Written Answers of 13 December 2001

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Political Developments
  Mr. Joyce
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on political developments in Northern Ireland since 1 December. [23080]

  Dr. John Reid
  We believe the time is now right to extend to hon. Members who have not taken their seats at Westminster—that is, at present, four Sinn Fein members from Northern Ireland—access to certain facilities and accompanying allowances here. We believe that, as well as enabling their constituents' interests to be better represented, this would be consistent with the progress made in implementing the Belfast Agreement, including recent steps to establish on a more stable footing the political institutions provided for in the Agreement, in which Sinn Fein participate fully. This is however entirely a matter for the House, and we shall therefore be tabling a motion on the subject for debate next week.

  Police Service
  Lawrie Quinn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he will publish a timetable for the implementation of lateral entry, secondments and other north/south co-operation issues between the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the Garda Siochana. [23250]

  Jane Kennedy
  I have today published a timetable, which has been agreed with the Irish Government, identifying how both Governments intend to implement the Patten recommendations on co-operation between the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the Garda Siochana, including lateral entry and secondments to the two police services on a reciprocal basis. Copies of the timetable have been placed in the Library of the House.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Trade Unions (Buckingham)
  Mr. Bercow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the level of trade union membership among firms in the Buckingham constituency. [22642]

  Alan Johnson
  None. A reliable estimate cannot be made using the data held by central Government.

  Homeworking
  Richard Burden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to increase employment opportunities for those who rely on schemes providing home-based work. [21253]
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  Miss Melanie Johnson
  There are no specific plans to increase employment opportunities for those who rely on schemes providing home-based work at present, although such opportunities may be available in companies that are developing work-life balance initiatives for the benefit of their business, employees and customers.

  Adult Education (Financial Impact)
  Vernon Coaker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the impact on(a) women's and (b) men's wages of years spent outside the labour market for educational reasons. [21778]

  Ms Hewitt
  The Women and Equality Unit published a report on the Gender Pay Gap on 5 December. This included an analysis of available research on the impact of qualifications on women's and men's wages and found that the evidence varies across studies. None the less, although it is difficult to identify the precise size of the impact, acquiring qualifications has a positive impact on wages and labour market participation for both men and women. Estimates of the relative impact also vary by qualification. Research commissioned by the skills taskforce suggests that private returns to A-levels are slightly higher for women, while returns to first degrees are broadly equivalent by gender.

  Near Earth Object Task Force
  Ann Keen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the Government's response on 24 February to the recommendations contained in the report of the Near Earth Object Task Force. [23492]

  Ms Hewitt
  An updated response is nearing completion and will be published shortly. Copies will be put with the report and the Government response which were placed in the Libraries of both Houses. A copy of this response and press release will also be found at www.nearearthobjects.co.uk

  Equal Treatment Directives
  Mr. Lammy
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the Government will consult on its plans for implementing the Equal Treatment Directives 2000/43/EC and 2000/78/EC. [23491]

  Ms Hewitt
  Yes. My hon. Friend the Minister of State, Cabinet Office, the Minister responsible for equality co-ordination, has today published a consultation document about our proposals to take forward implementation of the Employment and Race Directives in Great Britain.

  I have arranged for copies of the document to be placed in the Libraries of the House. We have asked for responses by the end of March 2002. The proposals build on our current arrangements for tackling discrimination. They will involve: introducing new legislation prohibiting discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief, age and sexual orientation in the areas of employment, occupation and training; and making some adjustments to the Race Relations Act 1976 and Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA).

  We intend to have the new provisions on race, religion or belief and sexual orientation in place in 2003; on disability in October 2004 to coincide with the planned

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  implementation of other aspects of the DDA; and on age by the end of 2006, taking full advantage of time allowed in order to assist sensible implementation.

  These proposals provide a practical and sensible way forward which will benefit both business and individuals by promoting best use of people's talents and potential.

  Oil and Gas Infrastructure
  Mr. Salter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made on the preparation of guidance on the use of legal powers to settle disputes over third party access to upstream oil and gas infrastructure. [23490]

  Mr. Wilson
  I have, today, placed in the Library of the House a copy of a consultation document from my Department which seeks industry's views on proposed guidance on how, if asked to intervene, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry would use longstanding powers, now in the Petroleum Act 1998 and other legislation, to settle disputes over access to infrastructure.

  Access to infrastructure is a key element in the process of extracting the UK's petroleum resources. The proposed guidance builds on consideration of the results of an earlier consultation. It is intended to reduce industry uncertainty about the operation of the regulatory regime and is one element of the Government's policy aimed at addressing barriers to exploration and development on the UK continental shelf.

  Fireworks
  Mr. Hepburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what further measures she will take to enforce the age restrictions on the sale of fireworks at(a) new year and (b) fireworks night 2002. [22663]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  Enforcement of the Fireworks (Safety) Regulations 1997 is the responsibility of local authority trading standards departments. I have sought feedback from trading standards departments on levels of compliance and enforcement issues following this year's fireworks season.

  Bob Spink
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what recent representations she has had regarding the inappropriate use of fireworks; [18155]

  (2)what action the police and local councils can take to control the inappropriate use of fireworks; [18153]

  (3)what action she plans to control the inappropriate use of fireworks; and if she will make a statement. [18154]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  The Department has received representations from the public concerning the impact of noise, the misuse of fireworks in public places and issues of safety.

  Under current legislation it is an offence under section 80 of the Explosives Act 1875 to throw or set off fireworks in any highway, street or thoroughfare or public place. The power to enforce this section of the Act rests with the police.

  All fireworks sold to the public must also comply with the Fireworks (Safety) Regulations 1997. The regulations, among other things, ban certain types of larger and more
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  powerful products from retail sale, set the minimum age for purchasing fireworks at 18 years and require that all fireworks for sale must comply with the British Standard (BS7114). Local authority trading standards officers enforce the regulations.

  In addition the Department runs an annual fireworks safety campaign, working closely with police, fire brigades and local authorities to promote safety messages during the firework season. This year over 25,000 safety toolkits were distributed to schools for use in the classroom to heighten awareness of the dangers of fireworks and to promote considerate behaviour.

  We believe that the current restrictions on the sale of fireworks and rules on their use, backed up by an active safety campaign, provide the right level of control over the sale of fireworks. We have no present plans to introduce further controls but will continue to keep the position under review.

  Tesco v. Levi Strauss Case
  Mr. Waterson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the decision of the European Court of Justice in the Tesco v. Levi Strauss case; and if she will make a statement. [18045]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  The judgment by the European Court of Justice in the Tesco v. Levi Strauss case confirmed that the European trade mark directive (89/104/EEC) means that branded goods cannot be imported into the European Economic Area without the trade mark owner's consent.

  Many people will have been disappointed by this judgment. We believe that liberalisation of trade mark law will be good for consumers, good for business, and good for the economy.

  We are working hard in Europe to achieve the necessary consensus for change to the directive. We are looking to the European Commission to help us to work through the issue of parallel trading.

  Office of Fair Trading
  Mr. Waterson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on how many occasions since May 1997(a) she and (b) her predecessors have overruled the advice of the Director-General of the Office of Fair Trading. [10135]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has overruled the advice of the Director General of Fair Trading regarding mergers of enterprises on eight occasions and on monopoly reports on three occasions since May 1997.

  Vehicle Price Fixing
  Mr. Rosindell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the nature of the assistance her Department has provided to the European Commission over allegations of price fixing in the United Kingdom vehicle market. [14829]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  The Department supports the European Commission in its application and enforcement of the EC competition rules.
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  Money Laundering
  Mr. Andrew Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proposals she has for amending the regulation of accountancy to ensure that accountants(a) report all money laundering which comes to their attention and (b) play no part in (i) opening accounts and (ii) setting up and closing down shell companies to carry it on. [15249]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  The Home Office has policy responsibility for primary legislation on money laundering offences, while HM Treasury is responsible for regulating the financial services industry, including policy responsibility for secondary legislation such as the 1993 Money Laundering Regulations (which are shortly to be amended).

  The Proceeds of Crime Bill, which is currently before Parliament, will consolidate and strengthen existing anti-money-laundering legislation. It will also provide new power for the investigation of money laundering. It is currently an offence for any person to fail to report knowledge or suspicion of drug or terrorist money laundering which comes to their attention in the course of their trade, business or profession. The Bill replaces that offence with an offence for a person working in a sector covered by the Money Laundering Regulations to fail to make a report to the authorities if he knows, suspects or has reasonable grounds to know or suspect that another person is laundering the proceeds of any criminal activity.

  At present, not all accountants are regulated under the 1993 Money Laundering Regulations (although all are subject to the general obligation to report knowledge or suspicions of drugs or terrorist money laundering arising in the course of one's trade, business or profession). However, under the second European money laundering directive, which is expected to be formally adopted after Christmas, accountants will be brought within the regulated sector. When this directive is implemented in UK law, accounts will be subject to both the provisions of the Proceeds of Crime Bill, and the requirements of the Money Laundering Regulations as regards identification of customers, record keeping and reporting of suspect financial transactions.

  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry is responsible for the statutory oversight of the arrangements for the regulation of company auditors and, in that respect, of the adequacy of the procedures of recognised accountancy bodies for investigating and disciplining auditors. This Department also has a wider interest in the regulatory arrangements of the main accountancy bodies for investigating and disciplining their members, including those who may have engaged in or facilitated money laundering, or who may have failed in their duties to report suspicious transactions to the appropriate authorities. Members of these bodies are subject to byelaws and regulations which make them liable to disciplinary action and penalties. Under reforms previously agreed between the bodies and the Government, a new Investigation and Discipline Board, under the aegis of the Accountancy Foundation, will take over responsibility for disciplinary cases which raise significant public interest issues.
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PRIME MINISTER

  NHS Spending
  Mr. Swire
  To ask the Prime Minister if his target for Government spending on the NHS is(a) a fixed percentage of gross domestic product and (b) a specific sum of money. [22244]

  The Prime Minister
  I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave to the right hon. Members for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr. Duncan Smith), for Ross, Skye and Inverness, West (Mr. Kennedy) and for Maidstone and The Weald (Miss Widdecombe) on 5 December 2001,Official Report, columns 325–30.

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

  Volunteering
  Mr. Anthony D. Wright
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment. Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to work with the voluntary sector and to encourage volunteering. [20567]

  Margaret Beckett
  The impact of foot and mouth disease showed the need for a healthy rural voluntary sector, and the creation of the new Department, with an explicit focus on rural affairs for the first time, enables us to enhance the Government's capacity to work with the voluntary sector in rural affairs.

  I am holding a series of meetings with rural voluntary and community bodies to discuss their contribution to the well-being of rural communities and this work is being developed by officials in the new Rural Affairs Directorate.

  Timber
  Bob Russell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the Government purchases timber and wood products only from legal and sustainable sources. [20569]

  Mr. Meacher
  We have set a policy for central Government Departments and their agencies to actively seek to procure their timber and timber products from sustainable and legal sources and to report their purchases annually.

  Air Quality
  Derek Twigg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on air quality in the UK. [20571]

  Mr. Meacher
  Air quality in the UK is improving year on year, thanks in large part to the actions we have taken to reduce emissions from road transport and industry. Last year saw the lowest number of days of poor air quality in urban areas since our detailed records began. But we still need to do more if we are to achieve all of the objectives in our Air Quality Strategy.

  Sir Teddy Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will set up a commission to consider the impact of traffic congestion on air quality. [20581]
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  Mr. Meacher
  We have no plans at present to set up such a commission.

  Ash Moor, Petrockstow
  Mr. Burnett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will withdraw the consent to use the site at Ash Moor, Petrockstow for the disposal of animal carcases. [R] [20572]

  Mr. Morley
  The Government currently have no plans to use the Ash Moor site for the disposal of animal carcases.

