Written Answers of 10 November 2000

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Sheep Dips
  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he has taken to carry out an epidemiological study to determine the effect of organophosphorus sheep dips on(a) those persons who have been in contact with them when engaged in (i) dipping sheep and (ii) handling sheep dipped with such dips, (b) sheep dipped with such dips and (c) persons handling wool from such sheep; and how much his Department has spent in the last five years on such studies. [136204]

  Ms Quin
  In October 1995, the Institute of Occupational Health (IOM) in Edinburgh was asked to carry out a three-year epidemiological study into possible ill-health effects in sheep dippers from long-term, low-level exposure to OP sheep dips. This study cost around £500,000 and was jointly funded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Department of Health and the Health and Safety Executive. The IOM published their report in May 1999. The Government's Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) was also asked in 1998 to consider whether long-term exposure to low levels of OPs causes ill-health effects. Their report was published in November 1999. Copies of both of these reports are available in the Library of the House.

  A contract has been awarded to the London School of Tropical Medicine to carry out a study involving individuals who have reported ill-health thought to be due to exposure to OPs to the OP Information Network, the Pesticides Action Network and the Northern Ireland OP Sufferers Association. The approximate cost of the study will be £290,000. The Government are currently in the process of commissioning further research to determine the causes of dippers' flu, whether there is a small group of individuals who are susceptible to OPs, what OP mechanisms of toxicity might be causing ill-health due to low-dose exposure and a review of the scientific literature on the effects of OPs on children.

  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much has been spent by his Department to establish a diagnostic test concerning the relationship between organophosphorous sheep dips and human health; and what progress has been made to date in this matter. [136232]

  Ms Quin
  A diagnostic test for the acute effects of exposure to organophosphates by testing for inhibition of the enzyme acetyl cholinesterase has been available for many years.
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  In addition, research is in progress and further research is being commissioned to examine other possible mechanisms of toxicity in OPs and their biological significance in man.

  Sea Bass
  Ms Atherton
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he will make a statement on the effect of the recent five tonne limit on bass fishing by pair-trawlers; [136955]

  (2) what recent evidence he has received and evaluated regarding bass stocks off the coast of the United Kingdom; [136956]

  (3) what further representations he has received on restricting the activities of pair-trawlers fishing for bass in European waters. [136800]

  Mr. Morley
  The licence condition restricting landings of bass introduced from 1 January applied to all UK fishing vessels in 2000 and not just to pair-trawlers. With two months of the year to go, no catches by UK vessels have approached the five tonne limit.

  I will be receiving from the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science shortly their report on their monitoring of the 1999 and 2000 offshore fisheries. Information on a tagging exercise conducted during the summer in the inshore fishery is also due to be delivered and the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea has recently convened a Study Group to look at the status of North East Atlantic bass stocks. A preliminary report is expected next May.

  I have received many letters and other representation from right hon. and hon. Members and their constituents requesting further restrictions or complete closure of the offshore fishery. I will consider what action is necessary in the light of CEFAS' reports and the ICES conclusions.

  Integrated Farm Management
  Mrs. Brinton
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Government initiatives in supporting integrated farm management. [136792]

  Mr. Morley
  Integrated Farm Management (IFM) is an important priority for MAFF. As part of its commitment to developing more sustainable farming methods, the Department has put substantial resources into research and development relating to integrated farming systems, much of which has been in association with industry through LINK (a Government-wide scheme for joint funding R&D with industry to meet industry's needs).

  My Department organised a seminar involving a wide range of interested organisations earlier this year to review the research results and to discuss the wider promotion of IFM. It was noted that the research results indicate that it is possible to reduce inputs of agrochemicals while maintaining profitability and that IFM can produce environmental benefits in the longer term such as improvements in bird numbers and biodiversity. As a result

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  an industry-led Working Group was set up to consider the options for future promotional activities. This will report back shortly.

  Fertilisers
  Mr. Levitt
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the impact of the recent rise in fertiliser prices on upland farms. [136838]

  Mr. Morley
  The impact of the recent increase in fertiliser prices will vary between upland farms depending on the amounts utilised and extent to which alternative inputs such as manures are available.

  Mr. Todd
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent representations he has received on the prices of(a) fertilisers and (b) veterinary products in (i) the UK and (ii) other EU member states; and if he will make a statement. [136845]

  Mr. Morley
  My Department has received representations on fertiliser prices in the UK from the Fertiliser Manufacturers Association and the National Farmers Union.

  My Department has also received representations from a number of interested parties since we announced on 30 March last, as part of the Government's Strategy for Agriculture, an independent review of dispensing of medicines by veterinary surgeons. The Review Group is currently examining the existing dispensing practices for veterinary medicines and their impact on the supply, availability and costs of veterinary medicines. The representations received by my Department have been forwarded to the Chairman of the Review Group for consideration along with all the other evidence it receives. The Review Group will complete its task and make its report by 31 March 2001.

  Following receipt of complaints from vets, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is currently conducting an inquiry into certain aspects of the supply of veterinary medicines in the UK. The inquiry will consider whether there is any evidence of anti-competitive practices.

  Organic Food Production
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much he spent in each of the past five years on(a) organic food production and (b) research into organic food production. [136840]

  Mr. Morley
  (a) The expenditure on aid for conversion to organic farming in England under the Organic Aid Scheme and the Organic Farming Scheme each of the past five years has been as follows:

  £

  1999–2000

  12,037,000

  1998–99

  1,026,000

  1997–98

  571,000

  1996–97

  374,000

  1995–96

  261,000

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  (b) The expenditure on research into organic farming in each of the past five years has been as follows:

  £

  1999–2000

  2,035,000

  1998–99

  1,481,000

  1997–98

  908,000

  1996–97

  1,116,000

  1995–96

  931,000

  Flood Defence
  Mr. Green
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much of the £51 million extra allocated for flood defence will be available in(a) 2000–01, (b) 2001–02, (c) 2002–03 and (d) 2003–04; and if he will make a statement. [137401]

  Mr. Morley
  I made a statement to the House on 6 November about the serious flooding that has occurred in England, including an indication of the uses to which the additional funding will be put. The allocation is as follows:

  £million

  2000–01

  2

  2001–02

  17

  2002–03

  17

  2003–04

  15

  Total

  51

  This additional funding will mean that additional flood defence schemes can be implemented, but due to design, evaluation and planning permission, most could not be brought forward until 2001.

  Mr. Green
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he took between August 1998 and August 2000 to improve the institutional arrangements for flood defence recommended by the Agriculture Committee's Sixth report of Session 1997–98, HC 707; and if he will make a statement. [137535]

  Mr. Morley
  The Government response to the report, published on 27 October 1998, set out the reasons why we proposed no fundamental change in the present institutional arrangements for flood and coastal defence. Since then we have, however, worked with the operating authorities—the Environment Agency, internal drainage boards and local authorities—in ensuring the present arrangements work better and best practice is shared. In particular, in November 1999 we published high level targets for the operating authorities to follow and, complementary to this, the Agency has set out how it will apply its general supervisory duty in relation to the work done by the other operating authorities. The Government have also instituted a review of the funding arrangements for the flood and coastal defence which is expected to be completed by September 2001.

  The proposed Water Bill, on which the Government are currently consulting, will include amendments to the Environment Act 1995 to allow the creation of additional regional flood defence committees. This will facilitate any

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  future decision to create a single tier of committees, at regional level, as recommended by the Agriculture Committee.

  Trawlers
  Mr. Redwood
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what research the Spanish vessels at Newlyn are carrying out; and what net size they are using. [137415]

  Mr. Morley
  [holding answer 9 November 2000]: The Spanish vessels to which the right hon. Member refers last berthed at Newlyn on 23 October. They are now understood to be in France. They are searching for anchovy and other non-quota species in ICES Areas VIIe and VIId (the English Channel).

  It is understood that the skippers intend to use mesh sizes appropriate for the species targeted. These are set out in EC Council Regulation 850/98.

  Fishing Rights
  Mr. Redwood
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what rights UK fishermen have to fish in Spanish waters. [137416]

  Mr. Morley
  [holding answer 9 November 2000]: UK registered fishing vessels have no rights to fish in Spanish territorial waters and fishing opportunities in other waters under Spanish jurisdiction are limited by virtue of Western Waters effort restrictions and TACs and Quota regulations. Spanish vessels also face restrictions in UK territorial waters.

  GM Crops
  Mr. Yeo
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when the first GM crop was planted in the United Kingdom under(a) a part B consent and (b) a part C consent. [136683]

  Mr. Meacher
  [holding answer 6 November 2000]: I have been asked to reply.

  In the United Kingdom, the first GM crop plant to be released under a consent issued in accordance with Part B of Directive 90/220/EEC was in April 1993. It was an oilseed rape modified for fungal tolerance. However, over the previous five years a number of different GM crop plants had been released under the interim arrangements which were in place before the Genetically Modified (Deliberate Release) regulations came into force on 1 February 1993.

  The first GM crop to be planted in the United Kingdom under a part C consent was a herbicide tolerant oilseed rape. The consent was issued in February 1996 for seed production purposes only and not for general cultivation. The legislation does not require the location and time of sowing of crops covered by Part C consents to be notified to the authorities and we do not hold this information. However, we do have an assurance from Aventis, who hold this consent, that no plants have been grown in the UK under this consent since 1997.

  Information on all the consents for GM crops issued in the United Kingdom is available on the public register held in my Department.

TREASURY

  Taxation Reform
  Sir Teddy Taylor
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures have been recommended in the EU' s draft report on taxation reform; and what response Her Majesty's Government have made to them. [136780]

  Dawn Primarolo
  [holding answer 6 November 2000]: There are no current Commission proposals of this form. EC proposals for legislation are considered by the European Scrutiny Committee, and Explanatory memorandums concerning existing proposals on taxation are in the Library.

  Employment Tax Credit
  Mr. Field
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his policy on the introduction of an employment tax credit in 2003. [137060]

  Dawn Primarolo
  [holding answer 7 November 2000]: The 2000 pre-Budget Report reaffirms the Government's intention to introduce an employment tax credit, as a complement to a new integrated system of support for children. The new tax credits will be introduced from 2003, subject to the legislative timetable.

