Written Answers of 23 June 2000

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Social Fund
  Mr. Webb
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the administration cost of recovering(a) budgetary loans and (b) crisis loans for each year from 1996–97 to 2001–02 shown as (i) total expenditure and (ii) percentage of total expenditure on those benefits. [125288]

  Angela Eagle
  The administration of the Social Fund is a matter for Alexis Cleveland, the Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency. She will write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from Alexis Cleveland to Mr. Steve Webb, dated 22 June 2000:
  I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Social Security, if he will estimate the administration cost of recovering (a) budgetary loans and (b) crisis loans for each year from 1996–97 to 2001–02 shown as
  (i) total expenditure and (ii) percentage of total expenditure on those benefits.
  The total Social Fund administration costs for 1999–2000 are not yet available but will be given in the Departmental Report in spring 2001.
  It is not possible to provide a projection for future years as administration costs are based on the level of expenditure in that year.
  The breakdown of information requested is not available for earlier years as the cost of some parts of the recovery process were included with other unrelated processes.
  I hope this is helpful.

  Television Advertisements
  Mr. Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many television advertisements have been commissioned by his Department since 1 May 1997; and, of these, how many were provided with closed caption subtitling. [126896]

  Mr. Rooker
  There have been 20 television commercials commissioned by the Department since 1 May 1997. All were provided with closed caption subtitling (teletext).

  State Pension
  Mr. Alan Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what would have been the difference in cost to the Exchequer if the state pension had been linked to earnings since 1 May 1997. [127618]

  Mr. Rooker:
  The information requested is in the table.
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  £ million

  Gross

  Net of income-related benefits

  1998–99

  220

  160

  199–2000

  790

  600

  2000–01

  2,150

  1,640

  Notes:

  1. Costs assume earnings uprating begins at the next uprating date following 1 May 1997 (April 1998).

  2. Figures are rounded to the nearest £10 million and are in 2000–01 price terms.

  3. Gross costs estimated by the Government's Actuary's Department. Costs net of income-related benefit savings are estimated using the Policy Simulating Model.

  4. Average earnings assumptions are based on an average of seasonally adjusted figures for the three months to July of the previous year, as originally published.

  Stakeholder Pensions
  Mr. Webb
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much money was paid by his Department to the Financial Services Authority for its work on stakeholder pension decision trees. [127416]

  Mr. Rooker
  None.

  Written Questions
  Mr. Maclennan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many of the written parliamentary questions tabled to his Department between 19 October 1999 and 20 April 2000 have not received substantive answers, excluding those not answered for reasons of(a) disproportionate cost, (b) information not available, not held centrally or not held in the form requested and (c) commercial or other confidentiality. [127442]

  Mr. Rooker
  None.

CABINET OFFICE

  Agenda Computer System
  Mr. Baker
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what were the annual running costs of the Agenda computer system for each year from 1 May 1997 to date. [126505]

  Mr. Lansley
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what has been the cost so far of the Government's new Agenda computer system. [127420]

  Mr. Ian McCartney
  The annual IT running costs of the Agenda computer system, excluding manpower costs, since it became operational in February 1998 are as follows:

  £

  Financial Year

  Cost1

  1997–98

  9,166

  1998–99

  57,736

  1999–2000

  87,836

  2000–01

  87,836

  1 Excluding VAT

  Written Questions
  Mr. Maclennan
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many of the written parliamentary questions tabled to her Department between 19 October 1999 and 20 April 2000 have not received substantive answers, excluding those not answered(a) citing disproportionate cost, (b) stating that the information is not available, not held centrally or not held in the form requested and (c) citing commercial confidentiality or other confidentiality. [127441]

  Mr. Stringer
  I refer to the answer I gave to the right hon. Member on 22 June 2000,Official Report, columns 267–68W.

  No other written questions tabled between 19 October 1999 and 20 April 2000 did not receive a substantive reply.

HEALTH

  Digital Hearing Aids
  Mr. Collins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many digital hearing aids are currently available on the NHS. [126750]

  Mr. Hutton
  There are currently no digital hearing aids available via the National Health Service Logistics Authority or any contract arranged by the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency.

  However, all NHS trusts throughout England are free to prescribe the most clinically appropriate product that best meets an individual patient's circumstances and need. Therefore, trusts are free to purchase any digital product that is available from hearing aid suppliers. There are no centrally held figures for the number of digital hearing aids purchased through this route.

  In order to evaluate the benefits of digital hearing aids we have recently announced a two-year project involving twenty NHS trusts to evaluate the costs and benefits of digital hearing aids and associated service delivery changes. £4 million is available for the project in 2000–01.

  Dental Services
  Mr. Paul Marsden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dentists were registered in Shrewsbury and Atcham in(a) May 1997 and (b) for the last available date; and if he will make a statement. [126592]

  Mr. Hutton
  The number of General Dental Service principals on Shropshire Health Authority's list for the Shrewsbury and Atcham Local Authority District was(a) 35 on 31 March 1997 and (b) 45 on 31 March 2000. There were no assistants or vocational dental practitioners working in the Shrewsbury and Atcham Local Authority District at these points in time.

  Our strategy for National Health Service dentistry was originally proposed in 1998. The current intention is to
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  publish it this summer, in conjunction with the National Plan for the new NHS. It will contain proposals for improving both the availability and quality of NHS dentistry, including the introduction of clinical governance to dentistry and strengthened professional self-regulation.

  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason patients registered with an NHS dentist are struck off the list by the health authority if they do not visit their dentist for 15 months; for what reason this period was reduced; and if he will make a statement. [127013]

  Mr. Hutton
  Patients who are registered with a National Health Service dentist are not struck off a list by the health authority. Dentists are paid a monthly sum for 15 months for each registered patient. If a patient does not visit their dentist within 15 months of their last attendance to renew their registration, their registration automatically lapses. Also, dentists may themselves terminate a registration arrangement at any time after giving due notice. Dentists are free to re-register their patients who have lapsed. It is up to dentists to decide whether they wish to accept any patient onto their list.

  From 1 September 1996, the registration period for both adults and children was harmonised at 15 months to provide a period of continuing dental care following each course of treatment. This streamlined administrative procedures and reduced bureaucracy for dentists. It was also intended to improve value for money by focusing payments on those patients receiving active care.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Milk
  Mr. Robertson
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much milk was consumed in the UK in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [126953]

  Ms Quin
  1999 is the latest year for which United Kingdom milk production and consumption figures are available. The figures are as follows:

  United Kingdom milk production, supply and utilisation: 1999 (provisional)

  Million litres

  Gross production of milk

  14,594

  Imports of raw milk1

  111

  Exports of raw milk1

  465

  Total supply

  14,241

  Utilisation by dairies for drinking milk2

  6,854

  Utilisation by dairies for manufacturing dairy products3

  6,988

  Dairy wastage and stock change

  56

  Other uses4

  343

  Total domestic use

  14,241

  1 Milk imported or exported as packaged drinking milk is excluded.

  2 Closely represents consumption of drinking milk in the UK as little drinking milk is imported or exported.

  3A proportion of dairy products manufactured will be exported and not consumed in the UK.

  4Includes farmhouse consumption, milk fed to stock and on farm waste. Excludes suckled milk.

  Subsidies
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the effects of subsidies in the past 30 years on agricultural innovation, competitiveness and diversity; and if he will make a statement. [126321]

  Ms Quin
  [holding answer 19 June 2000]Agricultural innovation, competitiveness and diversity have undoubtedly been affected by the levels of subsidy, support and protection offered by the Common Agricultural Policy. The Government are therefore continuing to press for production-related subsidies to be reduced and to seek reforms which will bring about a more market-orientated Common Agricultural Policy, as well as promoting the Rural Development Regulation as a more effective way of promoting competitive agriculture.

  Dairy Farmers (East Sussex)
  Mr. Baker
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to help dairy farmers in East Sussex. [126296]

  Ms Quin
  [holding answer 20 June 2000]Following the Prime Minister's Action Plan for Farming, dairy farmers in East Sussex will share in the £22.1 million in agrimonetary compensation being paid to UK dairy farmers in the autumn. Dairy hygiene inspection charges, worth almost £1 million for English dairy farmers, were abolished in the spring. Last autumn's deferral of cattle passport charges was worth some £12 million to dairy farmers.

  The Government also facilitated the generic milk promotion campaign. The abolition of the OTMS weight limit also is a significant benefit to dairy farmers.

  Organic Farming
  Mr. Tyler
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the total amount of money paid under the Common Agricultural Policy to farmers in the UK in the last financial year; and what percentage of this money was paid to organic farmers. [127018]

  Ms Quin
  [holding answer 20 June 2000]Forecast UK and EU expenditure under the CAP and on national grants and subsidies for 1999–2000 was £3,172 million. Most but not all of this sum will be transferred to the farming industry. The farming industry also benefits from higher food prices as a result of the CAP, which are paid for by consumers.

  £11.35 million was spent under the Organic Aid Scheme in 1999–2000. However, organic farmers may also benefit from other aid under the CAP, including the following direct aid premium schemes:
  Suckler Cow Premium;
  Beef Special Premium;
  Sheep Annual Premium;
  Extensification Premium;
  Arable Area Payments.

ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS

  Best Value
  Mr. Norman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what representations have been made to his Department on the compliance costs associated with the implementation of Best Value by local authorities; and what account he will take of such representations in deciding funding allocations for local authorities; [126757]

  (2) what annual incremental costs he estimates will be incurred over the next five years by local authorities (a) on average and (b) in total in ensuring compliance with the Best Value programme. [126756]

  Ms Armstrong
  A minority of local authorities, mostly smaller District councils, have made direct representations about the estimated costs of implementing best value. In any particular case, the actual costs will depend on the existing performance of an authority and the arrangements that are already in place to secure year-on-year improvements. Such costs are being considered as part of the current Spending Review, as are the potential benefits arising from the fundamental reviews of performance which best value requires.

  For 2000–01, the Government provided an additional £40 million to cover the costs of audit and inspection, £24.25 million of which was provided through Revenue Support Grant (RSG) and £15.75 million in grant to the Audit Commission. In setting their fees for 2000–01, the Audit Commission were asked by the Government to use grant to equalise the impact on different classes of authority, taking into account average predicted levels of RSG, and the Commission consulted on this basis.

  Mr. Norman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate his Department has made of the average start-up costs for a local authority of implementing Best Value. [126758]

  Ms Armstrong
  The start-up costs of best value will depend on local circumstances, including current levels of performance, as well as on authorities' own judgments about the management arrangements needed to support it. The Government will commission a programme of independent research later this year designed to measure the full impact of the new policy, including the subsequent savings on service provision and the improvements to service quality.