  Flooding (West Country)
  Sir Michael Spicer
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on flooding in the West Country in the last year. [20573]

  Mr. Morley
  Following record levels of rainfall, the West Country suffered serious flooding last autumn and winter. The full extent of the flooding was set out in the Environment Agency's Lessons Learned reports. Since then flood defences have been repaired and where necessary strengthened so residents have at least as much protection as they did before the floods, and often are better defended. Longer term improvements in flood defence are in hand in many areas.

  GM Crops
  Mr. Alan Simpson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make it a condition of licensing GM crop trials, that the licensee take out insurance against being held liable for crop contamination; what financial provision she has made against being held liable for crop contamination; and if she will make a statement. [20574]

  Mr. Meacher
  The European Commission is preparing a proposal for a directive on environmental liability, including in respect of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). This initiative is expected to cover liability for damage to biodiversity and serious harm to human health, leaving to member states the issue of liability for economic loss. The Commission intend that the contained use, deliberate release and transport of GMOs should fall within a strict liability regime for significant environmental hazards. I am considering whether liability rules are needed for GM crop releases to complement the Commission's wider proposal, but am not in a position to provide any further details at present. The Government have not made any specific provision against liability for GM crop trials.

  Mr. Randall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on genetically modified crop trials. [20579]

  Mr. Meacher
  The Farm Scale Evaluations are a three-year trial programme involving four GM herbicide-tolerant crops. These trials are studying the impact of the herbicide use associated with the GM plants on a range of biodiversity indicators. This can only be done by testing under normal farm conditions. The plants in the trials have passed all regulatory safety standards relating to their release into the environment.
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  BSE
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her oral answer of 15 November 2001,Official Report, column 962, on BSE, when the chairman of SEAC wrote to Professor Ebringer; and what the outcome was. [20575]

  Mr. Morley
  The chairman of the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee wrote to Professor Ebringer in September inviting him to attend a future meeting of the committee. The SEAC secretariat has subsequently written to Professor Ebringer inviting him to attend the next SEAC meeting in February 2002.

  Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority
  Mr. Lloyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the Greater Manchester waste disposal authority. [20576]

  Mr. Meacher
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has had no recent discussions with the Greater Manchester waste disposal authority.

  Countryside and Rights of Way Act
  Mr. Pickthall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the progress made with implementation of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. [20577]

  Alun Michael
  We are making good progress. Consultation began last month on the first draft maps showing where the new right of access to open country and registered common land might apply. We shall shortly publish the first of a series of consultation papers on the Act's rights of way provisions and we are working closely with English Nature to improve the condition of Sites of Special Scientific Interest. We expect to lay regulations on vehicular access over common land early in the new year.

  Combined Heat and Power
  Mrs. Helen Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on her strategy for the combined heat and power industry. [20578]

  Mr. Meacher
  The Government fully recognise the difficult circumstances facing the UK CHP industry at present, as my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer made clear in his pre-Budget report. The Department is developing a draft CHP Strategy in close collaboration with other Government Departments, which we will issue for consultation early in the new year. It will set out the measures needed to achieve the Government's CHP target of at least 10,000 megawatts of Good Quality CHP by 2010.

  Fiona Mactaggart
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action she is taking to increase the contribution of combined heat and power to Britain's energy supplies. [20592]

  Mr. Meacher
  The Department is developing a draft CHP Strategy in close collaboration with other Government Departments, which we will issue for consultation early in the new year. It will set out the measures needed to achieve the Government's CHP target
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  of at least 10,000 MW of Good Quality CHP by 2010. As my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer made clear in his pre-Budget report, the DTI has consulted on the impact of the first few months of the New Electricity Trading Arrangements on smaller generators and Government are considering the means by which any concerns could be addressed. Subject to legal and other constraints, the Government will also consider the environmental case for providing more favourable treatment for CHP within the CCL, taking account of the role which CHP might play in meeting the UK's climate change targets.

  Meat Imports
  Matthew Green
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to reduce illegal imports of meat products and improve the Government's inspection activities. [20580]

  Mr. Morley
  DEFRA officials are co-ordinating a number of initiatives, involving interested Government Departments and local authority enforcement bodies, aimed at ensuring that rules for importing animal products are enforced effectively and efficiently. We have already taken action to improve publicity to travellers about import rules, to improve the collection and analysis of information about illegal imports and to use that information better to target enforcement activity. We are keeping these measures under constant review and we are looking at a wide range of other options for improvements, including, for example, the use of sniffer dogs, X-ray machines, on-the-spot-fines and changes to administrative structures.

  Landfill
  Mr. Clappison
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations she has received concerning her policy on landfill. [20582]

  Mr. Meacher
  Government policy on landfill was set out in the Second Consultation Paper on Implementation of the EC Landfill Directive. Consultation has now closed and we received over 100 responses from the waste management industry, waste producers, local government, environmental groups and members of the public. The representations received have informed our drafting of the regulations that will implement the directive and that we hope to lay before Parliament shortly.

  Livestock Industry
  Mr. Boswell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has for the regeneration of the British livestock industry following the foot and mouth epidemic. [R] [20583]

  Mr. Morley
  DEFRA's objectives are to create a livestock production sector which is sustainable, competitive, responsive to consumer demands and founded on high animal health and welfare standards.

  To ensure sustainability we need to have regard to environmental limitations and market limitations. We continue to argue the case for decoupling EC beef and sheep payments from production to enable producers to align their livestock numbers to the carrying capacity of their land and to the likely markets for their produce.
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  Better marketing is needed to shorten the supply chain between producer and consumer. This should enable producers to be both more competitive and to respond to consumer tastes.

  DEFRA is determined to develop a coherent strategy for the identification and tracing of animals to enable diseases to be tackled more effectively and to ensure consumer confidence in animal products. We are also launching the National Scrapie Plan, which is a long-term programme for breeding genetic resistance to scrapie and BSE into the national sheep flock.

  Fridge Recycling
  Tom Brake
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the recycling of fridges. [20584]

  Mr. Meacher
  Although EC Regulation No. 2037/2000 now requires the recovery of CFCs and HCFCs from foam, this had not been the original intention under the proposal for a regulation published by the European Commission in August 1998. The text prepared by the commission only required the recovery of ozone depleting substances from foam "if practicable". The language in the relevant article was changed during negotiations shortly before the draft regulation was agreed by the Environment Council in February 1999. The UK raised this issue at a number of meetings with the commission and other member states in order to seek clarification. However, it was not until June this year that the commission finally clarified that the regulation requires the CFCs and HCFCs to be removed from foams found in waste refrigerators for destruction.

  From 1 January 2002, the EC Regulation on Ozone Depleting Substances will require 'controlled substances' (including CFCs) in coolants and in insulating foam to be removed before recycling or reclamation of domestic refrigerators units. Waste refrigeration units will need to be stored until suitable domestic processing facilities come on-line. The Department has issued guidance on CFC extraction plant and guidance on the storage of waste refrigeration equipment, prior to CFC extraction. The Department's website http://www.defra.gov.uk. also contains information on the requirements of the regulation.

  We have recently announced an extra £6 million in the local government finance settlement to help local authorities with the extra costs of dealing with fridges to the end of this financial year. We are urgently assessing the impacts of the regulation and will determine what further action will be necessary beyond that.

  Mrs. Brooke
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to ensure that local authorities are able to deal with recycling of refrigerators in accordance with EC Regulation 2037/2000. [20590]

  Mr. Meacher
  The Department has written to all English local authorities to inform them of the requirements of the regulation. More recently we have written again to issue guidance on the storage of waste refrigeration equipment, prior to CFC extraction, and to provide information for householders disposing of fridges and freezers.
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  We have recently announced an extra £6 million in the local government finance settlement to help local authorities with the extra costs of dealing with fridges to the end of this financial year. We are urgently assessing the impacts of the regulation and will determine what further action will be necessary beyond that.

  Livestock Scheme (Welsh Language Forms)
  Hywel Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reason her Department does not provide Welsh medium forms in Wales to be used in connection with the autumn movement of livestock scheme. [20585]

  Mr. Morley
  Application forms for movement licences are available in Welsh from every local authority in Wales. Movement licences in Welsh are available from some local authorities. The Department will make these forms fully available as soon as possible.

  Sugar Beet Industry
  Mr. Brady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to promote the viability of the British sugar beet industry. [20586]

  Mr. Morley
  Support for the sugar beet industry is regulated under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). A revised sugar regime under the CAP was agreed at the May 2001 Agriculture Council and runs for five years until 1 July 2006, with a review in the early part of 2003. We continue to believe that further substantive reform is needed to take account of trade liberalisation resulting from the "Everything But Arms" agreement and to put the industry on a more sustainable basis for the future.

  Aggregates Tax
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what impact the aggregates tax will have on the work of her Department. [20587]

  Mr. Meacher
  The main impact of the tax on DEFRA's work is in creating an aggregates levy sustainability fund. We have recently consulted on how the scheme might work and we are now considering responses to the consultation. We expect the fund to:Minimise the demand for primary aggregates;
  Promote environmentally friendly extraction and transport; and
  Reduce the local effects of aggregates extraction

  The range of activities the Fund proposes to support is broad. It includes promoting conservation and increased biodiversity, restoring natural landscapes and local community projects.

  Environmentally Friendly Lorries
  Mr. Rosindell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the Government's plans for encouraging the environmentally friendly use of lorries. [20588]

  Mr. Meacher
  The Government's overarching plans for encouraging the environmentally friendly use of lorries were set out in the Sustainable Distribution Strategy, published in March 1999. The Strategy includes 952W
  a package of measures to promote best environmental practice in the distribution industry. This includes encouraging more efficient freight logistics with the aim of minimising environmental impacts, and improving business efficiency. The Strategy is being supported through various initiatives including the DTLR-sponsored PowerShift and CleanUp programmes which provide grants towards the cost of purchasing vehicles—including lorries—running on cleaner fuels such as gas and fitting them with emission reduction technologies such as particulate traps.

  Livestock Markets
  Charlotte Atkins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the future of livestock markets. [20589]

  Mr. Morley
  Livestock markets have an important role to play in the marketing of farm animals between the various stages of production and some are developing a broadened range of services to farmers. I look forward to the recommendations from the Policy Commission on future developments in livestock marketing.

  Over-30-months Scheme
  Mr. Laurence Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the losses incurred by farmers through the OTMS due to being unable to move cattle; and if she will make a statement. [20591]

  Mr. Morley
  The Over-30-months Scheme (OTMS) delivers some £240 million per annum in payments to beef and dairy farmers. As a result of foot and mouth disease movement restrictions and suspension of the OTMS farmers will have incurred losses arising from additional costs of keeping cattle, delays in sales receipts and any differences between prices actually received and those which would otherwise have been obtained. It is not possible to quantify these losses.

  Noise Pollution
  Mr. Salter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has for tackling noise pollution in the United Kingdom. [20593]

  Mr. Meacher
  Much has been done to address noise from transport and industry including: reducing the level of noise generated by individual vehicles and aircraft; traffic management schemes; and addressing noise at the planning stage of new noise generation or noise sensitive developments. Such action has considerably reduced the output of noise from individual sources but has often failed to reduce the overall ambient noise because of other factors, such as the growth in the number of vehicles on our roads. A consultation seeking views on the first steps towards an Ambient Noise strategy will be launched later this month. A significant part of this strategic approach will be an exercise to build on the noise mapping already carried out of the major transport and industrial noise sources across England. The first stage of this exercise, for which £13 million has been set aside, will start in the new year.
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  Hunting with Dogs
  Gillian Merron
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what permit conditions will apply when hunting with dogs resumes in foot and mouth disease-free counties. [23532]

  Alun Michael
  On 15 November I announced the Government's intention of relaxing the ban on hunting with dogs imposed in February 2001 to control foot and mouth disease, to allow hunting in FMD free counties from 17 December under a temporary system of disease control permits. Interested parties were invited to comment on the proposed permit conditions by 7 December.

  As a result, a small number of changes and clarifications have been made to the permit conditions published on 15 November. I have placed copies of the final version of the permit conditions in the Library of the House. This material has also been published on the DEFRA FMD website. Permits will be available from DEFRA Animal Health Divisional Offices from 17 December onwards to applicants who can demonstrate compliance with the disease control conditions required.

