Written Answers of 28 June 2000

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Shootings
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the shooting dead of James Alfred Cornhill on 19 April. [123057]

  Mr. Ingram
  No. The matter is currently under investigation and the investigation is being supervised by the Independent Commission for Police Complaints.

  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the result of the ICPC inquiry into the shooting dead of Robin Charles Scott Maxwell in January 1994; and what were the findings of the coroner's inquest. [123056]

  Mr. Ingram
  The Independent Commission for Police Complaints issued a statement of satisfaction as to the conduct of the investigation.

  A Coroner's inquest found that, on the evening of 27 January 1994 two masked men entered the High Trees Garage with the intention of robbing the premises. The owner, Mr. Weir, spotted the robbers and alerted two policemen who were hidden in the store at the rear of the shop. On entering the shop the policemen were confronted by the two robbers, one carrying a cudgel and one holding a firearm to Mr. Weir's head. The policemen issued a warning and the robber who held the cudgel fled from the premises pursued by Constable Fox. The other robber, Robin Charles Scott Maxwell, turned and pointed a weapon in the direction of Constable 'A', who, fearing that his and the owner's life was in danger, discharged his firearm, killing Mr. Maxwell almost instantaneously. The jury found that the police had no plan to intercept or arrest the robbers before their arrival at the premises.

  Extraditions
  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons sought by the(a) RUC and (b) other UK police forces were extradited from the Irish Republic to the UK in (i) each of the previous three years and (ii) the current year. [125543]

  Mr. Mandelson
  The table provides details of the numbers of persons sought by the RUC and other UK police forces who have been extradited from the Irish Republic to the UK in the last three years and the current year. The figures include both terrorist and non-terrorist cases. It should be noted that the figures for England and Wales are not necessarily complete, as the information is not collated centrally.
  496W
  Given the complex nature of extradition proceedings, it is not possible to compare directly the number of extradition requests with the number of individuals extradited in any given year. With appeal proceedings the process may take a number of years to be completed.

  Applications made

  Extradited

  Great Britain

  1997

  22

  10

  1998

  29

  16

  1999

  17

  11

  2000

  4

  1

  Northern Ireland

  1997

  8

  3

  1998

  6

  6

  1999

  6

  3

  2000

  1

  1

  Police
  Mr.Woodward
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on how arrangements for Best Value will be made within the proposed new structure for policing under the Police (Northern Ireland) Bill. [126577]

  Mr. Ingram
  The Police (Northern Ireland) Bill will provide for the new Policing Board to make arrangements to secure continuous improvement, or 'Best Value', in the way in which its functions are exercised. The Policing Board, in its capacity as a high level regulatory body, will have lead responsibility for economy, efficiency and effectiveness arrangements. 'Best Value' will provide a framework for the Board to deliver continuous improvement, and the Board will be held accountable to the people of Northern Ireland for ensuring that they achieve 'Best Value' from the police service.

  The Government do not wish to be prescriptive about the exact arrangements. It will be for the Policing Board, in association with the Chief Constable, to determine the precise arrangements for managing 'Best Value', in accordance with best practice elsewhere.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  BSE
  Mr. Drew
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what access he has to the work of the Harvard University Center for Risk Analysis and United States Department of Agriculture on risk analysis relating to BSE. [123392]

  Ms Quin
  [holding answer 25 May 2000]: Officials of my Department have been contacted by members of the Harvard University Center for Risk Analysis team, and have assisted them by providing information on request. The team also visited the UK in 1999 and spoke to both officials and external experts. We understand that they were gathering information to determine their own approach to BSE; not undertaking a risk analysis of the UK situation.

  Farm Production Methods
  Mr. Robertson
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts about the inspection of their farm production methods with particular reference to welfare, hygiene and environmental aspects of production; and if he will make a statement. [126954]

  Mr. Morley
  EU standards are negotiated and adopted in these areas by the Council of Ministers. Once EU measures have been adopted, checking that member states have taken proper steps to implement and enforce them is the responsibility of the European Commission. There have been no discussions with ministers from other member states on these matters recently, although at last week's Council of Ministers my right hon. Friend the Minister strongly urged his colleagues to enforce EU rules on the welfare of livestock in transit strictly, as we do in the United Kingdom.

  Milk
  Mr. Robertson
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the EU intervention level for milk. [126958]

  Ms Quin
  There is no intervention price for milk under the CAP milk regime. The market is supported by means of intervention prices for butter and skimmed milk powder. The intervention price for butter is 3,282 euros per tonne and 2,055.2 for skimmed milk powder. The intervention prices expressed in sterling can vary on a daily basis since they are converted into national currency using the daily sterling/euro market rate of exchange.

  EU Intergovernmental Conference
  Mr. Bercow
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on his Department's negotiating objectives for the Nice Treaty. [127198]

  Mr. Morley
  The Government set out their objectives for the IGC in the White Paper presented to Parliament by the Foreign Secretary on 15 February.

  Common Fisheries Policy
  Mr. Bercow
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list projects being assessed by his Department for potential submission for funding under EU budget line B2–903A: strengthening the dialogue with the fishing industry and groups affected by the Common Fisheries Policy. [127189]

  Mr. Morley
  Budget line B2–903A covers the costs of:

  (a)Meetings arranged by European trade organisations to prepare for meetings of the Advisory Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture, which advises the European Commission on matters concerning the Common Fisheries Policy;

  (b)Regional workshops organised by the European Commission to address particular issues of local fisheries management; and

  (c)Disseminating information and explanatory material on the Common Fisheries Policy to the fishing industry and others with an interest.

  Applications for funding of national projects are not invited under this budget line.
  498W
  Mr. Gill
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the joint policy proposed by the Scottish Fishermen's Federation and the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations, A New Vision for Europe's Fisheries; and what assessment he has made of whether implementation of that policy would require the unanimous agreement of the Council of Ministers. [127843]

  Mr. Morley
  [holding answer 26 June 2000]: I refer the hon. Member to the replies I gave to the hon. Member for Teignbridge (Mr. Nicholls) on 22 June 2000, Official Report, columns 302–04W.

  Regional Offices
  Mr. Steen
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what the staffing levels are in each of his Department's(a) regional offices in England and Wales and (b) offices in (i) Bristol, (ii) Exeter and (iii) Plymouth. [127730]

  Mr. Morley
  [holding answer 26 June 2000]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, Central (Mr. Cousins) of 9 June 2000, Official Report, column 427W.

  This sets out the number of substantive staff on a full-time equivalent basis at each of the MAFF Regional Services Centres, on 1 May 2000, including the offices at Bristol and Exeter. There are currently seven staff based at the Ministry's District Fisheries Office at Plymouth.

  Mr. Steen
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much time officials in each of his Department's regional offices have spent in meetings with farmers in each of the last five years. [127731]

  Mr. Morley
  [holding answer 26 June 2000]: The information in the form requested is unavailable. However, in 1999, farmers made some 79,000 visits to the nine MAFF Regional Service Centres, the equivalent of around 5 per cent. of the total estimated farmer contacts with the RSCs.

  Diversification
  Mr. Breed
  To ask the Minster of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the organisations that can advise farmers on diversification. [128057]

  Mr. Morley
  There are numerous organisations, both in the public and private sector, that can provide business advice to farmers on diversification. Guidance on these sources of advice will be set out in a new booklet on farm diversification to be published by this Department later this summer as part of the Action Plan for Farming.

  Crop Contamination
  Mr. Breed
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what compensation he will make available to organic farmers whose crops and organic status are at risk from contamination from genetically modified crops on neighbouring farms; and if he will make a statement. [128044]
  499W
  Mr. Morley
  There is currently no commercial cultivation of genetically modified crops in the UK. Compensation for any detriment to a farmer as a result of activity on a neighbouring farm would be a matter between the farmer and those responsible for the activity.

  International Whaling Commission
  Mrs. Fitzsimons
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what the position of the United Kingdom will be at the forthcoming meeting of the International Whaling Commission. [128441]

  Mr. Morley
  The International Whaling Commission (IWC) will be holding its 52nd Annual Meeting in Adelaide between 3 and 6 July. I will be attending.

  At this meeting I will be confirming that the UK remains strongly opposed to whaling, and that our ultimate aim is to secure a permanent, worldwide ban on all whaling, other than some limited aboriginal subsistence whaling. We will be seeking to build upon the successful outcome of the recent CITES meeting where all whale downlisting proposals were rejected and the primacy of the IWC reaffirmed.

  There will be further discussions of proposals put forward by Ireland in 1997 for a package of measures on whaling. The Irish proposals would involve a ban on all whaling, including scientific whaling, outside coastal waters (in effect creating a global ocean sanctuary), with a possibility that countries might authorise whaling under IWC rules within their own coastal waters; there would be a ban on international trade in whale products. In these discussions we will maintain our previous position on these ideas: while we are prepared to discuss constructively all ideas for improving whale conservation, and strongly support some elements of these proposals, we have significant reservations about others, in particular those relating to coastal whaling. Nevertheless we are prepared to consider interim solutions on the way to our ultimate destination provided that these deliver very real benefits to whale conservation.

  It is, however, unlikely that any progress will be made on the Irish proposals, as the whaling countries and their allies remain opposed to key aspects of them. Japan, in particular, has demonstrated that it is not prepared to consider ending scientific whaling or a ban on international trade in whale products. In these circumstances, the United Kingdom will continue to support the alternative ways of achieving our aims that we outlined at least year's meeting and subsequently reported to the House on 9 June 1999, Official Report, columns 348–50W.

  A key element of our approach is support for the creation of regional sanctuaries, and we will be strongly supporting a proposal put forward by Australia and New Zealand to create a South Pacific Whale Sanctuary. The proposed sanctuary will afford greater protection to whales in a highly important breeding and feeding area, and one through which many other great whales migrate. The proposal has been endorsed by South Pacific Forum leaders.

  At previous IWC meetings the UK, together with a majority of IWC members, has consistently criticised the whaling operations authorised by Japan under special permits—so called "scientific" whaling. It is, therefore,
  500W
  very disappointing that Japan has presented proposals, for discussion in the IWC Scientific Committee, to extend these whaling operations to cover two further species, Sperm and Bryde's whales. Under the IWC's parent convention, IWC approval for these proposals is not needed and it is for Japan to authorise whaling under special permit., We will, nevertheless, be registering the Government's strong objection to these proposals and will be urging Japan to withdraw them.

  There will be further discussion of The Revised Management Scheme (RMS), which is being developed to regulate all aspects of any future commercial whaling. The IWC meeting will be preceded by a two day working group focusing, in particular, on the Inspection and Observation Scheme which would form an integral part of the RMS. It is important for the credibility of the IWC for it to be seen to be making progress on the development of the RMS, and the UK will continue to participate constructively in this work. We will be seeking a comprehensive RMS that would ensure that, if commercial whaling was ever authorised in future, it could not pose a threat to whale conservation and that catch limits and other rules would be strictly observed. The Government will also be making it clear that our participation in this work is without prejudice to our opposition in principle to commercial whaling.

  As we have at previous meetings, the UK will again be expressing its concern about the cruelty involved in whaling; we also intend to raise the inhumane methods used and lack of regulation in the hunts for small cetaceans, such as dolphins and porpoises, that take place in some countries. Other topics on which we hope to make progress include the impact of environmental change and pollution on whales and other cetaceans and the encouragement of whalewatching.

  We will report the outcome of the meeting to Parliament.

DEFENCE

  Exposure Facility
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask he Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the safety regulations covering the new exposure facility which was opened in February. [127137]

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

  TRACER Programme
  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has paid to date on the joint project to develop a system of Tactical Reconnaissance Armoured Combat Equipment; what is the planned final cost; if this project is running on time and at agreed budget levels; and if he will make a statement. [127181]

  Dr. Moonie
  This is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Defence Procurement Agency. I have asked him to write to the hon. Member.
  501W
  Letter from Robert Walmsley to Mr. Mike Hancock, dated 28 June 2000:

  I am replying to your question to the Secretary of State for Defence on the collaborative Tactical Reconnaissance Armoured Combat Equipment Requirement (TRACER) programme. This matter falls within my area of responsibility as Chief of Defence Procurement and Chief Executive of the Defence Procurement Agency.

  The joint programme with the United States to develop TRACER was formally launched with the signature of the programme Memorandum of Understanding in July 1998. Contracts for the current Project Definition phase were awarded to two UK/US industrial consortia in January 1999. These contracts will be of 42 month duration and are due to complete in July 2002. This phase of the programme is proceeding to schedule and within budget. UK expenditure on the joint programme to 31 March 2000 amounted to £30 million and the current estimate of the overall cost to the UK of this phase is £120M at current prices.

  UK involvement in phases beyond Project Definition will be subject to further approval and will take account of parallel studies into the use of Unmanned Air Vehicles for battlefield reconnaissance. A realistic estimate of the total cost of the project is not possible in advance of the decisions on the balance of investment between platforms ie armoured reconnaissance and Unmanned Air Vehicles.

  A feature of defence procurement is the need to accommodate new sophisticated systems within the resources expected to be available. Conflicting demands on the available resources inevitably lead to priorities being kept under review. The current budgetary review process in the US, which could have implications for the TRACER programme, is being closely monitored, and we are in regular contact with the US DoD.

  Procurement Spending
  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the percentage of GNP spent on defence procurement in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement. [127176]

  Dr. Moonie
  Changes introduced under the European System of Accounts (ESA) 95 mean that GNP is no longer calculated. Gross National Income (GNI) is now recognised as the accepted, more accurate, standard and this has been used to provide the comparison with expenditure on Defence Equipment set out in the table. The GNI figure for 1999–2000 will not be available until the end of June and an updated reply will be made available at that time.

  Financial year

  Expenditure on defence equipment £ million

  GNI £ million

  Expenditure on defence equipment as a percentage of GNI

  1998£99

  9,785

  866,461

  1.13

  1997£98

  9,003

  822,720

  1.09

  1996£97

  9,100

  771,837

  1.18

  1995£96

  8,537

  723,960

  1.18

  1994£95

  8,819

  689,421

  1.28

  1993£94

  9,200

  646,273

  1.42

  1992£93

  8,711

  609,755

  1.43

  1991£92

  9,758

  585,515

  1.67

  1990£91

  8,838

  556,784

  1.59

  Decorations
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence under what circumstances service decorations can be withdrawn from former members of the armed forces. [127875]

  Dr. Moonie
  As laid down in the Statutes and Royal Warrants which govern official British awards and at the discretion of the Defence Council, arrangements exist for the forfeiture of awards by any officer or member of the military forces, or former officer or member of the military forces. These include Orders, decorations and medals. Normally, forfeiture may be liable after conviction of offences by court-martial or by the Civil Power. The awards forfeited vary according to the gravity of the offence. The Statutes and Royal Warrants are reproduced in the Queen's Regulations for the Armed Services, copies of which are in the Library of the House.

  Barracks
  Mr. Fabricant
  To ask he Secretary of State for Defence (1) if the Whittington Barracks near Lichfield will be designated a core location for the armed forces in the Midlands and the North; and if he will make a statement; [127222]

  (2) when he expects to announce the names of the barracks to site the Army Training Regiment following completion of the review. [127470]

  Dr. Moonie
  The Army Training and Recruiting Agency (ATRA) is currently conducting a review into its strategic development over the next few years. This work will be taken forward in close co-operation with other studies being undertaken into the provision of training and the management of our training estate. Work is still at a very early stage and no decisions have been taken as to which sites will remain core ones within ATRA.

ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS

  Incinerators
  Mr. Loughton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what are the maximum toxic emission levels permitted for incinerators, broken down by individual toxic substances. [123488]

  Mr. Meacher
  [holding answer 23 June 2000]: Under Part I of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, emissions to air, water and land from larger plant regulated by the Environment Agency and emissions to air from medium and small plant regulated by local authorities are controlled through permits which impose emission limits on the basis of the site-specific BATNEEC principle (Best Available Techniques Not Entailing Excessive Cost) and relevant European legislation specifying emission limits. There are currently two municipal waste incineration Directives (89/369/EEC and 89/429/EEC) and a hazardous waste incineration Directive (94/67/EC) which specify emission limits, and a further Directive (Common Position (EC) No 7/2000) which will replace these earlier Directives and cover virtually all incineration plant is currently in the final stages of negotiations.
  503W
  This latest proposed Directive would result in a ten-fold tightening of the municipal waste incinerator dioxins standard so that incinerators covered by it would be required to emit no more than 1 billionth of a gram of dioxins in a cubic metre of emissions to air.

  Refrigerants
  Mr. Brady
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment his Department has made of the risks to public safety from the use of volatile and flammable hydrocarbons as refrigerants. [126979]

  Mr. Meacher
  Health and Safety Executive carries out general research on the risks from flammable substances as part of the development of guidance and safety standards. However, no specific assessment has been made of the risks to public safety from the use of volatile and flammable hydrocarbons as refrigerants.

  Land Remediation
  Dr. Fox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much of the contaminated land, required to satisfy his proposals for house building up to 2016, he estimates will be remediated using(a) process technologies and (b) excavation to landfill. [127581]

  Mr. Mullin
  One of the main objectives of national planning policy for housing (PPG3) is that authorities make far better use of previously developed land and buildings for meeting the country's housing needs. The Government have set a target that by 2008 60 per cent. of additional housing should be provided this way. It is not possible to forecast precisely how much of the previously-developed land used by 2016 will be contaminated land, nor how that land will be remediated.

  However, the Environment Agency has carried out a survey of remediation activity in England and Wales from January 1996 until December 1999. Information was collected from local authorities, industry and the National House-Building Council (NHBC). The survey was not statistically representative of all the remediation which took place during that time, but it does give an indication of current practice.

  Of the 367 sites identified from local authority and industry sources, 75 per cent. involved excavation and disposal off site and 21 per cent. involved process based methods.

  Of the 1,189 sites recorded by the NHBC, civil engineering techniques (including excavation and off site disposal, site re-grading and containment) were used on 95 per cent. of sites. Process based methods were used on 5 per cent. of sites.

