Written Answers of 10 May 2000

ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS

  Public Toilets
  Ms Julie Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) how many public toilets were closed between April 1998 and April 1999; [120489]

  (2) what plans he has to introduce best value performance indicators covering the provisions of public toilets; [120492]

  (3) if he will make public toilet provision a statutory obligation for local government; [120491]

  (4) what plans he has to tackle vandalism and drug misuse in public toilets. [120490]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  Owing to changes in the definition used by the Audit Commission, it is not possible accurately to ascertain the total number of public toilets closed between April 1998 and April 1999. However, while the total number of public toilets counted in England increased from 6,128 to 6,643, the number of public toilets open more than 12 hours a day decreased from 6,128 to 4,133. Figures for Wales are not yet available.

  The Audit Commission has specified, for the current financial year, a mandatory performance indicator for local authorities in respect of
  the number of conveniences sites provided by the authority normally throughout the year.

  The Government have no plans to specify a best value performance indicator in this respect, or to replace the current discretionary power to provide public toilets with a statutory obligation.

  The Government believe that the most effective way to tackle drug misuse and vandalism is through co-ordinated preventive action at a local level, involving all of the relevant agencies such as the police, local authorities and schools. That is why police and local authorities now have a statutory duty, under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, jointly to develop partnerships to tackle crime and disorder in their area.

  The strategies which have been produced by the 376 partnerships in England and Wales include a wide range of initiatives—many of which specifically target drug misuse and criminal damage.

  GM Crops
  Mr. Caton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what action his Department takes to warn beekeepers when genetically modified crops are planted close to their apiaries. [120696]

  Mr. Meacher
  The legislation requires that proposed locations of releases of GM crops for research purposes (Part B) have to be advertised locally before sowing takes place. The advertisement must give information on the name and address of the applicant, the GM crop, the location and general purpose of the trial and the foreseen sowing dates. A full list of current and proposed releases is on my Department's website and on the Public Register.

  Once a GM crop has Europe-wide consent for placing on the market (Part C), there is no requirement for prior notification of planting. However, only one such crop is currently grown in the UK, as part of the Farm Scale Evaluations programme. Under the agreement between the Government and the industry body, SCIMAC, the locations of the Evaluations will be published on my Department's website and the farmers involved will alert their neighbours.

  Water Charging
  Mr. Swayne
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to alter the water charging regime to allow the use of council tax bands as an alternative to metering. [121025]

  Mr. Mullin
  Under the Water Industry Act 1999, companies must produce charges schemes, which include details of the basis on which they wish to charge for water and sewerage services to homes. Schemes are subject to approval by the Director General of Water Services.

  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has issued guidance to the Director General on the approval of schemes for companies operating wholly or mainly in England. In considering whether or not to approve a new basis of unmeasured charging, key factors are the transitional effects of any change, any proposals for managing such effects and the impact of the new basis of charging on different groups, particularly vulnerable customers. Because of the potential social impacts on customers, the Director should not approve the widespread introduction of new unmeasured charging arrangements, without full consultation with the Secretary of State. There is no statutory bar on such arrangements being based on council tax. The Government will continue to consider any proposals that come forward provided that they address the key factors.

  The Secretary of State's guidance under the 1999 Act and other background on water charging policy is set out in "Water Industry Act 1999—Delivering the Government's Objectives" published on 3 February, a copy of which is in the Library of the House.

  Lone Parents
  Mr. Willetts
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many lone parents aged under 18 years(a) are living in semi-supervised accommodation and (b) have lone tenancy of a council house. [121060]
  387W
  Mr. Mullin
  The only information currently available centrally is for new lettings of supported accommodation by Registered Social Landlords. In England from April 1998 to September 1999 there were 276 such lettings to lone parents under the age of 18.

  As part of the follow-up to the Social Exclusion Unit report on Teenage Pregnancy, local authorities are being asked to carry out an audit of the provision of and need for semi-independent housing with support for 16 and 17-year-old lone teenage parents in their area.

  Raptors
  Mr. Bob Russell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many licences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 for the removal of peregrine have been issued in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [121117]

  Mr. Meacher
  This information is published in annual reports submitted by my Department, on behalf of the United Kingdom, to the European Commission, to meet the requirements of Article 9(3) of the European Community Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds (79/409/EEC). These reports provide the reasons for each derogation made under Article 9 and therefore contain details of all licences issued under the 1981 Act, including any for the removal of peregrine.

  The most recent report, the eighteenth, was published in January 2000 and covers the period 1 January—31 December 1998. It contains details of about 230 derogations in relation to peregrines for a variety of reasons, such as research and teaching. The majority do not involve permanent removal. As in previous years, the report will be made available in the House Libraries.

  Mr. Bob Russell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what representations he has received following the publication of the report of the UK Raptor Working Group; and if he will make a statement. [121116]

  Mr. Meacher
  My Department has received a number of representations on the report of the Raptor Working Group from a range of organisations. I welcome the publication of this report and its recommendations and hope it will help provide an integrated solution to the problems presented by birds of prey to game bird managers and pigeon fanciers. My Department will shortly be seeking English Nature's advice on the implementation in England of the report's recommendations in light of these representations.

  Mr. Bob Russell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions which organisations tendered for the project, "A Study into the Raptor Predation of Domestic Pigeons", published in March; which organisation was awarded the tender; and what the qualifications were of the individuals who researched and wrote the study. [121118]

  Mr. Meacher
  In 1995 my Department let a research contract to assess the impact of raptor predation on pigeons and to investigate the effectiveness of non-lethal deterrents.
  388W
  Tenders for the research contract were received from the Royal Agricultural College and the Hawk and Owl Trust. The contract was awarded to the Hawk and Owl Trust on the basis that they provided the best and most cost-effective methodology for investigating the extent of predation.

  The research was undertaken and the report written by Hawk and Owl Trust members who have had a long history of involvement in various aspects of raptor ecology and research. They also have an extensive knowledge and experience of various aspects of survey work and are authors of numerous books, papers and articles on related topics.

  Air Traffic Control
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when all the air traffic controller posts in NATS will be filled. [121296]

  Mr. Mullin
  The three vacancies in NATS Airports Services operations are expected to be filled by the middle of June. There are currently no shortages of controllers in NATS Area Control operations.

  Hydrocarbons
  Mr. Derek Twigg
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his estimate of the quantity of hydrocarbons in industrial use in the UK(a) in total and (b) by each standard industrial sector classification. [120428]

  Mr. Meacher
  [holding answer 8 May 2000]: This information is not currently available to the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions and could not be collated without incurring disproportionate cost.

  Hydrocarbons are common organic compounds, examples of which include natural gas; butane; propane; petroleum, diesel fuels, diesel oils, motor oils, motor fuels, marine oils, marine fuels, hydraulic fluids, crude oil, lubricating oils. As their type and application are so widely varied the collection of this information would prove extremely resource intensive.

  Correspondence
  Mr. McLoughlin
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when the hon. Member for West Derbyshire will receive a reply to his letter of 20 March about the Orange Badge Scheme for disabled drivers. [121443]

  Mr. Hill
  I responded to the hon. Member on Tuesday 9 May.

  Exeter-Waterloo Line
  Mr. Ashdown
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans the Government have to alter the rail franchise which covers the Exeter to Waterloo Line; and if he will make a statement. [121225]
  389W
  Mr. Hill
  The Franchising Director has announced that he is considering replacement of the existing South West Trains franchise with an option to include or exclude Exeter to Waterloo services. This is one of a number of alterations being considered to the existing franchise map, but on which no firm decisions have yet been taken.

  Standard Spending Assessment
  Mr. Ashdown
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the standard spending assessment per head of population for each English local authority for the most recent year for which information is available, ranked in descending order of allocated expenditure per head; and if he will make a statement. [121307]

  Ms Armstrong
  Two tables have been placed in the Library. The first table gives the 2000–01 Standard Spending Assessments (SSAs), the mid-98 population estimate and the SSA per head, together with the ranking for education authorities. The second table provides similar information for shire districts. The tables have been sorted and ranked in descending order of SSA per head. It would be inappropriate to compare shire districts with education authorities since they have vastly different responsibilities.

  Pollution Prevention and Control
  Miss McIntosh
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what representation he has received on the implementation of the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Directive; and if he will make a statement. [121307]

  Mr. Hill
  Copies of representations, unless marked confidential, are kept on the Department's files where they may be viewed. The Department has just issued its fifth consultation paper on the implementation of the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Directive. This includes a summary of the representations from the fourth consultation paper.

  Representations from previous consultation papers have been received from:

  Academic Organisations

  Central Government

  Consultants

  Environmental Groups

  Industry

  Legal Establishments

  Local Government

  Private Individuals

  Trade Associations.

  Estimate table

  £ million

  US

  UK

  Total

  Hybrid

  Previous estimate (April 1999) at 1998–99 economic Conditions (£1=$1.6269)

  2,873

  6,883

  9,756

  Real Changes

  -16

  -7

  -23

  Price Inflation on unspent balance

  +2

  +10

  +12

  Exchange Rate Variation

  0

  n/a

  0

  Revised Estimate at 1999–2000 economic conditions (£1=$1.6269)

  2,859

  6,886

  9,745

DEFENCE

  Correspondence
  Dr. Cable
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason he has not replied to the letter from the hon. Member for Twickenham of 17 August 1999 regarding conditions of service of members of the TA. [120989]

  Mr. Spellar
  I wrote to the hon. Member on 9 May.

  Armed Services (Egg Suppliers)
  Mr. Gill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of(a) eggs and (b) egg products purchased for the armed services in the last year for which figures are available were of British origin. [121352]

  Dr. Moonie
  The supply of food for the Armed Forces is contracted out to "3663". They advise that 100 per cent. of the eggs and egg products supplied to our forces based in the UK in the 12 month period ending March 2000 were of British origin. Supplies of eggs and egg products for our forces based overseas, which make up approximately 7 per cent. of the total requirement, were in the main sourced locally.

  Garrison Churches, Aldershot
  Mr. Gerald Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future of the three garrison churches in Aldershot. [120932]

  Mr. Spellar
  [holding answer 8 May 2000]A study is under way to consider the redevelopment of the Aldershot Garrison and this will encompass all the buildings, including the churches. Any proposal concerning the Garrison Churches will be discussed with the relevant bodies prior to any decision being made.

  Trident
  Laura Moffatt
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the latest estimate of the cost of the Trident acquisition programme; and if he will make a statement. [121749]

  Mr. Hoon
  The current estimate of the total acquisition cost of the Trident programme, with payments already made expressed at the prices and exchange rates actually incurred and future spend at the current financial year exchange rate (the hybrid estimate), is now £9,745 million. Leaving aside the effects of price inflation (+£12 million), there has been a real cost reduction since last year of £23 million. Expenditure on the Trident acquisition programme to 30 September 1999 represented some 96 per cent. of this estimate. If all expenditure, past and projected, is brought up to the current year's economic conditions (the non-hybrid estimate) the estimate is £13,170 million.
  391W

  Estimate table

  £ million

  US

  UK

  Total

  Non-hybrid

  Previous estimate (April 1999) at 1998–99 economic conditions (£1=$1.6269)

  3,448

  9,423

  12,870

  Real Changes

  -16

  -7

  -23

  Price Inflation on unspent balance

  +64

  +258

  +323

  Exchange Rate Variation

  0

  n/a

  0

  Revised Estimate at 1999–2000 economic conditions (£1=$1.6269)

  3,496

  9,674

  13,170

  Note:

  Figures rounded to nearest £ million hence any apparent imbalance.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Departmental Communications Systems
  Mr. Gapes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to modernise his Department's communications systems. [121806]

  Mr. Robin Cook
  The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will today sign a contract with Global Crossing to provide a new telecommunications network and associated telecommunications services. The contract has been negotiated as part of the Private Finance Initiative, and will run for a 10 year period. The projected Net Present Value of the contract is £106 million. The total cost of the contract over the 10 year period is projected at £165 million.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

  Procurement (British Goods)
  Mr. Baker
  To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the policy is of the House in respect of public procurement and buying British goods; and what changes there have been in this policy since May 1997. [120823]

  Mr. Kirkwood
  The policy of the House is to procure all works, services and supplies in accordance with the relevant European Public Procurement Directives which ensures that British companies are given equal opportunity to secure House business.

EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT

  Disability Legislation Compliance Cost
  Mr. Boswell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what studies have been undertaken into the compliance costs for(a) further and (b) higher education of their forthcoming involvement in disability discrimination legislation. [119320]

  Mr. Wicks
  [holding answer 18 April 2000]: The Government issued a consultation document on 17 March covering how disability rights in education might be implemented. The consultation period ended on 28 April. The costs of compliance in further and higher education will be estimated in the light of an analysis of responses to the document.

  Higher Education (Access)
  Mr. Hilary Benn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to widen access to higher education. [121618]

  Mr. Blunkett
  My Department already has a range of initiatives to increase participation of disadvantaged groups. For instance, through the Excellence in Cities programme we are giving 5,000 gifted and talented 16 and 17-year-olds a taste of university life this summer. I can confirm that we will be providing new bursaries, worth up to £1,000 a year, that will give those from disadvantaged backgrounds the extra financial incentive and confidence they need to embark on a higher education course. These bursaries, which will be introduced from next year, will be known as "opportunity bursaries". However, more action is required if we are to extend the opportunities of higher education to all those capable of benefiting from it.

  Today, I am pleased to announce a further package of measures that will open up new horizons to people from disadvantaged groups. This package includes:
  a further £4 million to help recruit and retain bright students from areas with records of low participation in higher education. The money will add to the £18 million already available to help high achievers from these areas;
  extension of disabled student allowances of up to £5,000 a year to post-graduate students; and
  a grant of £63,000 to support a number of initiatives by the Sutton Trust. Both these measures and existing initiatives will become part of a concerted access drive that will enable those traditionally excluded from higher education to take advantage of a university education.

  Further Education Corporations (Mergers)
  Mr. Boswell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list in date order mergers between further education corporations since April 1993, specifying whether each amounted to a transfer or merger of undertakings. [121301]

  Mr. Wicks
  There are two types of mergers: the first is a single dissolution where one further education corporation is dissolved and its property, rights and liabilities are transferred to another corporation; and the second is where two or more corporations are closed and their property, rights and liabilities are transferred to a new corporation. The name of the continuing or new corporation, as the case may be, may also change at the time of the merger.

  The table lists all mergers between further education corporations since 1 April 1993.
  393W

  Date

  Colleges

  Type of merger

  Name of merged Institution

  2 April 1993

  St. Austell Sixth Form College and Mid-Cornwall College

  Double dissolution

  St. Austell College

  1 September 1993

  Cleveland College of Further Education and Sir William Turner's Sixth Form College

  Double dissolution

  Cleveland Tertiary College

  15 August 1995

  The Ridge College and Margaret Danyers College

  Double dissolution

  Ridge Danyers College

  1 August 1995

  Acklam Sixth Form College and Kirby College of Further Education

  Double dissolution

  Middlesbrough College

  1 August 1995

  Longlands College of Further Education and Marton Sixth Form College

  Double dissolution

  Teesside Tertiary College

  1 March 1996

  Hinckley College and North Warwickshire College for Technology and Art

  Double dissolution

  North Warwickshire and Hinckley College

  1 August 1996

  Mid Warwickshire College and Warwickshire College for Agriculture, Horticulture and Equine Studies

  Single dissolution (WCAHES)

  Warwickshire College, Royal Leamington Spa and Moreton Morrell

  1 August 1996

  Monkwearmouth College and Wearside College

  Double dissolution

  City of Sunderland College

  1 September 1996

  South Bristol College and Brunel College of Arts and Technology

  Double dissolution

  City of Bristol College

  6 January 1997

  Reading College of Arts and Technology and Berkshire College of Art and Design

  Single dissolution (BCAD)

  Reading College of Arts and Technology

  1 August 1997

  Prior Pursglove College and South Park Sixth Form College

  Single dissolution (SPSFC)

  Prior Pursglove College

  10 May 1997

  Worcestershire College of Agriculture and Pershore College of Horticulture

  Single dissolution (WCA)

  Pershore and Hindlip College

  18 February 1998

  Hyde Clarendon College and Tameside College

  Single dissolution (HCC)

  Tameside College

  1 August 1998

  Airedale and Wharfedale College and Park Lane College

  Single dissolution (A&WC)

  Park Lane College

  1 August 1998

  Cambridgeshire College of Agriculture and Horticulture and Norfolk College of Arts and Technology

  Single dissolution (CCAH)

  College of West Anglia

  1 August 1998

  Clarendon College and Basford Hall College

  Single dissolution (BHC)

  New College, Nottingham

  1 August 1998

  East Birmingham College and Handsworth College

  Single dissolution (EBC)

  City College, Birmingham

  1 August 1998

  North Bolton College and South College, Bolton

  Double dissolution

  Bolton Sixth Form College

  1 April 1999

  York College of Further and Higher Education and York Sixth Form College

  Single dissolution (YSFC)

  York College

  1 June 1999

  Durham College of Agriculture and Horticulture and East Durham Community College

  Double dissolution

  East Durham and Houghall Community College

  1 August 1999

  Charles Keene College of Further Education and Leicester South Fields College

  Double dissolution

  Leicester College

  1 April 1999

  New College, Nottingham and High Pavement Sixth Form College

  Single dissolution (HPSFC)

  New College, Nottingham

  1 June 1999

  Greenhill College, Harrow and Weald College

  Double dissolution

  Harrow College

  1 August 1999

  Holme Lacey College and Pershore and Hindlip College

  Single dissolution (Holme Lacey)

  The Pershore Group of Colleges

  1 September 1999

  New College, Nottingham and Arnold and Carlton College

  Single dissolution (Arnold and Carlton)

  New College, Nottingham

  1 October 1999

  Bilston Community College and Wulfrun College

  Single dissolution (Bilston College)

  Wolverhampton College

  1 January 2000

  Kirkley Hall College and Northumberland College

  Single dissolution (Kirkley Hall)

  Northumberland College

  Education Funding (Somerset)
  Mr. Ashdown
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what is his latest estimate for real spending on secondary schools in Somerset for each year from 1992–93 to 2000–01; and if he will make a statement; [121222]

  (2) what is his estimate of real spending per pupil in secondary schools in Somerset for each year from 1992–93
  394W
  to 2000–01, expressed in 1998–99 prices; and if he will make a statement. [121223]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  Spending on secondary schools in Somerset, and on a per pupil basis, from 1992–93 to 1998–99, the latest year for which this information is available, is set out in the table. The figures are based on Net Institutional Expenditure and expressed at 1998–99 prices.
  395W

  Secondary spending at 1998–99 prices

  £ million

  £ per pupil

  1992–93

  71.5

  2,578

  1993–94

  67.3

  2,446

  1994–95

  66.3

  2,381

  1995–96

  68.2

  2,424

  1996–97

  66.4

  2,352

  1997–98

  65.2

  2,295

  1998–99

  1 68.5

  1 2,378

  1 Provisional

  The next table sets out the resources being made available to Somerset local education authority for secondary education as part of the drive to raise standards. These figures are not directly comparable with the net institutional figures set out above. The special and specific grant totals include the money for schools announced in the Budget on 21 March.

  £ per pupil secondary

  Standard Spending Assessment

  Special and Specific Grants

  1998–99

  2,747

  66

  1999–2000

  2,859

  100

  2000–01

  2,984

  199

  Education Authority Performance
  Mr. Ashdown
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the 20 education authorities with(a) the poorest record of pupil performance in GCSE examinations and (b) the highest administration costs (i) per pupil and (ii) as a proportion of their total education budget; and if he will make a statement. [121224]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  The following tables show, for 1999–2000,(a) the 20 local education authorities with the least proportion of pupils gaining five or more passes at grades A to C in GCSE examinations and (b) the 20 local education authorities with the highest central administration costs (i) per pupil and (ii) in relation to their total education budget.

  (a) Percentage of pupils gaining five or more passes in GCSE at grades A-C

  Kingston-upon-Hull UA

  23.4

  Knowsley

  23.6

  Islington

  27.4

  Hackney

  27.8

  Nottingham City

  28.7

  Southwark

  29.5

  Sandwell

  29.7

  Manchester

  30.2

  Haringey

  30.3

  Bristol UA

  31.0

  Middlesborough UA

  31.0

  Tower Hamlets

  31.1

  Greenwich

  31.7

  Lambeth

  31.9

  Bradford

  32.1

  Portsmouth UA

  32.2

  Lewisham

  32.3

  Barnsley

  32.4

  Liverpool

  32.4

  Newcastle upon Tyne

  33.6

  396W

  (b)(i) Central administration costs1

  £ per pupil

  Kensington and Chelsea

  167

  Greenwich

  127

  Manchester

  126

  Islington

  104

  Haringey

  103

  Southwark

  100

  Camden

  99

  Tower Hamlets

  97

  Merton

  95

  Lewisham

  94

  Bracknell Forest

  90

  Middlesbrough

  83

  Redbridge

  82

  Blackburn with Darwen

  81

  Hammersmith and Fulham

  81

  Hounslow

  78

  Waltham Forest

  77

  Harrow

  76

  Hackney

  76

  Barnet

  75

  1 Central costs on statutory and regulatory duties. Corporation of London and the Isles of Scilly have been excluded because of their very small size.

  (b)(ii) Central administration costs1

  As percentage of total education budget

  Manchester

  3.88

  Greenwich

  3.53

  Merton

  3.25

  Kensington and Chelsea

  3.20

  Bracknell Forest

  3.20

  Middlesbrough

  3.10

  Haringey

  2.81

  Islington

  2.81

  Redbridge

  2.80

  Blackburn with Darwen

  2.76

  Bury

  2.75

  Herefordshire

  2.68

  Swindon

  2.65

  East Sussex

  2.61

  Hartlepool

  2.57

  Redcar and Cleveland

  2.56

  Lewisham

  2.56

  Wokingham

  2.55

  Hounslow

  2.54

  Torbay

  2.53

  1 Central costs on statutory and regulatory duties. Corporation of London and the Isles of Scilly have been excluded because of their very small size.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Minimum Wage
  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will estimate the impact on the cost of departmental salaries were the national minimum wage for all ages to be raised to(a) £4, (b) £4.20 and (c) £4.50 per hour. [119865]

  Mr. Alan Johnson
  [holding answer 20 April 2000]The impact on the cost of departmental salaries were the national minimum wage for all ages to be raised to:

  (a) £4 per hour would be £258;

  (b) £4.20 per hour would be £6,356 and

  (c) £4.50 per hour would be £23,722.

  397W
  These figures relate to DTI Headquarters' Directorates only. I have asked the Chief Executives of the Department's agencies to respond to the hon. Member directly.

  The information in respect of Non-Departmental Public Bodies could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Letter from J. S. Holden to Mr. Andrew Welsh, dated 9 May 2000:
  I have been asked to reply to your recently tabled Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in respect of Companies House Executive Agency.
  No one in Companies House is paid below the current minimum wage. but if it were increased the impact to our salaries would be as follows:

  (a) Increase of £45,202 should the minimum wage be increased to £4 per hour

  (b) Increase of £103,278 should the minimum wage be increased to £4.20 per hour

  (c) Increase of £205,160 should the minimum wage be increased to £4.50 per hour.