  West Coast Main Line
  Mr. Ben Chapman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what recent representations he has received with regard to fare increases on West Coast mainline services between Liverpool Lime Street and Euston Station; [127204]

  (2) what discussions he had with the Rail Regulator with regard to fare increases on West Coast mainline services between Liverpool Lime Street and Euston Station. [127202]

  Mr. Hill
  The Franchising Director, not the Rail Regulator, is responsible for fares regulation. The Secretary of State has not had any discussions with the Franchising Director about fare increases on West Coast
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  Main Line services between Liverpool Lime Street and Euston station, nor has he received any representations about fare increases on these services. On InterCity routes the Franchising Director regulates the Saver fare which between Liverpool and London has fallen from £48.30 in September 1999 to £45 from May 2000. All other fares between these two points are unregulated.

  Regional Development Agencies
  Mr. Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what has been the total cost to his Department of the setting up of the Regional Development Agencies. [127432]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  The Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) spent £5.138 million in the four months before they were established on 1 April 1999. Some additional set-up costs may have arisen, but these are not separately identified in RDA's administration budgets.

  NATS
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what discussions he has had with(a) Lockheed Martin and (b) the New Zealand air traffic control system, Airways Corporation, on the future of air-traffic control; and if he will make a statement. [127213]

  Mr. Mullin
  The Department has held discussions with a number of companies in connection with the NATS PPP on the future of air traffic control. In accordance with our agreements with those companies, their identities cannot be revealed. Furthermore, in order to maintain a competitive and level playing field, the Department does not intend to release the identities of bidding companies and consortia in future stages of the PPP process.

  School Travel Resource Packs
  Mr. Jenkin
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much his Department has spent on the school travel resource packs launched in May; and what budget is allocated for this publication. [127593]

  Mr. Hill
  The Department spent £13,500 researching the content of the resource pack and has so far spent £46,500 on production and distribution. The budget allocated for the publication (excluding research) is £110,000.

  Transport Plan
  Mr. Jenkin
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he
  has made of the level of funding necessary to meet the requirements of the 10-year transport plan. [127594]

  Mr. Hill
  The Ten Year Plan, including the levels of funding, will be published after the Spending Review.

  Written Questions
  Mr. Maclennan
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many written parliamentary questions were tabled to his 312W
  Department between 19 October 1999 and 20 April 2000; and how many have not received substantive answers, citing disproportionate cost as the reason. [127433]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  For the period in question, there have been 36 occasions where my Department has cited disproportionate cost as the reason for not providing substantive answers out of a total of 2,865 parliamentary questions.

  British Airways
  Sir Brian Mawhinney
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the reasons which caused him to overturn the CAA's Decision 4/99 of 23 December 1999 in favour of British Airways. [127366]

  Mr. Mullin
  The Secretary of State's reasons were set out in full in my Department's Decision Letter issued on 5 April this year, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.

  Sir Brian Mawhinney
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the occasions, since 1 May 1997, on which he has upheld an appeal by British Airways against a CAA route licence decision, setting out, in each case, the route involved and the original CAA decision. [127365]

  Mr. Mullin
  The only occasion on which the Secretary of State has upheld an appeal by British Airways against a CAA route licensing decision since 1 May 1997 was in respect of CAA Decision 4/99 of 23 December 1999 on the appointment of scarce bilateral capacity between the UK and South Africa. The CAA originally decided in favour of Virgin Atlantic Airways, but the Secretary of State overturned its decision on appeal and directed it to award the available capacity to British Airways.

  Correspondence
  Sir Brian Mawhinney
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when the right hon. Member for North-West Cambridgeshire will receive a reply to his letter of 10 May on behalf of his constituent Mr. Page. [127367]

  Ms Armstrong
  I have now responded to the right hon. Member's letter.

  Director General of Water Services
  Mrs. Brinton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has for the post of Director General of Water Services. [127959]

  Mr. Prescott
  Sir Ian Byatt steps down on 31 July 2000, after 11 years of distinguished service as Director General of Water Services, the head of Ofwat.

  Following an open competition, and after consultation with the First Secretary of the National Assembly for Wales, I am pleased to announce I intend to appoint Philip Fletcher as the new Director General with effect from 1 August 2000.

  Mr. Fletcher is currently the Receiver for the Metropolitan Police District.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Post Office Users National Council
  Mr. Jenkin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of each of the options outlined in the consultation document on the structure of the Post Office Users National Council. [127614]

  Dr. Howells
  Peter Carr, the new Chair of the Post Office Users National Council, has been asked to consider what structure will best allow the Consumer Council for Postal Services being established under the Postal Services Bill to champion the interests of consumers. The consultation document was issued to help him formulate his recommendations, which I expect to receive shortly. It would not be appropriate to comment until these have been received.

  Written Questions
  Mr. Maclennan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many written parliamentary questions tabled to his Department between 19 October 1999 and 20 April 2000 have not received substantive answers on the grounds that the information is(a) not held centrally, (b) not held in the form requested or (c) not available. [127096]

  Mr. Byers
  [holding answer 21 June 2000]We have answered 1,707 written parliamentary questions between 19 October 1999 and 20 April 2000. The information requested is as follows:(a) six, (b) 12 and (c)

  In some of these answers we were in fact able to provide part of the information requested, while citing the above reasons for not providing all of the information requested.

  Low Pay Commission
  Mr. Miller
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the Low Pay Commission has been given its new terms of reference; and if any new members have been appointed. [127856]

  Mr. Byers
  The Government sent new terms of reference to the Low Pay Commission on 15 May and asked it to report by July 2001. I am also pleased to announce the appointment of two new members of the Commission: David Coats and Ian Hay are replacing Bill Callaghan and Laurie Dewar. David Coats is Head of the Economic and Social Affairs Department at the TUC and Ian Hay is the Chief Executive of the Scottish Association of Master Bakers.

  Under its new terms of reference, the Commission is asked to:
  (i) continue to monitor and evaluate the impact of the National Minimum Wage, with particular reference to:
  the effect on pay, employment and competitiveness in low paying sectors and small firms;
  the effect on particular groups of workers, such as young people, women, ethnic minorities, homeworkers, people with disabilities and voluntary sector workers;
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  the effect on pay structures, including the effect on differentials and different pay systems, and the impact of the special rules for output work, unmeasured hours work and salaried hours work;
  the interaction between the national minimum wage and the tax and benefit systems; and
  the interaction between the national minimum wage and the New Deal 18–24 and the New Deal 25 plus
  (ii) recommend whether there is a case for increasing the main national minimum wage rate and the development rate, and if so, by how much, and whether there is a case for making any change to the maximum accommodation offset. In reaching views on these matters, the LPC should take into account movements in earnings and the actual and likely future impact on the economy, on employment and on training, with particular attention on the youth labour market. The recommendations on the rates may include a further examination, in the light of fuller evidence, of the case for changing the age at which workers become entitled to the adult rate.

  In making its recommendations, the Commission should have regard to the wider economic and social implications; the likely effect on employment and inflation; the impact on the costs and competitiveness of business, particularly the small firms sector, and the potential costs to industry and the Exchequer.

  The Commission is asked to report to the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry by July 2001.

  Ministerial Cars
  Mr. Redwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many cars are used by ministers and officials in his Department and its non-departmental public bodies; and how many of those cars are Rovers. [125690]

  Mr. Byers
  [holding answer 12 June 2000]In line with the policy of successive Administrations, contracts for Ministers' cars are entered into with the Government Car and Dispatch Agency. 26 cars are used by Ministers and officials in my Department. Two are presently Rovers, including my own car.

  I am currently reviewing this whole area, including the option of giving preference to UK-built cars when this is consistent with securing value for money and meeting our legal obligations.

  Gas and Electricity Consumers Council
  Mr. Sarwar
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement about the regional organisation of the proposed Gas and Electricity Consumers Council. [127855]

  Dr. Howells
  Following extensive consultation and discussion, I can announce the future organisation of the Gas and Electricity Consumers Council. It will have a head office based in London. It will have offices in Glasgow serving Scotland, in Cardiff serving Wales, and further offices in Manchester, Birmingham, London, Newcastle and Bournemouth serving England.

  Single Currency
  Mr. Redwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will estimate the costs to his Department of switching from the pound to the euro. [126400]
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  Mr. Byers
  Should the UK decide to join the euro, the cost of a changeover would depend on the detailed approach taken to a changeover.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Indonesia and the Moluccas
  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to offer(a) assistance for managing peacekeeping operations in Indonesia and (b) funds for emergency relief assistance to the Moluccas. [126281]

  Mr. Battle
  We fully support President Wahid in his efforts to bring a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Maluku and other regions. As part of the international effort through the United Nations Development Programme, we have already funded two conferences on reconciliation in Maluku and a BBC seminar on objective conflict reporting for journalists there. We stand ready to help with further conflict prevention projects.

  The Department for International Development is helping the United Nations Development Programme to promote reconciliation in Maluku and other areas of conflict in Indonesia. It has also seconded a specialist to work with UNDP to establish mechanisms to manage the UN humanitarian response and that of the international community, within a framework agreed by the Indonesian Government.

  Sanctions (Iraq)
  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of recent research published in The Lancet on the number of babies and young children dying in Iraq following the Gulf conflict and the initiation of the United Nations sanctions; and if he will make a statement. [126277]

  Mr. Hain
  We remain extremely concerned by reports of high rates of infant and child mortality in central and southern Iraq. But we welcome the fact that in northern Iraq—where Saddam Hussein's writ does not run—child mortality rates are now lower than they were before the Gulf War. The UK has always advocated and supported initiatives aimed at better targeting the humanitarian efforts to help the most vulnerable. We led the way over the last year in introducing significant changes to the UN humanitarian programme in Iraq, through the adoption of Security Council resolution 1284 and 1302. Those changes mean that there will be an estimated $10 billion this year alone for the programme. As the UN Secretary-General has concluded, this will put the Government of Iraq in a position to reduce malnutrition levels and to improve the health status of the Iraqi people.

  Appearance Bail Guarantees
  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions in the last two years appearance bail guarantees have been given by the British Embassy to the Saudi authorities in respect of Britons detained in that country. [126250]
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  Mr. Hain
  The British Embassy in Riyadh has given no appearance guarantees on behalf of Britons detained in Saudi Arabia during the past two years. A locally engaged member of staff gave his personal guarantee on one occasion on 8 December 1999 to enable a British Citizen to be released from prison. This was a personal act on the part of the individual and not an official act by the Embassy.