  Pollution Prevention and Control
  Mr. Green
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the role of environmental impact assessments in the application of Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations; and if he will make a statement. [127579]
  504W
  Mr. Hill
  Installations covered by the draft Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations may also require an environmental impact assessment (EIA) under the planning system. The Regulations require the regulator to take account of any information supplied in the context of an EIA in determining the permit application. We are considering the case for reviewing the links between the planning and pollution control systems. A Regulatory and Environmental Impact Assessment for the Regulations has been placed in the Library of each House of Parliament.

  Taxis (Wheelchair Access)
  Dr. Whitehead
  To ask the Secretary of state for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what percentage of licensed hackney carriages in England and Wales were wheelchair accessible in(a) 1997, (b) 1998 and (c) 1999. [127583]

  Mr. Hill
  The licensing of hackney carriages—taxis—is a matter for individual local licensing authorities. Many of them have policies which require all or part of their fleet to be accessible to disabled people, for example all London taxis (some 19,000) were required to be accessible from 1 January 2000. Information on the number of vehicles that are accessible is not, however, held centrally.

  Dr. Whitehead
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to ensure that licensed private hire cars are wheelchair accessible. [127582]

  Mr. Hill
  We have no powers to require that licensed private hire vehicles be wheelchair accessible. The powers provided in the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 to introduce accessibility regulations only apply to licensed taxis, buses and coaches and rail vehicles.

  Our statutory advisers—the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee—will, however, be considering the issue of access to private hire vehicles as part of their work programme.

  Regional Planning Guidance (South-East)
  Mrs. Gillan
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if additional sums were allocated to county councils for the purpose of distributing copies of the draft regional planning guidance for the South-east. [127799]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  No extra finance was allocated to local authorities to distribute the document and leaflets to the libraries in their area. It is normal practice for such consultation documents to be sent to the county councils for distributing through their own distribution system to the local libraries. Further copies were sent by the Government Office to any individual or organisation that requested them.

  Mrs. Gillan
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many copies of the draft regional planning guidance for the South-east were sent to Buckinghamshire County Council. [127800]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  Initially 50 documents and 150 leaflets were sent. Following a subsequent request from Buckinghamshire County Council during the consultation period on Proposed Changes to Draft Regional Planning Guidance (PRG9), further copies were sent.
  505W
  Mrs. Gillan
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 14 June 2000,Official Report, column 640–41W, on Regional Planning Guidance (South-east), if a copy of the draft regional planning guidance for the South-east was provided for every branch library in Buckinghamshire; and for what reason copies of the draft regional planning guidance for the South-east were not distributed direct from his Department to branch libraries in the South-east. [127832]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  It is normal practice for the County Councils to distribute consultation documents through their distribution system to libraries within their area. Further copies were sent by the Government Office to any organisation or individual that requested them.

  Railtrack
  Mr. Martlew
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what discussions he has had with Railtrack concerning the possibility of the Government taking a share in the company; and if he will make a statement. [127805]

  Mr. Hill
  In the context of developing our 10 Year Plan for Transport, we have discussed with Railtrack and others ways of increasing investment in the railway. Our plans for rail investment will be set out in the 10 Year Plan, to be published next month, and in the shadow Strategic Rail Authority's subsequent strategic plan.

  Rail Fares
  Miss Geraldine Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the powers of the Rail Regulator with regard to fare increases. [127643]

  Mr. Hill
  Responsibility for the regulation of rail fares lies with the Franchising Director not the Rail Regulator. Under the Railways Act 1993, the Franchising Director has powers to regulate fares where it is in the interests of passengers to do so. He has imposed a cap on the price of key fares, and operators are not able to increase those fares overall above the rate of inflation. Since January 1999, the key fares have been capped at 1 per cent. below the rate of inflation for each of the next four years. The key fares include all Saver tickets, unrestricted standard returns where there are no Savers, and all standard weekly season tickets. Other fares, including discounted fares for off-peak travel, are set by the train operators.

  Busking and Begging
  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what measures are being taken to tackle busking and begging on or near public transport. [127215]

  Mr. Hill
  [holding answer 26 June 2000]: The problem of begging is a concern to all public transport operators and in particular the railways and London Underground. They are trying to increase public awareness of the associated problems and announcements are made on stations and trains requesting that the public refrain from giving money to beggars.
  506W
  Various powers are available to the police forces dealing with both begging and busking under the Vagrancy Act, the Children and Young Persons Act and specialist railway legislation. Police forces adopt a proactive approach, especially where issues of safety are concerned, and have an agreed policy with the Crown Prosecution Service to charge and prosecute first time offenders where safety may be compromised.

  A multi-agency group has also been formed to tackle the issues of begging and busking and meets four times a year. This group includes the Metropolitan Police, the British Transport Police, Thames Valley Constabulary, Social Services, Child Protection Teams and the Asylum Seekers Co-ordinator. They are currently producing a joint strategy to deal with begging.

  The railway operators, London Underground and other light rail operators have submitted new byelaws to the Secretary of State for confirmation and these are currently being considered. The new byelaws include provisions to allow the operators to license buskers on their property. It is hoped that this measure will allow them easier control of the problems associated with busking.

  Carbon Dioxide Emissions
  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what measures he will take to achieve his target for carbon dioxide reduction. [127898]

  Mr. Meacher
  The draft climate change programme that the Government published on 9 March sets out how we propose to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. It sets out proposals for policies and measures that will ensure the Government deliver their Kyoto target and move towards their domestic goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions to 20 per cent. below 1990 levels by 2010. These measures include action to improve energy efficiency in business and the home; increase renewable energy and reduce emissions from the transport sector. A copy of the draft strategy is in the Library.

  London Development Agency
  Mr. Gareth R. Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to support the London Development Agency in 2000–01. [128440]

  Mr. Hill
  Parliamentary approval for making grants to this Agency, which is to be an executive body working with the Mayor for London, is being sought in a Summer Supplementary Estimate for Housing, construction regeneration, regional policy, planning and countryside and wildlife Vote (Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, Class III, Vote 1). Pending that approval, urgent expenditure estimated at £7 million will be met by repayable advances from the Contingencies Fund.

  The Agency has the same statutory purposes as the regional Development Agencies in the rest of England. The status of the Agency is described in the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions' Annual Report 2000. Financial provision for predecessor bodies was made in the Main Estimates 2000–01, so this

  507W
  announcement will not add to the total of public expenditure. The Ambit of the Supplementary Estimate will, however, clearly identify the Agency.

  Roads
  Mr. Ivan Lewis
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what progress has been made on the M60 junction 12–18 study. [128481]

  Mr. Hill
  Phase 1 is complete and it will now be taken forward as a Multi-Modal Study. I expect work to begin this summer with completion in summer 2001.

  Mr. Alasdair Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much was spent on the A55 in each of the last 10 years on(a) construction work and (b)maintenance. [124726]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  I have been asked to reply.

  During the 10 years up to 1 July 1999, the approximate investments into the A55 in Wales was (a) £247 million on construction and (b) £36 million on maintenance. The figures for maintenance of the A55 in Wales are not held in a suitable form to be broken down annually without incurring disproportionate cost.

  Annual construction costs for the A55 in Wales for the 10 years leading up to 1 July 1999 were:

  £

  Year

  Costs

  1990

  72,031,304.98

  1991

  58,039,274.90

  1992

  38,265,737.02

  1993

  50,778,935.95

  1994

  13,380,375.87

  1995

  4,729,880.48

  1996

  1,400,083.32

  1997

  3,966,241.82

  1998

  4,224,182.77

  1999

  115,916.18

  Total

  246,931,933.29

  For that part of the A55 in England, the Highways Agency only hold information for the last two years (1998–99 and 1999–2000), when expenditure was:

  £

  1998–99

  1999–2000

  Construction

  219,500

  120,000

  Maintenance

  67,500

  1,032,500

  All functions with regards to trunk roads and motorways in Wales were transferred to the National Assembly for Wales on 1 July 1999.

HEALTH

  Meat Hygiene Sercice
  Mr. Paterson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when, and for what reason, the St. David"s Practice was 508W
  awarded the Mead Webber contract by the Meat Hygiene Service; and how many other vets or vet practices were invited to bid for that contract. [122049]

  Ms Stuart
  [holding answer 15 May 2000]: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that a tender valuation panel met on 16 March 2000 to consider tenders submitted for the provision of official veterinary surgeon services to the plant operated by Mead Webber Limited. All tenders were assessed against a range of pre-determined criteria including quality and price.

  The panel awarded the contract to the St. David's Farm and Equine Veterinary Practice on the basis that it provided overall best value when evaluated against these criteria.

  Nine other veterinary practices or veterinary surgeons were invited to tender for this particular contract.

  Public Health (West Midlands)
  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the priority given to public health and healthy living programmes in the plans of primary care groups and NHS trusts in(a) Coventry and (b) the West Midlands region. [125681]

  Yvette Cooper
  [holding answer 12 June 2000]: Health development groups working across agencies and organisations have been set in motion to develop the health improvement programme (HImP) in Coventry. I understand that primary care groups have had a key leadership and membership role in these groups. Each of the three PCGs in Coventry has identified its local priorities based on an assessment of health needs of its populations and aligned funding of its Primary Care Investment plans with the health improvement plans.

  Regeneration in Coventry will be further supported through the development of a healthy living centre (HLC), subject to the success of the bid which was submitted at the end of May. HLCs are funded through the New Opportunities Fund (NOF) and are aimed at mobilising community activity in improving health and reducing inequalities. The HLC bid arose from extensive partnership working and more than 300 information packs were distributed to voluntary, community and statutory groups across Coventry. Coventry's bid is designed to complement other initiatives such as the HImP and the community plan and will focus on young people, their families and carers.

  HImPs across the West Midlands include an assessment of the health needs of local populations. Priorities are determined locally and the funding of Primary Care Group investment plans is aligned with HImP priorities.

  Primary care groups and National Health Service trusts have huge potential to improve people's health and prevent illness, and the West Midlands Regional Office will continue to support that developing role.

  Children's Homes
  Dr, Cable
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children have died while in children's homes in each decade since 1970. [126198]
  509W
  Mr. Hutton
  The estimated number of children who died while being looked after by local authorities in children's homes in England during the period 1 April 1992 to 31 March 1999 was 70. Over the same period an estimated 58,000 looked after children spent at least some time in a children's home.

  The Department holds no information about looked after children's deaths by type of placement before this date.

  Asthma
  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what public information has been made available in the last three years, and where, by his Department on the relationship between asthma and environmental conditions; how much has been spent on providing such information; and what other agencies have been involved. [126103]

  Yvette Cooper
  [holding answer 19 June 2000]: In January 1998, the Department published an information pack, "Air Pollution and Health". It contains leaflets, contacts and statements on the relationship between asthma and air pollution from agencies such as the National Asthma Campaign, the Lung and Asthma Information Agency as well as the Department's Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants. Copies have been placed in the Library. The total design and printing costs of the pack were £23,500.

  The Department offers health advice to other Government Departments from time to time on health aspects of their policies, in particular to the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR) on health and environmental issues. A relevant example here is the production of a DETR leaflet "Air Pollution—what it means for your health", published in July 1998. This was designed as a guide to the Air Pollution Information Service which DETR Ministers relaunched in October 1997. The service is available by freephone, Ceefax, Teletext and via the internet. The leaflets and an accompanying poster were distributed in general practitioners' surgeries, asthma and heart clinics, Citizen's Advice Bureaux and libraries. Copies are also now included as part of the Department's "Air Pollution and Health" pack.

  The design and printing costs of the leaflets and posters were £25,142.

  Public Health Report
  Mr. Hammond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what reasons underlay his decision to discontinue the annual published report by the Chief Medical Officer on the state of the public health. [126665]

  Yvette Cooper
  The last Chief Medical Officer's report was published in August 1998 by Sir Kenneth Calman shortly before he left office. The present CMO came into post in late September 1998. He has taken stock of the publications issued by the Chief Medical Officer and introduced a number of changes. He is currently exploring the opportunities for greater use of web-based publishing methods.
  510W
  After listening to a wide range of views he also intends to introduce changes to the format of his annual report. Although the previous format served its purpose well in the past, it is very detailed and it is not always clear in what areas action is being called for. The practice of the CMO's annual report containing descriptions of a wide range of government policies which are contained in other documents added to the detailed nature of the reports.

  It is the intention of the CMO to produce the new format of the report in the autumn of 2000. It will be shorter, with a clear focus on areas for action and in a more accessible form.

  Emergency Contraception
  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement about proposals to make emergency contraception available over the counter without prescription from dispensing chemists. [126112]

  Yvette Cooper
  [holding answer 20 June 2000]: The Medicines Control Agency is presently consulting on an application to reclassify levonorgestrel 0.75 milligrammes for emergency contraception from prescription only to pharmacy availability for women aged 16 years and over. This follows independent expert advice from the Committee on Safety of Medicines. The consultation period ends on 29 June 2000. The responses will then be considered by the Medicines Commission and their recommendations presented to Ministers for a decision.

  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made with pilot schemes for the prescription of emergency contraceptives by pharmacists; and when emergency contraception will be more widely available. [126997]

  Yvette Cooper
  [holding answer 21 June 2000]: There are currently two pilot schemes run by health action zones (HAZs) in Manchester, Salford and Trafford (MST) and Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham (LSL) where emergency contraception is supplied by pharmacists, under a patient group direction. Both pilots form part of the HAZ's overall strategy to reduce the rate of unintended pregnancies locally. Both pilots are to be fully evaluated and the results will be published.

  The Medicines Control Agency is presently consulting on an application to reclassify levonorgestrel 0.75 milligrammes for emergency contraception from prescription only to pharmacy availability for women aged 16 years and over. The consultation period ends on 29 June 2000. The responses will then be considered by the Medicines Commission and their recommendations presented to Ministers for a decision.

  In addition the Integrated Sexual Health and HIV Strategy is looking at improving access to services including emergency contraception products.

  National Poisons Information Service
  Mr. Tyler
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) for what reason the National Poisons Information Service has not submitted its annual reports, due in July 1999 and March 2000, to his Department; and what steps he has taken to ensure that the contractual commitments of the NPIS have been delivered; [127022]
  511W
  (2)if he will list the members of the National Poisons Information Service Board; and how details of their meeting schedule, agendas and minutes can be obtained; [127020]

  (3)what were the terms of the contracts between his Department and the National Poisons Information Service between 1995 and the current year. [127023]

  Yvette Cooper
  [holding answer 20 June 2000]: The National Poisons Information Service (NPIS) provides a service to health care professionals. It consists of six poison information centres situated at Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, London and Newcastle, and the Tablet and Capsule Identification System (TICTAC) at St. George's. The UK Departments of Health, (in Wales the Specialist Health Services Commission on behalf of health authorities), commission the NPIS Centres to provide information and, on request, clinical advice to health care staff on the diagnosis, treatment and management of patients who have, or are suspected to have, been poisoned. The service is available 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.

  The NPIS Board was set up to advise the UK Health Departments on matters such as policy and the strategic direction of the service, and to scrutinise its work. The Board's membership consists of representatives from the four UK Health Departments who have executive powers and nine non-executive members representing health professionals. The Board aims to meet quarterly (providing there is sufficient business to warrant a meeting). It is an internal management committee and as such its agendas and minutes are not published.

  Formal agreements have existed between the Secretary of State for Health and providers of poisons information services over the period 1995 to 1999. The exact terms of these agreements will have varied between each year and between each NPIS Centre. Broadly, such agreements will have set out details of the levels and quality of service to be provided as well as financial arrangements.

  For the calendar year 1998, NPIS Centres were required to compile a report to the Department of Health to comply with the provisions of EC Resolution 90/C 329–03. All Centres met with this requirement. Under the terms of agreements with the Secretary of State for Health for the financial year 1999–2000, the three English NPIS Centres were required to submit information for management purposes. To date, one of the Centres has submitted a written report for the year 1999–2000 and the two other Centres have been requested to provide written reports by the end of June. These reports are for internal use only and therefore are not published.

  Mr. Tyler
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health since 1990, what work on pesticides has been carried out by the Medical Toxicology Unit (Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospital Trust) and the NPIS (London) under contract to agrochemical companies; what equipment, facilities and staff funded by his Department have been used for this purpose; what agreements with his Department have been made to cover this activity; if he will publish details of those contracts; and if he will make a statement. [127021]

  Yvette Cooper
  [holding answer 20 June 2000]: The laboratory of the Medical Toxicology Unit at Guy's and St. Thomas' National Health Service Hospital Trust has
  512W
  never carried out any work under contract on pesticides. Any work in relation to pesticides has been part of the trust's NHS function in providing services for diagnosing poisoning.

  Funding by the United Kingdom Departments of Health for National Poison Information Service services covers only the inquiry services, contribution to the maintenance and development of a poisons database (TOXBASE), and outreach to, and training of, health professionals in the use of the service. This funding is not provided for the purposes of other associated activities at the Medical Toxicology Unit (Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospital NHS Trust) or at any other of the Centres.

  Hospital Beds
  Mr. Harvey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital beds were available in(a) Great Britain and (b) each NHS trust in (i) 1979, (ii) 1990 and (iii) each year since 1992 for which figures are available. [126921]

  Mr. Denham
  [holding answer 21 June 2000]: Copies of the information available have been placed in the Library. This relates to all types of beds and is for England only. Hospital beds in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are a matter for the devolved administrations. The information is subject to the following caveats:

  Information on the average daily number of beds is now collected annually, on a financial year basis, from National Health Service providers. Prior to 1987–88 information was collected on a calendar year basis.

  Figures for 1989–90 were collected at district health authority level.

  From 1991–92 to 1994–95 NHS beds were provided by a mix of NHS trusts and directly managed units. The information in the tables is split into beds provided by NHS trusts and beds provided by directly managed units. From 1995–96 all beds were provided by NHS trusts.

  Such information is published annually in 'Bed Availability and Occupancy, England', copies of which are in the Library.

  Spiritual Healers
  Mr. Tredinnick
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Home Secretary about the Charity Commission's approach to the proposed registration of the National Federation of Spiritual Healers Charitable Trust Ltd. as a charity; and if he will make a statement. [126473]

  Yvette Cooper
  [holding answer 22 June 2000]: None. This is a matter for the Charity Commission, which is answerable to the High Court for its legal decisions and its interpretation of charity law.