  Letter from David Hendon to Mr. Andrew Welsh, dated 9 May 2000:
  I am replying to your question on behalf of the Radiocommunications Agency. Raising the minimum wage to £4, £4.20, or £4.50 an hour would have no impact on the Radiocommunications Agency's salary bill.

  Letter from Peter Joyce to Mr. Andrew Welsh, dated 9 May 2000:
  The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has asked me to reply to your question about the estimated impact on the cost of departmental salaries of The Insolvency Service were the national minimum wage for all ages to be raised to (a) £4, (b) £4.20) and (c) £4.50 per hour.
  Based on the salaries of current staff in post, the estimated annual cost to The Insolvency Service would be (a) £26,028, (b) £52,994 and (c) £95,054.

  Letter from T. M. Ridley to Mr. Andrew Welsh, dated 10 May 2000:
  The Chairman has asked me to respond to Mr. Counsell's letter of 27th April.
  For the Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS), increases in the National Minimum Wage of £4, £4.20, or £4.50 per hour would have no effect on salary costs.

  Letter from Alison Brimelow to Mr. Andrew Welsh dated 9 May 2000:
  Parliamentary Question: 1999/1835
  The estimate of the impact on the cost of Patent Office Agency salaries were the national minimum wage for all ages to be raised to £4, £4.20 or £4.50 per hour, would be £8,000, £34,000 and £73,000 respectively.

  Letter from Ian Jones to Mr. Andrew Welsh, dated 9 May 2000:
  You tabled a Parliamentary Question on 18 April 2000 to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry concerning the impact on departmental salaries if the National Minimum Wage were raised to £4, £4.20 & £4.50. I have been asked to reply in respect of the Employment Tribunals Service (ETS) which is an executive agency of the DTI.
  398W
  The approximate cost to ETS if the national minimum wage for all ages were raised is as follows:

  Hourly increase

  Annual basic rate

  Total cost

  £4 per hour

  £8,736

  £669

  £4.20 per hour

  £9,173

  £3,312

  £4.50 per hour

  £9,828

  £11,212

  If there is further information you would like to have, please let me know.

  Letter from Seton Bennet to Mr. Andrew Welsh, dated 9 May 2000:
  The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has asked me to reply on behalf of NWML to your question regarding the impact on the cost of Departmental salaries were the national minimum wage for all ages to be raised to (a) £4, (b) £4.20 and (c) £4.50 per hour.
  This would have zero impact on the cost of salaries at the National Weights and Measures Laboratory as we have no staff paid at national minimum wage levels.

  Miners' Pensions
  Mr. Stevenson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the pension rights of miners dismissed following the 1984 dispute, with particular reference to(a) those dismissed who had their dismissal confirmed on appeal, (b) those dismissed who won their appeal against dismissal and (c) those dismissed who made no appeal. [120916]

  Mrs. Liddell
  The Coalfield Task Force, established by my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister, recommended that the DTI review the pension entitlements of men who were not reinstated following their dismissal during the 1984–85 miners' strike. I shall shortly be issuing a document which will put forward proposals for addressing these questions.

  OECD Anti-bribery Convention
  Dr. Cable
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he has taken to incorporate the OECD Anti-bribery Convention into UK law. [121026]

  Mr. Caborn
  The United Kingdom ratified the OECD Convention on Combating the Bribery of Foreign Public Officials on the basis of existing anti-corruption legislation, in particular, the 1906 Prevention of Corruption Act.

  My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary will shortly publish the Government's proposals for reform of the law of corruption, which are designed to update existing legislation, taking account of the UK's obligations under the OECD Convention and other international initiatives aimed at eradicating corruption.

  Companies House
  Ms Julie Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to his answer of 2 May 2000,Official Report, column 25W, concerning Companies House, what the results were of the systematic evaluation carried out of Capita's performance in the years (a) 1996–97, (b) 1997–98 and (c) 1998–99; what percentage of their targets Capita reached; and in what areas. [121125]
  399W
  Dr. Howells
  Capita's performance against the public target is to answer at least 90 per cent. of all incoming telephone calls to the Companies House inquiry unit within 20 seconds.

  For the periods:

  (a) January-June 1997 the result was 53.5 per cent.

  (b) July 1997-June 1998 the result was 95 per cent.

  (c) June 1998-July 1999 the result was 96.5 per cent.

  No performance data are available from the commencement of the contract on 1 July 1996 to 31 December 1996, as during this period a new telephone system was being installed which precluded monitoring taking place.

  Liquid Petroleum Gas
  Ms Atherton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what powers OFGEM has with regard to monitoring and regulating the supply of bottled liquid petroleum gas; and if he will make a statement. [121084]

  Mrs. Liddell
  The Gas Act 1986, as amended, which set up the gas regulatory bodies, exempts and excepts LPG from its provisions. Therefore, LPG does not fall within the remit of the gas regulator. However, LPG is subject to UK competition law. Responsibility for possible consideration of anti-competitive practices in the market lies with the Director General of Fair Trading.

  Radio Frequencies (Mobile Phones)
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what criteria are used by Her Majesty's Government to prioritise the use of radio frequencies for emergency transmissions. [121361]

  Ms Hewitt
  Radio frequencies are set aside specifically for emergency service use. The emergency services have priority within those frequency bands and no criterion other than being an emergency service is used.

  Ex-directory Telephone Numbers
  Mr. Hunter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will take measures to ensure that ex-directory telephone numbers are not commercially available; and if he will make a statement. [121350]

  Ms Hewitt
  The formulation and enforcement of policy on the privacy of ex-directory telecoms customers are matters for the Data Protection Commissioner and Oftel. It is important to note that being an ex-directory customer does not guarantee that unsolicited calls will never be received. Ex-directory status means that a number will never be quoted or called up by BT's or any other telecoms company's directory inquiries operators nor will details of the customer be listed in the Phonebook.

  However, telemarketing companies can use other sources of information to contact people. These sources may contain information given by customers completing coupons for special offers, magazine and catalogue tear-off slips and other promotional questionnaires and flyers where the customer has not specified that such information is not to be disclosed.

  Oil
  Mr. Yeo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the recent research by the International Energy Agency on future supplies and prices of oil; and if he will make a statement. [121421]

  Mrs. Liddell
  [holding answer 9 May 2000]: The International Energy Agency's (IEA) latest "World Energy Outlook (1998)" considers energy demand and supply for 10 world regions over the period to 2020 and concludes that world oil production from conventional sources could peak around 2015. This would result in a transfer from conventional oil to unconventional oil (for additional supplies) and might produce a rise in oil prices. The IEA's conclusions fall roughly in the middle of a range of projections from researchers which, at the extremes, envisage oil production peaking as early as 2005, or as late as 2050.

  The IEA is currently preparing its "World Energy Outlook 2000", and hopes to publish this document in November 2000. My officials have been in contact with their IEA colleagues and I understand that some changes will be made to the methodology adopted by the IEA which will further improve the value of their research into future world energy demand and supply.

  Coal Industry (State Aids)
  Mr. Clapham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when and how the consultation procedure on coal state aid that he referred to in his statement on Energy Policy on 17 April will take place. [121748]

  Mrs. Liddell
  I have today placed in the Library a consultation document setting out proposals for a coal subsidy scheme. The consultation document is also available on the DTI's internet site at www.dti.gov.uk\consultations\

  Staff Bonuses (Millennium Period)
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much his Department, its agencies and associated public bodies spent in total on extra bonuses above usual payments for staff working over the New Year period; what are the(a) maximum and (b) minimum bonuses paid; how many people received the (i) maximum and (ii) minimum payments; and if he will make a statement. [104490]

  Dr. Howells
  [pursuant to his reply, 1 February 2000, c. 531-32W]: The information requested for the headquarters Department is now available. The total amount paid as Millennium extras was £27,430 to 100 staff. Two members of staff received the maximum payment of £1,040 and seven received the minimum payment of £65.

  Exports (EU)
  Mr. Gill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the value of goods exported to other EU countries in 1999; and what proportion of those goods were trans-shipped in Continental ports to go on to non-EU destinations. [121410]

  Dawn Primarolo
  I have been asked to reply.
  401W
  HM Customs & Excise are the Department responsible for collecting trade statistics on the movement of goods with other countries.

  The value of goods exported to other EC countries in 1999 was £96.85 billion. Where goods are moved in transit through other EC countries en route to non-EC countries, exporters are required to report the country of final destination and such goods will not be counted as EC trade.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

  Lloyds TSB
  Mr. Gibb
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what was the outcome of her Department's recent legal action against Lloyds TSB. [120915]

  Mr. Foulkes
  Legal action against Lloyds TSB is still proceeding and it would therefore be inappropriate to comment on this matter at present.

  Pitcairn Islands
  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what subsidies were paid by the Government to the Pitcairn Islands in each year from 1989–90 to 1999–2000; what is the estimated expenditure for 2000–01; what control the Government exercise over how such subsidy is spent by the Pitcairn authorities; what is the Government's policy towards the level and maintenance of subsidy and bilateral aid to the Pitcairn Islands; and if she will make a statement. [121140]

  Mr. Foulkes
  HMG do not give revenue subsidy to the Pitcairn Government. Last year their Government spent £31,000 subsidising electricity and shipping and freight charges. Figures for previous years are not readily available. An analysis of Pitcairn's financial situation has concluded that Pitcairn will exhaust its Investment Fund (income mainly derived from the sale of postage stamps), without remedial action. Therefore, the Island Council has decided that it should remove subsidies while making provision for vulnerable people.

  Our Department is consulting the Island Council and the Commissioner for Pitcairn on a medium term financial framework which will look at ways of increasing revenue from areas such as tourism, niche food products, and the issuing of fishing licences.

  HMG have recently paid for the refurbishment of all the public buildings on the island, a project to market Pitcairn honey and the upgrading of the electricity distribution network.

  We have also approved a £0.5 million contribution to the proposed "Hill of Difficulty" road which our Department is co-financing with the European Commission.

SCOTLAND

  Birth Certificates
  Mr. Caton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland for what purposes his Department requires a birth certificate to 402W
  be furnished by (a) employees, (b) contractors, (c) those applying for employment and contracts and (d) other persons. [120314]

  Dr. Reid
  The Scotland Office requires the production of a birth certificate or similar documentary evidence for one or more of the following reasons:

  Proof of identity

  Proof of eligibility under the Civil Service nationality

  rules Proof of age.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Domestic Violence
  Mr. Gerald Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of domestic violence the police were called out to deal with in(a) 1970, (b) 1980 and (c) 1999; and what the cost was to public funds. [120658]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  The information requested is not available.

  The latest available estimate of domestic violence incidents recorded by the police, obtained from Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary 1998–99 Annual Statistical Return, is that there were approximately 355,000 such incidents in that year in England and Wales.

  Another source of information on domestic violence is the British Crime Survey. This suggests that the actual prevalence of domestic violence is significantly higher. For the years 1981, 1991, 1993, 1995 and 1997 the estimated number of domestic violence incidents were as follows:

  Thousand

  Year

  1981

  1991

  1993

  1995

  1997

  All incidents

  290

  539

  1,179

  992

  835

  Reported incidents

  57

  126

  271

  296

  220

  Changes in the extent to which respondents are willing to divulge their experience may have influenced these trends.

  The costs of police operations concerning domestic violence are not collected centrally. However, a report by Professor Elizabeth Stanko and others, "Counting the costs; estimating the impact of domestic violence in the London Borough of Hackney", was published by Crime Concern in 1998. This estimated the total cost in 1996 to the public sector of providing services for women and children facing domestic violence in Hackney at around £90 per annum per household. A copy of this report has been placed in the Library.

  Racial Incidents
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many London borough councils have developed systems with the local police to combat racial incidents within their borough. [121119]
  403W
  Mr. Charles Clarke
  The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis informs me that all 32 London boroughs have Community Safety Units which are the focal point of liaison between the police and local councils in relation to racial incidents.