  United Nations (Preventive Diplomacy)
  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much the United Kingdom's financial contribution to the UN was in each of the last five years; and what proportion of this was spent on preventative diplomacy. [126249]

  Mr. Hain
  The United Kingdom's total financial contribution (ie comprising total assessed contributions and total voluntary contributions) to the United Nations organisations and peacekeeping for the calendar years 1994 to 1998 has been:

  £

  1994

  304,969,947

  1995

  328,855,981

  1996

  304,577,521

  1997

  309,260,413

  1998

  330,058,906

  A breakdown of these totals appears in the Departmental Reports of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office from 1995 to 2000, copies of which are in the Library of the House.

  Due to difficulties in extracting from the overall budget figures which may be attributed to preventive diplomacy, the United Nations Secretariat has been unable to estimate the proportion of UK contributions that has been spent in this area.

  Coptic Christians
  Mr. Paul Marsden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Egyptian authorities about the rights under Egyptian law of the Coptic Christian minority. [126492]

  Mr. Hain
  The Egyptian Constitution provides for equal public rights and duties without discrimination because of religion or creed and guarantees the freedom of belief.

  We regularly discuss inter-faith issues with the Egyptian authorities; indeed this was one of the focuses of my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary's discussions when he visited Cairo in January this year.

  Kashmir
  Mr. Hilary Benn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Governments of India and Pakistan on Kashmir; and if he will make a statement. [126849]
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  Mr. Hain
  We regularly raise the issue of Kashmir with the Governments of India and Pakistan. Both Governments are well aware of our concerns over human rights and external support for terrorism in Kashmir. We have also made clear our view that progress on the issue will only be made through dialogue. Most recently, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State discussed Kashmir with the Indian Government during his visit to India in April.

  Sierra Leone
  Mr. Bercow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the(a) powers and (b) resources made available to the Chairman of the Board of the Commission for the Management of Strategic Resources, National Reconstruction and Development under the Lomé Agreement; and what assessment he has made of the relationship between that appointment and the funding of the Revolutionary United Front. [126889]

  Mr. Hain
  The Commission for the Management of Strategic Resources, National Reconstruction and Development was created to help the Government of Sierra Leone exercise full control of the exploitation of gold, diamonds and other resources for the benefit of the people of Sierra Leone.

  Under the Lomé Peace Agreement, the Chairmanship of the Commission was offered to the leader of the Revolutionary United Front, Foday Sankoh. The Board of the Commission was to comprise two representatives of the Government of Sierra Leone, two from the Revolutionary United Front party, three representatives from civil society, and two representatives from other political parties appointed by Parliament.

  Under its bilateral aid programme, the Department for International Development provided the Commission with three Land Rover vehicles, a computer, some office equipment, a satellite telephone and some items of furniture.

  We have seen no evidence that any funds which may have been provided to the Commission were used by the Revolutionary United Front party, or that Sankoh's position as Chair of the Commission gave him access to new sources of funding for the Revolutionary United Front.

  Mr. Bercow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what training of Revolutionary United Front officials took place as a result of Article III of the Lomé Peace Agreement; and if he will make a statement. [126885]

  Mr. Hain
  Article III of the Lomé Peace Agreement provides for the transformation of the Revolutionary United Front into a political party, and for training for the RUF in party organisation and functions, in order for it to enter the democratic process in Sierra Leone. No training of officials of the Revolutionary United Front has yet taken place. The holding of free and fair democratic elections remains an essential part of Sierra Leone's efforts to achieve lasting peace and stability.

  Mr. Bercow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he made(a) to and (b) via the Commonwealth Secretariat
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  regarding the release of prisoners and award of amnesty during the period of negotiations of the Lomé Peace Agreement on Sierra Leone. [126891]

  Mr. Hain
  We remained in regular touch with the Commonwealth Secretariat throughout the Lomé peace negotiations.

  The Commonwealth is one of several international moral guarantors of the Lomé Peace Agreement.

  FCO Management Board
  Ms Ryan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on new appointments to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Management Board. [127854]

  Mr. Robin Cook
  The Board of Management is chaired by the Permanent Under-Secretary and oversees the administration of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and all its resources at home and overseas. It has in the past been composed of Senior FCO officials together with the Chief Executive of British Trade International. They will now be joined by two non-executive members, Mr. Alan Gormly, Chairman of BPB Industries, and Ms Lucy Neville-Rolfe, Director of Corporate Affairs of Tesco plc. I am sure that the Board will benefit greatly from their experience of private sector management practice.

DEFENCE

  SA80
  Mr. Duncan Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current status of the programme to make modifications to the SA80; when he plans to award a contract; if the modifications will be carried out in the United Kingdom; what is the value of contracts to modify the SA80; how many SA80 rifles have been modified to date to correct identified faults; and when the planned modification work to the SA80 will be complete. [126425]

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the current status is of the upgrade programme for the SA80 and the LSW. [127324]

  Dr. Moonie
  The SA80 is an effective weapon system, we plan to retain in service until 2020. There has, however, been concern expressed over its reliability in certain circumstances. We therefore commissioned Heckler and Koch (H&K), a subsidiary of Royal Ordnance, to assess its reliability and to design potential modifications. H&K identified a number of design problems that affected the weapon's performance, especially in extremes of climate. Their proposed modifications were subjected to extensive trails in Alaska and Kuwait. The final report from H&K demonstrated that significant improvements in the reliability of the SA80 could be achieved to make this weapon system among the best in the world.

  Having considered all options, including the procurement of a new weapon system, we have concluded that the modification of the SA80 represents the most cost effective solution to the provision of reliable weapons in all climatic conditions. The Secretary of State has,

  319W
  therefore, approved, subject to satisfactory contractual negotiations, the award of a contract to H&K to modify some 200,000 SA80 weapons, including both the Individual Weapon and the Light Support Weapon. The overall cost of the modification programme is estimated at around £80 million, taking account of the cost of trials and support. The contract will provide for numbers to be varied, up or down, as our assessment of the overall final requirement for modified weapons evolves over the next few years.

  We will apply the principles of Smart Procurement to achieve the earliest possible in-service date. The first modified weapons will be produced next January, with a total of 22,000 weapons to be delivered by the end of next year. The modified weapons will be subject to a rigorous testing and acceptance programme in the hands of troops to ensure that the production weapons are both effective and reliable.

  The Ministry of Defence is exploring with the company the scope to maximise the number of UK jobs involved in the modification programme. Early indications are that work on the stripping and refurbishment of weapons prior to modification will be done in the UK. The modifications

  Royal Navy/Royal Marines

  Rank

  1989

  1990

  1991

  1992

  1993

  1994

  1995

  19960

  1997

  1998

  1999

  2000

  Total

  Commander

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  Lieutenant (RM)

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  Midshipman

  0

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  Warrant Officer (RM)

  0

  0

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  Charge Chief Petty Officer

  0

  2

  3

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  5

  Chief Petty Officer

  4

  4

  1

  2

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  2

  0

  14

  Colour Sergeant (RM)

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  0

  1

  Petty Officer

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  Sergeant (RM)

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  Leading Rate

  0

  1

  0

  3

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  5

  Corporal (RM)

  0

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  2

  Ableseaman

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  3

  0

  2

  0

  0

  0

  0

  6

  Marine 1 (RM)

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  0

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  2

  Ordinary Rate

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  0

  2

  Total

  4

  8

  5

  6

  1

  6

  1

  5

  2

  0

  4

  0

  43

  Rate per 1,000 Strength

  0.06

  0.13

  0.10

  0.10

  0.02

  0.11

  0.02

  0.11

  0.04

  0.00

  0.09

  —

  —

  Average Strength (thousands)

  64.2

  62.7

  62.3

  61.5

  58.4

  54.4

  50.2

  47.2

  44.8

  44.2

  43.5

  —

  —

  Army

  Rank

  1989

  1990

  1991

  1992

  1993

  1994

  1995

  1996

  1997

  1998

  1999

  2000

  Total

  Lieutenant Colonel

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  Major

  0

  0

  2

  0

  1

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  4

  Captain

  0

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  0

  0

  2

  Lieutenant

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  1

  2nd Lieutenant

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  2

  Warrant Officer 1

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  Warrant Officer 2

  0

  0

  1

  0

  1

  0

  1

  1

  1

  2

  0

  0

  7

  Staff Sergeant

  1

  1

  1

  0

  2

  0

  0

  1

  0

  0

  1

  0

  7

  Sergeant

  3

  1

  4

  0

  1

  0

  2

  2

  3

  0

  0

  1

  17

  Corporal

  1

  5

  4

  4

  1

  3

  0

  3

  1

  2

  0

  0

  24

  Lance Corporal

  6

  1

  2

  2

  1

  4

  4

  4

  1

  1

  1

  0

  27

  Private

  10

  10

  7

  13

  10

  12

  7

  6

  8

  3

  3

  0

  89

  Junior

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  Total

  22

  20

  22

  19

  18

  19

  16

  17

  15

  9

  5

  1

  183

  Rate per 1,000 Strength

  0.14

  0.13

  0.14

  0.13

  0.13

  0.15

  0.14

  0.15

  0.13

  0.08

  0.04

  —

  —

  Average Strength (thousands)

  161.8

  159.1

  155.3

  150.9

  138.6

  125.7

  114.8

  113.5

  113.0

  113.4

  112.9

  —

  —

  320W
  package itself was designed by H&K at Oberndorf in Germany and it is likely to make sense to conduct most of the modification work there.