  Farming and Rural Conservation Agency
  Mr. Edwards
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will publish the 2000–01 annual report for the Farming and Rural Conservation Agency. [23346]

  Margaret Beckett
  The 2000–01 annual report and accounts for the Farming and Rural Conservation Agency were laid before Parliament today. Copies are available in the Library of the House.

  Chemical Weapons Dumps
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures are in place to manage deteriorating chemical weapon and munition dumps in coastal waters of the United Kingdom. [21854]

  Dr. Moonie
  I have been asked to reply.

  There are no specific measures in place to manage chemical weapons and munition dumps on the seabed in the coastal waters of the United Kingdom, as the consensus of international scientific opinion is that munitions on the seabed present no significant risk to safety, human health or the marine environment, provided they remain undisturbed.

  I am aware, however, that there are two range danger areas, D306 (formerly RAF Cowden) D307 (RAF Donna Nook), which are near my hon. Friend's constituency. D306 was closed as a range a few years ago, but D307 continues to be used by the RAF for practice bombing runs. Coastal erosion of the range danger area D306 has caused much of the explosive ordnance previously used for practice bombing to re-emerge. A quantity of unexploded iron bombs are lodged in the cliffs at this range, and, periodically, these fall on to the beach area as a result of the three metres of erosion which occurs each year. To ensure that any danger to the public is kept to a minimum, Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) personnel from the Ministry of Defence are carrying out clearance and disposal of this ordnance. It is expected that this will take up to 15 years to complete.
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  On the D307 range, explosive ordnance from World War Two was buried offshore under the sand, which is covered daily by the tides. An EOD team from RAF Coningsby carry out an inspection, either daily or weekly depending on tides and the programme of activities at the range, to determine if any ordnance has emerged through the sand. If any munitions or other hazardous items are discovered during the regular inspections, action is taken to remove or destroy the offending article. This is an important activity, which is intended to minimise any risks to the public from exposed ordnance on the range. A risk assessment was conducted three years ago, which endorsed the acceptability of the procedure for handling exposed munitions.

  IACS Payments
  Mr. Peter Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the delays in making Integrated Control and Administration System (IACS) payments. [21106]

  Margaret Beckett
  [holding answer 6 December 2001]: Several thousand man days of effort on the processing of CAP payments have been lost by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) as a result of industrial action. This action comes on top of the diversion of significant numbers of staff to deal with the foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreak. In addition the need to develop computer software upgrades for the bovines schemes to reflect regulatory changes has meant that the start of advance payments has been delayed. Moreover, because of the need to perform FMD cross-checks in order to establish entitlement to aid progress with processing is slower than normal.

  As a result of these factors advance payments on the livestock schemes are expected to be made within the advertised payment windows but later than would have been the case in a normal year.

  The Arable Area Payments Scheme (AAPS) under which payments are made in a regulatory payment window running from 16 November to 31 January is the scheme mainly affected by industrial action. In a normal year approximately 60–70 per cent. of the aid would be paid in the first two to three weeks of the window. This year the figure will be a little over 50 per cent. The Rural Payments Agency is taking all reasonable steps to mitigate the impact of the industrial action to ensure that payments delays are kept to the absolute minimum.

  EDUCATION AND SKILLS

    English Language Schools
    Mr. Willis
    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which regulations cover schools which specialise in teaching English as a foreign language. [20834]

    John Healey
    There are no specific regulations applying to private English language schools but such schools must comply with general regulations applying to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and, if appropriate, legislation relating to children.
    955W

    Internet Access
    Alistair Burt
    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of schools in England and Northern Ireland have internet access. [21268]

    John Healey
    The information requested is shown in the table.

    Schools connected to the internet: 2001

    England

    Percentage

    Primary

    96

    Secondary1

    more than 99

    Special

    97

    All schools2

    97

    1 Results from a sample survey indicated that nearly all secondary schools were connected to the internet.

    2 An estimate for all maintained primary, secondary and special schools. Other types of schools excluded.

    These figures are based on a sample survey. Responses were received from 785 primary, 753 secondary and 330 special schools: response rates of 67 per cent., 64 per cent., and 66 per cent. respectively of the chosen sample.

    For information on schools connected to the internet in Northern ireland, I refer the hon. Member to the Northern Ireland Department of Education.

    British Educational Communications and Technology Agency
    Mr. Bercow
    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the administration costs of the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency were in 2000–01; and what she expects them to be in 2001–02. [21296]

    John Healey
    In 2000–01 the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency's overall income from grant, project and contract funding was £19.8 million. Of this, core grant funding from this Department was £4,725,000 and administration costs were £1.2 million. In 2001–02 administration costs are expected to be of a similar level to the previous year.

    Pupil Exclusions
    Linda Perham
    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research her Department has commissioned into the underlying causes of school exclusions. [22294]

    Mr. Ivan Lewis
    My Department is funding a study tracking 200 pupils from point of permanent exclusion from mainstream school in years 9–11 over a two year period. This will report in september 2002. My Department is funding jointly with the Home Office an evaluation examining the Crime Reduction in Secondary Schools Programme and Alternative Education Initiatives. This will report in May 2002.

    I refer my hon. Friend to two recently completed research projects: Outcomes in Secondary Education for Children Excluded from Primary School (DfES Research Report 271) and Reasons for Exclusions from School (DfES Research Report 244). Both can be accessed at http://www.dfee.gov.uk/research/pubs.cfm
    956W

    Information and Communications Technology
    Dr. Kumar
    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps she is taking to increase awareness of information and communications technology in schools and further education colleges. [21811]

    John Healey
    97 per cent. of all schools are now connected to the internet. The National Grid for Learning (NGfL) is the main vehicle for promoting and facilitating the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in schools. The Government's £1.8 billion investment in the NGfL programme has developed the ICT infrastructure, effective links to the internet and access to educationally valuable content for schools.

    The Prime Minister announced on 10 December £50 million to fund 'Curriculum Online'; which is the world's first partnership between the Government, leading public/private broadcasters and innovative software producers to provide ICT based materials for every curriculum subject to transform learning in schools.

    £230 million has been made available by the New Opportunities Fund (NOF) to fund a programme to give serving teachers in the maintained sector the opportunity to receive ICT training.

    The National Learning Network (NLN) is embedding ICT into further education. Investment of £158 million in the NLN is improving the ICT infrastructure, developing staff skills, providing learning materials and guiding effective learning, teaching and management within colleges.

    Trade Unions (Skills Development)
    Dr. Kumar
    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps her Department is taking to support the role of unions in developing skills. [21810]

    John Healey
    Trade unions have a key role to play in promoting the development of learning and skills in the workplace. To help them do this our Department has provided financial support through the Union Learning Fund since 1998. The ULF budget is £7 million this year. This source of funding is helping trade unions use their influence with employers, employees and others to encourage greater take up of learning at work and boost their capacity as learning organisations. It has so far benefited over 25,000 people in the workplace through a wide variety of projects ranging from tackling basic skill needs to advanced professional development. It has also led to the development of a new breed of activist, the union learning representative, and helped to establish a network of over 3,000 learning representatives nationwide.

    Union learning representatives are ideally placed to help and encourage workers to improve their skills, particularly among low skilled workers and those with literacy and numeracy problems. That is why we have included a clause in the new Employment Bill that will give statutory backing to union learning representatives. This will reinforce the invaluable role that union learning representatives are currently playing in the workplace to promote work force development and open up new training opportunities for their colleagues.
    957W

    Regulations
    Mr. Prisk
    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many regulations her Department has proposed to Parliament since June; what regulatory impact assessments have been made for those regulations her Department has implemented in 2001; and what plans her Department has to reduce the number of regulations affecting small businesses. [21974]

    Mr. Ivan Lewis
    The Department has laid 89 regulations before Parliament since June; during the same period, no regulatory impact assessments have been made for those regulations, but a total of four regulatory impact assessments have been made for 2001 so far, and these were for the following regulations:

    The Industrial Training Levy (Construction Board) Order 2001

    The Industrial training Levy (Engineering Construction Board) Order 2001

    The Day Care and Childminding (National Standards) (England) Regulations 2001

    The Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001.

    Following the machinery of Government changes in June, policies for which the Department is responsible only impact directly on the private sector (including small businesses) within a limited number of discrete areas. Consequently, the Department's Regulatory Reform Action Plan, which will form part of the forthcoming Government-wide Plan, focuses mainly on measures to remove and simplify existing burdens on front-line delivery services within the public sector.

    OECD Survey
    Chris Grayling
    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills in which years the pupils researched for the recent OECD survey of educational achievement(a) began their education, (b) reached Key Stage 1 and (c) reached Key Stage 2. [22042]

    Mr. Ivan Lewis
    The pupils in England who participated in the OECD survey were born during 1984 and, depending on the month in which they were born,(a) would have begun statutory education in 1988 or 1989, (b) reached the end of Key Stage 1 in 1990 or 1991 and (c) reached the end of Key Stage 2 in 1995 or 1996.

    Post-16 Learning
    John Mann
    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made (1) of the need for an early introduction of a level playing field for the funding of work-based learning to help meet Level 2 targets; [21768]

    (2) of the Learning and Skills Council's proposed timetable for an integrated funding system for post-16 learning. [21784]

    John Healey
    We consulted extensively about funding arrangements for post-16 education and training. Planning and implementing these new systems to meet the Government's learning targets is the responsibility of the Learning and Skills Council which has published its corporate plan for the period to 2004 and its plans for developing post-16 funding systems for 2003–04 onwards. The Council plans to introduce a common funding approach for 2003–04 in line with our consultations in 1999, 2000 and 2001. Progress to date 958W
    has been good with development of a consistent national funding system this year for Work Based Learning. Progress in 2002–03 will continue with the development of new funding arrangements for further education and the council's assumption of responsibility for school sixth form funding. We are committed to work with the council further to develop funding systems, to ensure that funding follows the learner and facilitating the development of a rational and coherent approach to funding different forms of post-16 provision.

    Family Learning
    Dr. Kumar
    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures she is taking to promote family learning. [21809]

    Mr. Ivan Lewis
    Family learning, which is one strand of our strategy for involving parents in children's education, can strengthen families, help children to achieve and give adults the confidence to go on learning. That is why we have commended it to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and, in 2002–03, are making £7.5 million available to local education authorities (LEAs), through the Adult Learning Plans they will agree with local LSCs. One specific type of provision—family literacy and numeracy—is part of 'Skills for Life', our national strategy for adult literacy, language and numeracy. In 2001–02, £17 million will be spent to help parents and children improve their literacy and numeracy skills together.

    Family learning is part of a wider drive to support families through our education and skills policies. We are providing a range of materials enabling parents to help their children learn, including "Learning Journey" guides to the curriculum, our free "Parents + Schools" magazine and our "Parent Centre" website. We are encouraging schools to offer a range of family and community services, which might include learning opportunities and child care. Study support initiatives can offer parents the change to get involved in school life. Our Sure Start programme works with parents and young children to combat disadvantage; and the Children's Fund is being used to develop family support services, including family learning, in a number of deprived areas.

    Individual Learning Accounts
    Alistair Burt
    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she has been informed of the conclusions of the police investigations in Durham into alleged fraud in the operation of the Individual Learning Account Scheme; and if she will make a statement. [22157]

    John Healey
    [holding answer 10 December 2001]: The Department has been in discussion with Durham Constabulary's Fraud Squad. The investigations into alleged fraud in the operation of the Individual Learning Accounts programme that Durham Constabulary were conducting are now being taken forward by Cheshire Constabulary's Computer Crime Unit.

    Alistair Burt
    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she expects to come forward with a new scheme to replace the Individual Learning Account Scheme; and if she will make a statement. [22155]
    959W
    John Healey
    [holding answer 10 December 2001]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 22 November 2001, Official Report, column 449W.