  Eye Tests
  Mr. Hurst
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many free eye tests have been undertaken for pensioners under the current scheme; and what is the cost of the scheme to date. [127587]

  Mr. Denham
  We estimate that 2.5 million additional people aged 60 or over received National Health Service sight tests in the financial year from April 1999 and that the cost of our decision to restore eligibility for free tests to this population group is about £40 million per annum.

  National Plan
  Mr. Hesford
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress he has made on compiling the National Plan; and if he will make a statement. [127650]

  Mr. Denham
  We have now received working papers from each of the modernisation action teams; reports on the consultation with National Health Service staff from each of the NHS Executive regional offices; responses from around 50 national and local organisations; and over 219,000 responses from staff and members of the public. We are now in the process of synthesising the material and will publish the National Plan next month.

  MRSA (Greater London)
  Mr. Love
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many outbreaks of MRSA there have been in each of the last five years for which figures are available in(a) Greater London and (b) Enfield and Haringey Health Authority; how many wards were closed as a result and what the average length of closure was; and if he will make a statement. [127841]

  Mr. Denham
  The Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS) compiles aggregate data on numbers of incidents of MRSA (three or more patients infected or colonised by the same strain of MRSA in a month) that are reported voluntary by NHS Trusts.

  Data are available by health service region. The health regions that include Greater London have changed twice in the past five years. Data on MRSA incidents in the Thames regions (1995–98) and London and South East regions (1999) are summarised in the table.

  MRSA incidents, South East England 1995–99

  Region

  1995

  1996

  1997

  1998

  1999

  North East Thames

  266

  245

  1158

  —

  —

  North West Thames

  300

  294

  1141

  —

  —

  South East Thames

  248

  235

  1120

  —

  —

  South West Thames

  129

  186

  193

  —

  —

  North Thames

  —

  —

  2245

  289

  —

  South Thames

  —

  —

  2172

  220

  —

  London

  —

  —

  —

  —

  290

  South-East

  —

  —

  —

  —

  170

  Total

  943

  960

  929

  509

  460

  1 Data from January to June 1997

  2 Data from July to December 1997

  The PHLS does not collect data for individual health authorities.

  Health Action Zones
  Mr. Love
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Government have to announce a further bidding round for health action zones; and if he will make a statement. [127840]

  Mr. Denham
  There are no plans for a further bidding round for health action zones (HAZs). We are however committed to spreading learning and good practice from the existing 26 HAZs into other areas and seeing the services and approaches being developed by HAZs integrated into mainstream activity throughout the country. An example of this is the new premises flexibilities that were developed with HAZs and that I announced to all health authorities on 20 January.

  Coronary Heart Disease
  Mr. David Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the implementation of the National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease. [127430]

  Yvette Cooper
  (holding answer 23 June 2000]: The National Service Framework (NSF) which sets national standards for improved prevention, diagnosis and treatment of coronary heart disease (CHD) was published on 6 March.

  Action is progressing on a number of fronts:

  National Priorities Guidance (NPG) identifies developing and implementing local prevention policies on CHD and stroke by March 2001, increasing the number of coronary revascularisations (CABG/PTCA) by 3,000 by April 2002 and achieving the NHS milestones for April 2001 as priorities for the National Health Service.

  We have appointed Dr. Roger Boyle as National Director for Heart Disease. Dr. Boyle's first priority is to work with NHS and Regional Offices on drawing up plans for guidance on the immediate priorities including plans for expenditure of £50 million (announced last October) to increase the numbers of heart operations.

  Plans are also being worked up for spending the further £50 million (announced on 6 March) for establishing rapid access chest pain clinics, speeding up ambulance response times and purchasing defibrillators and other equipment.

  £3 million of the £50 million will also be used to reduce waiting times for treatment by developing projects to test out better and more streamlined ways of delivering services, the CHD partnership programme. Plans to take this forward are in hand.

  Health authorities and their partner organisations are establishing local implementation teams to draw up comprehensive local delivery plans, to be completed and agreed by October 2000

  We are in the process of setting up the National Coronary Heart Disease Implementation Group which will oversee national progress on implementation.

  Surgical Services
  Mr. Truswell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the effect of clinical governance on the continuing provision of in-patient surgical services at(a) smaller hospitals and (b) in general. [127797]

  Mr. Denham
  Clinical governance is central to our plans to provide a health service that continually improves the overall standard of clinical care it delivers, reduces unacceptable variations in treatment outcomes, and ensures that clinical decision making is supported by evidence of effectiveness. It represents a systematic approach to clinical quality assurance and improvement, but does not dictate how services should be managed or delivered. This is the responsibility of local commissioners who must ensure that high quality surgical services are provided safely, taking into account local circumstances such as geography and the need for remote smaller services to be linked into wider clinical networks.

  Acute Services
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many acute hospital beds are available at NHS hospitals within the Greater London Authority area. [127847]

  Mr. Denham
  I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 17 May 2000,Official Report, column 128W.

  The average daily number of available acute hospital care beds in the London region in the financial year 1998–99 was 17,022.

  Internet
  Dr. Gibson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he has taken to provide protection to patients who utilise the Internet for health information services and products. [127883]

  Ms Stuart
  [holding answer 27 June 2000]: The success of the Internet has been partly due to the ease with which people can access and create information. While it is not possible to restrict what patients see on the Internet, we recognise the need to signpost information sources, and to give easy access to relevant quality information that the public and patients can rely on, and which is presented in a clear and intelligible way.

  A number of information initiatives are being put in place to improve the quality and range of information available about health and health services:

  The National Health Service Executive has set up the Centre for Health Information Quality (CHiQ). The role of CHiQ is to work with the producers of information for the patients and the public to improve its quality, accessibility and evidence base. The CHiQ work uses the DISCERN tool for evaluating health literature. DISCERN was developed by the UK academic sector in collaboration with healthcare professionals and is funded by the NHS Executive.

  NHS Direct Online (www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk) is a highly successful gateway to health information on the Internet attracting 25,000 users a week and complementing the NHS Direct telephone advice service. NHS Direct Online is managed by the CHiQ on behalf of the NHS Executive.

  nhs.uk will provide a strongly branded gateway (www.nhs.uk) to NHS websites and licensed or accredited websites and services. Close working relationships with the Department of Health, NHS Executive, other NHS Information Authority programmes and the NHS are in place.

  The National Electronic Library for Health (NeLH) will provide a common point of public access to a wide range of health knowledge bases. The NeLH will emphasise the need for all clinical practitioners to critically evaluate sources.

  There is currently no formal process of NHS accreditation of the vast amount of clinical and health related reference material already available on the Internet. Feedback from the consultation exercise on the NHS National Plan has indicated that there is a need to identify NHS approved quality resources by means of a NHS "kitemark". The work being undertaken by CHiQ and the NHS Information Authority to develop NHS Direct Online and the National Electronic Library for Health will help to identify practical options for achieving this.

  Ultimately however the responsibility rests on individual clinicians, patients and members of the public to make their own judgments about the validity of the material they access.

  NHS Management Spending
  Mr. Harvey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on NHS management and administration in each region in England in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [127689]

  Mr. Denham
  [holding answer 27 June 2000]: Management costs expenditure is shown in the tables.

  £ million

  Health authority/region

  1997–98 Outturn

  1998–99 Plan1

  1999–2000 Plan2

  Northern and Yorkshire

  54.0

  53.7

  70.1

  Trent

  44.8

  43.9

  56.3

  Eastern

  42.3

  41.0

  52.8

  London

  77.6

  73.5

  92.8

  South East

  70.6

  68.2

  87.2

  South West

  37.7

  38.2

  49.7

  West Midlands

  45.9

  44.3

  57.2

  North West

  59.3

  56.4

  74.1

  England

  452.2

  419.2

  540.2

  11998–99 outturn figures will be published shortly.

  2Comprises health authority cost baseline of £418 million and £122 million to support primary care groups redistributed from the former general practice fundholder management allowance.

  £ million

  NHS trust/region1

  1997–98 outturn

  Northern and Yorkshire

  164.6

  Trent

  122.0

  Anglia and Oxford

  120.2

  North Thames

  235.0

  South Thames

  206.5

  South West

  147.8

  West Midlands

  135.4

  North West

  164.3

  England

  1,295.7

  1At 1 April 1998 regions were re-configured. These figures are expressed in the old configuration.

  £ million

  NHS trust/region

  1998–99 plan1

  1999–2000 plan

  Northern and Yorkshire

  169.0

  164.5

  Trent

  126.4

  126.4

  Eastern

  120.5

  119.2

  London

  282.7

  281.1

  South East

  204.0

  201.6

  South West

  111.3

  111.2

  West Midlands

  134.1

  133.6

  North West

  168.1

  168.3

  England

  1,316.1

  1,305.9

  11998–99 outturn figures will be published shortly

  Therapeutic Cloning
  Mr. Syms
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the Donaldson inquiry on therapeutic cloning to report. [127987]

  Yvette Cooper
  [holding answer 27 June 2000]: The Chief Medical Officer's expert group on therapeutic cloning has completed its work on the potential benefits,

  517W
  risks and the ethical issues raised by developments in stem cell research and cell nuclear replacement. We are now considering the report's recommendations.

  Hospital Waiting Times
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost of reducing(a) inpatient and (b) outpatient waiting times to (i) six months or less and (ii) three months or less; and if he will make a statement. [127499]

  Mr. Denham
  [holding answer 27 June 2000]: We are determined to reduce waiting lists and times for all patients. As part of the National Plan for the National Health Service, the Patient Care: Speed of Access Modernisation Action Team is looking at improving patient's access to NHS services.

  Respite Care
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of the population is entitled to respite care in each local social services authority. [127894]

  Mr. Hutton
  Respite care is provided by or on behalf of local authority social services departments. The supply of short-term breaks is not entitlement-based but is governed by the assessment of individuals' needs.

  Terminally Ill Children (Southend)
  Sir Teddy Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the investigations into the allegations relating to the treatment of terminally-ill children within the Southend Community Services Trust. [128060]

  Mr. Denham
  We are aware of the police investigation which is clearly a matter of major concern. We understand that the South Essex Mental Health and Community Care NHS Trust is co-operating fully with Essex Police. As the matter is at present under police investigation it would be inappropriate to comment further.

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

  Canadian Memorial Fountain, Green Park
  Mr. Paul Marsden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the Canadian Memorial Fountain in Green Park will be switched back on; and if he will make a statement. [126589]

  Mr. Chris Smith
  [holding answer 19 June 2000]: Responsibility for the subject of the fountain has been delegated to the Royal Parks Agency. As its Chief Executive, William Weston, has not yet taken up his appointment, I have asked the Agency's Head of Policy, Viviane Robertson, to reply on his behalf.

  Letter from Viviane Robertson to Mr. Paul Marsden, dated 28 June:
  The new Chief Executive has not yet taken up his appointment and I have been asked by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to answer your Parliamentary Question about the Canada Memorial Fountain, because Green Park is the responsibility of the Agency.
  518W
  The Canada Memorial is maintained by the Canada Memorial Foundation, not by the Agency, although we let them know whenever our contractors or park management staff report that it is not working. I understand that the water was flowing intermittently at the weekend and the Foundation have been informed of this.

  Buildings at Risk
  Mr. Peter Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what action he proposes in response to the publication by English Heritage of the Register of Buildings at Risk 2000; and if he will make a statement. [127306]

  Mr. Chris Smith
  [holding answer 22 June 2000]: I very much support the Buildings at Risk initiative which is a valuable tool in directing funding to the most important of England's historic buildings which are in urgent need of conservation. Removal of buildings at risk from the register is a key target in the Funding Agreement between my Department and English Heritage (EH), although the exact allocation of resources to this activity is a matter for EH' s Commissioners. It is also important that owners of these buildings play their part in funding conservation works.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Opinion Research
  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to his answer of 12 June 2000,Official Report, column 466W, on opinion research, what information is held centrally about the results of his Department's market and opinion research. [127644]

  Dr. Howells
  There is no central point where all the results of the Department's market and opinion research is held.

  National Weights and Measures Laboratory
  Dr. Cable
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has for the National Weights and Measures Laboratory in Teddington; and if he will make a statement. [127863]

  Dr. Howells
  The National Weights and Measures Laboratory is an Executive Agency of my Department. The status of Executive Agencies is regularly reviewed. A review of the status of the National Weights and Measures Laboratory has just been undertaken. The reviewer consulted widely. The staff and the customers of the Laboratory were among those consulted. The reviewer's recommendations have only very recently been sent to Ministers. No decisions have been taken. A further statement will be made after Ministers have considered the reviewer's report.

  Small Business
  Mr. Breed
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of the work carried out by the Small Business Unit is focused on(a) urban and (b) rural areas. [128053]

  Ms Hewitt
  The support and advice being provided by the Small Business Service, both on a national basis and through the new network of Business Links, will be
  519W
  available to all small businesses and those considering starting up in business. The new Business Links will be expected to tailor services to the particular needs of their areas; the Small Business Service will be working to ensure, during the planning stages, that the services provided reflect the needs of their local business communities.

  Post Offices
  Mr. Breed
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he will publish the report by the Performance and Innovation Unit on rural post offices. [128054]

  Mr. Alan Johnson
  I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend earlier today,Official Report, columns 907–09.

PRIME MINISTER

  Iraq
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to the answers of the Foreign Secretary of 8 May 2000,Official Report, column 258W, on sanctions, what the value is of the contracts in respect of Iraq checked to date. [127221]

  The Prime Minister
  The Oil for Food programme began on 10 December 1996. As at 31 May 2000, 12,675 contracts with a total value of $15.6 billion had been received under the programme. As indicated previously, the UK checks all contracts to ensure that the goods will be used for their stated purpose.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  National Infrastructure Security
  Mr. Key
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the responsibilities of the National Infrastructure Security Co-ordination Centre; and if he will make a statement. [126287]

  Mr. Straw
  The responsibilities of the National Infrastructure Security Co-ordination Centre (NISCC) are to co-ordinate and develop existing work on protecting the Critical National Infrastructure within Government departments and the private sector from the threat posed by Electronic Attack. This will include developing arrangements to monitor and increase awareness of the threat, to defend against it and to respond to incidents. The monitoring and advice aspects of this work are achieved through Unified Incident Reporting and Alert Scheme (UNIRAS), which is operated by the NISCC.

  Mr. Key
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment his Department has made of the vulnerabilities of the United Kingdom's critical infrastructure. [126288]

  Mr. Straw
  At this time there is no evidence to suggest a significant risk from Electronic Attack to the United Kingdom's Critical National Infrastructure. The National Infrastructure Security Co-ordination Centre (NISCC) is, however, working in partnership with organisations which own systems that are critical to the national infrastructure,520W
  in order to obtain assurances that their systems are appropriately safeguarded against the threat posed by Electronic Attack.

  Animal Experiments
  Mr. Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many baboons and cynomolgus monkeys are held within United Kingdom laboratories awaiting xenotransplantation procedures; and if he will make a statement; [125262]

  (2) how many baboons and cynomolgus monkeys intended for xenotransplantation research have been killed without any xenotransplantation procedures being completed on them in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement; [25263]

  (3) what was the (a) longest and (b) average recorded journey time for non-human primates imported into the United Kingdom for research purposes during 1999 from (i) China, (ii) Mauritius, (iii) Indonesia, (iv) the Philippines and (v) Israel; and if he will make a statement; [125266]

  (4) how many cynomolgus monkeys were imported into the United Kingdom for the purpose of xenotransplantation research, broken down by (a) where the monkeys were imported from, (b) how many died during transport, (c) the date of deaths, (d) the causes of death and (e) action taken by his Department as a result, in (i) 1995, (ii) 1996, (iii) 1997, (iv) 1998, (v) 1999 and (vi) 2000;[125259]

  (5) how many cynomolgus macaques and baboons were used in xenotransplantation research in (a) 1995, (b) 1996, (c) 1997, (d) 1998, (e) 1999 and (f) 2000; and if he will make a statement; [125267]

  (6) how many baboons were imported into the United Kingdom for the purpose of xenotransplantation research; and (a) where they were imported from, (b) whether they were wild-caught, (c) how many died during transport, (d) the date of deaths, (e) what were the causes of death and (f) what action was taken by his Department as a result, in (i) 1995, (ii) 1996, (iii) 1997, (iv) 1998, (v) 1999 and (vi) 2000; [125260]

  (7) when current project licences to conduct pig primate xenotransplantation research will expire; and whether he is considering future pig-to-primate xenotransplantation licences. [125261]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  [holding answer 9 June 2000]: The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 requires that non-human primates are only used in scientific procedures if no other species is suitable. In deciding whether to grant a licence for any regulated procedure, the 1986 Act requires that the likely benefits of the programme be weighed against the likely adverse effects on the animals concerned (the cost/benefit assessment) and that there are no alternatives which either replace animal use entirely, reduce the number of animals needed or refine the procedures to minimise suffering. We must also be satisfied that the procedures are likely to achieve the stated objectives.
  521W
  In addition to regulatory testing to help ensure the safety of medicines, non-human primates are also used for other important areas of fundamental research aimed primarily at better understanding the causes of disease in man and developing potential new treatments.

  They contribute, for example, to programmes of work relating to Parkinson's disease, visual impairment, stroke, diabetes, disorders of reproduction, xenotransplantation and vaccine development.

  There are no cynomolgus macaques or baboons known to be awaiting xenotransplantation procedures at the present time in United Kingdom designated establishments.

  According to our records, journey times for non-human primates imported into the United Kingdom for research purposes in 1999 were:

  Number-imports

  Longest (hours)

  Average (hours)

  China

  5

  46

  43

  Mauritius

  21

  34

  29

  Indonesia

  0

  —

  —

  Philippines

  1

  34

  34

  Israel

  9

  16

  Less than 10

  In accordance with measures introduced in 1996, the Home Office requires only an estimated total journey time to be provided prior to each acquisition and that, after each acquisition, confirmation be provided that the importation was in accordance with what had been authorised. There has been no obligation to provide precise journey times. Data have also been drawn from copies of journey details required by and supplied to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, who would be the more appropriate Department to provide such data in future.