  Suicides
  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the annual suicide rate is of active service members of(a) the Army, (b) the Royal Navy and (c) the Royal Air Force in each year since 1989, stating in each case (i) the number of suicides and (ii) the number of attempted suicides recorded classified by rank; what measures have been taken to improve the armed forces' approach to preventing suicide; and if he will make a statement. [126902]

  Dr. Moonie
  Since 1 January 1989 there have been 285 recorded suicides in the Armed Forces. A breakdown of this number by Service and rank is given in the tables1. Information on the number of attempted suicides is not recorded.
  1 The information is as recorded up to 16 June 2000. Figures are for those cases of self-inflicted death recorded as suicide by a Coroner's Court. The information covers regular Armed Forces personnel including Gurkhas. It does not include Territorial Army, Reserve forces, Foreign Service personnel or the Gibraltar Regiment.321W

  RAF

  Rank

  1989

  1990

  1991

  1992

  1993

  1994

  1995

  1996

  1997

  1998

  1999

  2000

  Total

  Wing Commander

  0

  0

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  Squadron Leader

  0

  0

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  Flight Lieutenant

  0

  1

  0

  0

  2

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  4

  Pilot Officer

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  Chief Technician

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  1

  Flight Sergeant

  0

  1

  0

  1

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  3

  Sergeant

  0

  4

  3

  2

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  10

  Corporal

  3

  2

  0

  1

  3

  3

  1

  2

  0

  0

  1

  0

  16

  Junior Technician

  0

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  2

  Senior Aircraftsman

  2

  3

  4

  1

  4

  2

  1

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  18

  Leading Aircraftsman

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  Aircraftsman

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  Total

  5

  14

  8

  7

  9

  6

  3

  2

  4

  0

  1

  0

  59

  Rate per 1,000 Strength

  0.06

  0.16

  0.09

  0.08

  0.11

  0.08

  0.04

  0.03

  0.07

  0.00

  0.02

  —

  —

  Average Strength (thousands)

  90.6

  89.3

  87.8

  84.5

  79.4

  74.1

  70.0

  63.6

  57.2

  55.7

  55.0

  —

  —

  For most age groups (including the vulnerable group of single males below the age of 25) rates of intentionally self-inflicted death (ISID) are no higher than in the civilian population. All three Services take the problem seriously and have measures in place, both within and independently of the chain of command, to enable vulnerable individuals to seek help. These include procedures for putting people in touch with voluntary organisations and access to help lines (including the Samaritans). Service personnel can also seek help and advice from unit welfare officers, the Defence Medical Service, and from their chaplain.

  Commanders and managers are provided with awareness training, so that they are aware of the various sources of advice and help available for vulnerable people under their command. All three Services convene formal Boards of Inquiry following self-inflicted deaths to examine the circumstances and to assess whether steps can be taken to prevent similar occurrences in the future.

  Compensation
  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much money he has paid in compensation to service personnel in each of the last five years; how many personnel received payments; and if he will make a statement. [127175]

  Dr. Moonie
  The amount and number of common law compensation paid to Service personnel or their dependants for injuries sustained or death during service in each of the past five financial years is as follows:

  Year

  £ million

  Cases settled

  1995–96

  12.1

  235

  1996–97

  14.5

  348

  1997–98

  25.3

  369

  1998–99

  26.7

  412

  1999–2000

  31.0

  490

  In addition to the increase year on year in the number of claims settled, the general level of payments has increased in accordance with case law above the rate of inflation.

  Departmental Land
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to open up his Department's land for recreational use by the general public. [127230]

  Dr. Moonie
  There is already a presumption in favour of public access to the Defence Estate, subject to operational safety, security and conservation considerations. The recently published Defence Estate Strategy, "In Trust and on Trust", which was launched by the Secretary of State for Defence on 7 June, both reiterates this presumption and our commitment to future public access. Furthermore, it includes an assurance that the byelaws in force under the Military Lands Act 1892 and 1900 will be kept under review to ensure that access opportunities are not restricted unnecessarily. A copy of the strategy was placed in the Library of the House. The Ministry of Defence has also published a booklet entitled "Walks on MOD Land". This has recently been revised, and I anticipate that an expanded edition will be issued around the end of this year.

  Written Questions
  Mr. Maclennan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many written parliamentary questions were tabled to his Department between 19 October 1999 and 20 April 2000; and how many have not received substantive answers, citing disproportionate cost as the reason. [127440]

  Dr. Moonie
  I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

  Millennium Dome
  Mr. Peter Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will publish the correspondence between the Millennium Commission and his Department relating to the latest grant of additional funds to the Millennium Dome. [124386]

  Mr. Chris Smith
  [holding answer 5 June 2000]I wrote to the hon. Member on 7 June in my capacity as Chairman of the Millennium Commission on this issue. Copies of the letter have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

  Television Licences
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the television licence(a) schemes and (b) fees that are available to retired people. [125984]

  Mr. Chris Smith
  Under the Accommodation for Residential Care concessionary licence scheme, pensioners and disabled people living in residential homes and in qualifying sheltered accommodation are entitled to a £5 television licence. In order to qualify for the concessionary scheme, sheltered accommodation must.

  (a) form part of a group of at least four dwellings within a common and exclusive boundary (though up to 25 per cent. of units in a scheme can be properties purchased under the 'right to buy' legislation);

  (b) be specially provided for occupation by disabled people or retired people aged 60 years or over.

  (c) be provided or managed by a local authority, a housing association or a development corporation; and

  (d) have a person (e.g. a warden) whose function is to care for the needs of the residents and who either lives on site or works there for at least 30 hours a week.

  Approximately 650,000 people qualify for the £5 concessionary licence. From November this year, people aged 75 or over will be entitled to a free television licence. Approximately 3.5 million households will benefit from this concession.

  Mr. Hurst
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the number of pensioners who will be eligible for the concessionary free television licence. [127611]

  Janet Anderson
  Everyone aged 75 or over will be eligible for a free television licence from 1 November this year, but television licences cover households rather than individuals. Approximately 3.5 million households will benefit from the concession.

  BBC (Advertisements)
  Mr. Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if it is his policy to prohibit the introduction of commercial advertisements on BBC1 and BBC2. [126301]

  Janet Anderson
  [holding answer 20 June 2000]Under the Charter and Agreement the BBC is unable to introduce commercial advertisements on any of its public services without my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's approval. We would not permit commercial advertisements on licence fee-funded services.

  Television Arts
  Mr. Peter Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what steps he is taking to encourage national training schemes for television and film scriptwriters; [127107]

  (2) if he will make a statement on the future funding of the Television Arts Performance Showcase. [127108]

  Mr. Chris Smith
  [holding answer 21 June 2000]I am aware of the work of the Television Arts Performance Showcase and the significant contribution to television and film by writers who have participated in the scheme. It is at present largely for the industry to 324W
  determine which training schemes to support and we have asked the Audio- Visual Industries Training Group, which we established to consider how to meet broadcasting industry skills needs to include scriptwriting in its considerations. The Group is due to report towards the end of the year. The new Film Council has identified training for scriptwriters as a priority area for funds which will be available from the autumn to support training.

  Dunkirk (Little Ships)
  Mr. Peter Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations he has received concerning proposals to preserve for posterity a number of the little ships which took part in the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940; and if he will make a statement. [127305]

  Mr. Chris Smith
  [holding answer 22 June 2000]My Department has received a number of letters about the Dunkirk Little Ships Restoration Trust's application to the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for support of a project involving the restoration of four vessels and the acquisition of a fifth for use as a visitor centre. The application was rejected last October, but the HLF has since then been in discussion with the Trust to offer advice on how best to submit a further application. I understand that the Imperial War Museum and the National Maritime Museum are prepared to offer professional support to the Trust with a view to ensuring a viable future for these historic vessels.

  Battle of Britain Memorial
  Mr. Peter Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations he has received concerning proposals to erect a Battle of Britain memorial on the Thames Embankment; and if he will make a statement. [127304]

  Mr. Chris Smith
  [holding answer 22 June 2000]My Department has received correspondence about the proposal to erect a memorial on the Thames Embankment by the Battle of Britain Historical Society, though matters have yet to reach a stage where we are officially involved. Westminster City Council has identified a potential site for a monument but as yet no application for planning permission has been received from the Society. Large outdoor monuments to the Battle of Britain already exist in Folkestone and Croydon, and the Imperial War Museum last week opened a major permanent exhibition at Duxford which will educate and inform future generations and act as a continuing commemoration of The Few.

  Interactive Voice Response Systems
  Mr. Ben Chapman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many agencies of his Department use interactive voice response systems when dealing with telephone inquiries from the general public. [127549]

  Mr. Chris Smith
  The only agency of my Department is the Royal Parks Agency, who do not use any interactive voice response systems for public telephone lines.
  325W
  Mr. Ben Chapman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many departmental telephone lines used by the general public are responded to by interactive voice response systems. [127550]

  Mr. Chris Smith
  My Department does not use any interactive voice response systems for public telephone lines.

  Written Questions
  Mr. Maclennan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many written parliamentary questions were tabled to his Department between 19 October 1999 and 20 April 2000; and how many of them have not received substantive answers, with disproportionate cost cited as the reason. [127335]

  Mr. Chris Smith
  [holding answer 22 June 2000]1,044 written parliamentary questions were tabled to my Department between 19 October 1999 and 20 April 2000.

  Seven questions were answered in which disproportionate cost was cited as the reason for not providing all the information requested.

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

  Magistrates
  Dr. Cable
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the(a) ethnic background and (b) gender of (i) lay magistrates, (ii) stipendiary magistrates and (iii) recorders in (1) numerical and (2) percentage terms. [127144]

  Jane Kennedy
  The following tables set out the ethnic background and gender of (i) lay magistrates (ii) stipendiary magistrates and (iii) recorders. The trends are changing, however. For example, the table shows that 4.5 per cent. of lay magistrates are of ethnic minority origin. In 1997 and 1998, however, 6.5 per cent. of new appointments were of ethnic minority origin and in 1999 7.6 per cent. of new appointments were of ethnic minority origin.

  The information on lay magistrates is held on a relatively new database. The information on ethnic origin was taken from a survey conducted in 1997 and, since then, from declarations made by new appointees. The information held in the database has not yet been validated. It is expected that this will take place in the autumn.

  Post

  Total

  Of ethnic minority origin

  Percentage

  Lay magistrates

  25,917

  1,157

  4.5

  Stipendiary magistrates

  96

  2

  2.1

  Acting stipendiary magistrates

  146

  4

  2.7

  Recorders

  1,352

  35

  2.6

  Post

  Total

  Male

  Female

  Lay magistrates

  25,917

  13,218 (51.0%)

  12,699 (49.0%)

  Stipendiary magistrates

  96

  82 (85.4%)

  14 (14.6%)

  Acting stipendiary magistrates

  146

  121 (82.9%)

  25 (17.1%)

  Recorders

  1,352

  1,188 (87.9%)

  164 (12.1%)

  326W
  Dr. Cable
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many magistrates have been recommended for removal from sitting on the bench by a local advisory committee and how many have been removed in each of the last three years. [127146]

  Jane Kennedy
  No information is kept on the number of recommendations for removal received from Advisory Committees. In each of the last three years the numbers of magistrates removed from the bench were as follows:

  Year

  Number

  1997

  13

  1998

  11

  1999

  15

  Dr. Cable
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what information he collates on the number of magistrates referred to local advisory committees for failing to attain required competencies. [127145]

  Jane Kennedy
  Since the Magistrates New Training Initiative came into force in 1998 there have been no such referrals.