  Drug-related Deaths
  Dr. Iddon
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will fund the National Programme on Substance Abuse Deaths publication entitled "Drug-related Deaths" as reported by coroners in England and Wales. [121263]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  The Government are currently reviewing data collection requirements in relation to drug-related deaths and it would be premature to take a decision on the funding of the database maintained by the National Programme on Substance Abuse Deaths while this review is ongoing.

  Life-term Prisoners
  Dr. Iddon
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners serving life terms in United Kingdom jails have served(a) more than 25 years, (b) more than 30 years, (c) more than 35 years and (d) more than 40 years; and how many such prisoners there are in total. [121262]

  Mr. Boateng
  Responsibility for persons detained in prisons in Scotland and Northern Ireland lies with the First Minister of the Scottish Executive and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, respectively.

  As at 31 March 2000, a total of 4,469 persons were serving life sentences in prisons in England and Wales. A breakdown of these inmates, showing the time elapsed since reception under sentence, is given in the table. Prisoners who had been released on licence and subsequently recalled are included in the statistics. Such time spent on licence is included in the calculation of the time since sentenced.

  Life sentence prisoners held in prisons in England and Wales on 31 March 2000, by interval since reception under sentence

  Time since sentenced1

  Number

  Up to 25 years

  4,303

  Over 25 up to 30 years

  97

  Over 30 up to 35 years

  50

  Over 35 up to 40 years

  11

  Over 40 years

  8

  All life sentence prisoners

  4,469

  1 Including any time spent on release under licence but excluding any time spent on remand before sentencing.

  Penalties
  Mr. Gill
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the(a) minimum and (b) maximum penalty for (i) violent demonstration and (ii) destruction of private property. [121347]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  There is no specific offence of violent demonstration. Section 1 of the Public Order Act 1986 prescribes a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment for the offence of riot which involves the use, or threat, of unlawful violence for common purpose such as to cause fear for personal safety. It can only 404W
  be committed where 12 or more people so act. Under section 2, similar behaviour committed by three or more people (violent disorder) is punishable with a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment. Section 3 relates to similar behaviour where only one or two people are involved (affray). The maximum penalty for this offence is three years imprisonment.

  The destruction of private property would normally amount to criminal damage. The maximum penalty for criminal damage is 10 years imprisonment.

  There are no minimum penalties for these offences.

  Mr. Gill
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the(a) minimum and (b) maximum penalty for dousing a person in petrol and setting fire to them. [121345]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  The penalties available would depend upon the offence charged. A person convicted of attempted murder would face a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. If the victim died, this could result in a conviction for murder, for which the mandatory sentence is life imprisonment. A conviction for causing grievous bodily harm with intent would also carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

  There are no minimum penalties for these offences.

  Mr. Gill
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the(a) minimum and (b) maximum penalty for breaking and entering for the purpose of (a) theft and (b) an offence against the person. [121346]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  The behaviour described would be charged as burglary. The maximum penalty for burglary is 14 years imprisonment. Additionally, for those convicted of a third domestic burglary, there is now a mandatory minimum sentence of three years imprisonment.

  Radio (Emergency Services)
  Mrs. Browning
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from the emergency services concerning the cost to them of proposed changes to radio channels. [121337]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  [holding answer 9 May 2000]: The spectrum currently used by the police and fire services for radio communications has serious limitations and is the key reason why we arranged for the provision of new spectrum. The plan is that emergency services will use high quality spectrum, released at no cost by the Norther Atlantic Treaty Organisation, which will enable emergency services radio systems to function more efficiently than that provided by current schemes. We are achieving this by the introduction of the new Public Safety Radio Communications Service. We are doing so in accordance with an internationally agreed harmonized plan for use of Public Safety radio spectrum.

  Both the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Association of Police Authorities have concluded that the Public Safety Radio Communications Project (PSRCP) meets technical requirements and offers value for money at a national level. However, a number of Police Forces and Police Authorities have raised the question of affordability of the PSRC Service.
  405W
  I have also received various representations from the Fire Service about future radio communications and control room requirements, including views on costs and on their participation in the PSRC Service.

  Policing (Somerset)
  Mr. Ashdown
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of police numbers in Somerset in March 2001; and if he will make a statement. [121227]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  I understand from the Chief Constable that he currently projects 3,030 officers available for ordinary duty at the end of March 2001 for the Avon and Somerset Constabulary. The Chief Constable is unable to provide a figure for only Somerset. He distributes resources between the eight territorial divisions according to need and operational priorities.

  Mr. Ashdown
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what conclusions about the adequacy of central Government support for policing in Somerset he has reached on the basis of recent research commissioned by his Department into the costs of policing in rural areas; and if he will make a statement. [121226]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for North-East Hertfordshire (Mr. Heald) on 21 February 2000,Official Report, columns 118–19W.

  Gammahydroxybutrate
  Mr. Ben Chapman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the reclassification of Gammahydroxybutrate as a drug rather than as a medicine. [120437]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  Further to my reply of 28 February 2000,Official Report, column 107W, I can report that Gammahydroxybutrate has now been referred to the Scientific Committee of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drugs Addiction for a formal risk assessment.

  Anti-drugs Strategy
  Mr. Clappison
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what account he has taken in implementing the Government's anti-drugs strategy of the relationship between drug-related offending by women and the number of women sentenced to imprisonment. [120439]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  In 1998, 968 females and 9,777 males were given an immediate custodial sentence for drugs offences (Great Britain). Statistics on drug-related offences are not collected by the Home Office, but by a programme of research at Cambridge University on behalf of the Home Office. This involves drug testing of arrestees, and indicates a strong connection between drug misuse, particularly heroin and crack/cocaine, and crime, and suggests that about one third of all property crime is committed in order to buy these drugs. The initial findings also showed that for most drug types, female arrestees were as likely, if not more likely, than males to test positive and that females were significantly more likely than males to test positive for opiates.
  406W
  Two key objectives of the Government's anti-drugs strategy are to reduce levels of repeat offending among drug misusing offenders and to increase the participation of problem drug misusers, including prisoners, in drug treatment programmes which have a positive impact on health and crime. This relates to men and women, but the strategy recognises that specific support services may be needed for certain groups including women. Counselling, Assessment, Referral, Advice, Throughcare (CARAT) services, in place in every prison, will be tailored towards the prisoner populations in each establishment. Also, research is to be undertaken to look further into the issue of women and drugs.

  Cannabis
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of claims in the Police Foundation's report on the results of cannabis decriminalisation in the Netherlands. [120448]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  The committee of inquiry set up by the Police Foundation has produced a thorough report with a large number of recommendations and the Government will give it careful attention. However, the Government have made it clear that they do not support the Inquiry's recommendations on the re-classification or depenalisation of cannabis.

  The Government have a clear and consistent view about the damage which drugs can cause to individuals, their families and the wider community, the link between drugs and crime—and the corresponding need to maintain firm controls. The Government are opposed to any lessening of controls on currently illicit drugs but favour a wide-ranging approach—we see a need for a balance of policies involving supply reduction, demand reduction and harm reduction.

  The Police Foundation's report acknowledges that there are significant contradictions between Dutch drugs policy—under which small-scale possession and supply of cannabis remains illegal but the laws are not enforced—and international agreements. The Preamble to the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs 1961, states that effective measures against abuse of narcotic drugs require co-ordinated and universal action and that such action calls for international co-operation guided by the same principles and aimed at common objectives. The Government support these principles and have no intention of breaching their obligations under the 1961 United Nations drugs convention which commit the international community to working together against the illicit drug trade. It naturally follows from this that the Government also have no intention of allowing for the systematic non-enforcement of the law.

HEALTH

  Continence
  Mr. Austin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans he has to issue NHS guidance on continence in place of the existing guidelines; [120751]

  (2) what action he is taking to ensure national minimum standards in the NHS in dealing with continence problems; [120752]
  407W
  (3) what plans he has to monitor the provision of services for people with continence problems; and if he will make a statement. [120753]

  Mr. Hutton
  "Good Practice in Continence Services" was issued on 19 April 2000. This guidance suggests targets for primary and community teams, health authorities and National Health Service trusts. It includes appropriate references to the NHS Performance Assessment Framework, which is used to plan and monitor the delivery of services.

  A National Service Framework for Older People is currently being developed. This will supplement the guidance on continence services by placing it in the wider context of improving NHS services for older people.

  EU Food and Veterinary Office
  Mr. Paul Marsden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement about proposals to increase the number of inspectors at the European Union's Food and Veterinary Office. [120364]

  Ms Stuart
  The annual report of the European Commission's Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) for 1999 gave no indication that there are further proposals to increase the number of its inspectors. It did, however, report that during 1998 and 1999 the number of its inspectors had more than doubled to 87. This was as a result of the FVO's increased responsibilities, in both member states and third countries exporting to member states, for the protection of consumer health.

  Fostered Children
  Mr. Gerald Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children there were in foster homes in(a) 1970, (b) 1980 and (c) 1999; and of these, how many were from (i) broken families, (ii) single parent family units and (iii) intact families. [120675]

  Mr. Hutton
  The information available is given in the table:

  Children in care/looked after in foster placements, in England, years ending 31 March 1970, 1980, 1999

  Boarded out/foster placements

  Year ending 31 March

  Number

  Rate per 10,000 population1

  1970

  28,900

  23

  1980

  35,200

  27

  1999

  36,200

  32

  1 Aged under 18

  Notes:

  1. All numbers of children have been rounded to the nearest hundred.

  2. Figures for children looked after in this table exclude agreed series of short-term placements.

  3. Figures for 1970 were collected under the provisions of the Children Act 1948.

  4. Figures for 1980 were collected under the provisions of the Children and young Persons Act 1969.

  5. Figures for 1999 were collected under the provisions of the Children Act 1989.

  6. The Department of Health does not collect data on the family background of children looked after.

  PTB Staff
  Dr. Gibson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to pay the PTB staff for the 1998–99 pay year. [120914]

  Mr. Denham
  Professional and Technical B staff received a 2 per. cent. pay increase from 1 April 1998 rising to 3.8 per. cent. from 1 December 1998.

  Generic Medicine Pricing
  Mr. Fabian Hamilton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the Government's proposals for generic medicine pricing on(a) the patient pack and (b) the availability of generic medicines; [121034]

  (2) if pharmacists will be reimbursed for stocks of generic medicines bought under the old pricing regime. [121033]

  Ms Stuart
  Our proposals for setting maximum prices for generic medicines aim to protect the position of the National Health Service by correcting the effect of last year's price increases, while allowing reasonable returns to those in the supply chain. We believe that the proposed new prices, which are currently subject to consultation, should stimulate a good supply of generics, including patient packs, to the NHS.

  Community pharmacists, along with other parties in the supply chain, have several months in which they can reduce their stockholdings before the proposed legislation requiring price cuts takes effect. In addition, reimbursement prices will not be brought into line with the new selling prices until the following month, thus providing a further time interval during which stocks can be run down and replaced with new stock at the lower price.

  Neurological Diseases
  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to make implant therapy for neurological diseases available to all NHS patients. [120761]

  Mr. Denham
  [holding answer 4 May 2000]: Implant therapy can, in some patients, be highly beneficial for people with neurological conditions. However, it is a relatively new and developing field and the merits of this form of treatment compared with traditional therapies have not yet been thoroughly tested. It is for a patient's neurologist to decide if implant therapy would be beneficial given the circumstances of each individual patient.

  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the review on implant therapy for neurological diseases will be completed; and if he will make a statement. [120760]

  Mr. Hutton
  [holding answer 4 May 2000]: There is some evidence that neurostimulation may help a small number of patients with severe Parkinson's Disease. There is no clear evidence however, about whether it is a clinically or cost effective alternative to another surgical technique (lesional surgery) or best medical treatment. In addition, there are three kinds of neurostimulation and at present the long-term safety of one type of stimulation (sub-thalamic) has yet to be established.
  409W
  An independent assessment of the evidence is now required for the use of neurostimulator implants in the treatment of severe Parkinson's Disease. We are currently considering the best way to take this forward.