  VAT (Historic Buildings)
  Mr. Robertson
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to set a zero VAT rate for repairs to historic buildings; and if he will make a statement. [136995]

  Dawn Primarolo
  [holding answer 8 November 2000]: EC agreements mean that we cannot introduce any new VAT zero rates. However, as the Chancellor announced in the Pre-Budget Report statement on 8 November 2000, Official Report, columns 315–27, I have written to the European Commission on the scope for reducing VAT on repairs to listed buildings that are places of worship.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Parental Leave Directive
  Mr. Bercow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the cost to public funds of the Parental Leave Directive in(a) 1999–2000 and (b) the estimated cost in 2000–01. [136474]

  Mr. Alan Johnson
  It is not possible to calculate the exact cost to public funds of public sector employees exercising this right since the Parental Leave Directive came into effect on 15 December 1999. As implemented, parental leave is unpaid and there is no statutory requirement to keep records.

  The direct cost to the Department of printing and distributing information on the new right to employees and employers in general, and of operating a dedicated public inquiry point for employees and employers in the period immediately following its introduction, has been approximately £40,000.

  Imported Fertiliser
  Mr. Levitt
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has made to the EU in respect of the temporary tariff on imported fertiliser. [137272]

  Mr. Caborn
  The European Community has imposed anti-dumping measures on imports of various types of fertiliser from a number of countries; these currently include provisional duties (lasting six months) on imports of ammonium nitrate from Poland and the Ukraine. The decision on whether to impose provisional measures rests with the European Commission after consulting member states; the decision whether to impose definitive (five-year) measures rests with the Council of Ministers, acting by a simple majority.

  The Government consider any proposal for antidumping measures on the economic evidence presented and against the criteria set out in the European Community's Anti-dumping Regulation. In cases involving fertilisers we give full weight to the impact of proposed measures on both producers and farmers, both when consulted by the Commission and in the position we take in the Council of Ministers.

  Minimum Wage
  Mr. Martlew
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the impact of the national minimum wage on wage rates in England and Wales. [138011]

  Mr. Alan Johnson
  The Office for National Statistics latest estimates of low pay for spring 2000 (combining New Earnings Survey and Labour Force Survey statistics) show that the national minimum wage is having a direct and beneficial impact on the pay of the lowest paid workers in England and Wales. The latest data also show that it has helped close the gap between the highest and lowest earners and helped reduce the differential between men's and women's pay. This has been achieved without any discernable adverse impact on the economy.

DEFENCE

  Armed Forces (Death in Service)
  Mr. Coaker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the posthumous recognition of members of the armed forces who are killed in service. [138265]

  Mr. Hoon
  I have given careful consideration to a number of ways in which the recognition of members of the armed forces who give their lives in the service of their country might be enhanced. In the light of discussion, I have concluded that the most appropriate would be the erection in central London of a memorial bearing the names of all those killed on duty and by terrorist attack since the end of the Second World War. In accordance with the long established custom for the erection of memorials, I would expect funds to be raised by public subscription. Further consultation will now take place with ex-Service organisations and other interested bodies.
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  Falklands War
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much time HMS Invincible had to alert other warships to the first Exocet attack during the Falklands war; what action was taken during that time; how much warning HMS Sheffield received of the attack; and if he will make a statement. [137302]

  Mr. Spellar
  On 4 May 1982, during Operation Corporate, the British operation to re-take the Falkland Islands after the Argentine invasion, the Type 42 destroyer HMS Sheffield was attacked by Super Etendard aircraft carrying Exocet anti-ship missiles.

  Some 13 minutes before the missile impact on Sheffield, which resulted in the tragic loss of HMS Sheffield and 20 of her crew, HMS Invincible had detected a contact initially at a range of approximately 180 miles from Invincible which would have been consistent with the Argentine aircraft. However, for the previous few days, the force had experienced a high incidence of spurious radar contacts. These contacts were also assessed as spurious. There were at the time no other indications of impending attack.

  Some six minutes before the Exocet hit Sheffield, her sister ship Glasgow detected the radar transmissions of the Exocet carrying aircraft—the first certain indication of imminent attack—and alerted the rest of the force to the threat. The process of detection and assessment absorbed little time and Sheffield thus had five minutes warning of the imminent attack.

  Precision Bombing
  Mr. Kidney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what action he is taking to overcome technical problems in the performance of laser-guided bombing by Harrier and Tornado aircrews. [134404]

  Mr. Spellar
  I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 30 October 2000,Official Report, column 272W to my hon. Friend the Member for Vale of Glamorgan (Mr. Smith).

  Kosovo
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what bomb and mine-clearing operations are taking place in Kosovo; and in how many of these operations British service personnel are involved. [137381]

  Mr. Spellar
  When KFOR deployed to Kosovo in June 1999, the immediate requirement was to clear ordnance that would have posed a hazard to peacekeeping forces. This was KFOR' s responsibility, and British service personnel were engaged in this activity. KFOR also took on the immediate task of making schools safe for the returning population of Kosovo. Two British servicemen tragically lost their lives in performing this vital task.

  The United Nations Mine Action Service (MAS) is responsible for the longer term task of fully clearing Kosovo of unexploded ordnance, and has established a UN Mine Action Co-ordination Centre (MACC) in Pristina to this end. The Department for International Development (DfID) has supported the UNMACC with grants, specialist staff and equipment. DfID has also, since June 1999, contracted for five organisations to supply

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  12 rapid reaction teams to undertake clearance tasks. These UK sponsored teams are now directed by UNMACC.

  British troops do not now conduct mine or bomb clearance as a matter of routine, but are on permanent standby for clearance tasks where there is a threat to KFOR. Furthermore, we have authorised the UN to task our teams to support its own efforts to make areas safe for the return of displaced persons by surveying marking and helping clear areas hit by cluster bombs.

  The UNMACC state that 2,314 areas have been cleared to date, including minefields, bomblet strikes and other dangerous areas and that there are 1,085 sites remaining to be cleared. UNMACC expect all areas that currently present a risk to life will be cleared by the end of next year.

  Strategic Export Controls
  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he received between November 1999 and November 2000 on(a) the timing and (b) the content of strategic export controls legislation from (i) non-governmental organisations including voluntary and charitable groups, (ii) commercial interests, companies and trade organisations and (iii) other categories; and if he will make a statement. [136602]

  Dr. Moonie
  [holding answer 9 November 2000]: I refer the right hon. and learned Gentleman to the answer which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry gave him on 9 November 2000, Official Report, columns 326–27W.

  HMS Argus
  Dr. Julian Lewis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the deployment of HMS Argus on frontline duties. [137909]

  Mr. Hoon
  The Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel Argus has been re-deployed from helicopter training duties off the Iberian Peninsular to join the Amphibious Task Group which is providing a presence off Sierra Leone in support of UN and UK forces there this month. The decision to re-deploy RFA Argus, and her three embarked Sea King helicopters, with the Task Group, was taken after the flagship HMS Fearless experienced a fire in her aft engine room which necessitated her withdrawal from the deployment. Her training task will not be affected. Commander Amphibious Task Group continues to lead the Task Group embarked on HMS Ocean.

  The integration of RFA Argus into the Task Group will give increased operational flexibility to operations of the Amphibious Ready Group by providing a second helicopter platform from which Chinook and Sea King helicopters can operate to replace the capability lost by the withdrawal of HMS Fearless. The re-deployment of Argus at short notice serves only to reinforce the flexibility of our maritime forces and of our rapid reaction capability.

  Animal Experiments
  Mr. Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason pigs have been subjected to mustard gas exposure and a procedure involving a hand-held electric drill in an experiment conducted at Porton Down. [136609]
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  Dr. Moonie
  Sulphur mustard (mustard gas) remains a significant chemical threat, both on the battlefield and from terrorists. The burns that result from contact with sulphur mustard heal extremely slowly and are prone to potentially life-threatening infection. Initial dermabrasion studies involving the use of hand-held abrasive material showed significantly enhanced rates of burn healing and reduced risk of infection. Later work which resulted in even more accurate removal of dead tissue and further improvements in the rate of healing were achieved by the use of a small (1 cm diameter) rotating disc of abrasive material powered by a hand-held, electric drill.

  The technical details of the dermabrasion procedure are discussed in the open literature publication at the following reference:

  N. Bennett, D. L. G. Lam, P. Rice and R. F. R. Brown. Dermabrasion—a novel surgical treatment for sulphur mustard burns. Burns. 26:34–40, 2000.

  Staff at Porton Down are now confident that dermabrasion will help save lives and reduce the suffering in any future casualties.

  Although much of Porton Down's work involves the development and use of models, for these particular studies there are no valid alternatives to the use of anaesthetised pigs if the normal healing process is to be measured accurately.

  All animal research at Porton Down is conducted under licence authorised from the Home Office. In addition to the statutory controls, an independent body, the Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (AWAC), reviews the arrangements for animal care and welfare at CBD, monitors the research programmes to ensure the highest possible standards and advises on best practice.

  European Defence Industry
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the Framework Agreement Concerning Measures to Facilitate the Restructuring and Operation of the European Defence Industry, signed at Farnborough in July, will be published and laid before Parliament. [137007]

  Mr. Hoon
  The Framework Agreement Concerning Measures to Facilitate the Restructuring and Operation of the European Defence Industry, signed at Farnborough on 27 July 2000, was published and laid before Parliament on 1 November.

  Defence Aviation Repair Agency
  Mr. John Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the contract of the Chief Executive of the Defence Aviation Repair Agency expires. [137573]

  Mr. Spellar
  The current contract of the Chief Executive of the Defence Aviation Repair Agency notionally expires on 1 April 2002.

  Mr. John Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the salary band is for the post of chief executive of the Defence Aviation Repair Agency. [137508]

  Mr. Spellar
  The Chief Executive of the Defence Aviation Repair Agency is paid within the Senior Civil Service Pay Band 6, the range of which is £68,840 to £107,212.
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  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what factors he took into consideration in deciding to make RAF St. Athan the Headquarters of the Defence Aviation Repair Agency. [137768]

  Mr. Spellar
  The factors taken into account were the need to locate the interim Head Office on an existing DARA site and the availability of suitable accommodation at St. Athan.