  Warrants of Possession
  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many warrants of possession were issued in respect of residential properties in(a) Great Britain and (b) each county court, in each year since 1990 to date. [127206]

  Jane Kennedy
  The Lord Chancellor's Department is responsible for the courts in England and Wales. The number of warrants of possession issued on residential properties in each year since 1990 is as follows:

  Year

  Number of warrants issued

  1990

  106,980

  1991

  133,101

  1992

  124,209

  1993

  124,271

  1994

  115,577

  1995

  117,301

  1996

  111,473

  1997

  115,646

  1998

  129,961

  1999

  136,718

  A table, setting out, for each county court, the number of warrants of possession issued on residential properties in each year since 1990, will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

PRIME MINISTER

  Performance and Innovation Unit
  Mr. Baker
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the topics which have been considered by the Performance and Innovation Unit since its inception. [126501]
  327W
  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 20 June 2000]The PIU has published the following project reports:Encryption and Law Enforcement (May 1999);
  e-commerce@its.best.uk (September 1999);
  Rural Economies (December 1999);
  Wiring it up: Whitehall's Management of Cross-cutting Policies and Services (January 2000);
  Adding it up: Improving Analysis and Modelling in Central Government (January 2000);
  Reaching Out: The role of Central Government at Regional and Local Level (February 2000);
  Winning the Generation Game: Improving Opportunities for People aged 50–65 in Work and Community Activity (April 2000);
  Recovering the Proceeds of Crime (June 2000).

  The Unit has also considered the key long-term Strategic Challenges that government will have to face. A Paper on "The Future And How To Think About It" has been published on the PIU website.

  The following projects have been announced, but have not yet published their reports:
  The future of the Post Office Network;
  Trade, Social, Health and Environmental Objectives on the Global Stage;
  Electronic Delivery of Government Services; and
  Effective Leadership in Delivering Public Services.

  The PIU is also providing support to the Prime Minister's current review of adoption.

  Ministerial Residences
  Mr. Baker
  To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 5 June 2000,Official Report, column 50W, if he will list in respect of council tax liabilities for each residence (a) which Ministers have council tax paid for them from Government funds and (b) which Ministers declare these properties to be their (i) main and (ii) secondary residence. [126467]

  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 20 June 2000]The Deputy Prime Minister, the Chancellor, the Foreign Secretary and the Secretary of State for Education and Employment have the council tax on their official residences paid for by their Departments, as their primary residences are elsewhere.

  The Minister for the Cabinet Office and myself declare our official residences as our main residences.

  Ministerial Meetings
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Prime Minister how many times he met President Clinton outside the UK and the United States of America between 1 May 1997 and 1 July 1998; and what were the(a) dates, (b) locations and (c) purpose of each meeting. [127129]

  The Prime Minister
  On 26–27 May 1997 I attended the NATO/Russia summit in Paris at which President Clinton was also present, although no formal meeting took place.

  Neill Committee's
  Mr. Baker
  To ask the Prime Minister for what reason he has not yet responded to the Neill Committee's Sixth report into Standards in Public Life. [127093]
  328W
  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 21 June 2000]The Government response to the report has not been delayed. The report deals with serious issues across a wide range of subjects, some with constitutional implications. The Government intend to respond to Parliament by the summer recess.

  Official Spokesmen
  Mr. Lansley
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the role of his Official Spokesman in relation to party political activities. [127428]

  The Prime Minister
  Alastair Campbell is the Government's Chief Press Secretary. He does this on my behalf and on the Government's behalf. He is bound by the Model Contract for Special Advisers and his role is entirely in accordance with that contract.

  Mr. Lansley
  To ask the Prime Minister if he plans changes to the(a) contract and (b) salary of his Chief Press Spokesman. [127429]

  The Prime Minister
  No.

  Mr. Lansley
  To ask the Prime Minister what changes have been made to the duties and responsibilities of his Chief Press Secretary. [127421]

  The Prime Minister
  None.

  Strategic Communications Unit
  Mr. Lansley
  To ask the Prime Minister to whom the Strategic Communications Unit is answerable. [127423]

  The Prime Minister
  The Strategic Communications Unit is managed by the Chief Press Secretary and is answerable to me.

  Mr. Lansley
  To ask the Prime Minister (1) if the Strategic Communications Unit has the power to veto announcements from Government Departments; [127424]

  (2) if he will make a statement on the work of the Strategic Communications Unit; and what plans he has to review its work. [127422]

  The Prime Minister
  The background to the decision to establish the Strategic Communications Unit was set out in my answer to my right hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Erdington (Mr. Corbett), on 14 January 1998,Official Report, columns 233–34W. Since its inception, the Strategic Communications Unit has provided general advice to me and is responsible for the co-ordination of announcements across government. It has also worked on specific projects such as preparing the Government's Annual Reports and is responsible for the No.10 website.

  Mr. Lansley
  To ask the Prime Minister what safeguards have been put in place to ensure that the Strategic Communications Unit is not engaged in party political activities. [127427]

  The Prime Minister
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to his hon. Friend the Member for Worthing, West (Mr. Bottomley) on 15 June 2000,Official Report, column 701W.

  Prisoners of War
  Mr. Winnick
  To ask the Prime Minister (1) if he will have another meeting with the Royal British Legion over compensation for former prisoners of war held by the Japanese; [127626]

  (2) if the final decision to pay compensation to former prisoners of war held by the Japanese will be made by him; [127629]

  (3) which Departments are involved in considering whether compensation should be paid to former prisoners of war held by the Japanese; [127628]

  (4) when he will make a decision concerning compensation to former prisoners of war who were held by the Japanese. [127627]

  The Prime Minister
  No further meetings with the Royal British Legion are anticipated at this stage, as a decision is expected shortly. The final decision will be taken in consultation with colleagues in the Departments listed in the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence to the hon. Member for Winchester (Mr. Oaten) on 13 June 2000,Official Report, column 568W.

SCOTLAND

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mr. Maclennan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many parliamentary questions were tabled to his Department between the 19 October 1999 and the 20 April 2000 which requested information, pursuant to his previous answers. [127443]

  Dr. Reid
  Six, of which three were from the right hon. Member.

EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT

  University Admissions
  Mr. Clappison
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many pupils on assisted places at independent schools have obtained places at(a) Oxford University, (b) Cambridge University, (c) universities which are members of the Russell Group and (d) other universities, in each year for the last five years; and, in each case, what proportion this number represented of all pupils obtaining places at those institutions. [125303]

  Mr. Wicks
  [holding answer 9 June 2000]The information requested on pupils on assisted places is not centrally available.

  Mr. Clappison
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what proportion of candidates obtaining places at(a) Oxford University, (b) Cambridge University and (c) universities which are members of the Russell Group came from (i) grant-maintained and former grant-maintained schools and (ii) grammar schools in each of the last five years. [125304]
  330W
  Mr. Wicks
  [holding answer 9 June 2000]The available information is given in the following table, based on students gaining places on full-time and sandwich undergraduate courses through UCAS. Because of a change in classification of school types in UCAS statistics in 1998, comparative figures for Grant-Maintained schools and grammar schools are not available for earlier years.

  UCAS UK-domiciled acceptances to higher education institutions by previous education establishment Accepted applicants

  Percentage

  Year of entry

  Institution/school type1

  1998

  1999

  Oxford

  Grant Maintained

  14.2

  14.7

  Grammar schools

  5.5

  5.8

  Others

  80.3

  79.5

  Total known

  100.0

  100.0

  (Numbers incl. not known)

  3,044

  2,964

  Cambridge

  Grant Maintained

  14.8

  15.1

  Grammar schools

  6.9

  7.6

  Others

  78.2

  77.3

  Total known

  100.0

  100.0

  (Numbers incl. not known)

  2,982

  2,985

  Russell Group2 (excluding Oxford and Cambridge)

  Grant Maintained

  12.7

  13.1

  Grammar schools

  5.2

  5.1

  Others

  82.0

  81.8

  Total known

  100.0

  100.0

  (Numbers incl. not known)

  49,974

  52,618

  All institutions

  Grant Maintained

  9.8

  10.2

  Grammar schools

  4.7

  4.7

  Others

  85.5

  85.1

  Total known

  100.0

  100.0

  (Numbers incl. not known)

  298,220

  303,065

  1 Classification of school type as designated at the conclusion of the acceptance cycle.

  2 Russell Group institutions comprise the universities of Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, King's College, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield, Southampton and Warwick together with Imperial College, London School of Economics and University College London.

  Connexions Service
  Mr. Prior
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what safeguards will be put in place in respect of the new Connexions Service to ensure that personal advisers, learning mentors and Connexions advisers will provide impartial advice and guidance to learners to the standard and level of competence of careers service organisations. [125866]

  Mr. Wicks
  The Connexions Service will offer at least the same level of impartial careers information, advice and guidance for 13 to 19 year olds as is currently provided by careers services. Local managers from the Connexions Service will agree with schools how personal advisers operating on their premises will be deployed and managed. This agreement will show how careers advice and guidance will be delivered in the institution, and ensure that students know which individuals can offer
  331W
  advice which is impartial. However, in order to remove the significant barriers to learning that many young people face, the range of information, advice and guidance provided by the Connexions Service will be extended to cover matters relating to, for example, housing and health.

  Learning Mentors and personal advisers will work side by side in schools in order to provide coherent advice, support and guidance to pupils.

  Learning Mentors will work closely with the pastoral and other staff of the school with the individual achievement of the pupil as the common focus. They also provide one stop access to specialist support services where necessary.

  Mr. Prior
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what safeguards will be in place to ensure that personal advisers in schools with sixth forms, appointed and managed by headteachers, will deliver impartial, independent careers advice to pupils. [125867]

  Mr. Wicks
  The provision of impartial careers information, advice and guidance will be a core function of the Connexions Service. Connexions Service Personal Advisers will bring essential knowledge of the range of post-16 and career opportunities to school pupils, their parents and teachers. Local managers from the Connexions Service will agree with schools how personal advisers operating on their premises will be deployed and managed. This agreement will show how careers advice and guidance will be delivered in the institution, and ensure that students know which individuals can offer advice which is impartial.

  University Funding
  Mrs. Curtis-Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment which universities have received support from the(a) Higher Education Reach Out to Business and Community Fund, (b) the University Challenge Fund and (c) Science Enterprise Challenge Initiative; what is the value of each award; and for what period of time each award has been allocated. [126585]

  Mr. Wicks
  The following tables provide details of support universities and colleges have received from the(a) Higher Education Reach Out to Business and Community Fund, (b) the University Challenge Fund and (c) Science Enterprise Challenge Initiative.