    Alistair Burt
    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many(a) criminal charges and (b) arrests have been made in relation to allegations of fraud in the operation of the Individual Learning Account Scheme; at what (i) times and (ii) locations; and if she will make a statement. [22162]

    John Healey
    [holding answer 10 December 2001]: One person has been charged out of the 39 arrested in relation to allegations of fraud in connection with the operation of the Individual Learning Account programme.

    Details of the arrests are a matter for the police.

    Alistair Burt
    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of the number of students who would have taken advantage of the individual learning account scheme in 2002 but who will not now owing to its closure. [22154]

    John Healey
    [holding answer 10 December 2001]: The take-up of learning has been affected by changes in the programme's rules and, we believe, by mis-selling and potential fraud. Therefore it is not possible to make reliable estimates of future take-up.

    Alistair Burt
    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many local investigations in relation to alleged fraud in the operation of the individual learning account schemes are proceeding, and where; how many such investigations have been concluded, and where and when; and if she will make a statement on the outcomes of such investigations. [22156]

    John Healey
    [holding answer 10 December 2001]: The Department has referred a total of 27 cases involving alleged fraud in the operation of the Individual Learning Accounts programme to six different police forces: the city of London, Dorset, Leicester, the Metropolitan police force, the National Crime Squad and West Midlands. The Department's Special Investigations Unit is continuing to work with the police on these 27 cases. These cases arise from investigations that had started before 23 November 2001. None of the 27 cases have been concluded. To avoid the risk of compromising police investigations the Department is unable to give any further details at this stage.

    Mr. Sanders
    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how she will inform learning providers of her decision to shut down the ILA programme early. [19550]

    John Healey
    We issued a press statement on 23 November and provided notification of the shut-down on both the Department and Capita websites, which we updated as new information became available. On 29 and 30 November I sent a letter and e-mail to ILA registered learning providers about the shut-down of the ILA programme on 23 November. We have also been able to resume operation, on a limited basis, of the provider helpline from 29 November.

    New Schools
    Mr. Hoban
    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to the answers of 960W
    27 November 2001, Official Report, column 773W, and 4 December 2001, Official Report, column 257W, on schools, for what reason her Department (a) holds information on the number of schools which have been allocated money for repairs and (b) does not hold information on the number of new schools which have been built. [22363]

    John Healey
    [holding answer 11 December 2001]: We hold information on the numbers of schools benefiting from the new deal for schools programme funded from the windfall tax, since it was a specific programme for repairs where funding was allocated in response to bids. It was aimed at addressing the worst of the condition backlog in schools in 1997. It has now been replaced by programmes that are allocated to local education authorities and schools by needs-related formulae, so that decisions on which repairs to undertake are made locally. One such formulaic programme is new deal for schools devolved formula capital grant, which is made available principally to fund capital repairs to school buildings. Since this is allocated to all schools, we can be assured that, for the first time, every school has a budget to support high priority repair work.

    It is for local education authorities to determine the need for additional schools places in the maintained sector and, where necessary, build new schools. The Department maintains a record of all currently open schools. For the Department, in addition, to collect and hold detailed information on capital investment at individual school level would be overly bureaucratic for the Department, local authorities and for schools.

    Basic Credit Approvals (Hampshire)
    Mr. Hoban
    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what basic credit approvals her Department granted between 1997 and 2001 for Hampshire. [22215]

    John Healey
    [holding answer 11 December 2001]: The figures show basic credit approvals for Hampshire local education authority from 1997–98 to 2001–02.

    £ million

    1997–98

    10.1

    1998–99

    8.9

    1999–2000

    11.2

    2000–01

    10.8

    2001–02

    10.6

    Total

    51.6

    Means Testing
    Mr. Andrew Turner
    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the educational purposes for which a financial means test is required. [22795]

    Margaret Hodge
    We apply a variety of means tests when providing funding for students in order to target funds sensibly while increasing participation and achievement in education. Examples where means tests are used include higher education loans and grants, educational maintenance allowances, and financial support for students in further education.
    961W

    Special Educational Needs
    Mr. George Osborne
    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils there are with SEN statements at each of the secondary schools in Cheshire. [18442]

    Mr. Ivan Lewis
    The information requested is shown in the following table.

    Maintained secondary schools: Pupils with a statement of special educational needs (SEN)—Cheshire local education authority

    School name

    Number of pupils with statements

    Kingsway High School

    28

    Blacon High School

    37

    Queen's Park High School

    45

    Neston High School

    69

    Frodsham School (a Science and Technology College)

    18

    Tytherington High School

    20

    Ryles Park High School

    91

    Alsager School

    5

    Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College

    9

    Rudheath High School

    78

    Middlewich High School

    19

    Woodford Lodge High School

    41

    The Verdin High School

    23

    Coppenhall High School

    76

    Weaverham High School

    17

    The County High School Leftwich

    16

    Tarporley Community High School

    13

    The Ruskin School

    7

    Victoria Community Technology School

    28

    Malbank School and Sixth Form Centre

    9

    Shavington High School

    27

    Christleton High School

    13

    Upton-by-Chester High School

    13

    Stanney High School

    87

    Bishop Heber High School

    39

    Sutton High School

    24

    Knutsford High School

    59

    Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School

    13

    The Whitby High School

    21

    Poynton High School

    26

    Brine Leas High School

    16

    Helsby High School

    11

    Hartford High School

    23

    Kings Grove School

    8

    Wilmslow High School

    24

    Congleton High School

    7

    Eaton Bank School

    11

    The Catholic High School, Chester

    31

    St. Nicholas Catholic High School

    16

    Ellesmere Port Catholic High School

    11

    St. Thomas More Catholic High School

    3

    The Bishop's Blue Coat Church of England High School

    22

    All Hallows Catholic High School

    16

    Fallibroome High School

    19

    Henbury High School

    26

    Source:

    DfES 2001 Secondary School Performance Tables. Website address: www.dfes.gov.uk/performancetables

    Vice-Chancellors
    Dr. Gibson
    To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will review the process by which universities appoint their vice-chancellors and make a statement on best practice. [19457]

    Margaret Hodge
    Vice-chancellors are appointed by the governing body of their individual university and my right hon. Friend has no plans to alter current arrangements. We do, however, keep such matters under review and support the efforts of Universities UK, the Standing Conference of Principals (SCOP) and the Higher 962W
    Education Funding Council for England to enhance strategic leadership and management in higher education institutions and look to them to disseminate best practice.

  INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

    Democratic Republic of the Congo
    Mr. Drew
    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid Britain is providing to the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and what assessment she has made of the obstacles to delivering aid to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with particular reference to British support for Ugandan and Ethiopian forces. [22311]

    Clare Short
    The UK gave over £3.3 in humanitarian assistance to the DRC last financial year. We expect this figure to be more than doubled in the current year. In addition, the UK has contributed more than £4.3 million in 2001 through the EU. There have been few recent ceasefire violations and humanitarian access has improved considerably, though difficulties remain in certain areas of the country. The UK provides no military support for either the Ugandan or Ethiopian forces and Ethiopia has no forces in the DRC. Assistance is being provided on security sector reform in Uganda.

    British Geological Survey Report (Bangladesh)
    Ross Cranston
    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what were the(a) terms of reference, (b) scope and (c) conclusions of the British geological survey technical report WD/92/43R prepared for the ODA and dated 1992, the short-term BGS pilot project to assess the hydrochemical character of the main aquifer units of central and north-eastern Bangladesh and the possible toxicity of groundwater to fish and humans; and if she will make a statement. [21430]

    Clare Short
    The report referred to in this question is the subject of a potential legal case on behalf of sufferers from arsenicosis in Bangladesh by a UK legal firm against British Geological Survey.

    My Department has responded in writing to requests for relevant information from the parties to this case in accordance with legal advice.

    While legal action is pending, I regret I am unable to provide a statement for fear of prejudicing the outcome of the legal action as according to section 4 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

    Afghanistan
    Lynne Jones
    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what has been the daily average of food aid being transported into Afghanistan in each of the last six weeks; and what is her estimate of the rate of transport needed to ensure sufficient food stocks for the winter. [21685]

    Clare Short
    The table shows the daily average of food aid that has been transported into Afghanistan by week for the past six weeks. Graphs recording daily and weekly delivery of food into Afghanistan since 19 September are available in the Library.
    963W

    metric tones

    Week ending

    Daily average over the week

    31 October

    1,279

    7 November

    2,384

    14 November

    1,962

    21 November

    1,246

    28 November

    2,287

    6 December

    2,985

    The World Food programme aims to deliver 100,000 tonnes of food aid in the month of December to meet on-going needs and build up necessary winter stockpiles. It is prioritising deliveries to areas where access may become more difficult over the winter.

    Mr. Hancock
    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many tonnes of humanitarian aid have been deployed in Afghanistan since 11 September; what impact the military advances in Afghanistan have had on humanitarian missions; if the military campaign has opened up supply routes into Afghanistan; what steps she is taking to ensure that the public is informed of humanitarian advances in Afghanistan; and if she will make a statement. [22355]

    Clare Short
    Over 115,000 metric tonnes of food aid were dispatched to Afghanistan from 11 September to 9 December (the latest date for which information is currently available from the World Food Programme (WFP), the lead UN agency for food aid).

    Initial hopes of improved humanitarian access following the change in the political balance have been tempered by concerns over security. Although much of the internal delivery and distribution system is holding up, continued uncertainty over security in the north, around Mazar-e-Sharif, and the south-eastern province of Kandahar means that agencies are unable to reach many of the most vulnerable people.

    Improved security is key to enhancing the ability of humanitarian agencies to deliver assistance to those in need. We, and the rest of the international community, will continue to urge the authorities in Afghanistan to assist with the relief effort, and to help stabilise the environment in which the humanitarian community are trying to operate.

    Bilateral Debts
    Mr. Paul Marsden
    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list the value of all bilateral debts owed to the UK by developing countries; and if she will make a statement. [17949]

    Clare Short
    The total figure for ECGD-covered debt owed by developing countries is £8.0 billion. Of this, £1.9 billion is owed by countries eligible for relief under the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative.

    Bilateral aid debts are limited to those countries which have not qualified for relief under the Commonwealth Debt Initiative. Excluding debts, which are being written off as they fall due, the outstanding balances at the end of March 2001 were £170 million.
    964W

  DEFENCE

    Afghanistan
    Mr. Swayne
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the need for additional warm weather clothing and footwear of soldiers on standby for deployment in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement. [18224]

    Mr. Ingram
    [holding answer 26 November 2001]: We continue carefully to monitor the weather in Afghanistan and will make appropriate judgments on the equipment required by any UK service personnel deploying to the region. Until a decision to deploy troops is taken, and the precise timelines have been agreed, we cannot judge in detail what winter clothing will be required.

    However, we will as always do everything possible to ensure the safety and welfare of our personnel while deployed on operations, and plans are already in place to ensure that in the event of a further deployment to the region over the winter period, they will be properly equipped for the conditions they are likely to face.

    Mr. Galloway
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what British forces participated in the military action at Qala-I-Jhangi in Afghanistan on 25 to 27 November; and if he will make a statement. [20026]

    Mr. Paul Marsden
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what advice his Department has given to Northern Alliance military personnel regarding adherence to the Geneva Convention; [20242]

    (2) how many prisoners at Qala-I-Jhangi attempted to surrender during the prison revolt; [20240]

    (3) what advice was given by British military personnel to Northern Alliance military personnel during the prison revolt at Qala-I-Jhangi; [20236]

    (4) how many British military personnel were involved in the prison revolt in Qala-I-Jhangi; what regiments they belonged to; and what role they played. [20237]

    Mr. Hoon
    The Northern Alliance have been informed that we expect them to respect the rights of prisoners in accordance with applicable international standards. I understand that a number of Taliban fighters at Qala-I-Jhangi are reported to have surrendered on Saturday 1 December. Prior to this, I am not aware that any of the Taliban fighters who took up arms after their purported surrender to the Northern Alliance sought to give themselves up.