  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what targets he has set for(a) employment, (b) investment and (c) stakeholder involvement in the Defence Aviation Repair Agency. [137769]

  Mr. Spellar
  The Defence Aviation Repair Agency (DARA) is charged with providing a cost effective and flexible deep maintenance service for the armed forces' aircraft. The Agency's level of employment will be maintained at a level justified by its work load and revenue stream. DARA is developing a comprehensive investment plan as part of its programme for launch as a Trading Fund and has taut Customer Service Agreements as well as an umbrella Terms of Business Agreement with its Ministry of Defence customers.

  Chinook Crash
  Mr. Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether Sir John Day was aware of the incident at Wilmington, USA in 1989 concerning a Chinook HC1 at the time of the RAF Board of Inquiry into the Mull of Kintyre accident; [137390]

  (2) pursuant to his answer dated 23 October 2000, Official Report, column 28W, on the Mull of Kintyre accident, if Sir John Day knew of the Department's litigation against Textron and Boeing regarding FADEC at the time of the RAF Board of Inquiry into the Mull of Kintyre accident. [137350]

  Mr. Spellar
  [holding answer 9 November 2000]: As I said in my previous answer, Sir John Day was aware there had been an incident and that legal action was being taken, but was not aware of the detail.

  Troop Carriers
  Mr. Oaten
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British troop carriers are on lease from Boeing; and at what cost. [137413]

  Mr. Hoon
  [holding answer 9 November 2000]: A contract was signed on 2 September for the lease of four C-17 aircraft for seven years, commencing in mid 2001, to meet our Short Term Strategic Airlift requirement. The exact contract price is commercially confidential, but in broad terms we expect the overall cost to be in the order of £500 million, including maintenance of the aircraft. The aircraft will be used to carry material rather than troops.

ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS

  English Partnerships
  Mr. Norman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what financial 418W
  contribution English Partnerships has made towards (a) the regeneration of the Greenwich peninsula and (b) the Millennium Dome; and how much English Partnerships is expected to receive from the sale of the Millennium Dome. [135552]

  Mr. Prescott
  English Partnerships' financial contribution to the regeneration of the Greenwich Peninsula as a whole is some £222 million. English Partnerships has made no financial contribution to the construction and fitting out of the Millennium Dome, its contents, or associated buildings and structures.

  English Partnerships paid £20 million to British Gas for the purchase of its property interest across the whole of the Peninsula. In addition, English Partnerships has incurred expenditure of £144 million in remediating, servicing, landscaping and providing the infrastructure necessary for the long term regeneration of the northern Peninsula—including provision of the central park and other permanent features. The Environment Agency made a contribution of £2.5 million towards the environmental improvements of the riverw all works. English Partnerships' expenditure included £22.8 million to meet the New Millennium Experience Company's requirements—for which the full amount is being reimbursed to English Partnerships by NMEC.

  On the Southern part of the Peninsula, which is already undergoing long term regeneration, English Partnerships has incurred expenditure of some £58 million in remediating, servicing, and landscaping the site, together with the construction of a new school and health centre for use by the existing and emerging local community.

  The apportionment of proceeds from the sale of the Dome will be an important factor to settle in the context of the eventual sale.

  Seat Belts
  Mr. Dismore
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what progress is being made in his review of policy on children's seat belts installation and testing. [137085]

  Mr. Hill
  Following my hon. Friends' meeting with my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State on 2 August, we undertook to raise this matter at the Department's next MOT trade liaison meeting. This meeting will be held on 5 December which will enable us to enlist industry's views on what more might feasibly be done in this area.

  In parallel with this, we are embarking on a series of measures to aid and promote safety with child seat installation. A radio and publicity campaign will be launched by the Department in February to highlight the need for vehicle owners to check the fitment of restraint belts before they are used. In addition, we will be producing 'credit card' style tips for motorists about child restraints. These cards will be passed on to motorists at MOT testing stations and we will also instruct testers to offer advice on the general condition of child restraints.

  Rail Safety (Wales)
  Mr. Simon Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what
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  investigations are being undertaken into the safety of the railway track in Wales; and if he will make a statement. [137175]

  Mr. Hill
  The Health and Safety Executive's (HSE's) Railway Inspectorate have had meetings with each senior Railtrack zone manager following the derailment at Hatfield to ensure that the zones and their contractors are implementing the criteria for examination and inspection set down by Railtrack.

  Railtrack is taking whatever action is necessary to identify all track defects and where they cannot be remedied speedily, the necessary mitigation measures (ie speed restrictions, increased inspection, traffic limitations) will be implemented to maintain the safety of passengers.

  HSE is also meeting the senior management at Railtrack HQ on national initiatives being taken to maintain the infrastructure.

  Unauthorised Campers
  Mr. Todd
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will issue guidance to the Environment Agency concerning prosecutions by Agency staff of breaches of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 by unauthorised campers. [136846]

  Mr. Mullin
  It is neither appropriate nor necessary for my right hon. Friend to issue guidance on this issue to the Environment Agency. The waste management controls of part II of the Environmental Protection act 1990 apply to campers as they do to other members of the public and businesses. It rests with the Environment Agency to take decisions about prosecutions on the facts of each case and the available evidence. Where there is evidence of contravention, we expect the Agency to take action in line with its national Enforcement Policy—which is published on its website http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/epns/epp.htm.

  Civil Aviation Authority
  Mr. Moore
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many inspectors are employed by the safety regulations group within the CAA; and what plans the CAA has to alter their number following the completion of the National Air Traffic Services Public Private Partnership. [137505]

  Mr. Mullin
  The Air Traffic Services Standards Department, within the CAA's Safety Regulation Group, currently employs 27 inspectors dealing directly with operational safety issues. This figure includes Air Traffic Service Inspectors and Engineering Inspectors, but does not include managerial, requirements production, and administrative support staff.

  The CAA currently has no intention to alter the number of inspectors as a result of the completion of the National Air Traffic Services Public Private Partnership. It has, however, recently increased the number of inspectors to deal with the NATS Swanwick Centre approval and preliminary work on the New Scottish Centre Project, and will continue to adjust the numbers of inspectors according to work load, and projected demand.

  Road Improvements (Gloucestershire)
  Mr. Clifton-Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 31 October 2000,Official Report, column 387W, on road improvements (Gloucestershire) if he will undertake feasibility studies for a Nettleton Bolter Relief Road, a gyratory system at the Air Balloon Pub and an extra lane at Crickley Hill. [137607]

  Mr. Hill
  [holding answer 9 November 2000]: The A417 trunk road between Nettleton and the Brockworth Bypass is a particularly difficult section of road for which there are no quick or easy solutions. Any road based solution is likely to be costly and challenging given the environmental constraints of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Government Office for the South West is considering with the Highways Agency how the traffic problems of this section of the A417 might best be addressed.

  Air Service Agreements
  Mr. Jenkin
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has for further negotiations with his US counterpart on air service agreements; and what timescale he proposes for their conclusion. [137534]

  Mr. Mullin
  [holding answer 9 November 2000]: My officials are in regular contact with their US counterparts. We hope to make further progress on securing our goal of a liberalised UK-US aviation market in the coming months.

  Farnborough Airfield
  Mr. Green
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what discussions he has had with the Ministry of Defence about the sale of Farnborough Airfield. [137969]

  Mr. Mullin
  Since the early 1990s, the Ministry of Defence had been considering the sale of Farnborough Airfield. The DETR has maintained an interest in developments and there have been a number of discussions at official level between the two Departments on this issue during this period.

  Private Hire Vehicles
  Mr. Jenkin
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when the Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998 will be implemented in full; and if he will make a statement. [137973]

  Mr. Hill
  The consultation on the text of the draft regulations and administrative rules for the licensing of London private hire vehicle operators, jointly undertaken by the Department and the Public Carriage Office, has now been completed. Having carefully considered the responses, we are currently preparing the final version of the regulations, which I expect to make this month. Transport for London will be responsible for taking forward the second and third phases of implementation which will cover the regulation of private hire drivers and vehicles.

  Green Transport Plans
  Ms Osborne
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the headquarters buildings in his Department which have adopted green transport plans. [137972]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  Travel plans have been prepared for all 16 DETR property centres (including Executive Agencies and Government Offices where the Department has management responsibility), covering some 44 headquarters and main buildings.

  House Repossessions
  Mr. Ruane
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many houses were repossessed in each of the past 20 years. [137833]

  Mr. Mullin
  The numbers of properties in the United Kingdom repossessed by mortgage lenders in each of the past 20 years is as follows:

  Period

  Properties repossessed

  1980

  3,480

  1981

  4,870

  1982

  6,860

  1983

  8,420

  1984

  12,400

  1985

  19,300

  1986

  24,090

  1987

  26,390

  1988

  18,510

  1989

  15,810

  1990

  43,890

  1991

  75,540

  1992

  68,540

  1993

  58,540

  1994

  49,210

  1995

  49,410

  1996

  42,560

  1997

  32,770

  1998

  33,820

  1999

  30,030

  Source:

  Council of Mortgage Lenders

  Smoke Detectors and Water Sprinklers
  Mr. Ruane
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) if he will list the local authorities that have not installed smoke detectors in their housing stock; [137835]

  (2) if he will list the local authorities which have started to install automatic water sprinklers in local authority housing in England and Wales. [137834]

  Mr. Mullin
  This information is not collected from local authorities, and is therefore not centrally available.

  Rough Sleepers
  Mr. Ruane
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many rough sleepers there were in(a) England and (b) Wales in each of the last 15 years. [137730]
  422W
  Ms Armstrong
  Reliable figures are not available for the number of rough sleepers in England prior to 1998. In 1998 a methodology was developed based on a series of single night street counts and estimates by local authorities to enable this information to be collected. It was estimated that as of June 1998 there were 1,850 people sleeping rough in England in any one night. These figures are updated annually and subsequent figures showed that the number of people sleeping rough fell to 1,633 in June 1999 and 1,180 in June 2000.

  Responsibility for rough sleeping in Wales is a devolved matter.