  (a) Higher Education Reach Out to Business and the Community Fund

  Institution

  Total funding allocation(£000)

  Time period of award

  Anglia Polytechnic University

  550

  2000 to 2003

  Aston University

  1,100

  2000 to 2003

  University of Bath

  1,100

  2000 to 2003

  Bath Spa University College

  275

  2000 to 2003

  Birkbeck College

  466

  2000 to 2003

  University of Birmingham

  1,100

  2000 to 2003

  Bolton Institute of HE

  550

  2000 to 2003

  Bournemouth University

  550

  2000 to 2003

  University of Bradford

  550

  2000 to 2003

  University of Brighton

  550

  2000 to 2003

  University of Bristol

  1,100

  2000 to 2003

  Brunel University

  1,100

  2000 to 2003

  University of Cambridge

  1,100

  2000 to 2003

  Canterbury Christ Church University College

  275

  2000 to 2003

  University of Central England

  550

  2000 to 2003

  332W

  (a) Higher Education Reach Out to Business and the Community Fund

  Institution

  Total funding allocation (£000)

  Time period of award

  Central School of Speech and Drama

  275

  2000 to 2003

  City University

  550

  2000 to 2003

  City University—Collaborative

  550

  2000 to 2003

  De Montfort University

  1,100

  2000 to 2003

  University of Derby

  1,100

  2000 to 2003

  University of Durham

  1,008

  2000 to 2003

  University of East Anglia

  550

  2000 to 2003

  University of East London

  550

  2000 to 2003

  Edge Hill College of HE

  275

  2000 to 2003

  University of Essex

  536

  2000 to 2003

  University of Exeter

  1,092

  2000 to 2003

  Falmouth College of Arts

  25

  2000

  Harper Adams University College

  550

  2000 to 2003

  University of Hertfordshire

  1,100

  2000 to 2003

  Imperial College

  1,100

  2000 to 2003

  Keele University

  550

  2000 to 2003

  Kingston University

  550

  2000 to 2003

  King's College London

  1,100

  2000 to 2003

  University of Leeds

  1,098

  2000 to 2003

  University of Leeds—Collaborative

  98

  2000 to 2002

  Leeds Metropolitan University

  550

  2000 to 2003

  University of Leicester

  1,100

  2000 to 2003

  University of Lincolnshire and Humberside

  550

  2000 to 2003

  London School of Economics

  100

  2000

  London Guildhall University

  550

  2000 to 2003

  London Guildhall—Collaborative

  425

  2000 to 2002

  Loughborough University

  1,100

  2000 to 2003

  University of Manchester

  1,100

  2000 to 2003

  UMIST

  1,100

  2000 to 2003

  Manchester Metropolitan University

  1,100

  2000 to 2003

  Manchester Metropolitan University—Collaborative

  550

  2000 to 2003

  Middlesex University

  550

  2000 to 2003

  University College Northampton

  25

  2000

  University of Newcastle upon Tyne

  1,100

  2000 to 2003

  Newman College—Collaborative

  185

  2000 to 2003

  North Riding College

  147

  2000 to 2003

  University of Nottingham

  1,100

  2000 to 2003

  The Nottingham Trent University

  1,100

  2000 to 2003

  The Open University

  1,100

  2000 to 2003

  University of Oxford

  1,001

  2000 to 2003

  Oxford Brookes University

  550

  2000 to 2003

  University of Plymouth

  1,100

  2000 to 2003

  University of Portsmouth

  550

  2000 to 2003

  University of Reading

  1,100

  2000 to 2003

  Royal College of Art

  275

  2000 to 2003

  Royal Holloway

  480

  2000 to 2003

  Royal Veterinary College

  550

  2000 to 2003

  College of St. Mark and St. John

  275

  2000 to 2003

  St. Martin's College

  275

  2000 to 2003

  St. Mary's College

  147

  2000 to 2003

  University of Salford

  1,100

  2000 to 2003

  University of Sheffield

  1,100

  2000 to 2003

  Sheffield Hallam University

  1,093

  2000 to 2003

  University of Southampton

  1,100

  2000 to 2003

  Southampton Institute

  550

  2000 to 2003

  South Bank University

  966

  2000 to 2003

  Staffordshire University

  1,100

  2000 to 2003

  University of Sunderland

  550

  2000 to 2003

  University of Surrey

  1,099

  2000 to 2003

  Surrey Institute of Art and Design

  147

  2000 to 2003

  University of Sussex

  1,100

  2000 to 2003

  University of Teesside

  550

  2000 to 2003

  Thames Valley University

  550

  2000 to 2003

  Trinity and All Saints

  147

  2000 to 2003

  University College London

  1,100

  2000 to 2003

  University of Warwick

  1,005

  2000 to 2003

  University of Westminster

  550

  2000 to 2003

  University of the West of England

  1,100

  2000 to 2003

  University of Wolverhampton

  550

  2000 to 2003

  University College Worcester

  275

  2000 to 2003

  The Queen's University of Belfast

  1,100

  2000 to 2003

  University of Ulster

  1,100

  2000 to 2003

  Total

  62,353

  333W
  A second round of proposals to the Higher Education Reach Out to Business and the Community Fund were

  (b) University Challenge Fund

  £ million

  University of Leeds/University of Sheffield/University of York1

  4.5

  University of Manchester/UMIST

  4.5

  University of Bath/University of Bristol

  3.75

  University of Birmingham/University of Warwick

  3.0

  University of Cambridge/The Babraham Institute

  3.0

  University of Cardiff/University of Wales College of Medicine

  3.0

  Imperial College, London

  3.0

  King's College London/Queen Mary and Westfield College London

  3.0

  London Business School/King's College London/Queen Mary and Westfield College/University College London University of Oxford

  3.0

  University of Strathclyde/University of Glasgow

  3.0

  University College London/Institute of Cancer Research/Cancer Research Campaign Technologies Ltd./School of Pharmacy London/Imperial Cancer Research Fund/Royal Veterinary College

  3.0

  University of Edinburgh/The Moredun Foundation/The Roslin Biotechnology Centre/The UK Astronomy Technology Centre of PPARC/Edinburgh Station of the British Geological Survey

  2.25

  Queen's University Belfast/University of Ulster

  2.0

  University of Aberystwyth/The Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research (IGER)

  1.0

  Total

  45.0

  1 White Rose Consortium

  Details of how the University Challenge Fund operates are set out in "The University Challenge Fund Guidelines 1998–99", a copy of which is in the House Library.

  My noble Friend Lord Sainsbury of Turville announced on 10 March 1999 that there will be a second University Challenge competition in due course.

  (c) Science Enterprise Challenge Initiative

  £ million

  Time period of award

  Bristol

  2.6

  1999–2004

  Cambridge1

  2.9

  1999–2004

  Glasgow

  4.0

  1999–2004

  Imperial College of Science and Technology

  2.0

  1999–2004

  London Business School

  4.6

  1999–2004

  UMIST

  3.2

  1999–2004

  Nottingham

  2.5

  1999–2004

  Sheffield

  2.9

  1999–2004

  Total

  24.7

  1 Cambridge will have an enterprise centre, but funded out of the money made available for the Cambridge-MIT Institute, not out of Science Enterprise Challenge money.

  Mrs. Curtis-Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what criteria are used to assess the success of the Higher Education Reach Out to Business & Community Fund awards. [126586]

  Mr. Wicks
  The Higher Education Reach Out to Business and the Community Fund is a new fund. The first activities supported under the fund started in January this year. Annex B of the Higher Education Funding Council for England's invitation to bid (HEFCE Circular 99/40) provided details of the monitoring and evaluation arrangements. This document is available in the Library and on the Council's website.334W
  invited in February 2000, the results of which are due to be announced in July 2000.

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mr. Pearson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when he will reply substantively to the question from the hon. Member for Dudley, South (Ref. 122261). [126598]

  Mr. Wicks
  [holding answer 19 June 2000]I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 22 May 2000,Official Report, columns 332–33W.

  Mr. Maclennan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many parliamentary questions were tabled to his Department between the 19 October 1999 and the 20 April 2000 which requested information, pursuant to his previous answers. [127444]

  Mr. Wills
  Thirty questions were tabled to the Department between these dates requesting information pursuant to replies given to Parliamentary questions.

  Student Support (Disregards)
  Mr. Boswell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the disregard for bursaries and other payments for students against their assessment of income for the purpose of student support; and what plans he has to amend them. [126769]

  Mr. Wicks
  [holding answer 20 June 2000]For the 2000–01 academic year, students can receive bursaries of up to £1,025 a year, plus any amount of other payments that are made for specific educational purposes, such as books and other equipment, before entitlement to support is affected. For most younger students other income of up to £840 a year is also disregarded. The sum disregarded is higher for most mature and independent students at £7,500 a year.

  From 2001–02 we plan to change these arrangements to enable low-income students to retain in full the higher bursaries which some colleges are now intending to

  335W
  award, without losing any part of the support they receive for fees and the loan to which they are entitled. Further details will be announced in the Autumn.

  Vocational Training
  Mr. Willis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will take steps to compensate students for the loss of tax relief on the costs of vocational training. [126807]

  Mr. Wicks
  [holding answer 21 June 2000]The Government aim to widen participation in work-related learning by helping people overcome the financial barriers. New financial benefits for adult learners have been introduced through Individual Learning Accounts which will become available on learning starting from September. Individual Learning Accounts provide discounts of 20 per cent. on a wide range of work-related learning and discounts of 80 per cent. on a number of specified key courses in Information Technology and Maths. There is also a contribution of £150 towards the cost of learning for the first million people to use their Individual Learning Accounts. At the same time employers will receive tax relief on their contributions to their employees' learning costs and employees will not have to pay tax or national insurance on their employees' contributions.

  Sure Start
  Dr. Desmond Turner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the voluntary sector organisations involved in trailblazer Sure Start areas. [126878]

  Yvette Cooper
  [holding answer 21 June 2000]I have been asked to reply.

  Eleven of the 60 trailblazers are led by voluntary organisations. A total of 51 voluntary organisations are members of local Sure Start partnerships. Several of these are members of more than one local partnership. The organisations are as follows:

  National Childrens Homes Action for Children

  National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
  (NSPCC)

  Parent and Toddler Care at Home (PATCH)

  Council for Voluntary Service

  Francis Scott Trust

  Home Start

  National Childminders Association

  Priory House—St. Basil's Hostel

  Barnardos

  National Childminding Association

  Barnardos Inclusion Project

  Voluntary Action Camden

  Youth and Community Leader

  Enfield Temporary Accommodation Play Project

  Voluntary Action Sheffield

  Great Yarmouth Young Women's Project

  Wealden Federation of Voluntary Organisations

  West Green Playgroup

  1066 Housing Association

  Voluntary Sector Forum

  Education Services for Travelling Children

  Telford and Wrekin Council for Voluntary Services

  336W

  The Childrens Society

  Blackpool Art Gallery

  Credit Union

  Relate

  Victim Support

  Citizens Advice Bureau

  Home Housing

  CTR Triangle Ltd. Tenant Management Association

  National and Newham Newpin

  Toynbee Housing Association

  Hull Childcare Network and Information Service

  Newpin

  National Association of Care and Resettlement of Offenders

  Thorney Close Nursery Centre

  Norwich and Norfolk Voluntary Services

  Family Services Unit

  SEHA Health Promotion

  Thurrock Council for Voluntary Service

  Voluntary Action Waltham Forrest

  Penwith Housing Association

  Penzance Housing Association

  Ormiston Children and Families Trust

  Royal Society of Mentally Handicapped Children and Adults
  (MENCAP)

  Brook Advisory Centre

  Pre-School Learning Alliance

  Stoke on Trent and District Gingerbread Centre

  Council for Voluntary Service.