  Pharmacists
  Mr. Fearn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Prescription Pricing Bureau will resume paying pharmacists for actual costs. [121120]

  Ms Stuart
  The Prescription Pricing Authority (PPA) continues to pay pharmacists for actual costs. The PPA is at present making balancing adjustments (which may be a credit or debit) to convert interim payments to payment of actual costs three months later than normal. Current forecasts indicated that this delay will reduce to two months by February 2001 and normal payment arrangements are expected to resume from September 2001.

  Slimming Drugs
  Mr. Gale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 20 April 2000,Official Report, column 624W, on slimming drugs, upon what grounds the urgent advice of the Committee on the Safety of Medicines has been sought concerning the drug amfepramone.

  Ms Stuart
  [holding answer 8 May 2000]: The Committee's advice was sought following the suspension by the European Court of the European Commission Decision to withdraw amfepramone products from the Community market. The Committee was asked to consider the public health implications of the reinstatement of the licences for amfepramone.

  Mr. Gale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the cost to the NHS of treatment for obesity that will arise from the withdrawal from the market of the drug phentermine and related products; and if he will make a statement. [121108]

  Ms Stuart
  [holding answer 8 May 2000]: The decision to withdraw a product from the market is based on the safety and efficacy of that product and the associated impact on public health, not cost to the National Health Service. The decision to withdraw phentermine from the market was a European Commission Decision, with which the United Kingdom was obliged to comply, according to the legislation governing medicinal products in the European Union.

  Carers
  Mr. Alexander
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many home carers there are in(a) Great Britain and (b) Scotland. [121326]

  Mr. Hutton
  The latest available information on informal carers shows that in 1995 the estimated number of informal carers in(a) Great Britain was 5.7 million and (b) Scotland was 741,000.

  Source:

  1995 General Household Survey.

  Consultants
  Mr. Drew
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what checks are undertaken to ensure that NHS employed consultants who also work in private practice are able properly to account for their time. [121455]

  Ms Stuart
  Any National Health Service consultant who does private work is expected to devote substantially the whole of their professional time to their NHS work. It is for employers and employees to agree the balance between private and NHS work. Their responsibilities for the clinical care of their NHS patients must come first. It is for NHS management locally to ensure that all consultants are fulfilling their contractual commitments, and to take action if these are not being met in individual cases.

  A whole time consultant is permitted to have private practice earnings of up to 10 per cent. of their gross NHS salary. If asked by their employer, they must provide fully audited accounts showing their gross income from private practice. If their private practice income exceeds 10 per cent. of their NHS salary in two consecutive years, they have the option of a maximum part-time contract, which means that the consultant foregoes one eleventh of whole time salary, in return for the removal of the restrictions on private practice earnings. However, whether on a whole time or maximum part time contract, there is a clear contractual obligation to devote substantially the whole of their professional time to their NHS duties.

  Mr. Drew
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what checks are undertaken on the expense claims submitted by consultants working for the NHS. [121456]

  Mr. Denham
  The monitoring of expense claims submitted by consultants is a matter for individual employing bodies.

  Meat Hygiene Service
  Mr. Livsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason the Meat Hygiene Service inspector, Mr. Yogarathnum, was suspended from his duties at the Mead Webber Abattoir at Eardisley and replaced on 10 April 2000 by Mr. Turner of the St. David's Veterinary Practice at Exeter. [121215]

  Ms Stuart
  On 10 April 2000 St. David's Farm and Equine Veterinary Practice, Exeter commenced provision of contract official veterinary surgeons (OVSs) to the Mead Webber abattoir at Eardisley on behalf of the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS). Prior to this Mr. Yogarathnum, a Meat Hygiene Service employee, had undertaken both the OVS and principal official veterinary surgeon (POVS) duties at the premises.

  Mr. Yogarathnum was relieved of his OVS duties at the Mead Webber abattoir, in order to allow him to spend more time on his POVS duties in a number of plants in the area. This included remaining as POVS at the Mead Webber abattoir.

  Mr. Turner is a partner of the St. David Farm's and Equine Veterinary Practice. While providing locum cover for the new OVS that he had appointed to the Mead Webber abattoir, he identified a number of deficiencies in the operations and structure of the premises to which he drew management's attention. As a result of these

  411W
  findings, the MHS Regional Director responsible for the Mead Webber abattoir visited the premises. He also discussed his concerns with plant management, Mr. Yogarathnum and the MHS meat inspection team. Mr. Yogarathnum was subsequently suspended, pending an investigation into his performance as POVS to the premises.

  Mr. Livsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what costs were incurred by the Meat Hygiene Service through the employment of Mr. Turner to inspect the Eardisley meat plant. [121216]

  Ms Stuart
  Mr. Turner is a partner of the St. David's Farm and Equine Veterinary Practice at Exeter. The practice was successful in its tender to supply Contract Official Veterinary Surgeons on behalf of the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) to Mead Webber abattoir at Eardisley. The rate per hour quoted in their tender for the provision of Contract official veterinary surgeons (OVSs) to the plant was £24.98. On the basis that the OVS will be present at the plant for 21 hours (in line with previous OVS attendance), the total costs of providing contract OVSs to the plant is therefore £524.

  Mr. Livsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many Meat Hygiene Service veterinary meat inspectors were employed from 1995 to 10 April 2000 in the Mead Webber plant at Eardisley. [121217]

  Ms Stuart
  Between January 1997 and April 2000, fourteen official veterinary surgeons (OVSs) have carried out OVS duties on behalf of the Meat Hygiene Service at the Mead Webber plant at Eardisley. The vast majority of these provided locum cover for employed OVSs at the premises and as a consequence would only have spent a relatively short period of time in the plant.

  In the time available it has not been possible to collate all of the information relating to the number of OVSs who worked at the plant between 1995 and December 1996, or the total number of meat inspection staff who have worked there between 1995 and April 2000. I will place a copy of this information in the Library when it is available.

  Mr. Livsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to ensure a new licence is issued to the Eardisley Abattoir. [121220]

  Ms Stuart
  No action to revoke the slaughterhouse licence No. 4103, issued on 4 March 1993 to The Abattoir, Eardisley, Hereford, has been taken. Revocation has not been recommended by the Licensing Authority (the Food Standards Agency) or its executive agency the Meat Hygiene Service, nor has it been requested by the abattoir operators (Mead Webber Ltd).

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Social Fund
  Mr. Dobbin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people have applied for money from the Social Fund and how much money was issued in loans through the Social Fund, in each of the last three years in(a) Scotland, (b) Wales, (c) England and (d) North-West England. [120099]
  412W
  Angela Eagle
  The administration of the Social Fund is a matter for Alexis Cleveland, the Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency. She will write to my hon. Friend.

  Letter from Alexis Cleveland to Mr. Jim Dobbin, dated 9 May 2000:
  The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many people have applied for money from the Social Fund and how much money was issued in loans through the Social Fund, in each of the last three years in (a) Scotland, (b) Wales, (c) England and (d) North-West England.
  The figures are included in the attached table.
  I hope this is helpful.

  Social Fund loan applications received and amount paid in each of the last three years in (a) Scotland, (b) Wales, (c) England and (d) North-West England

  Loan applications received

  Amountawarded (£)

  Scotland

  1997–98

  416,440

  45,723,467

  1998–99

  451,166

  52,116,199

  1999–2000

  540,568

  62,531,213

  Wales

  1997–98

  141,528

  21,383.254

  1998–99

  145,645

  24,235,488

  1999–2000

  179,046

  28,263,893

  England

  1997–98

  1,829,400

  297,931,497

  1998–99

  1,865,090

  326,829,719

  1999–2000

  2,254,049

  366,347.142

  North-West England

  1997–98

  369,604

  53,248,210

  1998–99

  385,715

  60,206,891

  1999–2000

  478,177

  75,569,806

  Notes:

  1. Figures show the total number of all applications for budgeting loans and crisis loans. Individual customers may have made more than one application.

  2. North-West England is defined as the area covered by the Benefits Agency Area Directorates 8 (North-West Coast) and 9 (Greater Manchester).

  3. Some loans paid clerically, and adjustments between awards of loans and grants on review, are not recorded on the computer system. The figures do not therefore add up to total loans awarded for each year as published in the Social Fund Accounts.

  4. 1999–2000 expenditure is provisional pending publication of the Social Fund Account.

  Winter Fuel Payments
  Mr. Coaker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what progress is being made in clearing the backlog of payments of winter fuel allowance to those who lost their original cheque. [120126]

  Angela Eagle
  The administration of winter fuel payments is a matter for Alexis Cleveland, Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency. She will write to my hon. Friend.

  Letter from Alexis Cleveland to Mr. Vernon Coaker, dated 8 May 2000:
  The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what progress is being made in clearing the backlog of payments of winter fuel allowance to those who lost their original cheque.

  413W
  The Benefits Agency's (BA) winter fuel team have made enquiries of their Mercia Area Directorate (ADS) which covers your constituency area. They advise that the question of replacing 13 girocheques is still outstanding pending further investigation.
  Any winter fuel payments reported lost, missing or not received are treated in the same manner as other lost or missing payments and replaced accordingly. If a customer reports a lost, missing or not received girocheque to the local BA Office a form is completed by the customer stating the circumstances of the loss or non-receipt. This can be either completed at the office or posted to the customer. If posted the process of replacement takes a little longer allowing for postage times. When the form is returned an officer acting on behalf of the Secretary of State examines the information to consider a replacement.
  I hope this is helpful.

  Lone Parents
  Mr. Willetts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the total number of lone parents on income support, broken down into those with children(a) below and (b) above school age, for each month since April 1992. [121036]

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

  As many lone parents have more than one child whose ages can be either above or below five years, figures have been provided for all three categories, i.e., lone parents with under fives only, lone parents with over fives only, and those parents with children in both categories.

  Income support lone parents by age dependant children Great Britain 1992 to 1999

  Thousand

  Quarter

  All children under 5

  All children over 5

  children under and over 5

  August 1999

  309

  410

  221

  May 1999

  308

  407

  221

  February 1999

  311

  408

  221

  November 1998

  310

  405

  224

  August 1998

  315

  412

  228

  May 1998

  321

  412

  228

  February 1998

  328

  414

  230

  November 1997

  333

  418

  232

  August 1997

  343

  432

  237

  May 1997

  347

  429

  237

  February 1997

  352

  430

  238

  November 1996

  355

  429

  238

  August 1996

  367

  450

  244

  May 1996

  370

  445

  244

  February 1996

  373

  443

  244

  November 1995

  379

  439

  243

  August 1995

  385

  437

  244

  May 1995

  383

  433

  240

  February 1995

  385

  426

  238

  November 1994

  387

  420

  235

  August 1994

  392

  423

  233

  May 1994

  395

  415

  229

  February 1994

  400

  408

  227

  November 1993

  403

  402

  226

  August 1993

  410

  402

  228

  May 1993

  404

  389

  220

  February 1993

  403

  382

  215

  November 1992

  402

  371

  211

  Notes:

  1. Figures are based on a 5 per cent. sample, and as such they are subject to a degree of sampling error.

  414W

  2. Figures exclude unemployed who transferred to Jobseeker's Allowance with effect from October 1996.

  3. Lone Parents are single claimants with dependants who are not receiving the disability or pensioner premium.

  4. Figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand.

  5. Information on the numbers of lone parents claiming Income Support by age of child dependants is collected on a quarterly basis. It is therefore not possible to supply monthly figures.

  Source:

  Income Support Statistics Inquiries, November 1992 to August 1999.

