked in descending order, 1992 to 1998–99

  £

  Gross Income

  1992

  Rest of South East

  420

  Greater London

  390

  England

  350

  East Anglia

  350

  South West

  350

  East Midlands

  340

  United Kingdom

  340

  North West

  320

  Scotland

  310

  West Midlands

  300

  Yorks and Humber

  300

  Wales

  290

  North

  290

  Northern Ireland

  270

  1993

  Greater London

  430

  Rest of South East

  420

  England

  360

  United Kingdom

  350

  East Anglia

  350

  East Midlands

  340

  North West

  340

  Scotland

  330

  South West

  330

  Northern Ireland

  330

  Yorks and Humber

  320

  Wales

  310

  West Midlands

  300

  North

  290

  1994–95

  Rest of South East

  440

  Greater London

  440

  South West

  380

  England

  380

  United Kingdom

  370

  East Midlands

  370

  Scotland

  360

  Northern Ireland

  350

  East Anglia

  350

  Yorks and Humber

  340

  North West

  340

  West Midlands

  320

  North

  300

  Wales

  280

  1995–96

  Greater London

  450

  Rest of South East

  440

  East Midlands

  390

  South West

  390

  England

  390

  United Kingdom

  380

  612W

  Average gross weekly household income by Standard Statistical Region and UK country ranked in descending order, 1992 to 1998–99

  £

  Gross Income

  Wales

  360

  North West

  360

  East Anglia

  350

  West Midlands

  350

  Yorks and Humber

  340

  North

  340

  Scotland

  340

  Northern Ireland

  300

  1996–97

  Rest of South East

  480

  Greater London

  450

  England

  400

  South West

  400

  East Anglia

  400

  United Kingdom

  400

  North West

  380

  East Midlands

  370

  Scotland

  370

  Yorks and Humber

  360

  West Midlands

  360

  Wales

  360

  North

  330

  Northern Ireland

  320

  1997–98

  Rest of South East

  510

  Greater London

  490

  England

  430

  South West

  420

  United Kingdom

  420

  East Midlands

  420

  West Midlands

  410

  North West

  400

  East Anglia

  390

  Scotland

  370

  Yorks and Humber

  360

  Wales

  350

  North

  350

  Northern Ireland

  340

  1998–99

  Greater London

  540

  Rest of South East

  540

  England

  460

  East Anglia

  450

  United Kingdom

  450

  West Midlands

  430

  Yorks and Humber

  430

  South West

  410

  North West

  410

  East Midlands

  410

  North

  410

  Scotland

  380

  Wales

  360

  Northern Ireland

  360

  Note:

  ONS, Family Expenditure Surveys 1992 to 1998–99 © Crown copy"right" 2000

  Consumer Debt
  Mr. Ruane
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the average level of consumer debt owed by families for each of the last 10 years; and what his forecast is for each of the next three years. [110210]
  613W
  Mr. Timms
  [holding answer 15 February 2000]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to reply.

  Letter from Tim Holt to Mr. Chris Ruane, dated 16 February 2000:
  As Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your parliamentary question on consumer debt.
  The consumer borrowing series that are readily available, consumer credit and mortgage lending, are published in Table 3.2B of Financial Statistics, a copy of which is in the House of Commons library. The database identifiers are VZRD and AMWT respectively.
  Information is not available on the number of families, from which to derive an average. Data on the number of households in Great Britain are published in the annual volume Housing and Construction Statistics, published by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. Using estimates of the number of households in the United Kingdom (UK), the average level of consumer borrowing per household was approximately £22,800 in 1998, the latest data available.

  We do not make forecasts of these series.

  Savings
  Mr. Ruane
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the average savings per person expressed as a percentage of take-home pay for each of the past 10 years. [110168]

  Mr. Timms
  [holding answer 15 February 2000]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to reply.

  Letter from Tim Holt to Mr. Chris Ruane, dated 16 February 2000:
  As Director of the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your question on average savings per person expressed as a percentage of take home pay.
  The precise information requested is not available. However, the households' saving ratio is considered to provide the best available indicator of trends in changes in saving rates. This is derived as the ratio of savings to the total of resources available (more commonly known as disposable income) of the combined households and non-profit institutions serving households (NPISH) sector.
  The households' saving ratio is published quarterly in the ONS First Release, "Quarterly National Accounts". The series is held on the ONS database. All sources are available in the House of Commons library.

  Household Debt
  Mr. St. Aubyn
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the latest estimate of total household debt(a) including housing debt and (b) excluding housing debt; and what were the comparable figures for each May since May 1997. [110092]

  Mr. Timms
  [holding answer 14 February 2000]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to reply.

  Letter from Tim Holt to Mr. Nick St. Aubyn, dated 16 February 2000:
  As Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your parliamentary question on household debt.
  614W
  The figures you requested are tabulated below. National accounts are prepared quarterly and the closest period to May 1997 for which there are data is end-June 1997.
  Information on the financial liabilities of the household sector is published in the ONS "Financial Statistics", and is held on the ONS databank. All sources are available in the library.