    British troops are operating in Afghanistan, and their tasks include liaison with the Northern Alliance. They are also supporting US troops in these activities. After Taliban fighters held at Qala-I-Jhangi fort overpowered their captors and seized the armoury, British troops went to the aid of their US colleagues and attempted to recover, under heavy fire, two US personnel apparently captured by the Taliban fighters.

    I am withholding further details under Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
    965W

    Absence
    Mr. Bercow
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many days were lost due to sickness absence in the Department in each of the last four years. [21298]

    Dr. Moonie
    The Ministry of Defence sick absence rates for civilian non-industrial staff in the last four years for which data are available, measured in working days absence per staff year, are as follows:

    Year

    Days

    1996

    7.9

    1997

    7.9

    1998

    8.0

    1999

    8.8

    The MOD is committed to improving the health of its staff and managing sick absence more effectively. A programme of measures is being implemented to help meet the target in MOD's Service Delivery Agreement to reduce sickness absence from the 1998 level of 8 days per staff year to 6.6 days by the end of 2003.

    Military Testing Programmes
    Mr. Cousins
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken to agree(a) common military testing programmes and (b) common use of testing sites with other European nations. [20904]

    Dr. Moonie
    [holding answer 5 December 2001]: The UK is a signatory to the four nations Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) (with the United States, France and German) relating to the Mutual Acceptance of Test and Evaluation for the Reciprocal Procurement of Defence Equipment under which we jointly agree testing standards known as ITOPs (International Test Operating Procedures). These permit us to test defence equipment to a fixed standard. The results of testing equipment using these standards are accepted by the signatories to the MOU thus saving the costs of multiple tests. A number of ITOPs have been used as the basis for NATO standards.

    The UK is one of the leading members of the Western European Armaments Group Sub Group on Test Facilities (SGTF). To assist the common use of testing sites, this group has developed a detailed database describing all the Government-owned defence test and evaluation facilities covering 15 European nations. Further additions to this database are expected in the coming year from new member nations. In addition, SGTF has developed an umbrella MOU to facilitate, on a payment basis, the use of other nations' facilities.

    Separately, the group is tasked by Defence Ministers, through the national armaments directors of the nations, to produce a European strategy for meeting future test requirements. This strategy may also include the possibilities for the rationalisation of test facilities.

    Skynet 5
    Mr. Gray
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will choose the contractor who will deliver the Skynet 5 project; and when he expects it to be operational. [21932]
    966W
    Dr. Moonie
    We currently plan to announce the preferred bidder for the Skynet 5 in the early part of 2002. Initial services are expected to commence in 2005 with full capability being delivered some three years later.

    Royal Marines Headquarters
    Mr. Hancock
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to move the Commandant General's headquarters for the Royal Marines from HMS Excellence on Whale Island; what the time scale for this move is; how much the move will cost; and if he will make a statement. [22197]

    Mr. Ingram
    The functions of the Commandant General Royal Marines (CGRM), currently based on Whale Island, will be absorbed into the new, fully integrated fleet headquarters which will be formed in the Portsmouth area in April 2002. £27 million has been allocated to the overall fleet reorganisation programme of which the CGRM restructuring element is a part. The fleet headquarters reorganisation is expected to realise cost savings of approximately £160 million over 25 years. It is planned to occupy purpose-built accommodation on Whale Island from the end of 2003.

    RAF Menwith Hill
    Lynne Jones
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 23 October 2001,Official Report, column 114W, on RAF Menwith Hill, when the additional confidential arrangements were signed; how many there are; who the parties to these arrangements are; who has been informed of them; and when Parliament was first informed about the existence of these arrangements. [22148]

    Mr. Ingram
    The confidential arrangements relating to the presence of US forces in the UK are of long-standing, dating from 1950. The arrangements were concluded as part of normal bilateral business with the US Government, which is not routinely reported to Parliament.

    Aircraft Carriers
    Mr. Hancock
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to speed up the United Kingdom's future aircraft carrier programme; and if he will make a statement. [22442]

    Dr. Moonie
    I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 1 November 2001,Official Report, column 763W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Chorley (Mr. Hoyle).

    MOD Housing, Portsmouth
    Mr. Hancock
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what sites around Portsmouth have applied for outline planning consent for MoD housing; which sites are being considered for the PFI building contract for 160 houses; what the cost will be of building these houses; and if he will make a statement. [22358]

    Dr. Moonie
    The Ministry of Defence is short of accommodation for officers and certain other ranks in the Portsmouth area. The Defence Housing Executive is considering a PFI solution to this problem.
    967W
    In preparation for this new housing a number of potential sites are being considered in order to select the most suitable location. Consultations are currently under way with the appropriate local planning authorities.

    The following sites are being considered.

    Site

    Position

    HMS Daedalus

    Consultation in progress

    Eastney sports ground

    Consultation in progress

    HMS Sultan

    Consultation in progress

    RN Hospital Haslar

    Consultation in progress

    HMS Excellent (Whale Island)

    Consultation in progress

    Consideration of the Stamshaw (Matapan Road) and HMS Dryad sites have been withdrawn after consultation.

    Bids have not been sought so the costs are not yet known.

    Chemical and Munition Dumps
    Mr. McNamara
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the(a) locations and (b) inventories of chemical and munition dumps in the coastal waters of the United Kingdom. [21855]

    Dr. Moonie
    The list of dumpsites of chemical and other munitions located in the coastal waters of the United Kingdom has been placed in the Library of the House. Primarily, the list contains information compiled by the Hydrographic Office from that published in Admiralty Charts for known dumpsites in UK waters.

    In addition, the list contains the locations of the deepwater sites in the Atlantic used for the disposal of chemical weapons after World War Two and details of some, although not all, of the service range danger areas in the coastal water of the United Kingdom. The D307 range danger area, which is near to my hon. Friend's constituency, is not shown as a designed sea dumpsite on the list of dumpsites, as explosive ordnance was buried on the site rather than being dumped at sea.

    Detailed information of the inventories of chemical weapons and other munitions disposed of to those dumpsites is no longer available, as may records were destroyed after the disposal as a matter of routine custom and practice. As a signatory to the Oslo-Paris (OSPAR) Convention, the United Kingdom ceased all dumping of munitions at sea in 1992 and continues to honour that commitment.

    Locally Engaged Staff
    Mr. Love
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 17 July 2001,Official Report, column 145W, on locally engaged staff, what reference is made in setting pay levels of locally engaged civilian staff to the local poverty datum line; whether the pay levels can fall below local poverty datum lines; and if he will make a statement. [22775]

    Dr. Moonie
    This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The pay and terms of service of locally engaged staff are 968W
    determined by processes which involve surveys of local employers. The employers used in such surveys are reputable and are chosen as representative of responsible local employment practice. Such employers include, for example, the Brunei Government for pay surveys in Brunei and the US embassy for pay surveys in Nepal. In Germany, where the largest proportion of locally engaged civilians are employed, pay and terms of service are negotiated centrally by the Germany Federal Ministry of Finance and the national Trade Unions in accordance with the Collective Tariff Agreement applicable to the NATO Sending States. Terms and conditions of service also reflect the requirements of local employment law.

    There is no reason to believe, therefore, that locally engaged civilians employed by the Ministry of Defence are disadvantaged in any way.

    Warships
    Mr. Wray
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the Review of Warship Maintenance and Support; what discussions are being held on privatisation; and what assessment has been made of potential job losses. [22076]

    Mr. Ingram
    [holding answer 12 December 2001]: The Warship Support Modernisation initiative is looking at ways to modernise support arrangements across all UK Naval Bases and Dockyards, and, by reducing national spare capacity, to achieve savings for the defence budget. We have received proposals from the Dockyard Companies for the provision of certain Naval Base outputs in partnering arrangements with the Naval Base Commanders. These are now being assessed alongside alternative proposals received from our joint Trade Unions. All options are being evaluated fully and without prejudice. Decisions on the way ahead are expected early next year.

    Privatisation is not being considered—if partnering with private companies is decided on as the way ahead, the Naval Bases would continue to be run by the Naval Base Commander, with the commercial partner helping to provide part of the service.

    Assessments are being undertaken of the potential, should partnering go ahead, for a number of civil staff employed at the Naval Bases to be transferred to the companies. It is too early to say what impact each of the options would have on employment at the Naval Bases.

    Mr. Wray
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the names and locations of the shipyards that provide maintenance and support to RN warships and auxiliaries; and how many people are employed at them. [22082]

    Mr. Ingram
    [holding answer 12 December 2001]: Currently, maintenance and support of the Royal Navy Fleet is principally provided by the three Naval Bases and by the privately owned dockyard companies at Rosyth and Devonport and the commercial managers of the Fleet Maintenance and Repair Organisation at Portsmouth. The number of people employed at the Naval Bases and by the commercial companies (derived from our negotiations on overhead rates) are as follows.
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    Location

    Numbers of civilian employees

    Babcock BES Rosyth

    2,360

    Devonport Management Ltd.

    4,000

    Fleet Support Ltd. Portsmouth

    1,070

    Naval Base Clyde

    2,840

    Naval Base Devonport

    1,450

    Naval Base Portsmouth

    1,200

    Work on minor warships and auxiliaries and also on Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels is generally completed. In addition to Babcock BES, DML and FSL, a varying number of commercial shipyards tender for such work, including Forth Esturary Engineering (Leith), Garvel Clyde Ltd. (Greenock), Buckie Shipyard (Buchan), Timbacraft Ltd. (Faslane), Swansea Drydock (South Wales), Milford Haven Shiprepairers (South Wales), Specialist Heavy Engineers Ltd. (Cardiff), Holyhead Marine (Anglesey), John Kearney (Belfast), A & P Holdings (Wallsend and Falmouth), Richards Drydock (Great Yarmouth), Small & Co. (Lowestoft), Camper and Nicholson (Gosport), Hythe Marine Services (Southampton), Manor Marine Ltd. (Portland), Mashford Bros. Ltd. (Plymouth), Penzance Drydock (Penzance) and Appledore Shipbuilders (North Devon). Details of the employment levels within these companies are not held.

    Queen's Jubilee
    Mr. Barker
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers, sailors and airmen participated in the London celebrations of the Silver Jubilee in 1977. [22670]

    Mr. Ingram
    From the records accessible within the timescale available, it has been determined that approximately 3,050 soldiers, sailors and airmen participated in the London celebrations of the Silver Jubilee in 1977 on street lining duties, stair lining at St. Paul's Cathedral and two Guards of Honour. In addition, about 340 armed forces personnel were in the procession and there were 10 military bands which consisted of about 450 people.

    Mr. Barker
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will ensure that the numbers of armed service personnel participating in the London celebrations of the Golden Jubilee match those for celebrations relating to the Silver Jubilee in 1977. [22672]

    Mr. Ingram
    The armed forces personnel participating in the London celebrations of the Golden Jubilee will be in sufficient numbers to meet the requirements for the Golden Jubilee celebrations in accordance with the wishes of Her Majesty the Queen. The size and scope of any previous Jubilee celebrations have no bearing on the Golden Jubilee.

    Mr. Barker
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many military bands participated in the Silver Jubilee celebrations in 1977; and how many will be available and eligible to participate in the London celebrations of the Golden Jubilee. [22671]

    Mr. Ingram
    Ten military bands participated in the London celebrations for the Silver Jubilee. Detailed planning for the Golden Jubilee is still on-going. However, I can confirm that a number of military bands will participate in the celebrations.
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    Mr. Barker
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 10 December 2001,Official Report, column 536W, how many soldiers, sailors and airmen will be available to participate in the London celebrations of the Golden Jubilee. [22673]

    Mr. Ingram
    I have nothing further to add at this stage.

    Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
    Mr. Laws
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the annual running cost of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight is; and if he will make a statement. [22269]

    Mr. Ingram
    The cost of running the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight in financial year 2000–01 was approximately £1.6 million. The flight performs a valuable role in promoting a positive image of the RAF and in reminding current generations of the sacrifices and achievements of those who fought in the Second World War.