  ONE Service
  Mr. Alexander
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what reviews have been carried out to assess the success of the single work-focused gateway. [121100]

  Angela Eagle
  There will be a thorough evaluation of the ONE service, which will use a range of standard evaluation techniques; quantitative and qualitative research, operational research and cost-benefit analysis. The success of the pilots will be evaluated by comparing the outcomes for participants in the pilot areas with those for similar people from other, comparable areas. The evaluation will also include assessments about the effectiveness of ONE compared to the present system and it will compare data from the different model pilots to assess their relative effects.

  Disability Living Allowance
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will set up an independent review of the workings of the appeals system against refusal and downgrading of disability living allowance applications; and if he will make a statement. [121196]

  Angela Eagle
  A full evaluation exercise is currently being carried out following the changes to the decision making and appeals procedures introduced last year. All areas affected by the changes are being monitored.

  We are aware that the Benefits Agency is experiencing some problems in dealing with revisions and appeals on Disability Living Allowance and this is being addressed separately.

  Mr. Willetts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the cost of extending the entitlement for new claims to disability living allowance to all those aged below 70 years. [119246]

  Mr. Bayley
  [pursuant to his reply, 17 April 2000, c. 402W]: The estimated programme cost would be £350 million in 2001–02, rising to £400 million in 2002–03 and £500 million in 2003–04.

  Fraud
  Mr. Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 2 May 2000,Official Report, column 34W, on fraud savings, what are the abbreviated names of the initiatives and projects in full. [121280]

  Mr. Rooker
  The full names of the initiatives and projects are now included.
  415W

  Initiatives since 1 May 1997

  Initiative/Project

  Cost (£ million)

  Start date

  End date

  Benefits Agency (BA)

  Area Benefit Review/Quality Support Team Linking and Devolution (AQLAD, ABR/QST)

  0.2

  April 1999

  Continuing

  Area Benefit Review (ABR)

  16.24

  September 1997

  Continuing

  Benefits Agency/Child Support Agency Closer Working (BA/CSA)

  1.6

  1997

  Continuing

  Benefits Agency/Local Authority Liaison (BA/LA liaison)

  1.0

  1997

  Continuing

  Card Fraud Investigation

  0.04

  1997

  February 1999—Cancellation of the payment by card process

  Child Benefit Initiatives

  2.4

  1997

  Continuing

  Closer Working with East of Scotland

  0.1

  April 1999

  Continuing

  Family Credit London Project (FAMC London project)

  0.23

  1997

  October 1999—Migrated to IR

  Habitual Residency Test

  0.3

  July 1999

  November 1999—Recommendation for full implementation across the Agency

  Housing Benefit Matching Service

  2.35

  1997

  April 1999—Now part of BA core

  Income Support/Jobseeker's Allowance Premiums (ISA/JSA Premiums)

  0.04

  July 1999

  Continuing

  Jobseeker's Allowance Initiatives (JSA Initiatives)

  0.02

  April 1999

  Fixes implemented

  New Claims Activity/Target Reviews Central Team costs (NCA/TR central team costs)

  2.5

  1997

  April 1999—Now a core activity

  New Claims Activity/Target Reviews Training (NCA/TR training)

  0.4

  1997

  April 1999—Now a core activity

  Operation Rattle (incorrect payments of child benefit when recipient gone abroad)

  0.18

  1997

  Continuing as a Child Benefit initiative

  Overpayment of Legal Aid

  0.22

  September 1999

  Continuing

  Potential Debt

  0.11

  1997

  August 1999—Continuing as the Strategic Debt solution

  Programme Protection Expenditure measurement (PPE measurement)

  0.79

  1997

  April 1999—Contributed to the performance indicators

  Production of regs 113 by electronic media (death notification to Recovery of Estates section)

  0.02

  July 1999

  Continuing

  Professionalism in Security

  2.88

  July 1998

  Continuing

  Programme Expenditure Analysis

  0.16

  April 1999

  Continuing

  Risk management

  1.46

  1997

  Continuing

  Referral Management System (RMS)

  0.42

  1997

  31 March 1998—Now part of core

  Security Assurance Support Team (SAST)

  0.10

  1997

  Continuing

  Search by Address enhancements

  0.13

  1997

  Continuing

  Securing Family Credit

  1.23

  1997

  October 1999—Migrated to IR

  Security Projects Group

  0.27

  1997

  April 1999—Transferred into core MIDAS function

  Social Fund—of Benefit recovery (recovery of social fund once recipient off benefit)

  0.22

  August 1999

  Continuing

  Chilterns Secure Payments initiative

  0.74

  May 1997

  Continuing

  National Fraud database

  0.30

  June 1999

  Continuing

  National Insurance Contributions Office (NICO) Gateways

  0.52

  October 1998

  March 2000—Migration papers under development

  Payroll Cleanse

  0.82

  April 1998

  April 2000—Migrated into core

  Customer Account Security (Operational)

  0.85

  October 1998

  Continuing

  Construction Industry Scheme

  0.36

  May 1998

  March 2000—Migrated into core

  National Intelligence Unit

  0.51

  October 1998

  Continuing

  416W 417W

  Initiatives since 1 May 1997

  Initiative/Project

  Cost (£ million)

  Start date

  End date

  Controlled Risk Self Assessment

  0.06

  April 1999

  March 2000—Now operating Certificate of Conformance

  Child Support Agency (CSA)

  Fraud and Security Strategy

  1.5

  April 1999

  Continuing

  Housing Benefit Management (HBM)

  Local Authority Verification Framework

  34.50

  March 1998

  Continuing

  Weekly Benefit savings

  0.002

  12 January 2000

  Continuing

  Electronic Transfer of Data

  0.83

  August 1999

  Continuing

  Remote Access Terminals

  7.00

  August 1998

  Continuing

  Fraud Strategy Directorate (FSD)

  Local Authority Prosecution Pilot, England and Wales

  0.04

  November 1998

  Continuing

  (LA prosecution pilot, E&W)

  Scampion (review of organised fraud)

  0.09

  February 1999

  Continuing

  National Housing benefit Accuracy Review

  2.0

  April 1997

  October 1998—Findings published by GSS

  Large Scale Local Review project (Local Authorities)

  2.0

  April 1997

  Continuing

  Interest Rates
  Mr. Willetts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what have been since 1992 the rates of(a) income support for mortgage interest and (b) the bank base rate. [120380]

  Mr. Bayley
  From April 1992 until October 1995, the amount included for mortgage interest within the Income Support assessment for mortgage interest was determined by the actual interest rate charged by each claimant's lender. Since October 1995, the amount of Income Support allowed for mortgage interest has been determined by use of a Standard Interest Rate, limited by a maximum amount allowable. There are transitional arrangements applicable to people who were receiving help with mortgage interest at the point of change in October 1995.

  Standard interest rate changes from 1995 to date

  Date in force

  SIR

  2 October 1995

  8.35

  2 October 1995

  8.39

  21 January 1996

  8.00

  21 April 1996

  7.74

  23 June 1996

  7.48

  25 August 1996

  7.16

  15 December 1996

  6.89

  13 April 1997

  7.20

  21 September 1997

  7.57

  23 November 1997

  7.97

  24 May 1998

  8.34

  20 December 1998

  8.65

  21 February 1999

  8.24

  21 March 1999

  7.75

  18 April 1999

  7.39

  9 May 1999

  7.08

  20 June 1999

  6.66

  16 April 2000

  6.92

  418W

  Bank base rate from 1992 to date

  year/month

  Base rate (percentage)

  1992

  5 May

  10.00

  16 September

  12.00

  17 September

  10.00

  22 September

  9.00

  16 October

  8.00

  13 November

  7.00

  1993

  26 January

  6.00

  23 November

  5.50

  1994

  8 February

  5.25

  12 September

  5.75

  7 December

  6.25

  1995

  2 February

  6.75

  13 December

  6.50

  1996

  18 January

  6.25

  8 March

  6.00

  6 June

  5.75

  30 October

  6.00

  1997

  6 May

  6.25

  6 June

  6.50

  10 July

  6.75

  7 August

  7.00

  6 November

  7.25

  1998

  4 June

  7.50

  8 October

  7.25

  5 November

  6.75

  10 December

  6.25

  1999

  7 January

  6.00

  4 February

  5.50

  8 April

  5.25

  419W

  Bank base rate from 1992 to date

  Year/month

  Base rate (percentage)

  10 June

  5.00

  8 September

  5.25

  4 November

  5.50

  2000

  13 January

  5.75

  10 February

  6.00

  Married Women (Reduced National Insurance Rate)
  Mr. Webb
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will place in the Library a copy of leaflets produced by his Department in the late 1980s which offered guidance to married women on whether to revoke their election to pay a reduced rate of national insurance contributions. [120096]

  Dawn Primarolo
  I have been asked to reply.

  The following leaflets have been placed in the Library:
  NI1 "National Insurance Choices for Married Women" August 1989.
  NP.32B "Retirement benefits for married women" revised July 1986.

  Mr. Webb
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make it his policy to compensate married women who received inaccurate advice from his Department about whether to revoke their decision to pay a reduced rate of national insurance contributions following the reform of national insurance contributions in 1989, and who as a result are receiving a lower rate of retirement pension. [120095]

  Dawn Primarolo
  In 1989, the Department of Social Security ran a publicity campaign to inform lower-paid women that they could be paying more in reduced-rate National Insurance contributions than if they paid at the standard rate because of structural changes to National Insurance contributions introduced in October that year. They were also reminded that they could revoke their elections to pay the married women's reduced rate if they wish to do so.

PRIME MINISTER

  Ministerial Visit (Lewes)
  Mr. Baker
  To ask the Prime Minister what plans he has to visit the Lewes constituency. [120468]

  The Prime Minister
  I have no immediate plans to do so.

  Social Exclusion Unit
  Mr. Edwards
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement about the work of the Social Exclusion Unit. [120434]

  The Prime Minister
  I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr. Lansley) on 3 May 2000,Official Report, columns 110-11W.

  Engagements
  Sir Peter Tapsell
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 10 May. [121230]

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

TREASURY

  Capital Investment
  Mr. Alan Simpson
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the level of capital investment in(a) oil and gas extraction, (b) other energy and water supply, (c) manufacturing, (d) distribution, (e) hotel and catering, (f) financial business services, (g) transport, (h) communications and (i) private dwellings since 1988. [120242]

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

  Letter from John Kidgell to Mr. Alan Simpson, dated 10 May 2000:
  The Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has been asked to reply to your recent question on levels of capital investment since 1988. I am replying in the Director's absence.
  Due to the introduction of a new European System of Accounts (ESA 95) the production of data on capital investment by industry has been postponed. The publication of these data is planned for the end of this year. The only information available is on investment in private (personal sector) dwellings and business investment in manufacturing industry (from 1994 only), which is given below (in £ million).