  The Welfare of Animals (Transport) Order 1997, which is administered by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, governs the transportation of live animals, including primates. It requires that the animals must be fit to travel, carried in a way that does not cause injury or unnecessary suffering and be accompanied by someone competent to look after their welfare. Import licences specify the intended use and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food receives details of deaths arising.

  I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Leyton and Wanstead (Mr. Cohen) by the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, my hon. Friend the Member for Knowsley, North and Sefton, East (Mr. Howarth) on 8 June 1999, Official Report, columns 262–63W, which provided details of deaths and serious injury in primates arriving in the United Kingdom for use in regulated procedures. I will, however, repeat the relevant parts of this information for ease of reference.

  Twelve wild-caught baboons were imported from Kenya in 1996 for the purpose of xenotransplantation research, the earliest year for which we hold such records. A further 28 were imported in May 1999. There have been no subsequent importations of baboons for this purpose. No deaths or serious injuries have been reported in baboons during transportation.

  In 1995, one cynomolgus macaque was found to be dead on arrival in the United Kingdom from Mauritius. The cause of death was believed to be enteritis.
  522W
  In 1996, one cynomolgus macaque was found to be dead on arrival in the United Kingdom from Mauritius. The cause of death was believed to be shigellosis.

  In 1997, one cynomolgus macaque was found to be traumatised on arrival in the United Kingdom from Mauritius, possibly as a result of being pair-housed during transport. It was euthanased and all primates are now individually housed during transport. Another cynomolgus macaque was found to be dead on arrival in the United Kingdom from the Philippines. The cause of death was probably a trauma to the head.

  In 1998, three cynomolgus macaques were found to be dead on arrival in Paris from the Philippines. The causes of death were not ascertained, but it is believed that they were probably due to a combination of factors:
  the animals concerned were larger than normal;
  although International Air Transport Association minimum dimensions were not breached, the containers were not large enough to allow these particular animals to stand up and turn around freely; and
  all the dead animals had been in central compartments, which were less well ventilated.

  The containers have been enlarged and redesigned to rectify these problems. Another cynomolgus macaque was found to be dead on arrival in the United Kingdom from Israel. There was no obvious cause of death.

  It is not possible to give an accurate figure for how many cynomolgus macaques intended for xenotransplantation have been imported and we cannot, therefore, confirm whether all of the animals listed above were to be used for this purpose.

  Airlines refusing to fly animals directly to the United Kingdom as a result of harassment from animal rights activists has led to longer journey times. This may have contributed to deaths associated with transportation in some instances.

  Eighty wild-caught baboons were used in xenotransplantation research in 1995, 29 in 1996 and 16 in 1997, three in 1998 and none subsequently.

  Thirty-one cynomolgus macaques were used in xenotransplantation research in 1996, 67 in 1997, 78 in 1998, 49 in 1999, and five in 2000.

  It is not possible to give an accurate figure for how many baboons and cynomolgus monkeys intended for xenotransplantation research have been killed without any xenotransplantation procedures being completed on them. The intended purpose is known to the Home Office in the case of animals acquired directly from overseas breeding centres by project licence holders. However, if animals are obtained from a designated supplier within the United Kingdom or from stock already held by the establishment, there is no requirement for reference to be made to the Home Office. The estimated number of animals expected to be used is provided in each project licence application but this does not necessarily mean that the animals are acquired in advance. We do not hold records of individual animals which are subsequently not used for the intended purpose.
  523W
  There are currently two project licences authorising pig to primate xenotransplantation procedures, one expiring in 2003 and the other in 2004. There are no new applications under consideration at this stage. Any future applications received will be considered on their merits.

  Police Pensions
  Dr. Cable
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his estimate for planning purposes of net pensions fund obligations, pensions less contributions, for(a) the Metropolitan police and (b) all UK police forces in (i) 2000–01, (ii) 2001–02, (iii) 2005–06 and (iv) 2010–11; and how these obligations will be financed. [127330]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  The available figures for England and Wales, provided by the Police Service Expenditure Forecasting Group, are:

  £ million

  Metropolitan police

  England and Wales1

  2000–01

  251

  1,054

  2001–02

  273

  1,143

  1The England and Wales figure is inclusive of the Metropolitan police

  Under the Central Local Partnership the Home Office works closely with the Forecasting Group to assess future resource demands for the following three years. The Group does not prepare longer range projections. Its assessments of future funding pressures, including pensions, are taken into account by the Government in the Spending Review process.

  The Police Funding Formula takes account of police pensions expenditure. 14.5 per cent. of funding is currently allocated through a component for pensions.

  The provision of revenue funding for the police forces in Scotland and Wales is the responsibility of the devolved administrations.

  Assaults, Alton Railway Station
  Mr. Galloway
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Chief Constable of Hampshire on the attack on Dr. Burhan al-Chelabi and Detective Constable Stephen Longshaw on 30 April; and if he will make a statement. [127170]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  The attack on Dr. Burhan al-Chelabi and Detective Longshaw took place at Alton Railway station in Hampshire and was investigated by the British Transport police. I understand that Dr. al-Chelabi was assaulted by Mr. Colin Smith who also subjected him to racist abuse. Detective Constable Longshaw, a serving officer with the Metropolitan Police Service, who was enjoying an outing with his family in the company of Dr. Burhan al-Chelabi and his wife, prevented Mr. Smith from attacking Dr. al-Chelabi with a sword. During the incident Mr. Smith also attacked Detective Constable Longshaw who received a cut across his nose.

  Mr. Smith was arrested by Detective Constable Longshaw and subsequently detained under the Mental Health Act 1983.

  Mike Tyson
  Ms Jenny Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what checks were made on personnel who have entered the UK with Mike Tyson with regard to establishing previous convictions for serious offences; [127398]

  (2) who entered the UK accompanying Mike Tyson [127476]

  Mr. Straw
  Mike Tyson was accompanied on his flight to the United Kingdom by his manager and two trainers.

  The personnel accompanying Mike Tyson were treated in accordance with current immigration procedures. Under these, arriving passengers are not routinely questioned at ports of entry to establish whether they have criminal records. Where there is reason to believe that someone has a criminal record hitherto unknown to the Immigration Service, further examination would take place to establish whether there were grounds for refusing entry to that person.

  Transsexuals
  Dr. Harris
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representation he has received about transsexual men and women being treated in law as being of the same sex as when they were born. [127645]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  Since 15 February 2000, we have received representations from 26 members of the public and one organisation. Several hon. Members have also written about this matter. In addition, following their meeting in January with the Interdepartmental Working Group on Transsexual People, representatives of six organisations representing the transsexual community (Gender and Sexuality Alliance, Gender Trust, Gender Identity Research and Education Society, Change, Liberty, and Press for Change) submitted further information.

  Policing Costs (Stonehenge)
  Mr. Key
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost was to(a) Wiltshire Constabulary and (b) English Heritage of police operations at Stonehenge on 20 and 21 June; if (i) public order and (ii) other offences were committed; and if he will make a statement. [127710]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  The estimated cost to the Wiltshire Constabulary of police operations at Stonehenge on 20 and 21 June was £50,000. English Heritage were not charged for police costs arising from this operation. No persons were arrested for public order offences and no offences in connection with the event at Stonehenge have been reported to police. Five people were arrested on the night of 20 June at the temporary car park on suspicion of drink driving and vehicle theft. One person was subsequently charged with a drink driving offence while the other four persons were released without charge. I should like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation of the roles played by both Wiltshire Constabulary and English Heritage in ensuring that the event passed off peacefully.

  Asylum Seekers
  Mr. Love
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) Turkish and (b) Kurdish refugees have applied for asylum in the United Kingdom in each of the last five years; how many of these applications have been granted in each of those years;

  Asylum applications1 received in the United Kingdom, excluding dependants, and initial decisions2,6 on applications, 1995 to 1999, nationals of Turkey

  Principal applicants

  1995

  1996

  1997

  1998

  19997

  Applications

  Total

  1,820

  1,495

  1,445

  2,015

  2,850

  Port

  745

  825

  890

  1,620

  2,045

  In country

  1,075

  670

  555

  390

  805

  Decisions

  Total decisions

  995

  1,405

  1,585

  1,085

  6625

  Grants of asylum

  50

  55

  65

  40

  615

  Grants of ELR

  35

  20

  25

  30

  *

  Total refusals

  910

  1,330

  1,475

  1,015

  6100

  Grants of ELR under backlog criteria3,4

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  6505

  Non compliance refusals under backlog criteria3,5

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  65

  Applications pending

  3,545

  4,280

  4,050

  4,870

  N/A

  1Figures rounded to nearest 5, with (*) = 1 or 2

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

  3Cases decided under pragmatic measures aimed at reducing the pre Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 asylum backlog.

  4May include a small number of cases where asylum has been granted.

  5May include a small number of cases where the applications has been refused on substantive grounds.

  6January to May 1999 only

  7Provisional data

  Note:

  n/a = Not applicable and N/A = Not available

  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers were held under immigration law in(a) Campsfield, (b) Haslar, (c) Oakington and (d) Her Majesty's prisons in each of the last 12 months. [127903]

  Mrs. Roche
  The information requested, on numbers of asylum applicants held under immigration law in Campsfield House, Haslar, Oakington and Her Majesty's prisons in each of the last 12 months, is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  The latest available information on immigration detainees relates to 30 April 2000. On that date, a total of 1,107 persons were detained in immigration detention centres and prison establishments in the United Kingdom solely under Immigration Acts powers. This figure is not recorded in such a way as to identify those who had applied for asylum at some point.

  The latest reliable snapshot of detained asylum seekers related to those asylum applicants detained in immigration detention centres, prison establishments and police cells solely under Immigration Acts powers as at 30 December 1998 for port applicants and 4 January 1999 for in-country applicants. On those dates 741 such persons were recorded. Data recording problems mean that an updated figure is not currently available.
  526W
  how many are still outstanding; and if he will make a statement. [127829]

  Mrs. Roche
  The available information is give in the table. Application for asylum are recorded on a nationality basis, therefore, Kurdish refugees are not separately identifiable within the statistics. An applicant"s ethnic origin could only be obtained by examination of individual case records.

  The most recent data available for persons detained at Oakington show that up to 18 June a total of 439 principal asylum applicants and 33 dependants of asylum seekers have been detained at varying times since it opened on 20 March 2000.

  Terminally Ill Children (Southend)
  Sir Teddy Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Chief Constable of Essex Police on the progress of police inquiries into allegations about the treatment of terminally ill children within the Southend Community Care Trust. [128061]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  I understand from Essex Constabulary that the investigations are at an early and extremely sensitive stage.

  Passport Agency
  Mr. Hope
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will publish the report on the United Kingdom Passport Agency Quinquennial Review. [128296]

  Mr. Straw
  I have today published the United Kingdom Passport Agency Quinquennial Review Report and I have placed copies in the Library.

  Immigration
  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in
  527W
  the case of Mr. K. (reference K422196/2); when this case is likely to be concluded; and if he will make a statement. [127910]

  Mrs. Roche
  Mr. K.'s application for a reconsideration of his case will be reviewed shortly and he will be contacted directly once a decision is made.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

  Animal Welfare
  Mr. Prosser
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she is taking to discourage developing countries from adopting industrial animal husbandry systems which have been shown by scientific research to have adverse implications for animal health and welfare; and if she will make a statement. [127849]

  Mr. Foulkes
  DFID' s involvement in the livestock sector is based on an appreciation of the diverse contribution livestock make to the livelihoods of the poor and vulnerable.

  We are supporting the international "Livestock, Environment and Development" initiative, which seeks to identify policy interventions to correct the market distortions that currently favour industrial livestock production in many developing countries.

  We are also developing a programme of support to FAO aimed at strengthening international norm-setting in the livestock sector: norms that will undoubtedly address issues of animal health and welfare.

  DFID has anticipated the impact of globalisation on animal welfare and trade in developing countries. We already have guidelines on the use of animals in development programmes, which will now be revised in the context of global shifts in livestock production and markets. Dialogue with UK and international welfare groups and other stakeholders is under way.

  Heavily Indebted Poor Countries
  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with other Government departments regarding relief of debt to UK companies who supply services and goods to heavily indebted poor countries as a result of tied aid. [127902]

  Mr. Foulkes
  None. Debt relief is not provided to UK companies. It is provided to governments of Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) who are committed to eradicating poverty, to benefit the poor. The Government have agreed to provide complete relief on all debts owed to the Export Credit Guarantee Department for those countries which qualify for the HIPC initiative. Aid debts have already been cancelled.

  Uganda
  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with the Government of Uganda concerning the abolition of primary school fees once debt relief has taken place. [127900]
  528W
  Mr. Foulkes
  There has been no need for discussions on this particular issue as the Government of Uganda abolished primary school fees in all Government schools, with the exception of those in municipal areas, in January 1997. HIPC1 is on-going and HIPC2 has yet to be finalised; both sets of resources will be used to support the Government of Uganda's primary education programme.

  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with the UN concerning the suspension of debt relief to Uganda. [127899]

  Mr. Foulkes
  My right hon. Friend had no discussions with the UN concerning debt relief to Uganda. We agreed that Uganda's debt relief could not be finalised by the Paris Club of government creditors at their May meeting as planned, because of Uganda's involvement in fighting at Kisangani. We want an early and lasting resolution to the situation, and we urge all sides to implement their obligations under the Lusaka Accord. When Uganda has fulfilled the undertakings it has given on Kisangani, we will support their return to the Paris Club. Uganda is receiving interim relief from the IMF and the World Bank, and we believe this should continue.

  Montserrat
  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many Montserratians who temporarily took refuge in the UK following the volcanic eruption in Montserrat have returned home; and if she will make a statement on(a) conditions in Montserrat and (b) the aid which is provided there. [127895]

  Mr. Foulkes
  Since May 1996, about 3,000 Montserratians have come to the United Kingdom because of the volcanic activity on the island. In May 1999, DFID introduced a Return Air Fare Scheme to provide assistance to those people who, having relocated to the UK or the Caribbean region, wished to return to Montserrat and had suitable accommodation on island. During the first year, 109 applications were received from people living in the UK and, as at the 31 May 2000, 83 people had returned to Montserrat.

  Statistics are not held by Her Majesty's Government or the Government of Montserrat on the number of people returning without assistance from the Return Air Fare Scheme.

  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with the Government of Montserrat concerning funding for the Reporter news-sheet. [127896]

  Mr. Foulkes
  None. Officials have discussed the matter with their counterparts on island, and the Chief Minister. The Montserrat Reporter received start up capital from HMG and for several years since has received budgetary aid from DFID, paid through the Chief Minister's Office in exchange for publishing Government news. The Government of Montserrat have recently concluded in a Public Service Inquiry that these payments did not represent value for money. DFID officials have now decided to withdraw the support, which was never intended as a permanent arrangement.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Incapacity Benefit
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the cost of(a) restoring the severe disablement allowance and (b) reversing the changes to Incapacity Benefit entitlement made since May 1997; and if he will make a statement. [127497]

  Mr. Bayley
  [holding answer 27 June 2000]: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Moray (Mrs. Ewing) on 8 February 2000, Official Report, columns 129–30W.

  Housing Benefit
  Ms Buck
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the impact of Housing Benefit shortfalls on the family budgets of households on Income Support/Incapacity Benefit. [127006]

  Angela Eagle
  Restrictions on the rent met by Housing Benefit can arise for a number of reasons. For example, any rent met by Housing Benefit will be net of ineligible

  Housing Benefit (HB) family recipients also in receipt of Income Support (IS) in Great BritainߞMay 1998

  Family

  Total

  Single with dependants

  Couple with no dependants

  Couple with dependants

  Total in receipt of HB and IS

  1,130,000

  816,000

  188,000

  127,000

  Total assessed under the Local Reference Rent scheme

  157,000

  129,000

  15,000

  13,000

  Total restricted under the Local Reference Rent scheme

  55,000

  45,000

  6,000

  4,000

  Average amount of restriction as a result of the Local Reference Rent scheme

  £ 5.90

  £ 6.30

  £ 4.60

  £ 3.30

  Housing Benefit (HB) family recipients also in receipt of Incapacity Benefit (IB) in Great Britain—May 1998

  Family type

  Total

  Single with dependants

  Couple with no dependants

  Couple with dependants

  Total in receipt of HB and IS

  187,000

  19,000

  110,000

  59,000

  Total assessed under the Local Reference Rent scheme

  13,000

  3,000

  6,000

  4,000

  Total restricted under the Local Reference Rent scheme

  5,000

  1,000

  3,000

  1,000

  Average amount of restriction as a result of the Local Reference Rent scheme

  £4.30

  £4.60

  £4.50

  £3.10

  Notes:

  1.Information refers to the number of benefit units.

  2.The figures are rounded to the nearest thousand and the average amounts of restriction or deduction are rounded to the nearest 10 pence.

  3.Some people claim both IS and IB. Therefore, there is some overlap in the tables above.

  4.Families are couples and benefit units with children; the tables exclude single people with no dependants.

  Source:

  Housing Benefit Management Information System, annual 1per cent. sample, taken on the second Thursday of May 1998.

  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) when he expects to receive a report from his inspectorate on Housing Benefit in Islington; and if he will make a statement; [127905]

  (2) what representations he has received on the competence of IT Net to administer Housing Benefit in Islington; [127906]

  (3) what steps are being taken by his Department to ensure that Housing Benefit claimants in Islington receive an appropriate level of service. [127907]

  Angela Eagle
  The Benefit Fraud Inspectorate has recently started an inspection of the administration of 530W
  service charges. It is a basic principle of the scheme that such costs should be met from clients" other income, including Income Support.

  Restrictions may also be made under the local reference rent scheme. This scheme is designed to give tenants an interest in their housing costs and to deter private sector landlords from charging higher rents to those claiming Housing Benefit than they would be able to get from tenants who are not in receipt of Housing Benefit.

  The available information on family units receiving Housing Benefit and Income Support and Incapacity Benefit who were assessed under the local reference rent scheme in May 1998 (the latest date for which figures are available) is set out in the tables. It is important to note that there is no direct correlation between the average amounts of rent restriction shown in the tables and families' actual incomes which will vary with individual circumstances. For a family on Income Support their actual income may be higher than Income Support levels because of the various disregards on both earned and unearned income. In addition, local authorities have discretionary powers to make additional payments where they judge that the rent restriction would cause the family exceptional hardship.