  River Pollution
  Mr. Ruane
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) how many grossly polluted miles of river there were in each of the past 20 years; [137826]

  (2) if he will list the rivers that failed to reach the EC Urban Waste Water Directive in each of the past nine years. [137828]

  Mr. Mullin
  The information available on grossly polluted rivers is as follows:

  Year

  River lengths classified 1 grade F (Bad) in England and Wales (miles)

  1999

  147

  1998

  186

  1997

  281

  1996

  263

  1995

  232

  1994

  254

  1993

  361

  1992

  424

  1991

  —

  1990

  496

  19852

  404

  19802

  398

  1 The General Quality Assessment (GQA) scheme bases chemical river assessments on three determinants: dissolved oxygen, ammonia and biochemical oxygen demand. Samples are taken at 7,000 sites representing 25,000 miles of rivers and canals. Rivers are classified according to one of 6 grades from "Very Good" (A) to "Bad" (F).

  2 Assessments prior to 1990 were based on a slightly different scheme. These were the lengths classified as "Bad" in that scheme.

  The Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive does not set quality standards for rivers. It sets standards for the quality of treated effluent discharged from sewage treatment works, based on the size of the discharge and the nature of the receiving waters.

  House Construction
  Mr. Ruane
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many houses were built, broken down by(a) local authority, (b) housing association and (c) private sector builds, in England and Wales in each of the last 20 years. [137735]
  423W
  Mr. Mullin
  The latest figures are as follows:

  Number of dwellings completed—England and Wales

  Year

  Private enterprise

  Registered social landlords

  Local authorities

  All dwellings

  1980

  116,179

  20,216

  78,537

  214,932

  1981

  104,012

  17,363

  58,413

  179,788

  1982

  113,893

  11,970

  33,539

  159,402

  1983

  134,901

  14,865

  31,633

  181,399

  1984

  145,282

  14,511

  31,397

  191,190

  1985

  142,020

  11,905

  24,357

  178,282

  1986

  156,065

  11,158

  20,535

  187,758

  1987

  169,895

  11,402

  17,433

  198,730

  1988

  185,733

  11,502

  16,920

  214,155

  1989

  163,344

  12,314

  15,326

  190,984

  1990

  144,849

  15,625

  14,625

  175,099

  1991

  138,572

  18,081

  8,544

  165,197

  1992

  127,020

  23,418

  3,649

  154,087

  1993

  123,255

  32,734

  1,603

  157,592

  1994

  130,066

  33,823

  1,321

  165,210

  1995

  132,549

  33,430

  974

  166,953

  1996

  129,278

  29,582

  576

  159,436

  1997

  134,709

  22,995

  291

  157,995

  1998

  127,563

  21,414

  289

  149,266

  1999

  129,512

  18,345

  83

  147,940

PRIME MINISTER

  Millennium Dome
  Mr. Clifton-Brown
  To ask the Prime Minister what advice he has received from the Chairman of the New Millennium Experience Company as to the value of the site of the Dome if it were to be demolished; and when. [138017]

  The Prime Minister
  It is established practice under section II, paragraph 7 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information not to disclose such information.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Correspondence
  Mr. Malins
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to letters from the hon. Member for Woking, dated 15 March and 26 September, concerning the asylum case of Mrs. Thu Nga Ly, reference L322968; and if he will make a statement on outstanding asylum applications of people from Vietnam. [137815]

  Mrs. Roche
  I have written to the hon. Member on 9 November and apologise for the lengthy delay.

  Applications from Vietnamese nationals are treated in the same way as similar applications from other nationals. We have committed substantial new resources to speed up the asylum system and as these begin to deliver we expect to see significant improvements in decision times in most asylum cases, including Vietnamese.

  Illegal Immigrants
  Mr. Prior
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate the number of people who have entered the United Kingdom illegally since 1970. [137817]

  Mrs. Roche
  There is no estimate of the total number of persons who enter the country illegally since, by the very nature of the problem, it is not possible to establish that a person is here illegally until they have been traced and interviewed.

  Information is available only on people who have been detected and served with papers as illegal entrants. This information is available from 1973.

  The total number of persons detected and served with papers as illegal entrants between January 1973 and September 2000 is just over 150,000.

  A more detailed breakdown of this figure for 1989–99 can be found in Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom 1999, a copy of which is held in the Library. Information on the first half of 2000 is due to be published on 30 November in a Home Office bulletin, a copy of which will also be placed in the Library.

  Anti-social Behaviour Orders
  Mr. Prior
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many anti-social behaviour orders have been made(a) in the United Kingdom and (b) in Norfolk; [137821]

  (2) how many anti-social behaviour orders have been breached. [137820]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  Over 100 orders have been made nationally since the measure came into force on 1 April 1999. Six of these have been made in Norfolk. According to provisional figures for prosecutions at the magistrates court and convictions for all courts, there have been four prosecutions for breaches of an anti-social behaviour order up to the end of June 2000. Three of these have resulted in a conviction.

  Armed Robbery
  Mr. Prior
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of armed robbery there were in each year from 1990. [137818]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  The most recently available information has been published in 'Criminal Statistics England and Wales 1998', and is shown in the table.

  Robberies recorded by the police in which firearms (including air weapons) were used

  Number

  1990

  3,939

  1991

  5,296

  1992

  5,859

  1993

  6,012

  1994

  4,239

  1995

  4,206

  1996

  4,013

  1997

  3,209

  1997–981

  2,939

  1998–991

  2,973

  1 Year ending March

  425W

  Asylum Seekers
  Miss Widdecombe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers whose claims were made(a) prior to 1 July 1993 and (b) between 1 July 1993 and 31 December 1995 have been granted leave to remain, and for what periods, under the backlog clearance exercise; how many granted leave to remain had their asylum applications considered under normal procedures and refused; how many did not receive an initial determination of their asylum application; and if he will make a statement. [134877]

  Mrs. Roche
  [holding answer 26 October 2000]: The information requested is given in the table.

  Under the backlog clearance measures announced in the White Paper, applications lodged prior to July 1993 where granted indefinite leave to enter or remain without the asylum application being considered, provided they met specified criteria. Asylum applications lodged between 1 July 1993 and 31 December 1995 (6,135) were considered substantively against the normal criteria; however in the event that they failed, consideration was given to granting exceptional leave under extended criteria set out in the White Paper. The number of applications still not determined (15,400) under the backlog clearance exercise is now negligible.

  Decisions 1 made under backlog clearance exercise 2

  Applications lodged prior to July 1993

  Applications lodged between July 1993 and 31 December 1995

  Granted exceptional leave with immediate settlement

  6,135

  —

  Granted asylum and indefinite leave

  —

  1,290

  Granted exceptional leave to remain for four years

  —

  14.110

  Refused under backlog criteria3

  445

  2,165

  1 Figures rounded to the nearest five.

  2 Cases decided under measures aimed at reducing the pre-1996 asylum application backlog.

  3 Includes some cases where the application has been refused on substantive grounds.

  Mr. Gapes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) Kosovans and (b) Albanians were legally admitted to the United Kingdom in each month in (i) 1997, (ii) 1998, (iii) 1999 and (iv) 2000. [136935]

  Mrs. Roche
  I regret that the available information on passengers given leave to enter the United Kingdom does not separately identify Kosovans (other than the 4,346 Kosovans, including dependants, who were evacuated to the United Kingdom under the Humanitarian Evacuation Programme in 1999). The information that is available for Albania is given in the table.

  Albania: controlled landings 1,2

  Controlled landing 1,2

  1997

  January

  60

  February

  40

  March

  50

  April

  60

  May

  30

  June

  40

  426W

  Albania: controlled landings 1,2

  Controlled landings 1,2

  July

  40

  August

  70

  September

  60

  October

  30

  November

  30

  December

  40

  Total

  540

  1998

  January

  30

  February

  20

  March

  60

  April

  30

  May

  30

  June

  50

  July

  50

  August

  50

  September

  80

  October

  60

  November

  30

  December

  30

  Total

  500

  1999

  January

  20

  February

  20

  March

  10

  April

  40

  May

  50

  June

  50

  July

  60

  August

  60

  September

  100

  October

  80

  November

  50

  December

  70

  Total

  610

  2000

  January

  40

  February

  50

  March

  60

  April

  50

  May

  50

  June

  40

  Total to date

  280

  1 Mainly passengers admitted for more than six months (excludes passengers returning).

  2 Figures rounded to the nearest 10.

  Note:

  Figures may not add up due to rounding.

  Mr. Gapes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Albanians(a) voluntarily returned and (b) were removed from the UK in each month since June 1999. [136804]

  Mrs. Roche
  The requested information is not available.

  Mr. Gapes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) Kosovans and (b) Albanians were (i) given asylum, (ii) given exceptional leave to remain and (iii) given temporary admission to the United Kingdom in each month in (1) 1997, (2) 1998, (3) 1999 and (4) 2000. [136936]
  427W
  Mrs. Roche
  The available information is given in the table. I regret it is not possible separately to identify Kosovans within the available statistics for the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

  Nationals of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Albania granted asylum, exceptional leave to remain and temporary admission