  Manufacturing

  Private dwellings

  1988

  n/a

  17,994

  1989

  n/a

  18,755

  1990

  n/a

  16,678

  1991

  n/a

  15,396

  1992

  n/a

  16,054

  1993

  n/a

  16,918

  1994

  14,454

  18,074

  1995

  17,629

  18,567

  1996

  18,348

  20,231

  1997

  20,031

  21,765

  1998

  20,465

  24,475

  1999

  17,664

  25,910

  National Debt
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish for each year since 1970, the level of the United Kingdom national debt(a) in actual terms, (b) in constant money terms and (c) as a proportion of gross national product; and if he will publish, on the same basis, a projection of these figures for the next five years. [121197]

  Mr. Andrew Smith
  The table gives the figures requested.
  421W

  Table 1—Public sector net dept

  £ billion

  % GDP

  1998–99 prices

  1970–71

  38.7

  69.6

  340.7

  1971–72

  40.3

  65.2

  325.4

  1972–73

  41.8

  58.5

  312.0

  1973–74

  46.6

  58.4

  324.4

  1974–75

  52.1

  52.4

  302.9

  1975–76

  64.7

  54.2

  300.5

  1976–77

  73.6

  52.6

  300.4

  1977–78

  79.5

  49.2

  285.9

  1978–79

  88.6

  47.3

  286.7

  1979–80

  98.2

  44.1

  272.1

  1980–81

  113.8

  46.2

  266.7

  1981–82

  125.2

  46.4

  267.9

  1982–83

  132.5

  44.9

  265.3

  1983–84

  143.8

  45.2

  275.1

  1984–85

  157.2

  45.4

  285.7

  1985–86

  162.7

  43.6

  280.9

  1986–87

  167.8

  41.2

  280.8

  1987–88

  167.4

  36.9

  266.1

  1988–89

  153.9

  30.7

  229.0

  1989–90

  152.2

  27.9

  211.4

  1990–91

  151.3

  26.3

  194.9

  1991–92

  166.1

  27.6

  201.4

  1992–93

  202.3

  32.2

  237.5

  1993–94

  249.4

  37.5

  285.2

  1994–95

  289.3

  41.1

  326.2

  1995–96

  321.3

  43.2

  352.1

  1996–97

  348.5

  44.1

  370.0

  1997–98

  352.9

  42.1

  364.5

  1998–99

  348.6

  39.7

  348.6

  1999–2000

  339.4

  36.8

  331.1

  2000–01

  340

  35.1

  324

  2001–02

  340

  33.6

  317

  2002–03

  347

  32.7

  315

  2003–04

  363

  32.6

  321

  2004–05

  379

  32.6

  328

  Note:

  Figures for public sector net debt in £ billion and as a per cent. of GDP up to 1999–2000 are outturns. Figures for 2000–01 onwards are the Budget 2000 forecasts. The estimate of public sector net debt in 1998–99 prices for 1999–2000 is based on the Budget forecast of the GDP deflator for 1999–2000.

  Source:

  Tables C3, C4 and C5, Budget 2000 and the Office for National Statistics.

  Financial Services Access
  Mr. Goggins
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action he is taking to encourage better access to financial services for low income households. [120452]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  The general theme of the Treasury Policy Action Team (PAT 14) report on "Access to Financial Services" is that tackling financial exclusion requires the development of new financial services products and new ways to access them. There is no single solution: diversity and choice are the watchwords.

  The Government have made clear their expectation that the banks and building societies will play their part in combating financial exclusion. In particular a number of banks already offer basic bank accounts with no overdrafts and no charges which are suitable for those on low incomes. All Banks have been asked to provide such accounts by October. The Post Office also has a key role to play in delivering a range of banking services. The Government are contributing almost £500 million to the capital costs of computerisation of the Post Office network. A number of banks and building societies have formed partnerships with the Post Office.
  422W
  On 16 November 1999, I announced moves to boost credit unions which will provide a new central services organisation and changes to the regulation of credit unions to help them to deliver a more consistent and flexible service to their members.

  Minimum Wage
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of households he estimates have gained from the minimum wage in each income decile; how much the average gain has been to (a) each earner and (b) each household in each income decile (i) in absolute terms and (ii) as a proportion of income; by what method his estimates were made; and if he will make a statement. [119827]

  Dawn Primarolo
  Collating this information requires complex technical modelling. I will write to the hon. Member with the relevant information as soon as possible placing a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

  Integrated Child Credit
  Mr. MacShane
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the integrated child credit were to be introduced on the basis of the illustrative structure shown in chart 2.6 of Tackling Poverty and Making Work Pay-Tax Credits for the 21 Century, how many children he estimates would be in families drawing (i) income support/JSA and the integrated child credit, (ii) employment tax credit and the integrated child credit, (iii) the integrated child credit only including the WFTC child credit element, and (iv) the integrated child credit only including the children's tax credit element only, including child benefit in all cases. [120392]

  Dawn Primarolo
  No estimates have been made of the number of families in these categories. The numbers in each group will depend on the detailed design of the integrated child credit and employment tax credit, on which decisions have not yet been taken as well as take-up. The table sets out estimates of the number of dependent children in families in receipt of either Income Support of income-based Jobseekers Allowance, Working Families and Disabled Person's Tax Credit or only getting the Children's Tax Credit in 2001.

  million

  Benefit/Tax Credit

  Number of children

  Income Support or income-based JSA

  2½

  Working Families or Disabled Person's Tax Credit

  2½

  Children's Tax Credit only

  6

  Tax Mixing
  Mr. Jack
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many companies are known to the Inland Revenue as having offshore mixer companies. [120289]

  Dawn Primarolo
  [holding answer 2 May 2000]The number of groups using offshore companies to mix high and low taxed income varies year to year depending on the level of their UK and foreign profits, the need to pay dividends to their shareholders and their profit repatriation policies.
  423W

  Missing National Insurance Numbers
  Mr. Willetts
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many new national insurance numbers sent out have gone missing since January 1999; what action has been taken to investigate missing national insurance numbers; and how many missing national insurance numbers have been traced to asylum seekers. [121057]

  Dawn Primarolo
  Working with the DSS we have in place a substantial programme of work involving continual routine activities and new projects, which between them aim to keep the risk and incidence of NINO abuse to the minimum.

  This work will include rolling out the lessons from a pilot in Balham aimed at securing the gateway to obtaining a NINO.

  In addition, we are also working with DSS to look at the way in which we manage accounts which might present risk.

  Helplines
  Mr. Willetts
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many calls have been received by (a) the Working Families Tax Credit helpline and (b) the Disabled Person's Tax Credit helpline, in each month since January 1999; and what the salary levels are for those who work on each helpline. [121058]

  Dawn Primarolo
  The following table shows calls handled by the helplines. For Great Britain, they cover calls about Family Credit (FC) and Disability Working Allowance (DWA), as well as Working Families Tax Credit (WFTC) and Disabled Person's Tax Credit (DPTC). For Northern Ireland, the helplines were brought into operation for WFTC and DPTC in September 1999. No counts of earlier calls about FC or DWA are available for Northern Ireland.

  The table also shows calls handled by the response line, which was open from September 1999 to January 2000, and again in April 2000. For months up to January 2000, these calls were handled by the private contractors engaged, or by recorded voice. (All but 10,000 of these calls were about WFTC.) For April 2000 the figure is of calls handled by recorded voice; no private contractors were engaged.

  Helplines

  Month

  Family Credit/Working Families Tax Credit

  Disability Working Allowance/Disabled Person's Tax Credit

  Response line

  January 19991

  256,900

  9,000

  —

  February 19991

  259,000

  8,400

  —

  March 19991

  293,900

  9,900

  —

  April 19991

  251,900

  8,700

  —

  May 19991

  239,700

  7,600

  —

  June 19991

  199,600

  8,500

  —

  July 19991

  260,200

  7,600

  —

  August 19991

  284,100

  6,900

  —

  September 19991

  448,700

  11,600

  316,800

  October 1999

  449,300

  14,300

  322,700

  November 1999

  384,900

  13,200

  141,500

  December 1999

  242,400

  9,200

  42,900

  January 2000

  406,800

  14,300

  15,400

  424W

  Helplines

  Month

  Family Credit/Working Families Tax Credit

  Disability Working Allowance/Disabled Person's Tax Credit

  Response line

  February 2000

  387,400

  14,600

  —

  March 2000

  502,800

  18,300

  —

  April 2000

  471,400

  16.300

  40,700

  1 Excludes Northern Ireland before 7 September 1999. For October 1999, Northern Ireland accounted for about 4 per cent. of the total

  The high figure for March 2000 is explained by the particularly large number of awards approaching their renewal dates in that month.

  The helpline operators are currently paid at annual rates of between £12,110 and £18,666.

  Budget (Asset Sales)
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his oral statement of 21 March 2000, Official Report, column 858, on the Budget, if he will list projections of aggregate receipts from asset sales by Department in(a) 1999–2000, (b) 2000–01 and (c) 2001–02. [120798]

  Mr. Andrew Smith
  [holding answer 4 May 2000]The following sets out the estimated outturn receipts from sale of assets by Departments for 1999–2000. Aggregate receipts from asset sales of £1 billion are projected for both 2000–01 and 2001–02. These represent plans and are not broken down by Department.

  Department

  £million

  1999–2000

  Education and Employment

  0.6

  Department of Health

  250.2

  DETR

  202.4

  Home Office

  12.3

  Legal Departments

  8.2

  Defence

  348.8

  Foreign and Commonwealth Office

  32.5

  International Development

  0.02

  Trade and Industry

  8.7

  Agriculture, Fisheries and Food

  18.5

  Culture, Media and Sport

  1.8

  Social Security

  1.9

  Scotland

  16.6

  Wales

  35.6

  Northern Ireland

  91.3

  Chancellor's Departments

  60.1

  Cabinet Office

  4.4

  Total

  1,093.92

  Benefits (Children)
  Mr. Webb
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the average percentage increase in real benefit unit net income between 1997–98 and 2000–01 of the 1.2 million children that his policies have lifted out of poverty. [121287]

  Dawn Primarolo
  Collating this information requires complex technical modelling. I will write to the hon. Member with the relevant information as soon as possible, placing a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
  425W

  Double Taxation Relief
  Mr. Portillo
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has altered his projections for the revenue yield from changes to double taxation relief and controlled foreign companies following representations from business since the Budget. [121063]

  Dawn Primarolo
  [holding answer 5 May 2000]I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 19 April 2000, Official Report, columns 577-78W. The full year yield is not affected by the changes announced by the Inland Revenue Press Release 92/00 on 3 May 2000.

  Working Families Tax Credit
  Mr. Field
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the value of error by(a) officials and (b) claimants in respect of the working families tax credit in the last three years for which figures are available. [117035]

  Dawn Primarolo
  The overall value of known WFTC recoverable overpayments resulting from mistakes made by WFTC applicants for the period 1 October 1999 to 31 March 2000 is £93k. The overall value of known Family Credit recoverable overpayments resulting from mistakes made by Family Credit applicants for the corresponding period 1 October 1998 to 31 March 1999 is 1.8 million.

  Mrs. Browning
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the costs to business will be of administering the working families tax credit from April 2000 to 31 March 2003. [121072]

  Dawn Primarolo
  [holding answer 5 May 2000]I refer the hon. Member to the regulatory impact assessment which was published and placed in the House Library in December 1999.

  UK Reserves
  Mr. Robertson
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer by how much the United Kingdom's reserves have been reduced in value since the decision in July 1999 to sell gold and purchase euros, due to the fall in the value of that currency; and if he will make a statement. [121200]

  Mr. Nicholas Winterton
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the net change in the value of the United Kingdom's reserves as a result of his decision to sell gold and buy euros. [121452]

  Mr. Bercow
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the financial consequences to date of exchanging UK gold bullion reserves for Euros. [121498]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  The UK's programme of gold sales were part of a prudent medium term programme to restructure the reserves which aims to achieve a better balance in the Government's portfolio. There will be times when currencies depreciate and times when they appreciate. Having a diversified portfolio avoids being too exposed to any one asset.
  426W
  Mr. Gibb
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the current Bank of England reserves of euros; and how many euros have been purchased by the Bank of England since 1 January. [121268]

  Mr. Gill
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total quantity of reserves held in(a) gold and (b) euros on 31 March 1999 and 31 March 2000. [121692]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  Table 2 of the Quarterly Report on UK Official Holdings of Foreign Currency and Gold for the period October to December 1999, published on 2 March 2000, provides a breakdown of the size and composition of the United Kingdom's reserve holdings, including a currency breakdown. The Quarterly Report for the period January to March 2000 will be published on 2 June.