  Housing and Council Tax Benefit in the London borough of Islington. This inspection is part of a programme to inspect the 30 authorities with the highest Housing Benefit programme spend. The Benefit Fraud Inspectorate is working closely with the authority and expects to present the report to me for publication early in 2001.

  The Department is aware of media reports on the administration of Housing Benefit in Islington and of the hon. Member's interest in this issue. However, we have not received any other representations on Housing Benefit administration in Islington.
  531W
  Where local authorities choose to contract out support functions for their benefit services, the local authority remains statutorily accountable for the service. It is their responsibility to manage these contracts robustly.

  The Benefit Fraud Inspectorate's work will contribute to ensuring that Islington's claimants receive an appropriate level of service. Where the inspection report identifies weaknesses we shall expect the authority to remedy them. If appropriate the Secretary of State has powers to direct authorities on the standards they are to meet and the timescales for achieving them.

  More widely, Best Value performance indicators have also been introduced from this April for all local authorities. The indicators we have set for Housing Benefit delivery are designed to ensure that authorities provide their communities with a faster, more accurate service which is more secure against fraud, and which provides value for money and takes account of the views and needs of clients.

  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what his Department's estimate is of the profits made to date by IT Net from the Housing Benefit contract with the London Borough of Islington. [127908]

  Angela Eagle
  Information on any profits made by IT Net is not held by the Department.

  Advertising
  Mr. Loughton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much has been spent by his Department on advertising in each year since May 1997. [125696]

  Mr. Bayley
  [holding answer 20 June 2000]: The information is in the table.

  The totals given for 1999–2000 are estimated outturns. The budget for 2000–01 has not yet been finalised.

  The figure given for 1997–98 reflects the low advertising activity carried out in the immediate post election period and subsequent review of Departmental policies. The figures for 1998–99 and 1999–2000 are consistent with the amounts spent on advertising in the five years prior to 1997–98.

  year

  £

  1997–98

  1,958,231

  1998–99

  6,529,593

  1999–2000

  4,791,178

  Pensioner Incomes
  Mr. Coaker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will conduct an analysis of the comparative position of pensioners in(a) the UK and (b) other EU states; and if he will make a statement. [127617]

  Mr. Rooker
  Analyses of the comparative position of pensioners in the UK, in terms of income, are included in the publications "Households Below Average Income" 1994–95 to 1997–98 and "The Pensioners' Incomes Series" 1997–98, both of which are available in the Library.
  532W
  Aspects of pensioner income and poverty in different EU states are covered in selected papers in the "Statistics in Focus" series, published by Eurostat. Copies are held in the Library. There are no plans for the Department to conduct a separate analysis of the comparative position of pensioners in other EU states.

  Disability Living Allowance (Epileptics)
  Mr. Sarwar
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on(a) the special needs of people affected by epilepsy in applying for Disability Living Allowance and (b) Government proposals to improve the application process relating to them. [127722]

  Mr. Bayley
  Eligibility for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is based on a person's needs, and not on recognition of their specific medical condition. People with epilepsy, as with other potentially disabling conditions, are therefore asked by the Benefits Agency to state their care and mobility needs arising from their condition when completing a DLA claim form. Decision makers are given information on the care and mobility needs arising from disabilities, including epilepsy, in the "Disability Handbook", which is compiled by senior doctors in the Department and approved and monitored by the Disability Living Allowance Advisory Board. People claiming DLA are also able to make free calls to the Benefits Inquiry Line to help them with their application.

  It is particularly important, given the potentially vulnerable nature of claimants and their carers, that the application process for disability benefits is as straightforward and sensitive as possible. In consultation with a small group of disability organisations, we are trialling improved ways of gathering the information we need to deal with claims. This includes visiting claimants in their homes, to help us get a clearer picture of their disability and how it affects them.

  Social Fund
  Mr. Love
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to increase the level of the Social Fund; and if he will make a statement. [127838]

  Angela Eagle
  The gross discretionary Social Fund budget increases each year, mainly through the recycling of loan repayments. Since the fund started, almost 17 million loans worth over £3 billion have been made for a net cost of £492 million.

  Between 1997–98 and 2000–01 the gross budget has increased by over £128 million or 27 per cent. The size and allocation of the gross budget for 2001–02 will be announced in late March.

  Information on expenditure is contained in the Secretary of State's Annual Reports on the Social Fund, copies of which are available in the House Library.

  Details of the discretionary Social Fund budget for 2000–01 are available in the written answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 3 April 2000, Official Report, column 339W.

  Minimum Income Guarantee
  Miss Geraldine Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many(a) pensioners and (b) families in Morecambe and Lunesdale benefit from the Minimum Income Guarantee. [127633]

  Mr. Bayley
  The information is in the table.

  Numbers benefiting from the Minimum Income Guarantee in Morecambe and Lunesdale

  Number

  Pensioners

  3,000

  Pensioners with dependants

  100

  Notes:

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

  2.Pensioners with dependants—are defined as pensioners with dependants aged 18 or under.

  3.Figures are based on a 5 per cent. sample and are rounded to the nearest 100. They are therefore subject to a degree of sampling error.

  4.Figures under 500 are based on very few sample cases and so subject to a higher degree of sampling error and so should only be used as a guide to the current situation.

  Source:

  Income Support Quarterly Statistical Enquiry, February 2000

  Opinion Research
  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 8 June 2000,Official Report, column 324W, on opinion research, what steps have been taken to ensure that his Department makes such results publicly available in the form required by paragraph 19 of the Cabinet Office Guidelines into Public Attitudes and Opinion Research. [127792]

  Mr. Rooker
  In line with Cabinet Office guidelines, public attitude or opinion research commissioned by the Department is generally either published or made available on request.

  The Communications Directorate of the Department commissions research to develop and evaluate publicity campaigns or to inform other presentational issues. All reports are either placed in the Library or are available on request. If a report is not available, this may be because the full research has not yet been completed (ie reports not yet finalised by contractors, or the fieldwork is still in progress) or findings are still being employed to inform the communications activity.

  Minimum Funding Requirement
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he will announce the results of the review of the minimum funding requirement; and if he will make a statement. [127801]

  Mr. Rooker
  We have now received the report from the Faculty and Institute of Actuaries on the review of the minimum funding requirement and are considering it. We will be consulting on any proposals for change.

  Widows Benefit
  Mr. Waterson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what proposals he has to compensate widowers following the recent ruling of the European Court of Human Rights declaring Widows Benefit to be discriminatory. [127864]
  534W
  Angela Eagle
  There has been no such ruling from the European Court of Human Rights. The ECHR's published judgments on two cases explained that, having reached a friendly settlement, these cases have been struck out of the list.

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mr. Maclennan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many parliamentary questions were tabled to his Department between 19 October 1999 and 20 April which requested information, pursuant to his previous answers. [128007]

  Mr. Rooker
  Between 19 October 1999 and 20 April 2000 we received 57 questions which requested information pursuant to previous answers.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Serbia
  Mr. Maude
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Serbia's exports of wheat and maize to(a) Libya, (b) Iraq and (c) Syria. [126627]

  Mr. Vaz
  [holding answer 19 June 2000]: We do not have reliable statistics on the volume of Serbian or Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) grain exports to Iraq, Libya and Syria. However, according to official FRY figures, FRY exports to all developing countries represent only 7.3 per cent. of total exports and are unlikely to do much to reduce the FRY' s growing trade deficit. We do not believe that stocks available for export are high.

  Qualified Majority Voting
  Mr. Redwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the matters currently decided by the Department of Health which could be determined by a qualified majority vote in the EU if the Draft Treaty of Nice is agreed. [126576]

  Mr. Vaz
  [holding answer 19 June 2000]: Extension of QMV is on the agenda of the Intergovernmental Conference, but we are still at a relatively early stage in the negotiations. There is no draft Treaty. The Commission has put forward its opinion on the IGC, but Treaty change is a matter for the member states. The Presidency report to the European Council in Feira outlined areas for discussion in the second half of this year. However, except for the rules of procedure of the European Courts, no area has yet attracted consensus for a move to QMV.

  Visit Visas
  Fiona Mactaggart
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list, for each British post abroad which operates a preliminary assessment sift system for people applying for visit visas, how many people(a) were advised to withdraw their applications and (b) followed that advice in 1999. [127110]
  535W
  Mr. Vaz
  I regret that we do not maintain statistics on the number of people advised to withdraw applications. However, our records show that just over 55,000 applicants actually withdrew during 1999. This figure was broken down as follows:

  Number

  Abu Dhabi

  60

  Accra

  1,405

  Addis Ababa

  2,210

  Amman

  344

  Amsterdam

  254

  Bangkok

  46

  Banjul

  687

  Beirut

  3

  Bombay

  5,212

  Bucharest

  214

  Cairo

  302

  Calcutta

  109

  Canberra

  52

  Casablanca

  330

  Colombo

  13

  Copenhagen

  40

  Damascus

  924

  Dhaka

  1,002

  Dubai

  192

  Dublin

  177

  Dusseldorf

  564

  Geneva

  105

  Islamabad

  22,943

  Kampala

  21

  Kiev

  1

  Kingston

  858

  Lagos

  1,341

  Los Angeles

  2,435

  Madras

  1,101

  Madrid

  2

  Manila

  119

  Nairobi

  2

  New Delhi

  6,078

  Oslo

  84

  Paris

  1,741

  Quito

  819

  Rome

  349

  Sanaa

  779

  Sarajevo

  20

  Sofia

  1

  Stockholm

  38

  Tehran

  1,835

  Tunis

  493

  Wellington

  79

  Latvia
  Mr. Berry
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements there are for housing the commercial section of the British Embassy in Riga; how many staff are employed by the commercial section, broken down by(a) UK-based and (b) locally-employed staff; how much space the section occupies; and what plans he has to rehouse the section in preparation for the British Week to be held in Riga in 2001. [127858]

  Mr. Vaz
  The Commercial section in Riga is in the main Embassy building. The Embassy is currently undergoing refurbishment and reorganisation, which will improve the quality of Commercial Section accommodation and make it more accessible to visitors.
  536W
  There are four full-time commercial staff in Riga: one UK-based and three locally engaged.

  The Commercial Section occupies approximately 52m2. An additional 28m2 is available on the lower ground floor.

  There are no plans to rehouse the Section in preparation for British Week in 2001: we do not regard this as necessary.

  Kosovo
  Ms Squire
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the export of de-mining vehicles to the HALO Trust in Kosovo. [128297]

  Mr. Vaz
  The Government have granted a licence for the export to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) of an armour protected wheel loading tractor for use by the HALO Trust, an organisation engaged in humanitarian de-mining activities in Kosovo on behalf of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). This vehicle is rated on the UK's Military List.

  Although UN Security Council resolution (UNSCR) 1160 (1998) imposed an arms embargo on the FRY, UNSCR 1160 shall not apply to the sale or supply of arms and related material for use by the international civil and security presence in Kosovo. We have notified the UN FRY Sanctions Committee of this export and they have raised no objection.

  Thailand
  Mr. Hilary Benn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he made about the case of Sandra Gregory during his recent visit to Thailand; and if he will make a statement. [128147]

  Mr. Hain
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State was briefed on the case of Sandra Gregory before his visit to Thailand. However, he did not raise any consular issues during his visit.

  Ms Gregory submitted a Royal Pardon Petition in May 1997. Ms Gregory is waiting for His Majesty the King of Thailand to make his decision on her application. Our Embassy in Bangkok continues to make regular inquiries with the Thai authorities on the progress of Ms Gregory's Royal Pardon Petition.

  Jordan
  Mr. Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to visit Jordan to discuss trade issues. [127811]

  Mr. Hain
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs visited Jordan in January 2000 and I did so in March 2000 when trade issues were discussed.

  Indonesia (Arms Exports)
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the(a) use and (b) location of British arms exported to Indonesia; and if he will make a statement. [127891]
  537W
  Mr. Battle
  We are in close touch with our Embassy in Jakarta on this issue and we have seen no evidence that any of the reduced amount of military equipment supplied by this Administration has been used for internal repression in Indonesia. We have asked for and received assurances from the Indonesian Government that UK supplied equipment, wherever it is located in Indonesia, is not used for internal repression.

  Saudi Arabia (Human Rights)
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Saudi Arabia concerning abuse of human rights; and if he will make a statement. [127892]

  Mr. Hain
  We are firmly committed to constructive engagement on human rights with Saudi Arabia and discuss the issue regularly with the Saudis. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary did so most recently on 22 May at the EU/GCC Joint Ministerial Meeting in Brussels with the Saudi Foreign Minister.

  West Papua
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which representatives from the British Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, attended the congress for self-determination in Japura, West Papua; and if he will make a statement. [127904]

  Mr. Battle
  No representatives from the British Embassy attended the Papuan Congress in Jayapura. In light of the declaration made by the Congress, the EU issued a statement on 8 June stressing its support for a strong, democratic, united and prosperous Indonesia. It also reaffirmed its support for Indonesia's territorial integrity and for the efforts of the current Indonesian Government to solve problems, such as in Aceh and West Papua, through peaceful negotiation.

TREASURY

  Working Families Tax Credit
  Mrs. Curtis-Thomas
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families have received the Working Families Tax Credit in the Crosby constituency. [127168]

  Dawn Primarolo
  The number of families in receipt of Working Families Tax Credit at the end of April 2000 is provisionally estimated at 1,053,000. Available figures by constituency are given in tables which have been deposited in the Library.

  Ms Roseanna Cunningham
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the practicalities of paying Working Families Tax Credit by means other than through employers; what assessment he has made of the impact of the Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard to automatic processing of personal data (ETS No. 108, 28.1.1981) on his policy on payment of Working Families Tax Credit; and what assessment he has made of Recommendation No. R(90) 19, adopted by the Committee of Ministers, on the Protection of Personal Data used for payment and other related operations on 13 September 1990. [128025]
  538W
  Dawn Primarolo
  Paying Working Families Tax Credit (WFTC) through the wage packet helps to demonstrate the rewards of work and to make work pay for families on low incomes. An employee applying for WFTC will be paid the tax credit by his or her employer as part of the pay packet and will be able to see clearly the amount of tax credit being paid in each pay period. If the applicant is self-employed or is not working the tax credit is paid by the Inland Revenue either by Automatic Credit Transfer (ACT) into a bank account or by Order Book.

  The Government's policy on payment of WFTC does not conflict with the provisions of the Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard to automatic processing of personal data (ETS No. 108, 28.1.1981) or the associated Recommendation No. R(90) 19.

  Stress Audit
  Mr. Fallon
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the independently conducted Stress Audit of the Treasury. [127885]

  Mr. Timms
  I have done so.

  Correspondence
  Sir Brian Mawhinney
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the right hon. Member for North-West Cambridgeshire will receive a reply to his letter of 3 April on behalf of his constituent the Reverend Mr. Leeke. [127890]

  Mr. Andrew Smith
  I replied to the right hon. Member on 5 June. A further copy will be forwarded.

  National Minimum Wage
  Mrs. Curtis-Thomas
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the numbers of people in the Crosby constituency that have benefited from the minimum wage. [127171]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

  Letter from Len Cook to Mrs. Curtis-Thomas, dated 28 June 2000:
  As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question regarding the number of people who have been affected by the national minimum wage in the Crosby constituency.
  Definitive estimates on the number of people that have been affected by the national minimum wage are not yet available. Currently available estimates for assessing the effect draw on data from both the New Earnings Survey and the Labour Force Survey, and recognise the particular value that each survey adds to the quality and analytical details that can be provided. However, the latest adjusted estimates are mainly based on data for the spring (March-May) 1999 Labour Force Survey. Because the reference period spans the implementation date for the National Minimum Wage Act on 1 April 1999, these adjusted estimates are unlikely to accurately measure the effect of the Minimum Wage legislation since there are employees who could have been earning below the minimum wage rates in March 1999, before the law took effect.
  The currently available estimates for March-May 1999 were published in an Office for National Statistics (ONS) First Release on 14 October 1999 and show that the number of people earning

  539W
  below the minimum wage rates set in April 1999 had fallen significantly between 1998 and 1999. A copy of this first release is available in the House of Commons Library.

  Miss Geraldine Smith
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate how many people in Morecambe and Lunesdale have benefited from the national minimum wage. [127632]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

  Letter from Len Cook to Miss Geraldine Smith, dated 28 June 2000:
  As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question regarding the number of people who have been affected by the national minimum wage in the Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency (127632).
  Definitive estimates on the number of people that have been affected by the national minimum wage are not yet available. Currently available estimates for assessing the effect draw on data from both the New Earnings Survey and the Labour Force Survey, and recognise the particular value that each survey adds to the quality and analytical details that can be provided. However, the latest adjusted estimates are mainly based on data for the Spring (March-May) 1999 Labour Force Survey. Because the reference period spans the implementation date for the National Minimum Wage Act on 1 April 1999, these adjusted estimates are unlikely to accurately measure the effect of this Legislation since there are employees who could have been earning below the minimum wage rates in March 1999, before the law took effect.
  The currently available estimates for March-May 1999 were published in an Office for National Statistics (ONS) First Release on 14 October 1999 and show that the number of people earning below the minimum wage rates set in April 1999 had fallen significantly between 1998 and 1999. A copy of this first release is available in the House of Commons Library.

  Single Currency
  Mr. Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how the rate of entry for Sterling into the euro will be determined; what the scope is for negotiation of the rate; how long the exchange rate has to be maintained before entry; and if the relativity to be maintained to the euro allows for changes in the euro rate. [127557]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  The rate at which sterling would enter the single currency would need to be consistent with economic fundamentals in the UK and compatible with sustainable convergence between the UK and other euro area economies.

  Average Wage (Young People)
  Mr. Coaker
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the average wage paid to 16 and 17 year-olds in full-time work with no training. [127616]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

  Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Vernon Coaker, dated 28 June 2000:
  As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question regarding the average wage of 16 and 17 year-olds in full-time work with no training. (127616)
  The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is National Statistics' major source of labour market data on individuals and is the most appropriate source of data to answer this question. LFS estimates
  540W
  show that in the UK in winter (December to February) 1999/2000, the average gross weekly earnings of 16 and 17 year-old full-time employees who had not received any job-related training in the last 13 weeks and were not currently enrolled on an education course was £139. This estimate is not seasonally adjusted.