  FRY

  Albania

  Grants of asylum

  Grants of ELR

  Temporary admission 1

  Grants of asylum

  Grants of ELR

  Temporary admission 1

  1997

  January

  75

  *

  50

  —

  —

  5

  February

  150

  *

  70

  —

  —

  5

  March

  160

  *

  65

  —

  —

  20

  April

  140

  *

  125

  —

  —

  30

  May

  95

  *

  105

  —

  —

  25

  June

  90

  40

  90

  —

  —

  20

  July

  100

  35

  110

  —

  —

  20

  August

  100

  45

  175

  *

  —

  25

  September

  120

  40

  230

  —

  *

  30

  October

  145

  40

  185

  —

  —

  40

  November

  85

  *

  250

  —

  —

  30

  December

  95

  5

  345

  —

  —

  20

  Total

  1,355

  210

  1,800

  *

  *

  285

  1998

  January

  120

  *

  300

  —

  —

  20

  February

  95

  *

  280

  —

  —

  40

  March

  100

  15

  535

  —

  —

  55

  April

  100

  20

  400

  —

  —

  45

  May

  120

  10

  250

  —

  —

  60

  June

  110

  5

  350

  —

  —

  40

  July

  50

  20

  335

  *

  —

  55

  August

  50

  —

  375

  —

  —

  75

  September

  40

  —

  430

  —

  —

  90

  October

  55

  —

  360

  —

  —

  40

  November

  80

  —

  245

  —

  —

  25

  December

  10

  —

  280

  —

  —

  55

  Total

  935

  75

  4,140

  *

  —

  600

  1999

  January

  n/a

  n/a

  270

  n/a

  n/a

  60

  February

  n/a

  n/a

  245

  n/a

  n/a

  90

  March

  n/a

  n/a

  240

  n/a

  n/a

  75

  April

  n/a

  n/a

  220

  n/a

  n/a

  155

  May

  n/a

  n/a

  355

  n/a

  n/a

  265

  June

  n/a

  n/a

  505

  n/a

  n/a

  425

  July

  n/a

  n/a

  490

  n/a

  n/a

  305

  August

  n/a

  n/a

  130

  n/a

  n/a

  80

  September

  n/a

  n/a

  165

  n/a

  n/a

  95

  October

  n/a

  n/a

  120

  n/a

  n/a

  80

  November

  n/a

  n/a

  100

  n/a

  n/a

  40

  December

  n/a

  n/a

  70

  n/a

  n/a

  45

  Total

  6,290

  85

  2,910

  25

  *

  1,715

  2000

  January

  n/a

  n/a

  80

  n/a

  n/a

  30

  February

  n/a

  n/a

  60

  n/a

  n/a

  20

  March

  n/a

  n/a

  60

  n/a

  n/a

  40

  April

  10

  165

  80

  *

  *

  35

  May

  20

  50

  120

  —

  —

  20

  June

  25

  20

  50

  5

  5

  15

  July

  30

  35

  45

  *

  —

  20

  August

  45

  40

  60

  *

  5

  30

  September

  30

  70

  60

  5

  10

  35

  Total to date

  160

  385

  615

  15

  15

  245

  1 Data relate to the largest 12 ports and include non-asylum cases

  Note:

  Figures rounded to the nearest 5, with '*' = 1 or 2
  428W
  Separate records were kept however of the Kosovans who arrived in the United Kingdom under the Humanitarian Evacuation Programme (HEP) between 25 April and 25 June 1999. 4,346 were evacuated and they were all granted 12 months leave to enter.
  429W
  Mr. Gapes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Kosovans(a) voluntarily returned to Kosovo and (b) were removed from the UK in each month since June 1999. [136790]

  Mrs. Roche
  Of the 4,346 Kosovan Albanians who were evacuated to the United Kingdom on the Humanitarian Evacuation Programme (HEP) between 25 April and 25 June 1999, 2,396 returned on the Kosovan voluntary assisted programme which ran from 26 July 1999 to 25 June 2000. In addition, records show that 113 Kosovans have returned to Kosovo on the general voluntary assisted returns programme which is open to all nationalities. Individual records are not kept of Kosovans or any other nationality choosing to make their own arrangements to leave the United Kingdom.

  Figures are not available on a monthly basis but 25 Kosovans have been returned to Kosovo since June 1999.

  Mr. Gapes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the success of the dispersal policy for asylum seekers; and if he will make a statement. [136789]

  Mrs. Roche
  The National Asylum Support Service (NASS) has now been in operation for seven months. Applications for support and therefore dispersals were lower than predicted. We have revised down the number of bed spaces required from 65,000 to 44,000 for this financial year. However, NASS has been able to extend the new support arrangements to all new destitute asylum seekers earlier than anticipated. The scheme has also been extended to those asylum seekers who prior to 3 April were in receipt of social security benefits but who on or after 25 September receive a first negative decision but who continue to be eligible for support. At the outset the accommodation requirements for NASS were supplied by the private sector and one housing association but NASS has now secured contracts with four local authority consortia and negotiations are at an advanced stage with three more. The dispersal process is bedding down as NASS, the Voluntary Sector and the Accommodation Providers settle into their new roles.

  Animal Experiments
  Mr. Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 24 July 2000,Official Report, column 456W, on animal experiments, what measures his Department is taking to ensure that animal welfare is not compromised when project licences are considered and granted while trying to make the process more efficient; and if he will make a statement. [137536]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  No changes will be made to the licensing arrangements that might compromise animal welfare.

  Departmental Expenditure Limits
  Mr. Pond
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for changes to the 2000–01 Departmental Expenditure Limits and running costs limits within his responsibility. [138028]
  430W
  Mr. Straw
  [pursuant to my answer, 9 November 2000, Official Report, c. 390–91W]: The increase of £660,000,000 in the Departmental Expenditure Limit, subject to the Parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate, is for processing asylum cases, detention, and support costs including unaccompanied asylum seeking children. The increase of £167,252,000 in the Department's running costs limit is for asylum case processing.

  Immigration and Nationality Directorate
  Mr. Maclean
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many decisions the Immigration and Nationality Department made in the last month for which figures are available. [136921]

  Mrs. Roche
  The number of decisions taken by the Integrated Casework Directorate in respect of applications for asylum, after-entry extensions of stay, right of abode, British citizenship, Travel Document, and European Economic Area cases, was 44,200 in September. This includes cases dealt with by the Public Callers Unit which did not involve a decision, such as a return of passport following a withdrawn application and the transfer of conditions from an old to a new passport.

  Licensing Laws
  Mr. Rowe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate the cost to an applicant of applying for(a) a personal licence and (b) a premises licence under the proposals contained in the Government's publication "Modernisation of our licensing laws". [137091]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  Appendix 4 of the White Paper "Time for Reform: Proposals for the Modernisation of Our Licensing Laws", published on 10 April this year, sets out a full regulatory impact assessment, including details of our estimates of the fees, costs and charges likely to arise in obtaining both personal and premises licences. We are continuing to discuss these estimates with the Local Government Association and the hospitality and leisure industry, and more detailed work will be needed before final decisions are made in respect of the fee and charges structure.

HEALTH

  Recruitment
  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what costs the Government expect to accrue as a result of recruiting an extra 6,500 members of professions allied to medicine; and if he will make a statement. [135746]

  Mr. Denham
  The recruitment of more staff will lead to greater salary and associated costs. Some or all of these costs will be offset by better patient care, reduced turnover, less money spent on agency fees, greater productivity and reduced costs for recruitment activity.

  Hospital-acquired Infection
  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to combat hospital-acquired infection. [136686]
  431W
  Mr. Denham
  [holding answer 6 November 2000]: Action to tackle the problem of hospital acquired infection (HAI) has been set as a "must-do" for the National Health Service and is specifically identified in the National Priorities Guidance. An action plan to strengthen the management and control of infection in hospitals was issued to the NHS in February 2000. Regional directors of public health will ensure that robust infection control arrangements are in place and they are currently assessing progress. All hospitals will take part in national surveillance of HAI from April 2001.

  Nurses
  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much it cost the NHS to employ agency nurses(a) in the United Kingdom and (b) in London, between 1990 and 2000. [137113]

  Mr. Denham
  [holding answer 7 November 2000]: The table shows the total expenditure on non-NHS nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff in England, for the financial years 1991–92 to 1999–2000. These figures include all agency staff and any staff not directly employed by individual trusts and health authorities. It also shows the same information for the London region. Prior to 1994–95 the London region was calculated using the former North East, North West, South East and South West Thames regional totals. Similarly for the years 1994–95 to 1997–98, the North and South Thames regional totals have been used. The information relating to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is a matter for the devolved Administrations.

  Analysis of expenditure on non NHS staff (agency, etc.) nursing, midwifery and health visiting—1991–92 to 1999–2000

  £

  Year

  Expenditure England

  Expenditure London

  1999–20001

  361,656,683

  180,665,901

  1998–99

  272,225,162

  130,573,228

  1997–98

  216,338,567

  134,735,613

  1996–97

  191,496,635

  128,727,083

  1995–96

  166,631,981

  111,509,427

  1994–95

  132,836,673

  94,021,002

  1993–94

  106,149,571

  76,801,024

  1992–93

  102,433,822

  72,269,339

  1991–92

  103,456,872

  68,178,839

  11999–2000 data are provisional

  Note:

  The line in the financial return refers to "Non-NHS staff (Agency etc.)" which may include other nursing staff not employed directly by the NHS

  Sources:

  1. Annual Financial Returns of NHS Trusts, 1991–92 to 1999–2000

  2. Annual Financial Returns of Health Authorities, 1996–97 and 1998–99

  3. Annual financial returns of district and region health authorities and the special health authorities for the London postgraduate teaching hospitals, 1991–92 to 1995–96.

  NHS Patients
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what external legal advice he has sought on the responsibility for care of NHS patients transferred to the private health sector. [137111]

  Ms Stuart
  I can conform that my officials are not aware of any instance in which the Department has sought external legal advice on this matter.

  Where National Health Service bodies make arrangements with private sector health care providers for the treatment of NHS patients by those providers, the patients are not transferred to the private health sector. The patient may receive treatment in a private hospital, but the patient remains an NHS patient. They remain the responsibility of the NHS and have the NHS complaints system available to them. The NHS simply uses available private sector facilities. The treatment will continue to be NHS treatment and free to the patient. This will remain the case where the NHS makes arrangements with the private sector in accordance with the recently concluded Concordat between the Department and the Independent Healthcare Association.

  Community Hospital (Lymington)
  Dr. Julian Lewis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement about the proposed new community hospital at Lymington. [137932]

  Mr. Denham
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for New Forest, West (Mr. Swayne) on 9 November 2000,Official Report, columns 377–78W.

  Dystonia
  Mr. Hilary Benn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of people affected by dystonia in the United Kingdom. [137816]

  Mr. Denham
  The Department does not routinely collect statistics on the prevalence of individual conditions. The Dystonia Society however, estimates that around 38,000 people in the United Kingdom currently have the condition.