    Military Equipment
    Mr. Laws
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on reducing the number of (1) fixed wing fighter and ground attack aircraft in operational use by the Royal Air Force; and if he will make a statement; [22388]

    (2) tanks and armoured fighting vehicles in service with the armed forces; and if he will make a statement. [22318]

    Mr. Ingram
    We keep the numbers and types of platforms in use with all three Services under regular review, to ensure that we have the correct mix of capabilities for the range of tasks we are likely to be called upon to undertake.

    Mr. Laws
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many(a) tanks, (b) armoured personnel carriers and (c) armoured fighting vehicles have been owned by the Army in each year from 1985 to 2000; and if he will make a statement. [22271]

    Mr. Ingram
    Army Equipment Holdings are published within the scope of the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty. Since 1997 these have been set out in an annex to the annual Ministry of Defence Performance Report. For the period 1991 to 1996 this information was published in the Statement of the Defence Estimates (SDE) for each year. Prior to 1991, this information was provided in the SDE but in a different format, based on the force structures at that time. These documents are held in the Libraries of the House.

    Mr. Laws
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the(a)number and (b) purpose of the Challenger 2 main battle tanks based in Germany. [22273]

    Mr. Ingram
    I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to him on 5 December 2001,Official Report, columns 356–57W. Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks provide the backbone of the armoured capability of the Army. Their purpose is the destruction of enemy armour in the contact battle, but they also have a wider utility across the spectrum of conflict, as has been demonstrated in the Balkans.
    971W

    Submarines
    Mr. Laws
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his estimate is of the annual running cost of the Royal Navy's non-Trident submarines; and if he will make a statement. [22270]

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

    Depleted Uranium
    Mr. Laws
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many(a) UK military personnel and (b) UK defence industry employees have been (i) confirmed as suffering from and (ii) suspected of suffering from depleted uranium poisoning, in each year from 1980 to 2001–02; and if he will make a statement. [22317]

    Dr. Moonie
    Although a number of people may suspect that they are suffering from ill health as a result of exposure to depleted uranium, including personnel in the Gulf and Balkans campaign, I am unaware of any individual who has been confirmed as suffering from ill health arising from exposure to DU over the period 1980 to 2001–02.

    Mr. Laws
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the health risks associated with material containing depleted uranium in the last 10 years; if he will publish the results; and if he will make a statement. [22315]

    Dr. Moonie
    I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 25 January 2001,Official Report, column 653W, by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence, to my hon. Friend the Member for Gedling (Vernon Coaker), in which the Ministry of Defence published a paper that explained the MOD's position on the risks posed by depleted uranium (DU). This paper included reference to the MOD's earlier paper published on 19 March 1999, entitled "Testing for the Presence of Depleted Uranium in UK Veterans of the Gulf Conflict the Current Position". Copies of both papers are available in the Library of the House and on the MOD's website at www.gulfwar.mod.uk.

    I also refer the hon. Member to my letter of 24 March (reference: D/US of S/LM 0291L/01/1) to my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew), which includes the review paper "Depleted Uranium—Safety Guidance to UK Armed Forces and MOD Civilians"; and my letter of 17 April (reference: D/US of S/LM PQ 0346L/01/M), to my hon. Friend the Member for Stoke-on-Trent, North (Ms Walley), which discusses and lists risk assessments associated with DU. I also refer the hon. Member to my letter of 7 June 2001 (reference: D/US of S/LM PQ 0679L/01/Y) to my hon. Friend the Member for Blaenau Gwent (Llew Smith), which lists reports on depleted uranium commissioned by the MOD from DERA and contains some additional relevant material. All three letters are available in the Library of the House.

    Mr. Laws
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what investigations his Department has made in the last 10 years into whether(a) UK military personnel and
    972W
    (b) employees within the defence industries of the United Kingdom, have suffered from (i) depleted uranium poisoning and (ii) other medical conditions caused by exposure to depleted uranium; and if he will make a statement. [22316]

    Dr. Moonie
    The Ministry of Defence is funding a programme designed to establish whether a scientifically rigorous test can be developed to determine historical exposures to depleted uranium (DU). Given such a test is developed, epidemiological studies will be undertaken to establish whether there is any correlation between ill-health and exposure to DU. As part of the MOD's Gulf Veterans' Medical Assessment Programme, which has so far seen over 3,000 service personnel and a small number of defence industry employees who served in the Gulf, a very small number of tests for total uranium have been carried out in cases where physicians believed that such tests would assist in treatment of their patients. All these tests showed that the signs and symptoms displayed by these patients were not due to any form of uranium exposure. In the early 1990s, a small number of UK troops concerned they had inhaled DU dust while conducting work in the Gulf conflict had their lungs monitored—no detectable DU contamination was found.

    There are established systems within the United Kingdom for monitoring the health and safety of those who are exposed to depleted uranium as part of their work activities. These systems are, and always have been, employed throughout the MOD and involve monitoring of personnel and the working environment. Some individuals also receive annual health reviews. These measures ensure that exposures to depleted uranium are as low as reasonably practicable and do not exceed statutory limits. Therefore there is no reason for investigations of the type mentioned for these employees.

    Other than those mentioned above, the health of those employed within defence industries is a matter for the employers concerned and for the Health and Safety Executive.

    Compensation Scheme (Civilians)
    Mr. Simon Thomas
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the compensation scheme is for civilians who are(a) killed, (b) injured and (c) maimed by unexploded munitions on military training grounds. [23132]

    Mr. Ingram
    When compensation claims are submitted, they are considered on the basis of whether or not the Ministry of Defence has a legal liability to pay compensation. Where there is a legal liability to pay compensation we do so.

    Ms Kay Coleman
    Dr. Palmer
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the appointment to the Armed Forces Pay Review Body of a replacement for Ms Kay Coleman. [23345]

    Mr. Hoon
    I am pleased to announce that I have appointed Dr. Anne Wright CBE to a three-year term. This appointment has been conducted in accordance with the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointment's guidance on appointments to public bodies.
    973W

  FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

    Entry Clearance
    Roger Casale
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will lay before the House the report by Mr. Rabinder Singh, the independent monitor of entry clearance refusals. [23347]

    Mr. Bradshaw
    Mr. Singh's report on entry clearance refusals was laid before the House today. I very much welcome the report which acknowledges the high standards of our entry clearance operation overseas and the Government's commitment to ensuring that it continues to operate fairly and professionally. Mr. Singh's comments and suggestions will receive careful consideration.

    Sheikha Shamsa
    Norman Baker
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contact there has been between his Department and(a) Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum and (b) the Dubai authorities in relation to the allegation made by Sheikha Shamsa. [22606]

    Mr. Bradshaw
    Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's London office have raised this matter with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. We have informed them that this is a matter for the police.

    Norman Baker
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are being taken to investigate the allegations of kidnapping made by Sheikha Shamsa. [22605]

    Mr. Bradshaw
    This is a matter for the police.

    European Union (National Parliaments)
    Roger Casale
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to increase the role and influence of national parliaments in EU decision-making. [22081]

    Peter Hain
    In line with a November 1998 White Paper, the Government have already strengthened the arrangements for Westminster's scrutiny of EU business.

    In Warsaw last year, the Prime Minister called for a greater role for national parliaments in EU decision-making. Subsequently, the Nice European Council agreed that this question would be one of the main agenda items for the next Intergovernmental Conference in 2004. The Laeken European Council on 14–15 December is expected to agree that the preparations for this IGC will be taken forward by a Convention consisting of, among others, national parliamentarians.

    Middle East
    Roger Casale
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his European counterparts in preparation for the EU summit in Laeken with a view to strengthening the contribution of EU member states to international efforts to re-establish the middle east peace process. [22083]

    Mr. Bradshaw
    My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has regular contact with his EU counterparts to discuss how the EU can help the parties establish a974W
    permanent ceasefire, implement the recommendations of the Mitchell report and resume political negotiations aimed at delivering security for Israel and allowing for the emergence of a Palestinian state.

    He also met other EU Foreign Ministers at the General Affairs Council on 10 December. They agreed on the need for concerted international action. They reaffirmed their view that peace requires the recognition of Israel's irrevocable right to live in security and the emergence of a viable Palestinian state. The Palestinian Authority must dismantle the Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist networks and appeal in public for the end of the armed intifada. Israel must withdraw its forces, end the practice of extra-judicial killings, lift the closures and freeze all settlement activity. EU High Representative Javier Solana was mandated to go to the region and report back at Laeken.

    Democratic Republic of the Congo
    Mr. Drew
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the impact of British support for Ugandan and Ethiopian forces on diplomatic relationships. [22319]

    Mr. Bradshaw
    There has been considerable progress in resolving the conflict in the DRC during the last few months. There have been few ceasefire violations. There was a successful meeting of the major players in Abuja on 10 December, and all sides have committed themselves to the next meeting of the Inter-Congolese dialogue to be held in South Africa in January. But there is more to be done. We will continue to press all sides to ensure that they respect their commitments to the Lusaka agreement, and move the process forward.

    The UK provides no military support for either the Ugandan or Ethiopian forces. Assistance is being provided on security sector reform in Uganda.

    Mr. Drew
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what impact the conflict over coltan is having in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[22320]

    Mr. Bradshaw
    The addendum to the UN Panel Report on the Illegal Exploitation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Natural Resources makes a clear link between the exploitation of natural resources, including coltan, and the continuation of the conflict. We are ready to work with all sides to put in place the necessary institutions and practices which will ensure that the funds raised from these resources are used to benefit the people of the DRC and not to fund the conflict.

    Brussels Agreement
    Mr. Spring
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a paper on what was discussed at the recent meeting in Barcelona under the auspices of the Brussels Agreement. [20452]

    Peter Hain
    I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Knowsley, South (Mr. O'Hara) on 20 November 2001,Official Report, column 187W. A copy of the joint press communique issued by my right hon. Friend the Secretary

    975W
    of State and the Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs when they met under the Brussels Process in Barcelona on 20 November has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

    Arms Exports
    Roger Casale
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what implications the terms of UN Security Council Resolution 1373 on terrorism have for the policy of Her Majesty's Government in respect of arms exports. [23348]

    Mr. Straw
    By United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1373(2001) the Security Council inter alia calls upon member states both to eliminate "the supply of weapons to terrorists" (paragraph 2(a)) and to"co-operate, particularly through bilateral and multilateral arrangements and agreements, to prevent and suppress terrorist attacks and take action against the perpetrators of such attacks" (paragraph 3(c)).

    I have therefore reviewed the Government's policy in respect of arms exports in light of this resolution. In view of the Government's strong continued commitment to human rights, regional stability, and the campaign against terrorism, and taking account of the fact that our human rights obligations are not affected by the adoption of the resolution, I believe there is no need to amend the consolidated criteria in order for us to comply fully with the terms of the resolution. My detailed conclusions are as follows:

    (1) Export licensing decisions are taken on a case by case basis against all of the consolidated EU and national arms export licensing criteria, as set out on 26 October 2000, Official Report, column 200W, in the light of the circumstances prevailing at the time. The last paragraph of the preamble to the consolidated criteria states that:
    "An export licence will not be issued if the arguments for doing so are outweighed by the need to comply with the UK's international obligations and commitments, by concern that the goods might be used for internal repression or international aggression, by risks to regional stability or by other considerations as described in these criteria".

    (2) Criterion two of the consolidated criteria includes the statement that HMG:
    "considers that in some cases the use of force by a Government within its own borders, for example to preserve law and order against terrorists or other criminals, is legitimate and does not constitute internal repression, as long as force is used in accordance with the international human rights standards described above".

    (3) In judging individual applications, the Government will take account of the terms of UNSCR 1373(2001) and will continue to pay attention to this passage in criterion two, within the discretion provided by the consolidated criteria.

    (4) The consolidated criteria already state that, when considering export licence applications, the Government will take account of the record of the buyer country with regard to
    "its support or encouragement of terrorism and international organised crime"

    (criterion six (a)) and that
    "the Government will pay particular attention to the need to avoid diversion of UK exports to terrorist organisations".
    976W
    (criterion seven). This makes clear our commitment to preventing arms exported from the UK from falling into the hands of terrorists.