  Internet Access
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 19 June 2000,Official Report, column 105W, on the knowledge economy, how he defines access to the internet through a public access point; on what terms such access shall be available; and if he will make a statement. [127865]

  Mr. Andrew Smith
  Public internet access points are defined as any facility, whether provided by the public, voluntary, or private sector, which provides internet access for the general public. The Government are making community internet access points available through a number of initiatives, including ICT learning centres, and putting libraries on-line.

  Non-contributory Benefits
  Mr. Ian Bruce
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was paid from the National Insurance Fund to pay for non-contributory benefits in the last financial year. [127986]

  Dawn Primarolo
  [holding answer 27 June 2000): Appendix 4 of the Government Actuary's Benefits up-rating report (Cm 4587) lists the estimated payments from the National Insurance Fund for both contributory and non-contributory benefits.

  Motor Fuel
  Mr. St. Aubyn
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what study his Department has made of the implications for the United Kingdom economy of rising motor fuel prices;[127733]

  (2) if he will assess the impact for the United Kingdom economy of petrol prices reaching £4 per gallon before 31 March 2001. [127734]

  Mr. Timms
  The Budget economic forecast took into account developments in motor fuel prices up to mid-March and their implications for both economic activity and inflation. The Treasury's next assessment of economic prospects, including the impact from higher world oil prices, will be published in the pre-Budget Report later this year.

  Interactive Voice Response Systems
  Mr. Ben Chapman
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many agencies of his Department use interactive voice response systems when dealing with telephone inquiries from the general public; [127117]

  (2) how many of his Department's telephone lines used by the general public are responded to by interactive voice response systems. [127389]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  There are no Voice Recognition Systems used.

  Electronic Data Systems
  Mr. Field
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which Government Departments have(a) contracts and (b) framework agreements with Electronic Data Systems. [121789]

  Mr. Timms
  [holding answer 12 May 2000]: The following Government Departments currently have contracts with Electronic Data Systems (EDS):

  Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions

  Department for Education and Employment

  Department of Social Security

  Home Office (Prison Service)

  Inland Revenue

  Lord Chancellor's Department

  Ministry of Defence

  Treasury (Office of Government Commerce).

  Of the contracts listed, three are framework agreements (one with MOD and two with the Treasury (OGC)).

  Road Tolls (VAT)
  Mr. Webb
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the amount of VAT which the UK would be required to collect if the proposed extension of VAT to road tolls were to be applied retrospectively. [127384]

  Dawn Primarolo
  If, in its judgment due on 12 September, the European Court of Justice agrees with the earlier opinion of the Advocate-General—that VAT should be charged on road tolls—VAT will not be imposed upon motorists or toll operators retrospectively. It may, however, be necessary for the UK to recalculate contributions made to the European Commission budget from 1984. While it is not possible accurately to calculate the amount involved, it will be very small in relation to our overall contribution.

  Tax Demands
  Mr. Alasdair Morgan
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many income tax demands for amounts under £5 were dispatched in the last tax year; what the total value of the tax billed in these demands was; and what the estimated cost of recovering the tax was. [127649]

  Estimate of number of recipients of Family Credit (FC) at the end of April 1997

  Provisional estimate of number of recipients of Working Families Tam Credit (WFTC) at the end of April 2000

  North-East region

  45,900

  61,000

  Newcastle upon Tyne local authority

  4,300

  5,200

  Newcastle upon Tyne, Central constituency

  1,100

  1,300

  Note:

  All the estimates in the table are based on 5 per cent. samples of awards and are therefore subject to sampling error. This should be borne in mind when making comparisons over time, by area, and between types of award.

  For the North-East region, the average FC award at April 1997 was £58 per week, and the provisional estimate of the average WFTC award at April 2000 is £71 per week. The corresponding figures for WFTC awards with and without
  542W
  Dawn Primarolo
  Taxpayers within Self Assessment are issued with statements at specific points in their tax affairs showing the current position, which may include small amounts. Information on how many such debts there are at any given time is not available.

  Pensioners (Self-assessment)
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to simplify tax self-assessment for pensioners; and what advice and support the Inland Revenue provides for the completion of such forms. [127878]

  Dawn Primarolo
  The Government want to minimise the number of people who have to complete self-assessment tax returns. That is why last July I announced changes to the criteria determining who should receive self-assessment tax returns which meant that up to 200,000 older people should no longer have to complete returns. The Inland Revenue are considering whether there are other changes which can be made.

  For those pensioners who have to complete a tax return the Revenue is committed to giving the help they need. The Inland Revenue will help pensioners complete any forms if they cannot complete them themselves. They will visit the pensioner in his or her home if a face-to-face discussion is necessary and the pensioner is too infirm to get to the local tax office. Most Inland Revenue offices are equipped with magnifying lenses and induction loops—and all will be within the next few months. For those who prefer to contact the Revenue by telephone, they can contact their own tax office or use the helpline on 0845 9000 444. Research shows that the Revenue's help is valued as pensioners are the Inland Revenue's most satisfied customer group.

  Tax Credits
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many claimants of Family Credit there were in(a) the North-East region, (b) the City of Newcastle and (c) the constituency of Newcastle upon Tyne, Central in April 1997; what was the average payment of Family Credit in each area; how many claimants of the Working Families Tax Credit there are for (a), (b) and (c); and what has been the average payment of Working Families Tax Credit (i) with and (ii) without child care tax credit. [127880]

  Dawn Primarolo
  The estimated numbers of families in receipt of awards are as follows:

  the child care tax credit are £88 per week and £70 per week, respectively. There are too few sample cases to provide reliable estimates of average awards at the local authority or constituency level.

  IR35
  Mr. Ottaway
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the IR35 contracts examined by the Inland Revenue, what were the job categories of the contracts submitted; how many were found to be(a) exempt and (b) not exempt from the IR 35 rates; and if he has revised the expected revenue yield from IR35. [127868]

  Dawn Primarolo
  I refer the hon. Member to the remarks I made in the course of the Finance Bill Standing Committee Debate on 6 June 2000,Official Report, Standing Committee, column 450.

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mr. Field
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 19 June 2000,Official Report, column 106W, on what date he will answer the question tabled by the right hon. Member for Birkenhead on 9 May. [128034]

  Mr. Timms
  I have done so today, at column 541W.

EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT

  ONE Service
  Mrs. Gillan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what back-up systems exist to assist jobseekers in the case of the(a) breakdown and (b) malfunctioning of the ONE system; when he will review the operation of the ONE system; and if he will make a statement. [125891]

  Ms Jowell
  [holding answer 13 June 2000]: The ONE Call Centre service, one of the three main variants of the ONE model, is proving popular with clients and staff. It streamlines the service and makes it more convenient to clients, who are able to provide information by telephone.

  The ONE Call Centre service is delivered from four sites. Each pilot has agreed contingency plans in the event of a breakdown or malfunction of systems, which ensures that the delivery of services to jobseekers is not put at risk.

  The advantage of having four sites sharing the same telephony and IT is that, should a breakdown or malfunction occur in one site, the service can be offered by telephone from one of the other three call centres. Additional contingency plans involve the delivery of services face to face and the use of clerical records and forms rather than IT systems. These contingencies have been tested by the pilots in a number of situations since they became operational on 29 November 1999 and have proven robust.

  The operation of the ONE pilots is under constant review and regular reports are provided to Ministers. The pilots are due to run for three years (to March 2002) and a formal evaluation will be completed at that time.

  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment which organisations and individuals he has consulted while undertaking the cross departmental review on Welfare to Work and ONE; in what form he has consulted them; on how many occasions he has met them; and if he will make a statement. [126294]
  544W
  Ms Jowell
  [holding answer 19 June 2000]: All the Departments involved have consulted widely with both individuals and groups from all the Departments. This was reinforced by a seminar which included many people from the academic and wider policy community held on 18 January 2000 to discuss policy priorities. We have also sought other advice during the course of the review, for instance, from the New Deal Task Force.

  The Welfare to Work and ONE Spending Review is progressing well. In due course details of all aspects of the 2000 Spending Review will be included in a Spending Review White Paper in the normal way.

  Teachers (Early Leavers)
  Mr. Clappison
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many(a) primary and (b) secondary school teachers left the teaching profession before reaching the age of 40 in each of the last 10 years; and how many of them did so within five years of qualifying as a teacher. [126315]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  The following table shows the number of maintained nursery, primary and secondary full and part-time teachers in England who left the maintained nursery, primary, secondary, special and PRU sector1,2 under age 40 and the number who left within five years of qualifying as a teacher.

  Nursery/primary teachers aged under 40

  Secondary teachers aged under 40

  Financial year

  All leavers

  Leavers within five years

  All leavers

  Leavers within five years

  1988–89

  6,300

  1,300

  10,000

  2,300

  1989–90

  5,900

  1,800

  8,900

  2,400

  1990–91

  6,800

  2,200

  8,600

  2,400

  1991–92

  5,900

  2,000

  6,600

  2,000

  1992–93

  5,100

  1,800

  5,700

  1,800

  1993–94

  4,600

  1,800

  5,100

  1,700

  1994–95

  5,100

  2,100

  5,400

  2,100

  1995–96

  4,400

  1,900

  5,000

  2,300

  1996–97

  4,700

  2,100

  4,900

  2,400

  1997–98

  5,000

  2,200

  5,100

  2,500

  1Excludes those leaving sixth form colleges. Sixth form colleges became part of the FE sector as at 1 March 1993.

  2Includes those taking ill-health retirement, barred and dying in service, which amounts to less than 200 in either phase for any year

  Note:

  Figures are rounded to the nearest 100.

  There was a growth in total numbers of 3,500 full-time equivalent regular teachers in maintained nursery/primary schools and 3,100 full-time equivalent regular teachers in maintained secondary schools between January 1998 and January 2000.

  Cars for Work Scheme
  Mr. Allan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) how many people he estimates will participate in the Cars for Work scheme;[126844]

  (2) if he has made an environmental impact assessment of the implementation of the Cars for Work scheme;[126842]

  (3) how the Cars for Work scheme will be evaluated; and if he will make a statement. [126843]
  545W
  Ms Jowell
  Car loan or leasing schemes may form part of the forthcoming Action Teams for Jobs initiative. In these areas we are setting up specialist teams to tackle the barriers that stop jobless people in deprived communities taking up work. Each team will have the flexibility to focus its resource on solving the problems unique to its area. This will include solutions to transport problems but will also cover other barriers to finding, keeping and progressing in work. Action Teams will be fully evaluated and the findings published in due course.

  New Deal
  Dr. Strang
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many people had left the New Deal

  (a)Edinburgh

  (b)Edinburgh East and Musselburgh

  (1)left income support and went into employment

  198

  33

  (2)left income support and transferred to other benefits

  5

  1

  (3)left income support and became ineligible for NDLP

  39

  5

  (4)were still on income support and went into employment

  3

  1

  (5)were still on income support and declined to join the caseload

  10

  1

  (6)were still on income support and withdrew for other reasons

  166

  31

  Note:

  These figures are cumulative to the end of March 2000

  Dr. Strang
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many people were on the New Deal for Lone Parents in(a) Edinburgh, (b) Edinburgh, East and Musselburgh, (c) Scotland and (d) Great Britain (i) at the end of March and (ii) at the latest available date who were (1) receiving advice and guidance, (2) in education

  (a)Edinburgh

  (b)Edinburgh, East and Musselburgh

  (c)Scotland

  (d)Great Britain

  (1)receiving advice and guidance

  340

  79

  4,305

  48,640

  (2)in education and training

  72

  11

  660

  7,500

  (3)receiving in work support on IS

  3

  0

  69

  1,070

  (4)receiving in work support off IS

  161

  42

  1,599

  17,940

  Note:

  These figures are cumulative to the end of March 2000

  Dr. Strang
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many people in(a) Edinburgh, (b) Edinburgh, East and Musselburgh, (c) Scotland and (d) Great Britain, (i) up to the end of March and (ii) up to the latest available date have (1) found sustained subsidised employment, (2) found sustained and unsubsidised employment, (3) found subsidised employment for less

  Edinburgh

  Edinburgh, East and Musselburgh

  Scotland

  Great Britain

  Sustained subsidised employment

  43

  7

  766

  7,800

  Sustained unsubsidised employment

  167

  38

  2,092

  26,920

  Subsidised employment less than 13 weeks

  2

  0

  62

  600

  Unsubsidised employment less than 13 weeks

  30

  4

  538

  5,830

  Mrs. Curtis-Thomas
  To ask the secretary of state for Education and Employment what change in the level of unemployment has occurred in the Crosby constituency as a result of the New Deals. [127172]

  Ms Jowell
  The New Deal for Young People is aimed at people aged 18–24 who have been claiming unemployment benefits for six months or more.
  546W
  for Lone Parents in (a) Edinburgh and (b) Edinburgh, East and Musselburgh, up to (i) the end of March and (ii) the latest available date by immediate destination, including those who (1) left income support and went into employment, (2) left income support and transferred to other benefits, (3) left income support and became ineligible for NDLP, (4) were still on income support and went into employment, (5) were still on income support and declined to join the caseload and (6) were still on income support and withdrew for other reasons. [125751]

  Ms Jowell
  [holding answer 20 June 2000]: The information requested is in the following table:

  and training, (3) receiving in work support on income support and (4) receiving in work support off income support; and how many people in total have been in categories (i) and (ii). [125752]

  Ms Jowell
  [holding answer 20 June 2000]: The information requested is in the following table:

  than 13 weeks and (4) found unsubsidised employment for less than 13 weeks. [125753]

  Ms Jowell
  [holding answer 20 June 2000]: The information requested, covering the period from June 1998 to the end of March 2000, the latest date for which information is available, is contained in the table:

  Claimant unemployment among this group has fallen by 70 per cent. in the three years since April 1997 and by 56 per cent. since April 1998 when the New Deal was introduced. Part of this fall is due to the delivery of a strong and stable economy, but the New Deal for Young People has helped unemployment to fall even faster. The fall of 56 per cent. since the New Deal was introduced compares with a fall of 18 per cent. in total

  547W
  unemployment, 23 per cent. in total youth (18–24) unemployment and 26 per cent. in the total number unemployed for six months or more. The positive effect of the New Deal is confirmed by independent research from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research.

  It is not possible to measure the New Deal effect exactly in each constituency. However, in Crosby the falls in unemployment among the New Deal client group have also been substantially faster than for other groups. In Crosby constituency in the two years since April 1998 claimant unemployment among those aged 18–24, unemployed for six months or more, has fallen by 52 per cent. from 161 to 77. This compares with a fall of 19 per cent. in total unemployment, 31 per cent. in total youth (18–24) unemployment, and 20 per cent. in the total number unemployed for six months or more.

  Edinburgh

  Edinburgh East and Musselburgh

  Scotland

  Great Britain

  Starts to Advisory Interview process

  1,573

  236

  23,180

  232,010

  Unsubsidised jobs from the Advisory Interview Process

  160

  35

  1,910

  24,100

  Left for other benefits

  119

  22

  2,080

  19,700

  Subsidised employment starts

  52

  9

  1,000

  10,100

  Education and Training opportunity

  61

  7

  240

  5,700

  Training for work starts

  63

  5

  1,240

  15,800

  Starts to Follow Through

  28

  4

  350

  4,050

  Dr. Strang
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was the total number of people in(a) Scotland and (b) Edinburgh who had (i) joined the 18–24 New Deal, (ii) gained subsidised jobs from the 18–24 New Deal, (iii) gained unsubsidised jobs from the 18–24 New Deal, (iv) started on the 18–24 New Deal Gateway, v) entered each of the 18–24 New Deal options and (vi) been on Follow-Through by (1) the end of March 2000 and (2) the latest available date. [126308]

  Ms Jowell
  [holding answer 22 June 2000]: The information to the end of March 2000, which is the latest available, is as follows:

  Edinburgh

  Scotland

  New Deal 18–24 starts

  3,099

  50,560

  subsidised job starts

  1232

  14,420

  unsubsidised job starts

  1,238

  20,900

  Gateway starts

  2,739

  45,020

  starts to Employment option

  1232

  14,420

  starts to Full-time Education and Training option

  397

  7,710

  Starts to Voluntary Sector option

  239

  4,010

  Starts to Environment Task Force option

  194

  4,340

  starts to Follow Through

  594

  10,290

  1Subsidised job starts and starts to the employment option are the same figure

  Miss Geraldine Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many people in Morecambe and Lunesdale have participated in New Deal programmes. [127637]

  Ms Jowell
  Latest figures to the end of March 2000, show that in Morecambe and Lunesdale parliamentary constituency, 873 young people have started the New Deal for Young People, 461 have started the New Deal for long-term unemployed people aged 25 or over, and 229 have started the new Deal for Lone Parents. It is a measure of the success of the Government's Welfare to Work policies that 573 people in Morecambe and
  548W
  Dr. Strang
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was the total number of people in(a) Scotland, (b) Great Britain, (c) Edinburgh and (d) Edinburgh East and Musselburgh involved in the New Deal for 25-plus, (i) at the end of March 2000 and (ii) at the latest available date, who (1) had been in the advisory interview process, (2) had found unsubsidised jobs through the advisory interview process, (3) had transferred to other provision, (4) had entered subsidised employment, (5) had taken education and training opportunities, (6) had entered Training for Work and (7) had entered Follow Through. [126307]

  Ms Jowell
  [holding answer 22 June 2000]: The information to the end of March 2000, is contained in the table.

  Lunesdale have found work through the New Deals. Many other people in Morecambe and Lunesdale are benefiting from the New Deals for the disabled, partners of the unemployed and 50 plus.

  Mr. Martlew
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many people in Carlisle have(a) joined the New Deal for 18 to 24 year olds, (b)gained subsidised jobs, (c) gained unsubsidised jobs and (d) started on the New Deal Gateway to date. [127808]

  Ms Jowell
  Latest figures to the end of March 2000, show that in Carlisle parliamentary constituency, 681 young people have started New Deal. 334 of these have gained unsubsidised jobs and 85 started on the subsidised Employment option. 622 young people have started on the New Deal Gateway. We are well on target to meet our commitment of helping 250,000 young people into jobs through the New Deal.