  Child Workers
  Mr. Ruane
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate how many children were working illegally in each of the last 10 years. [137824]

  Mr. Hutton
  Information on the number of children employed is not collected centrally. Local authorities regulate children's employment through byelaws which are confirmed by the Secretary of State for Health in England, and the National Assembly for Wales in Wales. It is the responsibility of individual local authorities to ensure enforcement of their byelaws.

  Out-patient Clinics (Consultants)
  Mr. Swayne
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of new patients referred to(a) medical, (b) surgical, (c) oncological, (d) gynaecological and (e) other out-patients clinics were seen by a consultant as opposed to a junior doctor in the last 12 months. [136513]
  433W
  Mr. Denham
  Information is available only on the number of first attendances at consultant led out-patient clinics. This information does not differentiate between new patients who were seen by the consultant in charge of the clinic or by one of the consultant's team.

  Correspondence
  Mr. Winnick
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the hon. Member for Walsall, North will receive a reply to his letter of 5 September regarding a constituent (reference POH(2)5608/53). [135459]

  Ms Stuart
  [holding answer 30 October 2000]: A reply to my hon. Friend's letter was sent on 7 November.

EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT

  Schools (Sutton)
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many bids have been received from schools in the London Borough of Sutton since 1 May 1997 for centrally allocated spending, broken down by(a) capital funding, (b) Standards Fund funding and (c) other funding; how many of such bids have been (i) successful and (ii) unsuccessful; and if he will make a statement. [134887]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  [holding answer 6 November 2000]: Centrally allocated funds, including the Standards Fund and funding for capital work, are usually distributed on a formula basis or as a result of bids from local education authorities, not via bids from individual maintained schools. Non-maintained special schools can bid directly for capital grant, but there are no such schools in Sutton. Until March 1999 grant maintained schools bid to the Funding Agency for Schools (FAS) for capital grants on a rolling programme. Between May 1997 and March 1999, 46 bids from grant maintained schools located in Sutton were successful. The FAS maintained no record of the number of unsuccessful bids.

  Since 1997–98 total Standards Fund allocations in Sutton have increased from £1,428,000 to £4,406,000 while capital fund allocations have increased from £5,755,000 to £9,767,000.

  University Chemistry Departments
  Dr. Iddon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the university departments of chemistry that have(a) closed and (b) amalgamated with other departments in the period 1980 to 2000. [136164]

  Mr. Wicks
  This information is not collected centrally. Decisions about closures or amalgamations of departments are for individual higher education institutions.

  Individual Learning Accounts
  Mr. Drew
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the measures he proposes to take to speed up the processing of individual learning accounts. [136181]
  434W
  Mr. Wicks
  [holding answer 2 November 2000]: Individuals receive application packs within seven working days from their first inquiry. They will also receive their Individual Learning Account within seven days of their completed application form being received at the Individual Learning Centre. 200,000 Individual Learning Accounts have been opened by the Individual Learning Account Centre since June. 80 per cent. of these people were sent applications and their accounts within two days.

  As the Individual Learning Account Centre became fully operational at the same time as peak enrolment we have introduced a one-off measure to help people whose account did not arrive before they started their course. These special arrangements have been put in place with learning providers to enable those individuals to benefit from a discount. These arrangements apply to people who started their learning by 6 October.

  Schools (Internet)
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many(a) primary and (b) secondary schools in England and Wales are connected to the Internet. [136214]

  Mr. Wills
  [holding answer 6 November 2000]: 88 per cent. of schools are currently connected to the Internet. The numbers of schools connected are: 15,610 Primary Schools (86 per cent.); 3,470 Secondary Schools (98 per cent.); and 1,100 Special Schools (92 per cent.). In March 1998, 83 per cent. of secondary schools, 17 per cent. of primary schools and 31 per cent. of special schools were connected to the Internet.

  For matters relating to schools in Wales I refer the hon. Member to the Welsh Assembly.

  Political Debate (Schools)
  Dr. Julian Lewis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what obligations in respect of impartiality schools are required to observe when allowing politicians to discuss politically controversial subjects with pupils. [136237]

  Jacqui Smith
  We regard it as valuable that Members of Parliament and local councillors take an interest in education and look for opportunities to visit schools and meet pupils. From 2002 Citizenship will become a statutory subject in secondary schools, and this will require all pupils to be taught about parliamentary government and the democratic process. Open and informed debate about current issues is, of course, vital for a healthy democracy.

  There are, however, legal safeguards in place to protect against attempts at political indoctrination. Section 407 of the Education Act 1996 requires teachers to take all reasonably practical steps to ensure that, where political or controversial issues are brought to pupils' attention, they are offered a balanced presentation of opposing views.
  435W

  New Deal (Hendon)
  Mr. Dismore
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) how many young unemployed in Hendon have suffered a reduction in benefit for non-compliance with the New Deal; [136953]

  (2) how many young unemployed in Hendon have refused to co-operate with the New Deal; and if he will make a statement. [137029]

  Ms Jowell
  Since April this year 10 young unemployed people have received a benefit sanction in Hendon as a result of non-compliance with New Deal. That is the only period for which figures are immediately available.

  Percentage distribution of undergraduates in UK HE institutions by length of course 1

  Less than or equal to 1 year

  More than 1 year and less than or equal to 2 years

  More than 2 years and less than or equal to 3 years

  More than 3 years and less than or equal to 4 years

  More than 4 years and less than or equal to 5 years

  More than 5 years

  Total

  Total (thousand)

  Full-time

  1994–95

  3.5

  6.7

  54.1

  31.9

  3.4

  0.3

  100.0

  927.3

  1995–96

  3.1

  6.4

  55.2

  31.6

  3.5

  0.3

  100.0

  947.4

  1996–97

  2.9

  5.7

  56.2

  31.5

  3.4

  0.3

  100.0

  973.1

  1997–98

  2.9

  5.1

  56.8

  31.1

  3.8

  0.3

  100.0

  1,004.9

  1998–99

  2.9

  4.8

  57.6

  30.5

  3.9

  0.4

  100.0

  1,007.6

  Part-time2

  1994–95

  20.7

  29.0

  13.0

  10.9

  15.4

  10.9

  100.0

  161.1

  1995–96

  23.7

  23.9

  13.5

  12.0

  16.1

  10.8

  100.0

  186.4

  1996–97

  27.7

  23.7

  13.1

  10.2

  15.0

  10.3

  100.0

  201.8

  1997–98

  26.1

  21.4

  13.4

  10.5

  16.8

  11.7

  100.0

  206.6

  1998–99

  26.5

  20.3

  10.9

  11.1

  18.2

  12.9

  100.0

  210.1

  1 Excluding students with unknown course length

  2 Short, continuing education courses became part of mainstream provision from 1995–96, hence the increasing proportion of courses of less than one year

  Zacchaeus Centre, Birmingham
  Mr. Bercow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the work of the Zacchaeus Centre in Birmingham. [136402]

  Jacqui Smith
  The Zacchaeus Centre has been assessed by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Schools as a unique and successful provision for Key Stage 3 pupils at risk of exclusion from the 10 Roman Catholic secondary schools in Birmingham. The Centre does not cater for permanently excluded pupils. Rates of re-integration are high. That is why we included the Centre as an example of good practice in Circular 10/99 "Social Inclusions: Pupil Support". Unlike the previous Government, we have been supporting the Centre through the Standards Fund: £53,600 in 1998–99 and £94,000 in 1999–2000. The Centre is receiving a similar amount this year and will do so in 2001–02.

  Our support for the Zacchaeus Centre complements the increased provision we are making for both in and out of school support. We are making resources available to establish over 1,000 on-site Learning Support Units by 2002. These take disruptive pupils out of the classroom quickly and ensure that they start to behave better. Where an exclusion is necessary, provision for excluded pupils is being greatly increased. There are 1,000 more places and 250 more teachers in Pupil Referral Units than in
  436W
  The great majority of young people taking part in the New Deal do so to improve their employability and find a job without the necessity to impose any benefit sanctions.

  University Course Lengths
  Dr. Julian Lewis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what proportion of university courses have changed from three years to four years in each of the past five years. [136262]

  Mr. Wicks
  The information is not held centrally. The available data on course lengths are shown in the following table.

  1997. Their quality is improving and by 2002 all local education authorities will be required to provide a full timetable for excluded pupils.

  Disabled Children
  Mr. Colman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the availability of funding from his Department for Schools for Parents for parents of children with severe disabilities aged 1 to 5 years. [136820]

  Jacqui Smith
  [holding answer 6 November 2000]: There are a variety of funding streams available to schools and the voluntary organisations with which they work, including Standards Fund and the Department's Special Educational Needs Small Programmes Fund. We are not aware of any approach to the Department for funding from School for Parents.

  Thurlow Park School, Lambeth
  Mrs. May
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) when he last visited Thurlow Park School in Lambeth; [137227]

  (2) what discussions he has had with Lambeth Council about the proposed closure of Thurlow Park School. [137225]
  437W
  Jacqui Smith
  [holding answer 7 November 2000]: The Secretary of State and my right hon. Friend the Minister for Employment, Welfare to Work and Equal Opportunities visited Thurlow Park School on 2 March this year.

  In October 2000, officials from the Department for Education and Employment met officers from Lambeth local education authority to discuss the authority's plans for the reorganisation of educational provision for pupils with moderate and complex special educational needs, including the proposed closure of Thurlow Park School.

  Recycled Computers (Wirral)
  Mr. Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) how many subsidised recycled computers will be made available at low personal cost to low-income families living in each of the four constituencies of Wirral over the next three months; [137727]

  (2) how many subsidised recycled computers have been made available at low personal cost to low-income families (a) in total and (b) living in each of the four constituencies of Wirral, since March 1999. [137728]

  Mr. Wills
  I announced the commencement of the Computers Within Reach scheme on 25 october 2000 for those on certain benefits who were seeking to gain or retain employment. The first phase of the scheme will provide up to 35,000 recycled PCs in various areas in England until 31 March 2001. Potential applicants have been asked to contact the free telephone helpline 08080 100 900 in the first instance. The PCs will be delivered following the applications being processed by the relevant regional contractor. I am writing to all hon. Members with details of the scheme and the pilot areas to be covered in this first phase. The PCs will be provided in areas where there are locally based groups that made a successful bid to be part of the scheme. The Wirral constituencies are not in an area currently covered by a bid.