    (5) We are taking additional steps to strengthen our export controls. The Export Control Bill currently going through Parliament gives the Government a number of new powers which will help to improve our ability to prohibit the transfer of arms or related technology to terrorists, including new powers to control the transfer of technology by intangible means and trafficking and brokering in arms. We are aiming to sign the UN Firearms Protocol soon and will encourage others to do so, and have proposed bringing forward analysis of the OSEC' s information exchange on the marking of small arms. These steps will help us to keep small arms out of terrorists' hands by helping us to trace weapons flows and to combat the illicit manufacture and trafficking in firearms.

    (6) Finally, the new Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Bill includes clauses to close the gaps in our present legislation relating to chemical, nuclear and biological weapons to prevent the use, production, possession or participation in unauthorised transfers of these materials.

    Parliamentary Questions
    Annabelle Ewing
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what percentage of parliamentary questions replied to by his Department were the subject of a holding answer in the last three Sessions of Parliament. [22026]

    Mr. Straw
    [holding answer 10 December 2001]: My Department issued the following number of holding replies during the last three parliamentary Sessions:

    Session

    Number of holding replies

    Percentage

    1998ߝ99

    192

    34

    1999ߝ2000

    216

    15

    2000ߝ01

    127

    1n/a

    1 Due to a computer hardware problem figures in percentage form cannot be provided for parliamentary Session 2000ߝ01

    Afghanistan
    Dr. Julian Lewis
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of relations between Russia and the Northern Alliance(a) before and (b) since 11 September. [22169]

    Mr. Bradshaw
    Russia has maintained close links with members of Afghanistan's Northern Alliance for some years. These have continued since 11 September.

  HEALTH

    Doctors and Nurses
    Mr. Jim Cunningham
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many foreign doctors and nurses have
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    been recruited into the NHS in the last year; and how many British doctors and nurses are in training. [18678]

    Mr. Hutton
    [holding answer 28 November 2001]: Data collected by the Department do not record how many foreign doctors and nurses were recruited into the national health service last year.

    In order to work in the United Kingdom foreign doctors and nurses have to be registered with the appropriate regulatory body, the General Medical Council (GMC) for doctors and the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing Midwifery and Health Visiting (UKCC) for nurses. They do not necessarily work in the NHS.

    In the year to 31 March 2001 there were 1,416 admissions to the UKCC register via European Community arrangements. In the same period there were 5,988 foreign entrants from outside the European Community.

    GMC data do not distinguish between UK and European Economic Area (EEA) doctors. In 2000 there were 5,649 newly registered doctors from the UK/EEA. 3,054 new doctors with overseas qualifications (outside the EEA) registered with the GMC in 2000.

    The Department does not collect data for Britain. In England in 2000–01 there were 49,090 nurses in training. We forecast that in 2001–02 this will rise to around 53,500.

    In 2000 there were 34,660 doctors in training in the NHS. The table with data provided by the Higher Education Funding Council (HEFCE) for England shows the number of students entering medical school in the UK since 1997–98.

    Patients waiting for elective admission, England, position at 30 September 2001

    Over 6 month waiters

    Over 15 month waiters

    Health authority

    Total waiting

    Number

    Percentage

    Number

    Percentage

    Avon

    21,492

    6,934

    32.3

    400

    1.9

    Barking and Havering

    10,804

    3,380

    31.3

    158

    1.5

    Barnet, Enfield and Haringey

    15,076

    4,807

    31.9

    236

    1.6

    Barnsley

    4,243

    641

    15.1

    1

    0.0

    Bedfordshire

    10,304

    3,221

    31.3

    295

    2.9

    Berkshire

    14,495

    3,864

    26.7

    126

    0.9

    Birmingham

    15,197

    2,752

    18.1

    55

    0.4

    Bradford

    10,001

    2,205

    22.0

    3

    0.0

    Brent and Harrow

    8,224

    2,439

    29.6

    141

    1.7

    Bromley, Bexley and Greenwich

    13,817

    4,558

    33.0

    217

    1.6

    Buckinghamshire

    13,221

    3,743

    28.3

    209

    1.6

    Bury and Rochdale

    9,523

    2,261

    23.7

    72

    0.8

    Calderdale and Kirklees

    10,564

    1,617

    15.3

    20

    0.2

    Cambridgeshire

    14,616

    3,689

    25.2

    160

    1.1

    Camden and Islington

    6,083

    1,317

    21.7

    31

    0.5

    Cornwall and Isles of Scilly

    12,004

    3,814

    31.8

    93

    0.8

    County Durham and Darlington

    11,508

    2,631

    22.9

    0

    0.0

    Coventry

    4,807

    1,000

    20.8

    15

    0.3

    Croydon

    6,561

    2,089

    31.8

    200

    3.0

    Doncaster

    4,111

    561

    13.6

    1

    0.0

    Dorset

    8,736

    64

    0.7

    1

    0.0

    Dudley

    4,792

    836

    17.4

    20

    0.4

    Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow

    13,734

    3,453

    25.1

    135

    1.0

    East Kent

    16,414

    5,462

    33.3

    239

    1.5

    East Lancashire

    12,441

    3,125

    25.1

    26

    0.2

    East London and City

    11,388

    2,818

    24.7

    90

    0.8

    East Riding and Hull

    11,637

    3,518

    30.2

    0

    0.0

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    Actual medical school intake 1997–98 to 2001–02

    1997–98

    1998–99

    1999–2000

    2000–01

    2001–021

    England

    3,749

    3,735

    3,972

    4,300

    4,698

    Scotland

    934

    956

    925

    897

    914

    Wales

    200

    200

    226

    233

    288

    Northern Ireland

    179

    178

    179

    180

    188

    UK total

    5,062

    5,069

    5,302

    5,610

    6,088

    1 Provisional information awaiting confirmation of July 2002 figures from HEFCE in November 2002

    Waiting Lists
    Tim Loughton
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to review the way his Department compiles tables for hospital waiting list numbers and times. [19300]

    Mr. Hutton
    [holding answer 29 November 2001]: The NHS Plan set out our objectives for reducing in-patient and out-patient waiting times by 2005. Information to monitor progress will continue to be collected and published by the Government Statistical Service.

    Dr. Fox
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many and what proportion of patients in each health authority on in-patient waiting lists have been waiting for over 15 months; [20863]

    (2) how many and what proportion of patients in each health authority on in-patient waiting lists have been waiting for over six months. [20859]

    Mr. Hutton
    The information requested is in the table.

    The NHS Plan Implementation Programme set out targets relating to in-patients, to implement a maximum waiting time of 15 months by March 2002. In addition, the NHS plan set a target to reduce the maximum wait for in-patient treatment to six months by the end of 2005.
    979W

    Patients waiting for elective admission, England, position at 30 September 2001

    Over 6 month waiters

    Over 15 month waiters

    Health authority

    Total waiting

    Number

    Percentage

    Number

    Percentage

    East Surrey

    8,527

    2,996

    35.1

    216

    2.5

    East Sussex, Brighton and Hove

    17,893

    6,081

    34.0

    373

    2.1

    Gateshead and South Tyneside

    7,671

    1,540

    20.1

    1

    0.0

    Gloucestershire

    8,205

    1,496

    18.2

    48

    0.6

    Herefordshire

    2,792

    824

    29.5

    16

    0.6

    Hertfordshire

    21,513

    6,284

    29.2

    342

    1.6

    Hillingdon

    4,167

    1,100

    26.4

    72

    1.7

    Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and South East Hampshire

    14,876

    4,106

    27.6

    202

    1.4

    Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster

    4,477

    863

    19.3

    17

    0.4

    Kingston and Richmond

    7,122

    2,020

    28.4

    126

    1.8

    Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham

    15,914

    5,120

    32.2

    406

    2.6

    Leeds

    13,675

    3,825

    28.0

    69

    0.5

    Leicestershire

    16,056

    3,378

    21.0

    50

    0.3

    Lincolnshire

    15,717

    4,038

    25.7

    132

    0.8

    Liverpool

    10,596

    2,580

    24.3

    86

    0.8

    Manchester

    12,189

    3,137

    25.7

    226

    1.9

    Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth

    10.084

    2,674

    26.5

    155

    1.5

    Morecambe Bay

    6,789

    1,783

    26.3

    19

    0.3

    Newcastle and North Tyneside

    6,945

    1,422

    20.5

    4

    0.1

    Norfolk

    18,493

    4,832

    26.1

    306

    1.7

    North and East Devon

    10,991

    3,277

    29.8

    127

    1.2

    North and Mid Hampshire

    10,508

    2,715

    25.8

    134

    1.3

    North Cheshire

    8,747

    2,894

    33.1

    147

    1.7

    North Cumbria

    7,497

    2,060

    27.5

    13

    0.2

    North Derbyshire

    8,202

    2,101

    25.6

    2

    0.0

    North Essex

    20,872

    6,466

    31.0

    221

    1.1

    North Nottinghamshire

    7,976

    1,963

    24.6

    13

    0.2

    North Staffordshire

    6,473

    1,373

    21.2

    10

    0.2

    North West Lancashire

    11,350

    2,296

    20.2

    31

    0.3

    North Yorkshire

    13,795

    3,406

    24.7

    14

    0.1

    Northamptonshire

    13,728

    3,916

    28.5

    120

    0.9

    Northumberland

    5,177

    1,046

    20.2

    0

    0.0

    Nottingham

    11,365

    2,564

    22.6

    50

    0.4

    Oxfordshire

    10,942

    2,982

    27.3

    74

    0.7

    Redbridge and Waltham Forest

    10.349

    3,666

    35.4

    231

    2.2

    Rotherham

    3,819

    535

    14.0

    1

    0.0

    Salford and Trafford

    12,828

    3,712

    28.9

    250

    1.9

    Sandwell

    4,601

    559

    12.1

    9

    0.2

    Sefton

    7,430

    1,850

    24.9

    57

    0.8

    Sheffield

    11,287

    3,020

    26.8

    5

    0.0

    Shropshire

    7,012

    1,586

    22.6

    40

    0.6

    Solihull

    3,487

    823

    23.6

    8

    0.2

    Somerset

    11,623

    3,065

    26.4

    80

    0.7

    South and West Devon

    13,771

    4,322

    31.4

    128

    0.9

    South Cheshire

    14,148

    4,222

    29.8

    158

    1.1

    South Essex

    17,546

    5,161

    29.4

    83

    0.5

    South Humber

    7,848

    2,080

    26.5

    2

    0.0

    South Lancashire

    7,936

    2,003

    25.2

    40

    0.5

    South Staffordshire

    12,667

    3,369

    26.6

    69

    0.5

    Southampton and South West Hampshire

    13,564

    3,628

    26.7

    247

    1.8

    Southern Derbyshire

    12,470

    2,951

    23.7

    48

    0.4

    St. Helens and Knowsley

    9,514

    1,972

    20.7

    57

    0.6

    Stockport

    7,249

    2,106

    29.1

    35

    0.5

    Suffolk

    15,255

    4,776

    31.3

    147

    1.0

    Sunderland

    6,095

    1,352

    22.2

    0

    0.0

    Tees

    10,952

    2,721

    24.8

    0

    0.0

    Wakefield

    6,721

    1,813

    27.0

    5

    0.1

    Walsall

    2,741

    385

    14.0

    4

    0.1

    Warwickshire

    10,345

    2,249

    21.7

    9

    0.1

    West Kent

    24,236

    7,882

    32.5

    234

    1.0

    West Pennine

    11,663

    2,295

    19.7

    57

    0.5

    West Surrey

    14,644

    5,562

    38.0

    534

    3.6

    West Sussex

    18,714

    6,928

    37.0

    500

    2.7

    Wigan and Bolton

    13,540

    3,350

    24.7

    116

    0.9

    Wiltshire

    12,397

    3,678

    29.7

    193

    1.6

    Wirral

    5,602

    1,240

    22.1

    47

    0.8

    Wolverhampton

    3,730

    742

    19.9

    3

    0.1

    Worcestershire

    9,517

    2,635

    27.7

    109

    1.1

    Source:

    Department of Health form QF01
    980W 981W

    Departmental Expenditure Limits
    Mr. Bercow
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the increase in the departmental expenditure limit from 2001–02 to 2002–03 will be accounted for by wage costs. [20604]

    Mr. Hutton
    The planned expenditure for the national health service in 2001–02 is £48,832 million. The corresponding figure for 2002–03 is £53,478 million—an increase of 9.5 per cent. in cash terms.