  Equal Rights
  Mr. Bercow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the impact of the decisions made by the European Commission in its meeting of 7 June on equal rights legislation in the United Kingdom; and what his policy is thereon. [127185]

  Ms Jowell
  On 7 June the European Commission adopted a Communication on a Community framework strategy on gender equality 2001–05. The strategy includes a proposal that there be a Council Decision on a support programme. The Commission also adopted a proposal that there be a European Parliament and Council Directive amending the Equal Treatment Directive (76/207) on equality for men and women. The Government will study each of the proposals carefully (including any impact on domestic legislation such as the
  549W
  Sex Discrimination Act 1975) and report to Parliament in accordance with the usual procedures for scrutiny of European legislative proposals.

  Class Sizes
  Miss Geraldine Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the primary schools in Morecambe and Lunesdale which have received additional money to reduce class sizes. [127635]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  The schools in Morecambe and Lunesdale which have received additional funding as part of the Government's initiative to limit infant classes to 30 pupils are listed. £620 million is available to support the initiative, and allocations so far to Lancashire LEA amount to nearly £15 million. This has helped to reduce the size of the average Key Stage 1 class in Morecambe and Lunesdale to 26.0. The figure in January 1997 was 29.1.

  Morecambe and Heysham Sandylands Primary

  Slyne with Hest, St. Luke's CE Primary

  Nether Kellet Primary

  Morecambe and Heysham Torrisholme Primary

  Bolton-le-Sands CE Primary

  Heysham St. Peter's CE Primary

  Overton St. Helen's CE Primary

  Great Wood Primary

  Warton Archbishop Hutton's Primary

  Carnforth North Road Primary

  Lancaster Ryelands Primary

  Skerton Community Primary

  Morecambe Bay Community Primary

  Lancaster Road Primary

  Morecambe and Heysham Trumacar Community Primary

  Grosvenor Park Primary

  Carnforth Christ Church CE VA Primary

  St. Wilfrid's CE Primary

  Poulton-le-Sands Ce Primary

  Silverdale St. John's CE VA Primary

  St. Patrick's Catholic Primary

  Over Kellet Wilson's Endowed CE Primary

  St. Mary's Catholic Primary.

  Helen Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many five, six and seven-year-olds in Warrington North constituency were being taught in classes of over 30(a) in May 1997 and (b) on the most recent date for which figures are available. [127320]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  [holding answer 26 June 2000]: The latest available information on class sizes in the Parliamentary constituency of Warrington, North is shown in the table.

  Provisional national estimates of Key Stage 1 class sizes for January 2000 were recently published in a Statistical First Release "Class sizes in maintained schools in England: January 2000 (15/2000)" on 12 April 2000. Class size information broken down by local education authority area is also available from the House of Commons Library.
  550W
  National figures for infant class sizes in September 1999 were published in Statistical First Release "Infant class sizes in England (2/2000)" on 21 January 2000.

  The Government are well on course to limit all infant classes for five, six and 7-year-olds to 30 or below by September 2001 at the latest.

  Number and percentage of pupils in Key Stage 1 classes of size 31 or more taught by one teacher in maintained primary schools in the Parliamentary constituency of Warrington North and England: 1997 and 20001

  Position as at January

  Number of pupils in classes of over 302

  Percentage of pupils in classes of over 30

  1997

  Warrington North

  1,450

  34

  England

  476,820

  29

  2000

  Warrington North

  710

  18

  England

  177,020

  11

  1Provisional

  2Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 pupils

  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what estimate he has made of the cost of(a) reducing all primary school class sizes to 25 pupils or fewer and (b) introducing a maximum average class size of 25 in primary schools; and if he will make a statement. [127507]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  [holding answer 27 June 2000]: It has been estimated that the cost of reducing class sizes to 25 for all primary school children would be around £3 billion. We have not made an estimate of the cost of a maximum average class size of 25 in primary schools.

  The size of the average primary class fell for the second year running between January 1999 and January 2000, from 27.5 to 27.1, after rising for the previous 10 years. The size of the average primary class in the Truro and St. Austell parliamentary constituency has gone down from 27.5 in January 1997 to 27.2 in January 2000.

  At the same time, we are well on the way to delivering our pledge to limit infant classes to 30 pupils. £620 million is available to support the pledge, and allocations so far to Cornwall LEA amount to some £3.5 million. This has helped to reduce the size of the average Key Stage 1 class in Truro and St. Austell to 24.9. The figure in January 1997 was 25.4.

  Disability Access
  Mr. Boswell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many toilets at buildings owned or controlled by his Department(a) have and (b) do not have access for disabled people. [127598]

  Mr. Wills
  [holding answer 27 June 2000]: Central records are not kept on the total number of toilets in buildings owned or controlled by the Department. This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Specialist toilet facilities for disabled people are currently available in over 700 (64 per cent.) of these buildings, and we intend to increase the number of buildings that have facilities for disabled people as soon as practicable.

  Teacher Vacancies
  Mr. Willis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many teacher vacancies in (i) maintained nursery schools, (ii) maintained primary schools and (iii) maintained secondary schools there were in(a) Great Britain and (b) each local education authority, for each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [127208]

  1997

  1998

  1999

  2000

  Nursery and Primary

  Secondary

  Nursery and Primary

  Secondary

  Nursery and Primary

  Secondary

  Nursery and primary

  Secondary

  former Durham

  4

  2

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Darlington

  —

  —

  3

  4

  0

  0

  3

  0

  Durham

  —

  —

  11

  7

  2

  0

  2

  0

  Hartlepool

  4

  3

  3

  1

  6

  3

  2

  1

  Middlesbrough

  1

  3

  5

  6

  4

  2

  2

  2

  Redcar and Cleveland

  5

  2

  1

  9

  2

  4

  0

  5

  Stockton on Tees

  3

  9

  3

  6

  2

  5

  1

  5

  Northumberland

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Gateshead

  6

  1

  3

  1

  9

  0

  5

  0

  Newcastle upon Tyne

  4

  1

  3

  2

  7

  10

  4

  5

  North Tyneside

  0

  0

  0

  0

  10

  16

  1

  14

  South Tyneside

  0

  0

  0

  2

  0

  1

  0

  1

  Sunderland

  10

  5

  7

  7

  6

  5

  9

  4

  former Lancashire

  13

  18

  27

  9

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Blackburn with Darwen

  —

  —

  —

  —

  11

  3

  7

  6

  Blackpool

  —

  —

  —

  —

  2

  1

  3

  6

  Lancashire

  —

  —

  —

  —

  18

  12

  17

  4

  former Cheshire

  15

  6

  25

  14

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Halton

  —

  —

  —

  —

  2

  2

  1

  5

  Warrington

  —

  —

  —

  —

  7

  0

  9

  2

  Cheshire

  —

  —

  —

  —

  10

  4

  12

  11

  Cumbria

  0

  4

  1

  1

  0

  2

  0

  0

  Bolton

  1

  0

  0

  2

  0

  2

  0

  1

  Bury

  1

  3

  0

  1

  0

  1

  1

  0

  Manchester

  3

  4

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Oldham

  12

  8

  10

  3

  6

  3

  7

  4

  Rochdale

  9

  0

  10

  2

  4

  2

  2

  2

  Salford

  3

  3

  0

  0

  0

  1

  1

  2

  Stockport

  0

  1

  0

  0

  3

  2

  0

  6

  Tameside

  1

  4

  2

  4

  0

  5

  1

  0

  Trafford

  0

  3

  0

  2

  0

  1

  0

  0

  Wigan

  9

  4

  5

  0

  5

  10

  3

  10

  Knowsley

  1

  3

  6

  7

  3

  1

  5

  6

  Liverpool

  0

  1

  0

  4

  4

  1

  0

  2

  St. Helens

  4

  4

  1

  4

  4

  1

  1

  0

  Sefton

  1

  3

  0

  0

  0

  1

  3

  5

  Wirral

  5

  2

  4

  10

  13

  4

  2

  8

  East Riding of Yorkshire

  0

  0

  1

  0

  4

  0

  2

  0

  City of Kingston Upon Hull

  0

  2

  0

  1

  0

  1

  0

  0

  North East Lincolnshire

  0

  0

  1

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  North Lincolnshire

  3

  3

  2

  0

  4

  3

  8

  2

  York

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  6

  1

  5

  North Yorkshire

  0

  0

  8

  8

  3

  5

  4

  5

  Barnsley

  1

  0

  2

  5

  1

  1

  0

  2

  Doncaster

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  2

  0

  Rotherham

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  0

  1

  Sheffield

  9

  4

  14

  6

  2

  0

  6

  0

  Bradford

  0

  2

  14

  34

  15

  3

  14

  28

  Calderdale

  12

  8

  11

  3

  4

  1

  3

  0

  Kirklees

  1

  1

  0

  6

  2

  1

  0

  3

  Leeds

  1

  9

  16

  9

  6

  1

  8

  10

  Wakefield

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  1

  former Derbyshire

  22

  10

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Derby

  —

  —

  6

  4

  13

  6

  8

  11

  Derbyshire

  —

  —

  25

  13

  11

  13

  25

  11

  former Leicestershire

  21

  11

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Leicester

  —

  —

  2

  9

  5

  8

  11

  9

  Leicestershire

  —

  —

  5

  7

  8

  3

  7

  6

  Rutland

  —

  —

  1

  I

  0

  1

  2

  0

  552W
  Ms Estelle Morris
  [holding answer 23 June 2000]: The following table shows the number of full-time teacher vacancies in maintained nursery and primary schools1 and maintained secondary schools, in England, January 1997 to 2000, by local authority2.

  1Teacher vacancies in nursery schools are not collected separately.

  2New unitary local authorities created by local government re-organisation are shown immediately following the reference to their former local authority.

  553W

  1997

  1998

  1999

  2000

  Nursery and Primary

  secondary

  Nursery and Primary

  secondary

  Nursery and Primary

  secondary

  Nursery and Primary

  secondary

  former Nottinghamshire

  0

  0

  0

  0

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Nottingham

  —

  —

  —

  —

  0

  0

  18

  6

  Nottinghamshire

  —

  —

  —

  —

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Lincolnshire

  20

  12

  37

  21

  11

  11

  11

  8

  Northamptonshire

  0

  1

  1

  2

  3

  3

  1

  9

  former Hereford and Worcester

  1

  3

  1

  6

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Herefordshire

  —

  —

  —

  —

  2

  4

  8

  3

  Worcestershire

  —

  —

  —

  —

  6

  5

  3

  3

  former Staffordshire

  1

  25

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Stoke on Trent

  —

  —

  10

  8

  2

  1

  8

  14

  Staffordshire

  —

  —

  13

  8

  15

  6

  17

  10

  former Shropshire

  1

  2

  1

  0

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Telford and Wrekin

  —

  —

  —

  —

  0

  0

  7

  4

  Shropshire

  —

  —

  —

  —

  0

  1

  1

  1

  Warwickshire

  4

  6

  11

  1

  9

  5

  7

  6

  Birmingham

  9

  23

  7

  30

  59

  12

  39

  21

  Coventry

  4

  8

  4

  3

  2

  10

  8

  15

  Dudley

  7

  1

  5

  9

  2

  5

  7

  9

  Sandwell

  8

  12

  8

  7

  17

  11

  7

  8

  Solihull

  1

  2

  3

  4

  2

  0

  5

  6

  Walsall

  4

  4

  15

  21

  5

  7

  2

  6

  Wolverhampton

  5

  4

  2

  6

  14

  19

  5

  5

  former Bedfordshire

  26

  7

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Luton

  —

  —

  7

  16

  7

  17

  5

  9

  Bedfordshire

  —

  —

  11

  12

  5

  19

  20

  19

  former Cambridgeshire

  2

  4

  1

  6

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Peterborough

  —

  —

  —

  —

  0

  2

  0

  0

  Cambridgeshire

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1

  0

  0

  0

  former Essex

  45

  33

  56

  46

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Southend on Sea

  —

  —

  —

  —

  6

  3

  5

  16

  Thurrock

  —

  —

  —

  —

  48

  34

  19

  9

  Essex

  —

  —

  —

  —

  9

  12

  83

  73

  Hertfordshire

  21

  12

  31

  36

  12

  19

  10

  7

  Norfolk

  18

  12

  19

  11

  47

  10

  15

  15

  Suffolk

  15

  15

  8

  14

  14

  17

  8

  11

  Camden

  7

  9

  12

  2

  21

  8

  17

  13

  City of London

  1

  0

  0

  0

  1

  0

  0

  1

  Hackney

  23

  1

  51

  9

  38

  30

  47

  22

  Hammersmith and Fulham

  16

  8

  35

  12

  15

  8

  14

  8

  Haringey

  22

  20

  20

  10

  20

  13

  19

  14

  Islington

  3

  14

  27

  15

  10

  3

  20

  11

  Kensington and Chelsea

  0

  0

  17

  3

  3

  6

  3

  2

  Lambeth

  20

  4

  6

  6

  46

  12

  36

  12

  Lewisham

  16

  7

  31

  18

  21

  8

  18

  20

  Newham

  70

  29

  61

  21

  34

  3

  40

  14

  Southwark

  18

  6

  54

  6

  47

  14

  42

  30

  Tower Hamlets

  45

  12

  52

  13

  80

  12

  71

  26

  Wandsworth

  16

  13

  29

  5

  17

  12

  13

  10

  City of Westminster

  16

  2

  13

  4

  14

  11

  15

  14

  Barking and Dagenham

  27

  14

  10

  7

  12

  3

  8

  9

  Barnet

  9

  6

  8

  14

  11

  21

  29

  20

  Bexley

  1

  4

  1

  5

  0

  7

  13

  16

  Brent

  16

  10

  20

  8

  13

  17

  5

  5

  Bromley

  6

  5

  11

  4

  6

  7

  9

  3

  Croydon

  21

  2

  8

  5

  25

  11

  8

  28

  Ealing

  15

  8

  17

  30

  32

  22

  14

  14

  Enfield

  5

  4

  11

  6

  19

  9

  13

  15

  Greenwich

  5

  14

  31

  22

  52

  9

  16

  14

  Harrow

  4

  1

  9

  2

  12

  5

  24

  14

  Havering

  0

  9

  0

  15

  3

  10

  1

  17

  Hillingdon

  10

  9

  15

  13

  8

  19

  9

  14

  Hounslow

  7

  7

  8

  14

  5

  10

  3

  5

  Kingston upon Thames

  0

  3

  5

  1

  6

  3

  1

  7

  Merton

  5

  3

  7

  0

  5

  6

  3

  13

  Redbridge

  2

  2

  7

  10

  7

  7

  6

  1

  Richmond upon Thames

  3

  0

  2

  1

  2

  2

  3

  12

  Sutton

  3

  2

  4

  5

  2

  5

  0

  1

  Waltham Forest

  35

  6

  43

  4

  2

  5

  0

  4

  former Berkshire

  2

  3

  0

  5

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Bracknell Forest

  —

  —

  —

  —

  0

  0

  4

  5

  554W 555W

  1997

  1998

  1999

  2000

  Nursery and Primary

  Secondary

  Nursery and Primary

  Secondary

  Nursery and Primary

  Secondary

  Nursery and Primary

  Secondary

  Reading

  —

  —

  —

  —

  0

  2

  10

  4

  Slough

  —

  —

  —

  —

  8

  10

  3

  10

  West Berkshire

  —

  —

  —

  —

  2

  0

  4

  0

  Windsor and Maidenhead

  —

  —

  —

  —

  3

  6

  4

  5

  Wokingham

  —

  —

  —

  —

  9

  5

  5

  9

  former East Sussex

  18

  8

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Brighton and Hove

  —

  —

  8

  5

  2

  2

  5

  6

  East Sussex

  —

  —

  18

  11

  10

  12

  9

  14

  Isle of Wight

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  former Kent

  67

  27

  55

  34

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Medway

  —

  —

  —

  —

  10

  6

  4

  9

  Kent

  —

  —

  —

  —

  52

  37

  32

  48

  former Buckinghamshire

  16

  18

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Milton Keynes

  —

  —

  5

  0

  8

  2

  6

  1

  Buckinghamshire

  —

  —

  10

  14

  18

  15

  36

  16

  former Hampshire

  43

  33

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Portsmouth

  —

  —

  8

  15

  10

  3

  6

  13

  Southampton

  —

  —

  6

  13

  6

  9

  8

  17

  Hampshire

  —

  —

  38

  19

  36

  57

  89

  53

  Oxfordshire

  1

  0

  4

  3

  7

  4

  4

  4

  Surrey

  18

  19

  27

  14

  11

  9

  13

  24

  West Sussex

  29

  8

  31

  8

  9

  8

  27

  11

  Bath and North East Somerset

  3

  0

  5

  0

  3

  1

  3

  1

  former Dorset

  4

  8

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Bournemouth

  —

  —

  0

  0

  0

  1

  0

  2

  Poole

  —

  —

  1

  2

  2

  3

  2

  0

  Dorset

  —

  —

  9

  7

  1

  1

  9

  10

  City of Bristol

  8

  6

  9

  5

  6

  6

  9

  4

  North Somerset

  7

  2

  5

  5

  3

  7

  8

  6

  former Devon

  12

  10

  15

  7

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Plymouth

  —

  —

  —

  —

  0

  5

  4

  19

  Torbay

  —

  —

  —

  —

  2

  1

  2

  5

  Devon

  —

  —

  —

  —

  6

  2

  18

  10

  South Gloucestershire

  8

  2

  3

  4

  3

  1

  2

  1

  former Wiltshire

  10

  9

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Swindon

  —

  —

  5

  2

  8

  2

  5

  5

  Wiltshire

  —

  —

  5

  13

  17

  4

  10

  4

  Cornwall

  6

  3

  6

  2

  6

  0

  8

  3

  Isles of Scilly

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Gloucestershire

  12

  2

  3

  5

  5

  4

  20

  5

  Somerset

  0

  0

  1

  3

  7

  4

  6

  4

  England

  1,088

  726

  1,391

  968

  1,376

  939

  1,420

  1,242

  The supply of teachers in Scotland is the responsibility of the Scottish Parliament, and in Wales, the responsibility of the National Assembly for Wales.