  Class Sizes
  Mr. Willis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what the average class size was for classes taught by one teacher in(a) 1979 and (b) 1992, for (i) pupils in Key Stage 1, (ii) pupils in Key Stage 2, (iii) primary schools and (iv) secondary schools in each parliamentary constituency. [127211]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  The information is not held in the form requested. Information on class sizes by Parliamentary constituency is only available from 1996 onwards. Class size figures by key stage in maintained primary schools have only been collected since 1996.

  Information on class sizes by Parliamentary constituency for January 2000 has been placed in the Library.

  Mr. Brady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many children have been turned down for their first choice of school, as a result of the limit on infant class sizes set out in the School Standards and Framework Act 1998, who(a) have applied for a place at a denominational school, (b) have a sibling in that school, (c) are new to the area and (d) are in any other category. [127487]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  The Department does not hold this information. The admissions framework we have established aims to ensure that local admission arrangements accommodate parental preference wherever possible, but there have always been cases where this cannot be met. Our infant class size initiative, which is being pursued in such a way that popular schools are able to expand, enables more parents to obtain a place for their
  337W
  child at their preferred school. A net gain of 12,000 places at popular schools is being provided as a result of the policy.

  We are well on course to deliver our pledge to limit infant classes to 30 pupils. £620 million is available to support the pledge, and allocations so far to Trafford LEA amount to some £2 million. This has helped to reduce the size of the average Key Stage 1 class in the Altrincham and Sale, West parliamentary constituency to 25.9. The figure in January 1997 was 29.6.

  Correspondence
  Sir Brian Mawhinney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when the right hon. Member for North-West Cambridgeshire will receive a reply to his letter of 11 May on behalf of his constituent Mrs. Morgan. [127371]

  Mr. Wills
  A reply to the right hon. Member's letter was issued on 21 June.

  Agricultural Wages Board
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what representations he has received in favour of retaining the Agricultural Wages Board; and if he will make a statement. [127070]

  Ms Quin
  I have been asked to reply.

  I refer to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Kettering (Mr. Sawford) on 12 June 2000, Official Report, column 456W.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Sex Offenders
  Miss Widdecombe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners subject to the provisions of the Sex Offenders Act 1997 have been released on the Home Detention Curfew Scheme to date; what offences they committed; what was the sentence(a) received and (b) served in each case; and if he will make a statement. [117718]

  Mr. Straw
  [pursuant to his reply, 6 April 2000, c. 599-600W]I stated that as of 3 April 2000, only one prisoner subject to the provisions of the Sex Offenders Act 1997 had been granted Home Detention Curfew. I was recently informed on 20 June that a second sex offender subject to the 1997 Act has been placed on the scheme.

  The offender—a female aged 18 with no previous convictions—was convicted of indecent assault against a 14-year-old, and was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment. She was considered as a candidate for Home Detention Curfew in view of the exceptional circumstance that she was imminently due to give birth. She had a suitable address with her mother and was judged at an enhanced risk assessment board to pose a low risk of reoffending. She was placed on the scheme on 5 August 1999 until her conditional release date of 30 August. She successfully completed the curfew and is not known to have been arrested, charged or convicted of any further offence since.
  338W
  Under existing arrangements, sex offenders subject to the 1997 Act may be released only in exceptional circumstances and then only with the personal authorisation of the Director General of the Prison Service. In this case, as in the other case previously notified, I regret that this requirement was not followed by the establishment. Although I am satisfied in this particular case that there was no risk to the public, I have asked the Director General for a report into the circumstances of the release.

  The original Prison Service Instruction which set out the Home Detention Curfew policy and procedures did not contain the requirement to seek the Director General's consent. Establishments were first informed of the requirement just before the scheme commenced, in a letter of 26 January 1999 from the then Director of Regimes. In October 1999, the Director General wrote to remind all establishments of the requirement, and in January 2000 a consolidated Prison Service Order which incorporated and highlighted the requirement.

  In both these cases, the releases occurred last August, before the Director General's letter of reminder and the consolidated Prison Service Order. No sex offenders subject to the 1997 Act have been placed on the Home Detention Curfew scheme since, and I am confident that all establishments are now fully aware of the requirement to seek the consent of the Director General before allowing any such offender onto the scheme.

  Under the amendment to the Criminal Justice and Court Services Bill, which the Government brought forward on 12 June 2000, sex offenders subject to the Sex Offenders Act 1997 will be excluded from the Home Detention Curfew scheme altogether.

  Asylum Seekers
  Mrs. Ellman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what specifications have been drawn up to identify accommodation for asylum seekers under the Government's dispersal policy. [126436]

  Mrs. Roche
  Contracted providers from both the private and public sector were and are responsible for identifying suitable accommodation for asylum seekers. They work to specifications drawn up by the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) in consultation with other organisations, including the Refugee Council.

  The requirements for the provision of accommodation are set out in model contracts for the provision of accommodation and related services to asylum seekers—one for private sector providers and one for local authority regional consortia. I am arranging for copies of these to be placed in the Library.

  Criminal Injuries (Compensation)
  Dr. Cable
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many victims of crime have been paid compensation by the Criminal Injuries Board(a) in 2000 and (b) in 1999; and how many suffered deductions because they sought to defend themselves when assaulted and were thereby deemed to have contributed to their injuries. [126569]
  339W
  Mr. Charles Clarke
  The figures relate to awards made by both the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (which administers the tariff-based scheme effective from 1 April 1996) and the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board (which administered the old scheme effective prior to 1 April 1996).

  Awards under the schemes are unlikely to be reduced in the case of a blameless victim who acted entirely in self-defence. A reduction on grounds of conduct is made when it is considered that the applicant's own behaviour contributed to the incident in which he or she was injured.

  1998–99

  1999–2000

  Total cases settled

  74,859

  75,917

  Total money awards

  40,164

  39,700

  Total cases rejected

  34,695

  36,217

  Total reduced awards

  2,453

  2,711

  Reduced due to conduct

  732

  792

  Rejected due to conduct

  4,123

  3,838

  The reductions and rejections due to conduct are included in the totals. The total number of reduced awards is also included in the money awards total.

  Anti-social Behaviour
  Mr. Coaker
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what response he has received from Gedling Borough Council on improvements to the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 following his letter to local authorities on 15 October 1999 and subsequent requests for councils' views on tackling anti-social behaviour. [126789]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  None.

  Immigration
  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in the case of Mr. A. S. A (reference A1012793/8(s)). [126962]

  Mrs. Roche
  Mr. A. S. A.'s application has now been resolved and the Integrated Casework Directorate wrote to him on 20 June.

  Written Questions
  Mr. Maclennan
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many written parliamentary questions tabled to his Department between 19 October 1999 and 20 April 2000 have not received substantive answers on the grounds that the information is(a) not held centrally, (b) not held in the form requested and (c) not available. [127099]

  Mr. Straw
  [holding answer 21 June 2000]My Department answered a total of 2,751 written parliamentary questions between 19 October 1999–20 April 2000. Sixty

  Percentage clear-up rate by police force and in total1,2

  Police force area

  1979

  1987

  1992

  1993

  1994

  1995

  1996

  1997

  1997–98

  1998–993

  Avon and Somerset

  43

  30

  17

  17

  21

  23

  24

  26

  26

  24

  Bedfordshire

  48

  29

  20

  21

  22

  22

  33

  35

  35

  33

  Cambridgeshire

  47

  35

  27

  25

  25

  19

  24

  27

  28

  29

  Cheshire

  58

  40

  29

  26

  30

  31

  34

  36

  34

  37

  Cleveland

  51

  34

  32

  27

  19

  25

  24

  25

  23

  23

  Cumbria

  56

  46

  37

  38

  37

  40

  36

  40

  41

  44

  Derbyshire

  50

  45

  22

  21

  21

  20

  21

  25

  26

  31

  340W
  non-substantive replies were given to hon. and right hon. Members where information was 'not held centrally', one where the information was 'not held in the form requested' and 20 where the information was 'not available'.

  It is my practice to provide as full a reply as possible to all parliamentary questions, and to provide all relevant information even where that specifically requested is not available.

  Mr. Maclennan
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions he has deposited papers in the Library in response to parliamentary questions tabled to his Department between 19 October 1999 and 20 April 2000. [127438]

  Mr. Straw
  I deposited papers in the Library in response to parliamentary questions on 150 occasions between 19 October 1999 and 20 April 2000.

  Humberside Police
  Mr. Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the 5,000 extra police he has announced will be allocated to Humberside Police Force; and how many are already in post in Humberside. [127393]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  Humberside have been allocated 74 additional recruits from the Crime Fighting Fund: 47 in 2000–01 and 27 in 2001–02.

  All forces in England and Wales have been asked to profile their planned recruitment over the 12 months of 2000–01. Based on the profile provided by Humberside police, the table shows the number of officers recruited, or planned to be recruited, by Humberside police that will be deemed to be Crime Fighting Fund officers.