  Employers' National Insurance Contributions
  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the proposed reduction in the employers' national insurance contribution rate financed by the climate change levy. [121211]

  Dawn Primarolo
  [holding answer 8 May 2000]Pages 140 and 141 of the March 2000 Financial Statement and Budget Report give the details of national insurance contributions rates. A copy is in the Library of the House.

  Tax Data
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the reduction in tax paid per year in cash terms, and as a percentage of total gross annual income, for each income decile group, resulting from increasing the lop tax band on earnings by £100; and if he will make a statement. [120800]

  Dawn Primarolo
  [holding answer 9 May 2000]For taxpayers in 2000–01, the estimates for an increase in the starting rate limit are given in the table.

  Income tax of extending the starting rate limit to £1,620 in 2000–011,2

  Decile2

  Total reduction in income tax (£ million)

  Reduction in tax as a percentage of total gross annual income

  Lowest

  5

  0.04

  2nd

  27

  0.13

  3rd

  32

  0.12

  4th

  33

  0.10

  5th

  33

  0.09

  6th

  33

  0.07

  7th

  33

  0.06

  8th

  33

  0.05

  9th

  33

  0.04

  Highest

  33

  0.02

  1 Based on the survey of personal incomes and consistent with the March 2000 Budget.

  2 The estimates exclude an offsetting effect from the Working Families Tax Credit because this is allowed at family level and not at individual level.

  Tax Returns (Internet)
  Mrs. Browning
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received from users of Apple Macintosh PCs in respect of internet filing of tax returns. [121333]
  427W
  Dawn Primarolo
  [holding answer 9 May 2000]The Inland Revenue has received 17 representations from people with Apple Macintosh PCs in respect of internet filing of tax returns.

  Motor Insurance Premiums
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of trends in motor insurance premiums since 1996; and if he will make a statement. [121300]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  None.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Climate Change Levy
  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what compliance costs in relation to the climate change levy face each sector of the agricultural industry; and what assistance is being offered to each sector. [120244]

  Ms Quin
  Any compliance costs associated with the administration of the climate change levy will fall mainly on the energy suppliers who will have to amend their billing systems in order to accommodate the levy. More information is contained in the Regulatory Impact Assessment of the climate change levy prepared by Customs and Excise and it will be updated as appropriate to reflect any significant changes.

  To ensure that the levy will be revenue neutral for the private sector as a whole, revenue collected by the levy will be recycled in full to all sectors of the UK economy through a 0.3 percentage point reduction in employers' NICs and through the provision of an additional £150 million to support energy efficiency measures, including the introduction of 100 per cent. first year capital allowances for energy saving instruments. In addition electricity generated from 'new' forms of renewable energy and in 'good quality' combined heat and power plants will be exempt from the levy. This will be of help to agricultural users of energy produced from these sources.

  To assist energy intensive sectors defined as being those sites and installations covered by the EU Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control directive (IPPC), an 80 per cent. discount of the levy rates is being offered to those sectors that can come forward with proposals to make energy savings meeting the Government's criteria. In agriculture these sectors include pigs, poultry and sows.

  In addition the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in Budget 2000 that the Government intend to introduce a package of measures to help improve energy efficiency in the horticultural sector while protecting its competitiveness. Subject to State Aids clearance from the European Commission, this will include:
  A special package of support for horticulture allocated from the energy efficiency fund. This package will aim to improve energy
  428W
  efficiency across the sector and will include activities such as the provision of site-specific advice for individual businesses.
  An extension to the list of investments qualifying for enhanced capital allowances to include thermal screens. This will provide a further fiscal incentive for horticultural businesses to invest in energy saving technologies and:
  A temporary 50 per cent. discount on the levy for a period of up to five years to the horticulture sector while the energy efficiency measures targeted at the sector take effect.

  Forestry Commission Pension Scheme
  Mr. Temple-Morris
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how the Forestry Commission Employees Pension Fund is funded; and how much public money was made available to it in each of the last three years for which figures are available. [120485]

  Mr. Morley
  The Forestry Commission Pension Scheme operates in the same way as the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme. Prior to devolution, benefits were paid from the net grant in aid for forestry voted by Parliament. Net payments in each of the last three years, after allowing for receipts from employee contributions and transfers to and from other schemes were:

  £million

  1996–97

  28.9

  1997–98

  26.5

  1998–99

  26.8

  Once the devolution settlement is fully in place, the employers contributions which until now have been assessed only for internal Forestry Commission accounting purposes, will be paid from money provided by Parliament, the Scottish Parliament and the National Assembly for Wales. In 1998–99 this amounted to £6.4 million. The balance will continue to be paid from money provided by Parliament.

  Strychnine Hydrochloride
  Mr. Woolas
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to speed up the issuing of licences for the prescription of strychnine hydrochloride for mole eradication. [120654]

  Ms Quin
  Strychnine hydrochloride is a dangerous substance and strict controls are in place to regulate its circulation and use. Applications for permits to use it to kill moles are considered by MAFF's Regional Service Centres (RSCs), which issue the permit or refuse the application within 15 working days of receipt of the completed application. The established standard is quoted in the public statement of RSC customer service standards—"Commitment to Service".

  During the 1999–2000 financial year, 98 per cent. of permits were issued within 15 working days despite an increase in applications of 14 per cent. from the previous year. We will continue to work and achieve the same standard in all cases.
  429W

CABINET OFFICE

  Government (Public IT Access)
  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps she is taking to ensure that the modernising of Government programmes pays particular attention to the accessibility of Government Departments to the public using information technology. [120442]

  Mr. Ian McCartney
  Part of our e-government strategy is to increase the citizens choice of access to public services. The services that can be accessed are as follows:

  General information Obtained from Government, such as Employment Regulations

  Personal information obtained from Government, like National Insurance records

  Personal information supplied to Government, for example when changing address

  Payment to Government

  Payment from Government.

  We have set a target that 100 per. cent. of dealings will be capable electronically by 2005.

  Anti-drugs Strategy (Lancashire)
  Mr. Gordon Marsden
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress has been made in the promotion of a holistic anti-drug abuse strategy in Lancashire. [120443]

  Marjorie Mowlam
  The Lancashire Drug Action Team is contributing to the Government's anti-drugs strategy by implementing a wide range of measures to address problems of drug misuse at local level. These include:establishing a multi-agency approach towards identified areas of service provision across the county
  improving drugs education in schools
  working with Crime Prevention Partnerships and extending early intervention schemes for young people in the community—including six Arrest Referral schemes
  improving information systems, and
  addressing problems over waiting lists for treatment.

  Genetically Modified Organisms
  Mr. Swayne
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will make a statement about her responsibility with regard to presentation of Government policy on genetically modified organisms. [120444]

  Marjorie Mowlam
  My primary role has been the co-ordination of biotechnology policy across Government through the Ministerial group on Biotechnology Misc6.

  In presenting policy on GMOs I have been articulating the Government's priority which is effective regulation for the protection of human health and the environment.

  Government Services (Delivery)
  Mr. Ronnie Campbell
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what discussions she has had with her counterparts in other countries on improving the delivery of Government services. [120445]
  430W
  Marjorie Mowlam
  There is a lot of international interest in our programme to modernise government and improve public services; and I am always keen to benefit from what others have found works for them. I have had discussions with counterparts and officials in the following countries:

  Argentina

  Belgium Brazil

  Germany

  New Zealand

  Portugal

  Sweden

  USA.

  Special Advisers
  Mr. Paterson
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will make a statement on the number of special advisers employed by the Government. [120446]

  Mr. Stringer
  I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 15 December 1999,Official Report, column 227W. Since then, a further five Special Advisers have been appointed.

  Manufacturing (Regulations)
  Mr. Nicholas Winterton
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will calculate how many regulations controlling the activities of manufacturing businesses have been passed since May 1997. [120447]

  Mr. Stringer
  This information is not kept in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Since August 1998, every regulation likely to have a significant impact on businesses, charities or voluntary organisations has been subject to a thorough assessment procedure. These regulatory impact assessments are placed in the Libraries of the House. The particular business sectors upon which each regulation impacts are not recorded separately.

  Government Services (Accessibility)
  Ms Julie Morgan
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how she intends to make Government services more accessible and responsive to the people they serve. [120449]

  Marjorie Mowlam
  We have appointed consumer champions in all the key central Government services, to find out and meet their users' wishes. We have been working hard to ensure we consult the public better and more widely about policy and services.

  We are working to provide extended opening hours in the services where there is greatest demand, and we will provide electronic access to all services by 2005.

  Drug Prevention (Lancashire)
  Mr. Borrow
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans she has to improve the long-term funding of drug prevention schemes in Lancashire. [120450]
  431W
  Marjorie Mowlam
  Local Drug Action Teams work in partnership with local agencies such as health and local authorities, police, probation and local education authorities to decide the financial priorities for drug prevention within their area according to local need. The Lancashire Drug Action Team receives a grant from the Home Office's Drug Prevention Advisory Service (DPAS) to fund its running costs. However, funding for their activities is channelled for the most part through local agencies. In addition, the Government's spending review is looking at ways to streamline funding and strengthen local delivery.

  Parliamentary Questions
  Helen Jackson
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress has been made in the speeding up of replies to parliamentary questions. [120451]

  Marjorie Mowlam
  I met the Speaker on 18 April to discuss performance in replying to Parliamentary Questions and correspondence from hon. Members. It was a constructive meeting. I set out the action that we had already taken over the last 12 months to improve performance: writing to Departments at Ministerial and Permanent Secretary level; workshops on the effective handling of correspondence; central seminars for staff involved in handling PQs. For the future, we also propose central training for staff in Parliamentary branches and elsewhere who have regular dealings with Parliament to ensure there is a good grasp of essentials. We will shortly be revising and reissuing central guidance to all Departments on the handling of correspondence.

  Departmental Websites
  Mr. Evans
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what guidance she gives Departments on the contents of departmental websites. [120454]

  Mr. Ian McCartney
  The Guidelines for Government Websites give detailed guidance on content. They are available on the Information Age Champions website at www.iagchampions.gov.uk and I have today arranged for a copy to be placed in the Libraries of the House.

  Rural White Paper
  Mr. Tyler
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what Government Department will be given responsibility for the integration of policy initiatives following the rural White Paper. [120455]
  432W
  Marjorie Mowlam
  Problems facing rural communities cannot be tackled in isolation by an individual Department—we will get the best results by central Government working in a joined-up way. Primary responsibility for rural policy lies with my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister while the Cabinet Committee on Rural Affairs, which I chair, will play an important co-ordination role.

  Ombudsman Service
  Mr. Caton
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will make a statement concerning the review of the Ombudsman service. [120456]

  Mr. Stringer
  I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Morecambe and Lunesdale (Miss Smith) on 13 April 2000,Official Report, column 241W.

  Public Bodies (Appointments)
  Mr. Bill O'Brien
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans she has to change the system for making appointments to public bodies; and if she will make a statement. [120457]

  Mr. Stringer
  I have no such plans at present. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health is considering changes to the NHS appointments process, in the light of the recent report of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

  Drug Action Teams
  Mr. Russell Brown
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what contribution is made by drug action teams to the delivery of the Government's drugs strategy. [120459]

  Mr. Ian McCartney
  Drug Action Teams (DATs) have a crucial role in the delivery of the National Drugs Strategy. They are the main mechanism for delivery on the ground, they work as a local partnership of the agencies involved in tackling drugs such as, Probation, Health, Education, Police Authorities and Local Authorities. DATs are required to plan and deliver an effective programme of activities for drugs which supports the National Strategy. DATs identify gaps in their provision and seek to address this. They assess what is being done in their area under each aim of the strategy, what is being spent and by whom and monitor the success of local initiatives.

  Committee on Standards in Public Life
  Committee on Standards in Public Life
  Community Pharmacies
  Community Pharmacies
  Poor Countries: Debt Cancellation
  Poor Countries: Debt Cancellation