  The first phase pilots are located in areas within the following locations: Birmingham, Bradford, Hull, Leeds, Knowsley, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Plymouth, Portsmouth, and Sheffield.

  Apprenticeships
  Mr. Ruane
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many workers on apprenticeships there were in each of the last 15 years; and what is the estimated number for the next three years. [137733]

  Mr. Wicks
  Figures from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) on the number of apprentices in employment for each of the last 15 years is given in the table. There are no projections on the number of apprentices there might be in the future.

  Labour Force Survey, 1986–2000, United Kingdom

  Thousand

  Year

  All

  Males

  Females

  1986

  316

  261

  55

  1987

  322

  264

  58

  1988

  341

  268

  73

  1989

  373

  308

  65

  438W

  Labour Force Survey, 1986–2000, United Kingdom

  Thousand

  Year

  All

  Males

  Females

  1990

  357

  298

  59

  1991

  339

  270

  69

  1992

  318

  254

  63

  1993

  236

  191

  45

  1994

  209

  167

  42

  1995

  180

  141

  40

  1996

  174

  138

  36

  1997

  176

  141

  35

  1998

  191

  154

  37

  1999

  197

  166

  30

  2000

  215

  179

  35

  Sure Start
  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to expand Sure Start. [136586]

  Yvette Cooper
  [holding answer 6 November 2000]: I am delighted to say that following the Spending Review, the number of Sure Start programmes will be increased from 250 to 500 programmes by 2004 reaching a third of all children aged under four living in poverty. The budget for Sure Start will rise from £184 million a year in 2000–01 to £499 million a year in 2003–04.

  Departmental Expenditure Limits
  Mr. McWalter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what proposals he has to amend the Departmental expenditure limit and gross running costs limit for 2000–01. [138397]

  Mr. Wills
  Subject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimates for Class 1, Vote 1 (Department for Education and Employment: programmes and central services) and Vote 3 (the Employment Service), the Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) for 2000–01 (excluding Welfare to Work) will be increased by £640,856,000 from £18,355,519,000 to £18,996,375,000.

  This overall increase is made up of DEL increases on Votes 1 and Vote 3 of £627,511,000 and £36,075,000 respectively and an decrease of £22,730,000 in non-voted expenditure. As a result, the Voted element of the Departmental Expenditure Limit (excluding Welfare to Work) will be increased by £663,586,000 from £16,806,467,000 to £17,470,053.000. The non-Voted element will be decreased by £22,730,000 from £1,549,052,000 to £1,526,322,000.

  The changes in Vote 1 are the result of the take up of £608,950,000 of the end-year flexibility entitlement announced by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury in Table 7 of the 1999–2000 Public Expenditure Outturn White paper (Cm 4812); transfers of: £1,068,000 to the National Assembly of Wales for mature student bursaries and the administration of the mature student bursaries, of £860,000 to Class XII, Vote 2 (Department of Social Security: Housing, benefit subsidies, council tax benefit subsidies and administration, payments to the National Insurance Fund and the Social Fund and other grants) for intercalating students, of £13,474,000 to the Scottish Executive in connection with Scottish Open University

  439W
  (OU) students, access funds for Scottish OU students and the European Social Fund (Verification and Audit Service), of £3,738,000 from Class 1, Vote 3 (Employment Service) for Employment Zones, work-life balance, the salary of a Grade 7 lawyer, the new agency policy division, the manual girocheque reconciliation function and ONE marketing, of £3,000,000 from Class II, Vote 1 (Department of Health: Hospital, community health, family health and related services, England) for the Tomlinson project at Queen Mary and Westfield College, of £4,000,000 from Class II, Vote 2 (Department of Health: administration, miscellaneous health and personal social services, England) as a contribution to Education and Health Partnerships, of £950,000 to Class XI, Vote 1 (the Department for Culture, Media and Sport) for dance and drama students; the draw down of £825,000 from the Civil Service Modernisation Fund and the draw down of £23,350,000 from the Department's non-Voted Departmental Unallocated Provision (DUP).

  The increase in the provision on Vote 3 is the result of the take up of £35,779,000 of end-year flexibility entitlement; the draw down of £250,000 from the DUP to help fund New Deal Action teams; transfers of £195,000 from Class IV, Vote 1 (Home Office) for the Recovery Employment and Progress Drug Projects, of £3,738,000 to Class 1, Vote 1 (Department for Education and Employment: programmes and central services) for Employment Zones, Work-life balance, the new agency project, ONE marketing, legal advice and the manual girocheque reconciliation function and of £2,374,000 from Class XII, Vote 3 (Department of Social Security: administration) to cover Decision Making Advice costs connected with adjudication work; an increase of £1,670,000 to cover the cost of administering allowance payments for work based learning for adults in Scotland and Wales (offset by matching increase in receipts); and the draw down of £1,215,000 from the Civil Service Modernisation Fund.

  The Departmental running costs limit (excluding Welfare to Work) will be increased by £19,793,000 from £1,072,601,000 to £1,092,394,000. The changes on Vote 1 are as a result of the transfer of £20,000 to the Scottish Executive, the movement of £600,000 out of running costs into programme provision, and the draw down of £825,000 from the Civil Service Modernisation Fund. The changes on Vote 3 are the result of the take up of £17,261,000 of end-year flexibility entitlement, the transfer of £2,374,000 from the Class XII, Vote 3 (Department of Social Security: administration), the addition of £1,670,000 to cover work on allowance payments for Work Based Learning for Adults in Scotland and Wales and the draw down of £1,215,000 from the Civil Service Modernisation Fund. The Supplementary Estimates also include transfers of £3,738,000 of running costs from Vote 3 to Vote 1, of which only £806,000 increases the Vote 1 running costs provision.

  The Department's Welfare to Work provision is being increased by £111,414,000 from £1,144,281,000 to £1,255,695,000. The increase is made up of changes on Votes 1 and 3 of £90,251,000 and £21,163,000 respectively. The change on Vote 1 is as the result of the take up of £75,472,000 of end-year flexibility; draw down of new provision of £8,494,000; net transfers from Class 1, Vote 3 (the Employment Service) of £6,300,000,
  440W
  a transfer of £15,000 to the Class XII, Vote 3 (Department of Social Security) and an increase in running cost expenditure for New Deal Task Force projects and corresponding receipt of £750,000. The change on Vote 3 is as a result of the take up of £13,350,000 of Windfall Tax end-year flexibility entitlement, the draw down of £6,746,000 of Windfall Tax provision to fund additional expenditure on the New Deal for 50plus and the New Deal for Lone parents, net transfers of £6,300,000 to Class 1, Vote 1 (Department for Education and Employment: programmes and central services) for New Deal for Partners, Action Teams, The Training Standards Council and the Government Office's financial monitoring of New Deal and of £7,367,000 from Class XII, Vote 3 (Department of Social Security: administration) for the New Deal for Lone parents.

  The Departmental Welfare to Work running costs limit will be increased by £12,865,000 from £184,011,000 to £196,876,000. The change on Vote 1 is as a result of the take up of £478,000 of new provision, the increase of £750,000 for the New Deal Task Force and the transfer of £15,000 to the Department of Social Security. The change on Vote 3 is a net result of the take up of £7,000,000 of Windfall Tax end-year flexibility entitlement, the draw down of £6,134,000 of Windfall Tax provision to fund additional expenditure on the New Deals for 50plus and Lone Parents and a transfer of £4,550,000 from Class XII, Vote 3 (Department of Social Security: administration) for the New Deal for Lone parents. The Supplementary Estimates also include transfers of 6,480,000 from Vote 3, of which only £448,000 increases the Vote 1 running costs provision.

  The decrease in non-Voted expenditure within DEL arises from the draw down of £23,600,000 of DUP and an increase in credit approvals due to a transfer from the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions of £870,000 in connection with the overpayment of Annual Capital Guideline to Derby City Council.

  The increases are the result of transfers or will be charged to the Reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Income Support (Mortgage Interest Payments)
  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what schemes exist to enable unemployed households in receipt of Income Support covering mortgage interest payments to take up job opportunities available to them. [136815]

  Mr. Bayley
  In addition to the range of work incentives already available to recipients of Income Support and income based Jobseeker's Allowance, specific help to support home owners moving into full-time work was announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor in his Budget Statement.

  From April 2001 home owners who have been receiving Income Support or income based Jobseeker's Allowance continuously for 26 weeks and who have help with their mortgage interest payments will continue to receive help with their mortgage interest for a further four weeks after starting full-time work. This measure will

  441W
  help to ease the transition into work by offering a financial cushion for the first few weeks in employment when people may have to wait for their first earnings: 60,000 home owners are expected to benefit from this help each year with average gains of between £30 and £35 per week.

  In addition, we want to encourage home owners to try work. From April 2001 benefit-linking arrangements will be extended from the current 12 weeks to 52 weeks for home owners taking up employment. Home owners will be able to take up short-term or seasonal work secure in the knowledge that if they need to reclaim Income Support or income-based Jobseeker' s Allowance within a year, they will immediately qualify for help with their mortgage interest payments.

  CSA
  Ms Oona King
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what are the categories of expenditure covered by the CSA maintenance payments. [136811]

  Angela Eagle
  Child support maintenance assessments, which set the level of child support liability, do not specify categories of expenditure covered by maintenance payments. It is for the parent with care to decide how best to spend the money in the interests of her children.

  Winter Fuel Payments
  Mr. Willetts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many men have been eligible to receive a backdated Winter Fuel Payment, broken down into those who(a) have received the payment and (b) are still waiting to be paid. [135720]

  Angela Eagle
  Following the changes made to the Winter Fuel Payment scheme, the number of men who may now be eligible for payments in respect of previous years is around 1.7 million.

  Payments in respect of previous years must be claimed and it is open to those who are now eligible to choose whether they wish to make a claim.

  An information campaign has been running since April to inform potential customers about the changes to the scheme and what, if anything, they need to do.

  To date, we have received 950,000 claims from men who have chosen to claim these payments, and around 930,000 payments have already been issued in respect of these claims. Outstanding claims from this group (currently estimated to be around 15,000) are being dealt with and payments will be issued on successful claims, in early December. Claims for past winters are not subject to any time limits and we continue to receive them daily.