  Household sector financial liabilities (debt)

  £ billion, at end period

  Total

  Excluding loans secured on dwellings

  June 1997

  574.0

  153.7

  June 1998

  608.1

  166.7

  June 1999

  651.8

  179.8

  September 1999

  666.7

  183.0

  Database identifier

  NNPP

  NNPP-NNRQ-NNRR-NNRS

  Household Savings
  Mr. St. Aubyn
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his most recent estimate of household savings(a) as a percentage of gross domestic product and (b) in nominal cash terms; and what were the comparable figures for each year since May 1997. [110091]

  Mr. Timms
  [holding answer 14 February 2000]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to reply.

  Letter from Tim Holt to Nick St. Aubyn, dated 16 February 2000:
  As Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent question on household savings.
  The figures you requested are tabulated below. The latest year available is the twelve month period to September 1999. National accounts are prepared quarterly and the closest period to May 1997 for which there are data is the period April 1997 to March 1998.
  Estimates for household saving and GDP are published quarterly in the ONS First Release "Quarterly National Accounts", and the data are held on the ONS database—all sources being available in the library.

  Household saving 1 (at current prices) £ billion

  Household saving 1 as a percentage of gross domestic product Percentage

  Database identifier:

  RPQL

  RPQL/YBHA

  April 1997 to March 1998

  50.3

  6.2

  April 1998 to March 1999

  32.9

  3.8

  October 1998 to September 1999

  34.8

  4.0

  1 Household saving includes saving of non-profit institutions serving households. Separate data for the household sector are not available.

  Paper and Timber Products
  Mr. Reed
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what steps he has taken to ensure that paper and timber products purchased by his Department come from a sustainable source; [110159]

  (2) if he will ensure that paper and timber products purchased by his Department are independently certified by the Forest Stewardship Council as coming from a sustainable source. [110160]
  615W
  Miss Melanie Johnson
  I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to him by the Under-Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, my hon. Friend the Member for Stretford and Urmston (Ms Hughes) on 14 February 2000,Official Report, columns 357–58W.

  Gold Sales
  Mr. Nicholas Winterton
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the present sterling value of the euros which were purchased from the proceeds of the gold sold from the United Kingdom national reserves in 1999; what value that amount of gold would represent in sterling in today's market; and if he will provide similar statistics for the gold sold in 2000 to date. [110218]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  The results of the gold auctions held on 7 July 1999, 21 September 1999, 29 November 1999 and 25 January 2000 are published in Bank of England Press Notices issued on those days. Copies of the Press Notices have been placed in the House of Commons Library. The proceeds from sales of gold have been invested in interest bearing foreign currency assets in broadly the same proportion as currently held in the net foreign currency reserves (40 per cent. dollars; 40 per cent. euro; and 20 per cent. yen).

  Charities
  Mr. St. Aubyn
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the change in registered charities' receipts since the ending of the dividend tax credit in each year since 1997–98; and what is the estimated average in the current financial year and each of the next three financial years. [110110]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  [holding answer 14 February 2000]: The withdrawal of payable tax credits on charities' dividend income did not come into effect until April 1999.
  616W
  In recognition of their special position, charities will receive generous compensation through public expenditure in the form of a payment of a percentage of the dividends they receive. This will apply for five years from 6 April 1999 on a tapering basis.

  The Charity Commission reports £19.75 billion of total annual income at the end of December 1998 in England and Wales (an average of £122 thousand, although nearly three-quarters of registered charities have an income of £10,000 or less).

  The latest available figures from the Register show that at the end of September 1999 total annual income had risen to £22.4 billion (an average of £139 thousand). Forecasts of annual income are unavailable.

  Debt Rescheduling (Russia)
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the arrangements made for debt rescheduling with Russia by the London Club of major creditor banks. [110421]

  Mr. Timms
  The Russian government has reached a Framework agreement with the London Club of private sector creditors on restructuring its debt. The Government welcome this agreement as it does all efforts by debtors and creditors to resolve their differences amicably.

  Advertising Budget
  Mr. Baker
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the average cost of issuing a media release from his Department in 1999. [110273]

  Mr. Timms
  For the year 1999 the Treasury was billed a total of £23,899.50 for the services of the Central Office of Information, who distribute press releases electronically and by fax. During 1999 the Treasury issued 283 press releases and the total average price was therefore £84.45.

  Building Maintenance and Repairs: VAT
  Building Maintenance and Repairs: VAT
  Agriculture: Employment Figures
  Agriculture: Employment Figures
  Individual Asylum Applications, Debates in Parliament
  Individual Asylum Applications, Debates in Parliament
  Police Numbers
  Police Numbers
  Martin McGartland: Police Protection
  Martin McGartland: Police Protection
  Mike Tyson: Criminal Record of Member of Entourage
  Mike Tyson: Criminal Record of Member of Entourage
  Gambling Review Body: Appointment of Chairman
  Gambling Review Body: Appointment of Chairman
  Eurostar: South-west Regional Services
  Eurostar: South-west Regional Services
  Elections: Free Postal Deliveries
  Elections: Free Postal Deliveries
  Sheep Scab Control
  Sheep Scab Control
  Organophospate Sheep Dips: Endotoxins
  Organophospate Sheep Dips: Endotoxins
  Sheep: Withholding Period between Dipping and Shearing
  Sheep: Withholding Period between Dipping and Shearing
  Organophosphate Sheep Dips
  Organophosphate Sheep Dips
  Old Palace Yard Refurbishment
  Old Palace Yard Refurbishment