  Humberside police

  Recruitment dates

  Officers deemed to be crime fighting fund recruits

  6 April 2000

  8

  15 June 2000

  11

  20 July 2000

  7

  25 August 2000

  12

  28 September 2000

  9

  Total

  47

  Crime Clear-up Rate
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total clear-up rate of recorded crimes in each police force in England and Wales and in total in(a) 1979, (b) 1987 and (c) in each year since 1992. [127210]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  The requested details are given in the table.
  341W

  Percentage clear-up rate by police force and in total1,2

  Police force area

  1979

  1987

  1992

  1993

  1994

  1995

  1996

  1997

  1997–98

  1998–993

  Devon and Cornwall

  46

  39

  18

  25

  27

  27

  30

  32

  34

  36

  Dorset

  46

  36

  32

  33

  30

  28

  27

  29

  30

  31

  Durham

  52

  42

  30

  30

  32

  30

  30

  31

  30

  33

  Essex

  42

  35

  29

  32

  36

  33

  29

  27

  28

  29

  Gloucestershire

  51

  38

  24

  20

  24

  27

  23

  24

  26

  31

  Greater Manchester

  45

  27

  35

  34

  34

  24

  17

  20

  20

  25

  Hampshire

  46

  34

  26

  26

  27

  28

  28

  30

  30

  35

  Hertfordshire

  54

  44

  26

  21

  24

  28

  30

  32

  33

  34

  Humberside

  45

  32

  23

  16

  17

  19

  20

  20

  21

  22

  Kent

  50

  33

  27

  25

  29

  26

  32

  31

  31

  34

  Lancashire

  56

  46

  37

  35

  33

  34

  33

  29

  29

  34

  Leicestershire

  54

  45

  30

  28

  30

  29

  31

  34

  34

  34

  Lincolnshire

  60

  37

  39

  37

  32

  39

  42

  48

  46

  40

  London, City of

  21

  19

  20

  22

  27

  23

  27

  26

  28

  33

  Merseyside

  42

  43

  42

  39

  33

  27

  29

  31

  31

  31

  Metropolitan Police

  21

  16

  16

  17

  23

  25

  23

  26

  25

  22

  Norfolk

  47

  36

  34

  28

  34

  31

  32

  37

  36

  37

  Northamptonshire

  48

  41

  30

  27

  31

  28

  34

  35

  35

  33

  Northumbria

  53

  44

  17

  20

  22

  23

  24

  26

  26

  30

  North Yorkshire

  51

  34

  33

  30

  25

  23

  25

  26

  26

  33

  Nottinghamshire

  51

  34

  26

  29

  28

  23

  28

  28

  26

  25

  South Yorkshire

  51

  43

  26

  20

  24

  24

  23

  29

  32

  32

  Staffordshire

  51

  42

  30

  29

  31

  32

  34

  35

  34

  32

  Suffolk

  57

  45

  39

  37

  35

  34

  33

  37

  39

  41

  Surrey

  47

  34

  22

  20

  30

  31

  29

  33

  35

  40

  Sussex

  53

  32

  23

  24

  24

  28

  29

  26

  26

  25

  Thames Valley

  45

  31

  19

  21

  22

  23

  25

  24

  25

  25

  Warwickshire

  46

  34

  23

  21

  24

  25

  24

  27

  29

  26

  West Mercia

  49

  42

  34

  29

  29

  28

  26

  28

  27

  34

  West Midlands

  37

  36

  27

  27

  25

  24

  23

  24

  25

  30

  West Yorkshire

  37

  39

  25

  18

  20

  21

  24

  27

  27

  27

  Wiltshire

  42

  36

  37

  35

  36

  32

  29

  32

  32

  38

  Dyfed-Powys

  62

  51

  53

  50

  53

  57

  58

  61

  62

  69

  Gwent

  60

  53

  44

  45

  47

  50

  50

  51

  51

  55

  North Wales

  59

  43

  33

  36

  39

  32

  33

  34

  36

  43

  South Wales

  46

  39

  30

  28

  24

  29

  32

  36

  36

  39

  England and Wales

  41

  33

  26

  25

  26

  26

  26

  28

  28

  29

  1 1979 to 1997 figures are for calendar years, and 1997–98 and 1998–99 are years ending 31 March.

  2 Figures up to 1997–98 are based on the recorded crime counting rules in use up to 31 March 1998. They also exclude offences of criminal damage under £20.

  3 The figures are based on the number of crimes recorded in the financial year using the expanded offence coverage and revised counting rules which came into effect on 1 April 1998, and including all offences of criminal damage. Owing to these changes, these clear-up rates cannot be compared directly with previous years.

  Police Officers
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the number of police officers in each police force in England and Wales and in total on(a) 31 March 1979, (b) 31 March 1987 and (c) 31 March in each year since 1992. [127212]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  The information requested for March 1979 and March 1987 is set out in the table. For 1992 and subsequent years, I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Ryedale (Mr. Greenway) on 10 November 1999,Official Report, column 590W.

  Police numbers for 1979 and 1987

  Force

  Police numbers as at 31 March 1979

  Police numbers as at 31 March 1987

  Avon and Somerset

  2,825

  3,009

  Bedfordshire

  902

  984

  Cambridgeshire

  1,064

  1,142

  Cheshire

  1,778

  1,830

  City of London

  829

  771

  Cleveland

  1,334

  1,462

  342W

  Police numbers for 1979 and 1987

  Force

  Police numbers as at 31 March 1979

  Police numbers as at 31 March 1987

  Cumbria

  1,056

  1,118

  Derbyshire

  1,563

  1,777

  Devon and Cornwall

  2,660

  2,774

  Dorset

  1,128

  1,202

  Durham

  1,312

  1,307

  Dyfed-Powys

  910

  932

  Essex

  2,461

  2,718

  Gloucestershire

  1,076

  1,152

  Greater Manchester

  6,419

  6,780

  Gwent

  965

  973

  Hampshire

  2,949

  3,098

  Hertfordshire

  1,462

  1,579

  Humberside

  1,849

  1,964

  Kent

  2,724

  2,879

  Lancashire

  3,097

  3,134

  Leicestershire

  1,701

  1,712

  Lincolnshire

  1,171

  1,173

  Merseyside

  4,427

  4,598

  Metropolitan Police

  22,214

  26,890

  Norfolk

  1,223

  1,312

  Northamptonshire

  905

  1,047

  Northumbria

  3,272

  3,402

  343W

  Police numbers for 1979 and 1987

  Force

  Police numbers as at 31 March 1979

  Police numbers as at 31 March 1987

  North Wales

  1,268

  1,286

  North Yorkshire

  1,342

  1,353

  Nottinghamshire

  2,117

  2,226

  South Wales

  2,936

  3,100

  South Yorkshire

  2,546

  2,862

  Staffordshire

  1,978

  2,113

  Suffolk

  1,064

  1,166

  Surrey

  1,440

  1,609

  Sussex

  2,758

  2,830

  Thames Valley

  2,639

  3,421

  Warwickshire

  841

  965

  West Mercia

  1,743

  1,929

  West Midlands

  5,981

  6,656

  West Yorkshire

  4,727

  5,142

  Wiltshire

  997

  1,044

  Total police force strength

  109,653

  120,421

  Compulsory Voting
  Mr. Love
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received concerning the introduction of compulsory voting; and if he will make a statement. [127831]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  We have recently been sent a copy of a Fabian Society pamphlet making the case for compulsory voting. In addition, we continue to receive a small number of letters both in favour of and against compulsory voting.

  We have no plans to introduce compulsory voting.

  Correspondence
  Sir Brian Mawhinney
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the right hon. Member for North-West Cambridgeshire will receive a reply to his letter of 20 May on behalf of his constituent Mr. Berisha. [127369]

  Mr. Straw
  I wrote to the right hon. Member today. I am sorry for the delay in replying.

  Sir Brian Mawhinney
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the right hon. Member for North-West Cambridgeshire will receive a reply to his letter of 9 May on behalf of his constituent Mrs. Djukic. [127375]

  Mr. Straw
  I wrote to the right hon. Gentleman today. I am sorry for the delay in replying.

  Sir Brian Mawhinney
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the right hon. Member for North-West Cambridgeshire will receive a reply to his letter of 26 April on behalf of his constituent Mr. Jones. [127372]
  344W
  Mr. Straw
  I wrote to the right hon. Member on
  22 June in response to his letter of 26 April on behalf of his constituent, Mr. Jones. I am very sorry that I was unable to do so sooner, and would like, through the right hon. Member, to extend my apology to Mr. Jones for the delay.

  Sir Brian Mawhinney
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the right hon. Member for North-West Cambridgeshire will receive a reply to his letter of 13 April on behalf of his constituent Mr. South. [127377]

  Mr. Straw
  I wrote to the right hon. Member on
  23 June, in response to his letter of 13 April on behalf of his constituent, Mr. South. I am very sorry that I was unable to do so sooner and would like, through the right hon. Member, to extend my apology to Mr. South for the delay.

  Sir Brian Mawhinney
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the right hon. Member for North-West Cambridgeshire will receive a reply to his letter of 14 April on behalf of his constituent Mr. Meakins. [127370]

  Mr. Straw
  I wrote to the right hon. Member on 23 June in response to his letter of 14 April on behalf of his constituent, Mr. Meakins. I am very sorry that I was unable to do so sooner and would like, through the right hon. Member, to extend my apology to Mr. Meakins for the delay.

  Sir Brian Mawhinney
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the right hon. Member for North-West Cambridgeshire will receive a reply to his letter of 9 May on behalf of his constituent Mrs. Putaj. [127376]

  Mr. Straw
  I replied to the right hon. Member's letter of 9 May on 23 June.

  Sir Brian Mawhinney
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the right hon. Member for North-West Cambridgeshire will receive a reply to his letter of 11 May on behalf of his constituent Mr. Block. [127368]

  Mr. Straw
  I wrote to the right hon. Member on
  22 June.

  Sir Brian Mawhinney
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the right hon. Member for North-West Cambridgeshire will receive a reply to his letter of 2 May on behalf of his constituent Mr. Harris. [127373]

  Mr. Straw
  I wrote to the right hon. Member on
  23 June in response to his letter of 2 May on behalf of his constituent, Mr. Harris. I am very sorry that I was unable to do so sooner and would like, through the right hon. Member, to extend my apology to Mr. Harris for the delay.

  Drift Net Fishing: Nylon Monofilament Gill Nets
  Drift Net Fishing: Nylon Monofilament Gill Nets
  Standards Fund: Funding Streams
  Standards Fund: Funding Streams
  Community Sentence Breach: Loss of State Benefits
  Community Sentence Breach: Loss of State Benefits
  Departmental Publications: Grammar and Punctuation
  Departmental Publications: Grammar and Punctuation
  NMEC: Shareholder Reports
  NMEC: Shareholder Reports
  NMEC: Shareholder Meetings with Board and Chief Executive
  NMEC: Shareholder Meetings with Board and Chief Executive
  NMEC: Chairman's Appointment
  NMEC: Chairman's Appointment
  Millennium Dome: Distribution of Sale Proceeds
  Millennium Dome: Distribution of Sale Proceeds
  Millennium Dome: End-of-Year Celebration
  Millennium Dome: End-of-Year Celebration
  Special Advisers
  Special Advisers
  Local Government Bill [H.L.], Section 28
  Local Government Bill [H.L.], Section 28