  War Pensions
  Mr. Ruane
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the changes made to the level of war pensions in each of the last 20 years; and what was the cost or saving to public funds of each change. [137836]

  Mr. Bayley
  The information is in the tables.
  442W

  The weekly rates of the maximum basic war disablement pension and the weekly rates of standard war widow's pension over the last 20 years

  £

  Uprating month and year

  War disablement pension 1

  War widows pension 2

  November 1980

  44.30

  35.30

  November 1981

  48.30

  38.45

  November 1982

  53.60

  42.70

  November 1983

  55.60

  44.25

  November 1984

  58.40

  46.55

  November 1985

  62.50

  49.80

  July 1986

  63.20

  50.30

  April 1987

  64.50

  51.35

  April 1988

  67.20

  53.50

  April 1989

  71.20

  56.65

  April 1990

  76.60

  60.95

  April 1991

  84.90

  67.60

  April 1992

  89.00

  70.35

  April 1993

  97.20

  72.90

  April 1994

  98.90

  74.70

  April 1995

  101.10

  76.35

  April 1996

  105.00

  79.35

  April 1997

  107.20

  81.00

  April 1998

  111.10

  83.90

  April 1999

  114.70

  86.60

  April 2000

  116.00

  87.55

  1 Rate for those 100 per cent, service disabled

  2 Rate for widow of a private

  Estimated expenditure resulting from uprating war pensions

  £ million

  From

  To

  Estimated increase in full year

  November 1980

  November 1981

  69

  November 1981

  November 1982

  46

  November 1982

  November 1983

  52

  November 1983

  November 1984

  18

  November 1984

  November 1985

  28

  November 1985

  November 1986

  37

  July 1986

  April 1987

  6

  April 1987

  April 1988

  12

  April 1988

  April 1989

  23

  April 1989

  April 1990

  34

  April 1990

  April 1991

  48

  April 1991

  April 1992

  48

  April 1992

  April 1993

  48

  April 1993

  April 1994

  38

  April 1994

  April 1995

  27

  April 1995

  April 1996

  26

  April 1996

  April 1997

  47

  April 1997

  April 1998

  26

  April 1998

  April 1999

  48

  April 1999

  April 2000

  37

  Benefits (Wales)
  Mr. Ruane
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the amount by which benefit was under-claimed in Wales in each of the past 10 years. [137827]

  Mr. Bayley
  The information requested is not available.

  Attendance Allowance
  Sir Peter Lloyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claims for Attendance
  443W
  Allowance were received in the last 12 months for which statistics are available; how many were refused; and how many were subsequently granted on appeal. [137275]

  Mr. Bayley
  The information is in the table.

  Attendance Allowance claims in the latest 12 months

  Number

  Claims received1

  405,313

  Claims refused1,2

  98,657

  Claims granted on review or appeal3,4

  13,900

  1 Figures based on 100 per cent. data relate to the 12 months ending September 2000.

  2 Figures include claims received before the 12 months ending September 2000.

  3 Figures based on 5 per cent. data relate to the 12 months ending August 2000.

  4 Figures relate to claims awarded as a result of review, reconsideration, supersession or appeal.

  Source:

  DSS Information Centre

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

  Museums and Galleries
  Maria Eagle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what additional funding he is making available to museums and galleries sponsored by his Department over the next three years; what provision this

  Grant-in-aid to sponsored museums and galleries

  £ million

  1998–991

  1999–20001

  2000–012

  2001–023,4

  2002–033,4

  2003–043,4

  British Museum

  33.921

  34.721

  34.881

  35.969

  536.469

  536.469

  Natural History

  26.960

  29.583

  30.408

  33.108

  537.360

  538.478

  Imperial War

  10.573

  12.149

  11.744

  13.110

  14.072

  14.126

  National Gallery

  18.689

  19.478

  19.215

  19.949

  520.449

  520.449

  National Maritime

  10.184

  10.923

  11.660

  12.820

  13.371

  13.420

  National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside

  12.696

  13.714

  13.910

  15.237

  516.169

  516.382

  National Portrait Gallery

  4.997

  5.115

  5.138

  5.462

  55.562

  55.712

  National Museum of Science and Industry

  20.281

  24.576

  25.481

  27.341

  530.598

  531.712

  Royal Armouries

  3.723

  5.096

  5.148

  5.820

  6.042

  6.056

  Tate Gallery

  19.218

  19.727

  24.881

  26.877

  26.979

  26.986

  Victoria and Albert

  29.147

  30.084

  30.458

  32.690

  33.471

  33.514

  Wallace Collection

  1.916

  2.463

  2.073

  2.163

  52.413

  52.413

  Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester

  2.178

  2.717

  2.677

  2.822

  3.016

  3.029

  Museum of London

  4.210

  4.361

  4.429

  4.681

  55.236

  54.842

  Sir John Soane's

  0.567

  0.630

  0.593

  0.699

  50.874

  50.874

  Horniman

  3.144

  3.062

  3.226

  3.106

  3.106

  3.106

  Geffrye

  1.047

  1.172

  1.176

  1.124

  1.124

  1.124

  Tyne and Wear

  —

  —

  0.994

  0.994

  0.994

  0.994

  National Coal Mining Museum England

  —

  —

  —

  1.332

  51.882

  51.928

  Design Museum

  —

  —

  0.200

  0.200

  0.200

  0.200

  24-Hour Museum

  —

  —

  0.149

  0.149

  0.149

  0.149

  Unallocated Reserve Revenue

  —

  —

  0.141

  0.158

  4.575

  9.098

  Unallocated Reserve Capital

  —

  —

  —

  —

  3.375

  3.725

  Other

  —

  0.200

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Government Indemnity Scheme

  0.015

  0.098

  0.150

  0.150

  0.150

  0.150

  Total

  203.466

  219.869

  228.772

  245.986

  267.636

  274.936

  1 Outturn

  2 Provision

  3 Plans

  4 SR 2000 allocations 2001–02 to 2003–04

  5 Includes a capital allocation

  444W
  additional funding includes for free access and quids-in at the charging museums; what resources he has set aside in reserve for further allocation; and if he will list the resources that he is making available. [138398]

  Mr. Chris Smith
  I am increasing the funding available for the museums and galleries sponsored by my Department from £229 million this year to £275 million in 2003–04. Included in the increase is additional capital funding of £10 million in 2002–03 and 12 million in 2003–04. Not all of this funding has yet been allocated.

  The bulk of the extra revenue funding available is to support the continuation of free access for children and pensioners at the charging museums and to provide compensation for the introduction of quids-in (a reduced charge of £1 for adults) from 1 September 2001.

  Within the total I have allocated £7 million in 2003–03 and £8 million in 2003–04 for urgent capital repairs. I am holding back £3 million of capital funding in 2002–03 and £4 million in 2003–04 from which I shall invite bids for improvement projects and I am also holding back £4 million of revenue funding in 2002–03 and £10 million in 2003–04 to meet particular requirements as they arise.

  The allocations made for 2001–02 to 2003–04 are set out in the table for comparison with the allocations for 1998–99 to 2000–01 and show the significant increase achieved. The table does not include the funding for work in the regions which I announced in the House on 25 July 2000.
  445W

  National Lottery Grants Review
  Mr. Moore
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the review of the National Lottery grants application process is due to be published. [137767]

  Kate Hoey
  The Quality, Efficiency and Standards Team (QUEST) published the first phase of its review of Lottery application processes on 3 August. The report focuses on applications for grants of up to £100,000 and includes recommendations for improving application and assessment procedures in order to ease the administrative burden for small organisations applying for grants. Copies of the report are available in the Library of the House. QUEST will shortly begin the second phase of its work, which will investigate the costs inherent in the application process for larger grants, both to applicants and Lottery distributors.

  Athletics Stadium
  Mr. Peter Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the value is of public funds(a) spent and (b) committed, to date, on the proposal to build an athletics stadium at Picketts Lock. [137838]

  Mr. Chris Smith
  No Exchequer funding has been committed to the development of the National Athletics Stadium at Picketts Lock. The English Sports Council have so far far made a grant of £240,000 from the Sports Lottery Fund towards initial feasibility studies. On 6 November, the English Sports Council agreed to provide a further grant of £1.3 million towards the costs of design, site investigation, and cost planning.

  Wembley National Stadium Ltd.
  Mr. Peter Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement on the legal position in relation to the agreement between Wembley National Stadium Ltd. and Sport England concerning the return of Lottery funds to Sport England. [137840]

  Mr. Chris Smith
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 30 October 2000,Official Report, column 328W.

CABINET OFFICE

  Better Regulation Task Force
  Mr. Steen
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recommendations the Better Regulation Task Force made in respect of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000. [136448]

  Mr. Stringer
  The independent Better Regulation Task Force supported the overall aim of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 to legislate to combat serious crime conducted on the internet. It was concerned that, like all other new Government regulation, it should meet the five principles of good regulation: transparency; accountability; consistency; proportionality; and targeting. The Bill was amended considerably during its passage and the Task Force's concerns were broadly met. The Task Force nevertheless hopes that the Home Office will review the effectiveness of the Act in time, taking account of its impact on UK e-businesses.

  Mr. Steen
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate she has made of the amount the Better Regulation Task Force has saved business; and if she will make a statement. [136449]

  Mr. Stringer
  The independent Better Regulation Task Force is an advisory body and can not itself directly reduce costs on business. It works by making recommendations, including to Government. To date, the majority have been accepted. Since its creation in 1997, the Task Force has influenced many changes in the regulatory environment. For example, all new regulation must be checked against the principles of good regulation developed by the Task Force.

  Mr. Steen
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will make a statement in respect of the administrative and running costs of the Better Regulations Task Force, including the autumn 2000 Task Force review. [136606]

  Mr. Stringer
  The administrative and running costs of the independent Better Regulation Task Force for the six months of the financial year 2000–01 to September 2000 have totalled £191,581. The printing costs of the Better Regulation Task Force's Annual Report 1999–2000, which was published in October 2000, were £6,815.