  Numeracy and Literacy Strategies (Hampstead and Highgate)
  Ms Glenda Jackson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will estimate the number of children(a) in the UK and (b) in Hampstead and Highgate who have benefited from current national numeracy and literacy strategies. [127852]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  Up to 4,000,000 pupils in England, and 4,600 pupils in Hampstead and Highgate, have benefited from the introduction of the National Literacy Strategy and National Numeracy Strategy in September 1998 and September 1999 respectively.

  Women
  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a556W
  statement on the findings of the consultation conducted by the Women's Unit in respect of stereotyping experienced by girls in subject and career choice counselling. [127248]

  Ms Jowell
  [holding answer 26 June 2000]: Young people were consulted about their job expectations and asked to examine the different expectations of boys and girls. Young women felt that despite their better performance than boys in school exams, the full range of career choices was not always presented to them. As a result we have developed a range of work experience programmes for girls with major companies and the Ministry of Defence to give girls an experience of different non-traditional work areas such as IT, engineering, construction, property and the armed forces.

  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans have been made for the summit for Women in the New Economy. [127250]
  557W
  Ms Jowell
  [holding answer 26 June 2000]: The Government are planning to organise a two day event early next year that will focus on women in the UK maximising their potential in the labour market, whether it be starting a business, returning to work, considering a career change, or wishing to progress within their current organisation. Women from a range of backgrounds and locations will be given the opportunity to explore the choices available. The event will include exhibitors, (both public and private sector), workshops and seminars and women will be encouraged to participate in all of these.

  Highly Able Pupils
  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps he is taking to develop provision for highly able pupils in schools. [127253]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  [holding answer 27 June 2000]: From this September, the gifted and talented strand of Excellence in Cities will be improving provision in over 20 per cent. of maintained secondary schools, and a pilot scheme will be operating in some 400 primary schools. This summer's national programme of 500 summer schools for gifted and talented pupils aged 10–14 will extend to almost all local education authorities and Education Action Zones. Planned expenditure for this financial year is over £40 million. Future provision depends on the outcomes of the spending review.

  Education Funding
  Mr. Steen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how much money Devon LEA received from(a) his Department through the SSA, (b) New Deal for Schools and (c) public-private partnership schemes in the last twelve months. [128000]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  Devon's education SSA for 1999–2000 was £243.8 million, an increase of £15.9 million on the previous year. £7,416,360 was allocated to Devon LEA on 11 April 2000 through the New Deal for Schools programme. No allocations have been made to Devon in the last 12 months for public private partnerships.

  Learning and Skills Councils
  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the progress being made on the appointment of the chairmen of the Local Learning and Skills Councils. [128259]

  Mr. Wicks
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has today appointed the chairs of 21 of the Local Learning and Skills Councils. They are:

  Local Learning and Skills Council

  Chair

  East of England

  Bedfordshire

  Jim McGivern

  Essex

  Mike Malone-Lee

  Cambridgeshire

  Sal Brinton

  Hertfordshire

  Stelio Stefanou

  Norfolk

  Geoff Loades

  Suffolk

  Tony Preston

  558W

  Local Learning and Skills Council

  Chair

  East Midlands

  Derbyshire

  john Kirkland

  Leicestershire

  Ashwin Mistry

  Lincolnshire

  Roger Begy

  Northamptonshire

  Christopher Ripper

  Nottinghamshire

  Duncan Sedgwick

  South East

  Surrey

  Robert Douglas

  Sussex

  Norman Boyland

  Oxford/Bucks/Milton Keynes

  Patrick Upson

  Kent/Medway

  Alan Chisholm

  Hampshire/Isle of Wight

  Penelope

  Melville-Brown

  Berkshire

  Tom Melvin

  North East

  Northumberland

  Barry Morgan

  Tyne and Wear

  Ashley Winter

  County Durham

  Olivia Grant

  Tees Valley

  Miles Middleton

  We will be announcing further appointments shortly and a list of the remaining appointments will be placed in the Library in due course.

  The local Chairs bring with them a wealth of experience, not least from business, which will be a positive force for success in shaping the work of the Local Learning and Skills Councils.

  School Milk (Northern Region)
  Mr. Etherington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the(a) infant, (b) junior and (c) primary schools in the Northern Region that are in receipt of the European subsidy for school milk; and if he will make a statement. [127009]

  Ms Quin
  I have been asked to reply.

  Of the 159 local education authorities which claim the EU School Milk Subsidy, 42 claim in the Northern Region on behalf of approximately 5,000 schools. The information requested on the breakdown between infant, junior and primary schools is not held centrally.

WALES

  Poverty
  Ms Julie Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on progress in the Joint Ministerial Committee on tackling poverty. [126703]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  The Joint Ministerial Committee on Poverty held its second meeting on 26 May. The Committee agreed that the Government and the devolved Administrations should participate in a joint programme to increase the take-up of the minimum income guarantee, as well as other benefits and services for pensioners.

  The Committee provides an excellent opportunity for the UK Government and the devolved Administrations to work together to tackle the problems of poverty and social exclusion. It enables us to ensure that we can share information and learn from each other's best practices.

  New Deal
  Mr. Brady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the effectiveness of the New Deal for 18 to 24-year-olds in Wales. [126704]

  Mr. Hanson
  The New Deal has more than proved how successful it has been by achieving beyond its original target of 13,000 by employing 14,400 18 to 24-year-olds up to March 2000.

  Since the New Deal was launched throughout Wales, there has been a 62 per cent. fall in the number of 18 to 24-year-olds unemployed and claiming Job Seeker's Allowance for six months or more.

  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education and Employment on the New Deal in Wales. [126717]

  Mr. Hanson
  Last month I attended a New Deal checkpoint meeting with other ministerial colleagues and colleagues from the devolved administrations, chaired by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Employment, Welfare to Work and Equal Opportunities. We welcomed the success to date of New Deal, which had succeeded in securing jobs for some 21,500 people in Wales by the end of March this year, and discussed ways of building on this success in the future.

  Mr. John Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education and Employment on the operation of the New Deal in Wales. [126707]

  Mr. Hanson
  Last month I attended a New Deal checkpoint meeting with other ministerial colleagues and colleagues from the devolved administrations, chaired by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Employment, Welfare to Work and Equal Opportunities.

  The Government's aim has always been to reconnect people with the labour market, so that they can play a full and productive part in society. At the end of March 2000 over 21,000 people had entered employment through the New Deal programme in Wales.

  Police Funding
  Mrs. Lawrence
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with Welsh Chief Constables about the funding of police authorities in Wales. [126705]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  I met the Chief Constables on 17 March. We discussed a wide range of issues including developments in modern policing, and staffing and funding levels.

  Joint Ministerial Committee on Health
  Mr. Edwards
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the Joint Ministerial Committee on Health which met on Friday 16 June. [126706]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  The purpose of the Joint Ministerial Committee on Health was to provide an opportunity for all parts of the UK to share ideas and best practices.
  560W
  I know that everyone has found the exchange of experiences a useful tool for putting together plans for the future.

  Following the three meetings held so far I understand that Jane Hutt, the Assembly Health and Social Services Secretary will be making a statement to the National Assembly for Wales in July on progress in improving the NHS in Wales and her plans for further action.

  Cross-border Issues
  Mr. Stephen O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had recently with the First Secretary on Welsh-English cross-border issues; and if he will make a statement. [126708]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  I meet the First Secretary regularly to discuss a range of issues including this one.

  Where decisions affect communities on the English/ Welsh border, the Assembly engages in discussions with the lead Whitehall department. I would become involved only if I were asked to intervene to help resolve a difficulty.

  Sheepmeat Premium
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has held with the Agriculture and Rural Development Secretary of the National Assembly for Wales regarding the sheepmeat premium. [126709]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  I discuss a wide range of topics with my colleagues in the National Assembly for Wales on a regular basis and my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary meets the Assembly Secretary for Agriculture and Rural Development every quarter. The UK Agriculture Ministers have been in discussion to agree a UK position on the anticipated Commission proposals for reform of the sheepmeat regime, expected in the autumn. The Assembly Agriculture and Rural Development Secretary is responsible for these matters in Wales, but my office is being kept fully informed of progress.

  Hunting with Hounds
  Miss McIntosh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the impact of a ban on hunting with hounds on(a) the Welsh countryside and (b) employment, tourism and economic development in Wales. [126710]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  I have made no specific assessment of the impact of a ban on hunting with hounds. However I am following this issue very closely as the potential repercussions on the Welsh countryside and employment, tourism and economic development in Wales are of course of great importance to me. The decision on the merits of hunting is a matter for Parliament and a free vote. It is a matter for each Member of Parliament to reach their own conclusion in the light of information which the Burns Report has added to the debate.

  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had this year about further transfer of powers to the Welsh Assembly relating to hunting. [126714]
  561W
  Mr. Paul Murphy
  I regularly discuss a wide range of topics with my colleagues both in Whitehall and the National Assembly for Wales. It is anticipated that a Government Bill containing a series of legislative options will be introduced early in the next Parliamentary Session. As my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary stated in the House on 12 June 2000,Official Report, columns 639–41 Wales and England are one common-law jurisdiction and as such the issue is not the responsibility of the National Assembly for Wales. We have no plans for a transfer of functions to the Assembly in relation to hunting.

  Mr. Caton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent representations he has received about banning the hunting of foxes with dogs. [126722]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  I have received no specific representations about banning the hunting of foxes with dogs, but am in close contact with colleagues in Whitehall as Government policy on this issue progresses.

  Unemployment
  Mr. Jon Owen Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the First Secretary about the number of unemployed people in Wales in May 1997 and May 2000. [126711]

  Mr. Hanson
  My right hon. Friend regularly meets the First Secretary and discusses a wide range of issues including employment in Wales. In addition, I hold quarterly liaison meetings with the Assembly Secretary for Education and Training.

  This Government's record of continuing commitment to getting people off benefits and back into work is highlighted by the fact that the number of claimants on Jobseeker's Allowance for April 2000 has been significantly reduced to 59,170 compared to 80,322 for May 1997 when this Government took office.

  Mr. Bercow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on assistance for long-term unemployed people over the age of 25 years. [126715]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  The New Deal programmes, Work Based Learning for Adults, "Employment Zones", and a range of Employment Service programmes provide training to equip workless people aged 25 and over with the skills they need to gain and hold down a job. The latest statistical information on the "New Deal for 25 Plus" indicates that, in Wales, 13,200 people had joined the programme, and 2,700 had entered employment (of which 2,300 had secured sustained jobs).

  Some improvements, including the introduction of a New Deal Gateway and access to a range of external Gateway services, were put in place on the "New Deal for 25 Plus" in April. A more comprehensive package of measures will operate from April 2001, with the aim of broadening the attractiveness of the programme to clients by providing a wider range of opportunities.

  Hospital Waiting Lists
  Mr. Clifton-Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the First Secretary on the impact of funding on the change in NHS waiting lists in Wales for those waiting over six months since 1 May 1997. [126712]
  562W
  Mr. Hanson
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I regularly meet the First Secretary and the Assembly Health and Social Services Secretary to discuss the wide range of health issues affecting Wales.

  The subject of waiting lists and the impact on them of additional funding allocated by the Assembly is, of course, an important part of these discussions.

  Severn Bridge
  Mr. Loughton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussion he has had with the First Secretary on charging VAT on crossing the Severn bridge. [126713]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  I have regular discussion with the First Secretary on a wide range of transport issues and I recognise the significance of this issue to Wales.

  The issue of whether to charge VAT on toll charges is presently the subject of proceedings before the European Court of Justice. We understand that the judgment of the court is not due until 12 September.

  The Severn Crossings, which are mainly in England, remain the responsibility of the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions.

  Assisted Areas
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the First Secretary of the National Assembly and with officials of the EU Commission on the introduction of the new regional development maps for Wales. [126716]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  The Assisted Areas map is a matter for the UK Government, but I have, of course, discussed the designation of Welsh areas with the First Secretary and the UK Government maintain close contact with both the European Commission and the National Assembly for Wales on this issue.

  The Government are still in discussion with the European Commission and are pressing for early approval of the Assisted Areas map. Within the framework set by the European Commission, all concerned have tried to include, so far as possible, revised proposals reflecting local and national priorities. The Government will make an announcement when the map is approved.

  NHS (Private Capital)
  Mr. Hammond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the First Secretary and the Welsh Health and Social Services Secretary with regard to the use of private capital in the running of the NHS. [126718]

  Mr. Hanson
  My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State and I have regular discussions with the First Secretary and the Assembly Health and Social Services Secretary about the wide range of issues that affect the NHS in Wales.

  It is encouraging to see the range of schemes that are being provided under the Private Finance Initiative.

  Local Government
  Mr. Öpik
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the consequences arising
  563W
  from the proposed Cabinet structure for local government for those councils which consist mainly of independent councillors. [126719]

  Mr. Hanson
  I have discussed the proposals with Welsh local councils individually and with the WLGA. The majority of Welsh councils—including some of those consisting mainly of independents—are currently piloting some form of executive style decision making. We have made no general assessment of pilots individual councils are currently pursuing, however these innovations are being carried out under the existing legislative framework which is not designed for executive arrangements.

  The Local Government Bill [Lords] provides a tailor made framework for executive arrangements including cabinets and directly elected mayors. The National Assembly for Wales will have the power to make further forms of executive available to Welsh councils if appropriate.

  Knowledge Economy
  Mrs. Betty Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on progress in the Joint Ministerial Committee on developing the knowledge economy. [126720]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  The subjects covered by the Joint Ministerial Committee on the Knowledge Economy includes both responsibilities which have been transferred to the Assembly and some which have not. The Committee provides a forum for the UK Government and the devolved administrations to exchange information and best practice.

  The Committee's remit includes consideration of the level and availability of Information Technology training in the UK; the uptake by business of E-Commerce processes; and liaison between the administrations on electronic procurement. The Committee's remit also covers the employment opportunities created by the knowledge economy.

  Transport Links
  Mr. Ian Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the First Secretary on improving transport links between Wales and continental Europe. [126721]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  I meet the First Secretary regularly and discuss a wide range of transport issues. The Assembly, who have responsibility for the majority of transport policy in Wales, continue to consider transport links to continental Europe when formulating their policies.

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mr. Maclennan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many of the written parliamentary questions tabled to his Department between 19 October 1999 and 20 April have not received substantive answers, citing as the reason that the information is(a) not held centrally, (b) not held in the form requested and (c) not available. [128012]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  The information requested is as follows:(a) three, (b) nil and (c) two.
  564W
  In some of these answers we provided part of the information requested, while citing the above reasons for not providing all of the information requested.

  Electoral System
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the First Secretary about the working of the Government of Wales Act 1998 and the electoral system. [126700]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  I meet the First Secretary regularly to discuss a range of issues.

CABINET OFFICE

  Interactive Voice Response Systems
  Mr. Ben Chapman
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many Government Departments and agencies use interactive voice response systems to deal with inquiries from the general public departments. [127116]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  I have been asked to reply.

  This matter comes under the responsibility of the Office of Government Commerce, which has been a Treasury Department since April 2000. Each Government Department is responsible for deciding the most appropriate telecommunications systems to meet its business requirements. Obtaining records from each of these on any use of interactive voice response systems to deal with public inquiries would be disproportionately costly.

  Statistics
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what statistics relating to the responsibilities of her Department are collated by parliamentary constituency, indicating the dates covered in each case. [123848]

  Mr. Stringer
  My Department does not routinely collate any statistical data at parliamentary constituency level.

  The Cabinet Office does, however, compile statistics in response to specific inquiries from hon. and right hon. Members at constituency level.

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mr. Maclennan
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office for how many parliamentary questions tabled between 19 October 1999 and 20 April 2000 her Department has given advice on answers; how many of these questions were instances of the same question being tabled to different Departments by the same hon. Members; and how many such questions there were. [127105]

  Marjorie Mowlam
  Detailed information in the form requested is not held centrally. My Department issues advice to Departments on a range of issues including Parliamentary Questions where appropriate. This is the practice adopted over many years by successive Administrations.
  565W
  Mr. Maclennan
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many parliamentary questions were tabled to her Department between 19 October 1999 and 20 April which requested information, pursuant to her previous answers. [128008]

  Mr. Stringer
  Between 19 October 1999 and 20 April 2000 there were 18 parliamentary questions tabled to my Department which requested information pursuant to previous answers.

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

  Judicial Appointments
  Mr. Dismore
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will place in the Library a copy of the report into QC and judicial appointments by Dr. Kate Malleson. [127727]

  Jane Kennedy
  Dr. Kate Malleson and Dr. Fareda Banda recently completed research into the factors that affect decisions to apply for judicial appointments and Queen's Counsel. A copy of their report has been placed in the Library.

  Mr. Dismore
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement on the findings of the independent report commissioned by his Department from Dr. Kate Malleson into the system of appointment of QCs and judges. [127726]

  Jane Kennedy
  In December 1998, the Lord Chancellor's Department commissioned research into the factors that affect decisions to apply for judicial appointment and Queen's Counsel. Dr. Kate Malleson and Dr. Fareda Banda undertook the research and their report 566W
  was published on 15 June 2000. The research found that there is a wide range of factors that affect decisions to apply for judicial appointment and/or Queen's Counsel. Some respondents did not have a judicial appointment in their career plan, while others were concerned about the consultation procedures for assessing candidates for judicial office; concerns based on largely inaccurate perceptions of how the system actually works. The report made no findings into the system of appointment of QCs and judges.

  Conveyancing
  Mr. Blizzard
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement on progress with the trials of the new system for home buying and selling. [127700]

  Mr. Lock
  The seller's information pack pilot project under way in Bristol is now two thirds complete. Citizens' workshops to test how packs might operate in relation to lower value properties have been undertaken in Burnley and Bradford. A summary of the interim research findings was published on 27 June and copies have been placed in the House of Commons Library. A final research report is expected to be published later in the year.

  Family Law
  Mr. Leslie
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when the Lord Chancellor's Advisory Board on Family law plans to publish its Third Annual report. [128442]

  Jane Kennedy
  The Lord Chancellor's Advisory Board on Family Law has today published its Third Annual Report and copies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.