    Pay increases for NHS staff for 2002–03, including those subject to the recommendations of pay review bodies, have yet to be agreed.

    Blood Products
    Mr. Cousins
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether products are derived from blood donations from outside(a) the United Kingdom and (b) western Europe. [20295]

    Mr. Hutton
    [holding answer 6 December 2001]: No plasma from United Kingdom donors is used in the manufacture of fractionated blood products. All blood products manufactured by the national health service-owned Bio Products Laboratory are made from plasma sourced in the United States of America. Some commercially manufactured blood products used by the NHS are derived from blood donations collected in western Europe. However, all licensed blood products must comply with European Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products requirements on selection and testing of blood donors.

    Mr. Cousins
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many deaths have occurred as a result of the supply of contaminated blood products to haemophiliacs in the past 10 years; and how many of these deaths were from(a) AIDS alone, (b) hepatitis C alone and (c) from co-infection. [20294]

    Mr. Hutton
    [holding answer 5 December 2001]: All haemophilia patients registered with the Macfarlane Trust are co-infected with HIV and hepatitis C. 588 of these have died in the past 10 years.

    Information from the United Kingdom Haemophilia Centre Doctor's Organisation shows that since 1969, 212 people with haemophilia have died from liver disease which may be related to hepatitis C infection (figures for the last 10 years are not available).

    Patient Numbers
    Mr. Laws
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many(a) in-patients and (b) out-patients have been treated by the NHS for each six month reporting period since 1990; and if he will make a statement. [18883]

    Mr. Hutton
    [holding answer 5 December 2001]: The number of admissions to national health service trusts since 1990–91 is given in the table. This does not represent the number of patients as a person may be admitted on more than one occasion.
    982W

    Admissions to NHS hospitals 1990–91 to 2000–01

    Year

    April to September

    October to March

    Total

    1990–91

    4,245,512

    3,942,575

    8,188,087

    1991–92

    4,364,105

    4,360,223

    8,724,328

    1992–93

    4,570,565

    4,508,298

    9,078,863

    1993–94

    4,730,660

    4,761,992

    9,492,652

    1994–95

    4,909,917

    4,947,403

    9,857,320

    1995–96

    5,102,088

    5,144,912

    10,247,000

    1996–97

    5,152,980

    5,037,709

    10,190,689

    1997–98

    5,363,519

    5,174,016

    10,537,535

    1998–99

    5,248,399

    5,460,573

    10,708,972

    1999–2000

    5,521,349

    5,504,595

    11,025,944

    2000–01

    5,540,970

    5,460,125

    11,001,095

    The following table shows the number of people seen as out-patients—and the total attendance in out-patient—sas some people will attend more than once—since 1990–91. It is not possible to provide a six monthly breakdown as data on all out-patient episodes are only collected annually.

    Out-patient attendance at NHS hospitals 1990–91 to 2000–01

    Year

    Number of out-patients

    Number of out-patient episodes

    1990–91

    8,501,760

    36,111,504

    1991–92

    8,941,526

    36,893,710

    1992–93

    9,342,280

    37,527,038

    1993–94

    9,680,593

    38,202,391

    1994–95

    10,362,877

    39,305,800

    1995–96

    10,989,334

    40,117,691

    1996–97

    11,294069

    40,872,769

    1997–98

    11,529,432

    41,635,269

    1998–99

    11,777,780

    42,154,397

    1999–2000

    12,136,405

    43,040,699

    2000–01

    12,466,233

    43,569,340

    These figures show a significant increase in the number of admissions to hospitals and the number of people seen as out-patients since 1990–91.

    The NHS Plan commitment is that by 2005 the maximum waiting time for in-patient treatment will be cut from 18 months now to six months, the maximum waiting time for a routine out-patient appointment will be halved from over six months now to three months and traditional waiting lists will be replaced with booking systems. By the end of 2008 we aim to treat all out-patients and in-patients within three months, subject to recruitment and reform.

    Expedited Out-patient Opinions
    Mr. Swayne
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance is given to clinicians for the purposes of determining which patients receive expedited out-patient opinions within the NHS. [18241]

    Mr. Hutton
    [holding answer 5 December 2001]: The decision on how quickly a patient should be referred to out-patients is a clinical matter and it is for general practitioners to decide this on a case by case basis. To assist GPs in referring, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) is developing referral guidance for certain conditions including benign prostate disease, osteoarthritis of the hip, and lower back pain. The Department has issued guidance to the national health service that priority treatment should be given to war pensioners, both as in-patients and as out-patients, for

    983W
    examination or treatment relating to the condition for which the patient receives a pension, unless in emergencies or if another case demands clinical priority.

    The process of booking appointments should be patient focused. The national booked admissions programme, launched in 1998, is putting in place systems that allow patients to pre-book appointments for a time that is convenient for them, and by the end of 2005 we are committed to all out-patient and in-patient elective admissions being pre-booked.

    Ward Housekeepers
    Mr. Burstow
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list, by date of publication, guidance he has given on the role and duties of the ward housekeeper(a) internally and (b) externally; and if he will place the guidance in the Library. [21789]

    Mr. Hutton
    [holding answer 10 December 2001]: Housekeeper information and guidance was first published and distributed as a leaflet in March 2001. More detailed draft guidance was made available to trusts from June 2001 with a request for comments and best practice examples suitable for inclusion in the completed guidance. The approved guidance on the role and duties of the ward housekeeper—"Housekeeping, a first guide to new, modern and dependable ward housekeeping services in the NHS"—was placed on the national health service estates website in November 2001 for public access. A short video film and complementing leaflet, "Ward Housekeepers, getting the basics right", showing how the housekeeper works within the ward team, were also produced and distributed in November 2001 to interested NHS trusts. Further copies of both the video and leaflet are available upon request.

    Copies of the guidance and a copy of the video film have been placed in the Library.

    Housekeeping guidance, best practice advice and information has also been given at a number of workshops held throughout the regions:

    17 November 2000—London

    31 January to 1 February 2001—Leeds

    17 May—London

    22 May—Leeds

    6 June—Trent

    8 June—North-west

    12 June—West midlands

    15 June—South-west

    20 June—Eastern

    21 June—Northern and Yorkshire

    24 July—London

    25 July—South-east

    6 September—South-west

    3 December—North-west.

    Two further workshops are scheduled for January 2002 in London and Leeds.

    Out-of-Area Treatment
    Mr. Burstow
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set out by NHS region, health authority and 984W
    NHS trust the (a) number of out-of-area patients treated and (b) cost of out-of-area treatments in each of the last four years for which information is available. [21005]

    Mr. Hutton
    [holding answer 10 December 2001]: Information on the cost of out-of-area treatments has been placed in the Library. The information on patient numbers is not available centrally.

    The out-of-area treatment adjustment was introduced in 1999–2000. Information is therefore available only for the three years 1999–2000 to 2001–02.

    Nurses
    Mr. Hoban
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average(a) salary and (b) other related cost of a nurse, by region. [22212]

    Mr. Hutton
    [holding answer 11 December 2001]: The average annual salary and other earnings of a full time qualified nurse employed by the national health service, by region, are estimated to be:

    £

    Basic salary

    Other earnings

    Northern and Yorkshire

    20,100

    3,100

    Trent

    20,200

    2,700

    West Midlands

    20,100

    3,000

    North West

    20,300

    2,900

    Eastern

    20,400

    2,900

    London

    20,200

    5,300

    South East

    20,400

    3,000

    South West

    20,300

    3,100

    England

    20,200

    3,300

    Cannabis
    Helen Jones
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Government will publish their response to the Second Report of the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology on the Therapeutic Uses of Cannabis. [23251]

    Ms Blears
    The Government's response to the Second Report of the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology on the Therapeutic Uses of Cannabis has been published today and copies will be placed in the Library.

    Diabetes
    Mr. Pollard
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will publish the Diabetes National Service Framework standards document. [23388]

    Jacqui Smith
    We shall be publishing the Diabetes National Service Framework standards tomorrow. Copies will be placed in the Library.

    Coronary Patients
    Mr. Chaytor
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has issued to health authorities and NHS healthcare trusts in respect of the provision of adequate post-discharge care for coronary patients; what budget has been allocated for this service in the current three year spending programme; and if he will make a statement. [21452]
    985W
    Jacqui Smith
    The National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) was published on 6 March 2000 setting out national standards for the care of patients with CHD. This includes guidance on appropriate care on discharge from hospital following a heart attack, on secondary prevention of CHD to prevent further events, and on the provision of cardiac rehabilitation. In addition, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has produced a clinical guideline on secondary prevention for patients who have had a heart attack which covers appropriate drug treatment and the role of rehabilitation.

    Spending on national health service services generally comes from a unified allocation to health authorities and it is not possible to identify the total spend on a particular area of care. We have provided substantial increased funding and by 2003 we will be investing an extra £230 million a year in heart services. Money has also been made available from Her Majesty's Treasury capital modernisation fund to provide equipment for rehabilitation (£10 million) and primary care services (£15 million).

    Haemodialysis
    Sandra Gidley
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many haemodialysis units treating NHS patients within the United Kingdom there were for each year since 1999, broken down by regional health authority, indicating which are(a) privately managed and (b) NHS managed; [22674]

    (2) if he will estimate the average annual full treatment cost of haemodialysis for haemodialysis NHS patients through (a) a privately managed and (b) an NHS managed unit. [22676]

    Jacqui Smith
    The United Kingdom renal survey, commissioned by the Department and using 1998 data, shows that there were 52 'main' renal haemodialysis units in England. Fifty of these were managed by the national health service and two by private sector providers. In the same year there were 73 satellite haemodialysis units.

    A recent Departmental survey of regional commissioners suggests that in 2001 there are now 55 main renal units and 96 satellite units, 24 of which are managed by private sector providers.

    A study by the Department in 1996 estimated the cost of main unit based haemodialysis as £31,520 per patient per year. The cost of haemodialysis treatment in satellite units, where most private sector involvement rests, is not available in published literature because of the variation in structure, process and patient case-mix in these units.

    Sandra Gidley
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many haemodialysis patients' usual treatment was administered in haemodialysis units in a different health authority region to where they reside in each year since 1990, broken down by regional health authority. [22677]

    Jacqui Smith
    Data for the number of patients receiving haemodialysis in one of the eight national health service regions other than the one in which they reside are not readily available.
    986W
    Where patients are treated outside of their 'home' health authority, service agreements are made between commissioners and providers in the respective health authorities. This may provide better access to geographically closer haemodialysis facilities.

    Sandra Gidley
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many haemodialysis patients were receiving treatment at haemodialysis units for each year since 1990, broken down by regional health authority [22675]

    Jacqui Smith
    Figures for the number of patients receiving hospital and satellite unit based haemodialysis are available from United Kingdom renal survey data. However, these figures are collected on a unit centred basis and not on a regional basis. Surveys have been undertaken in 1993, 1995 and 1998.

    Hospital haemodialysis patients in England

    Year of UK renal survey

    Number

    1993

    3,899

    1995

    5,383

    1998

    7,788

    Tilt Report
    Mr. Heald
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps have been taken to implement the Tilt report. [22088]

    Jacqui Smith
    The Tilt report was published on 22 May 2000. All 86 recommendations in the report were accepted by the Government and the implementation process is on-going. Some of the report's recommendations, for example the upgrading of the perimeter security of the hospitals, have a lengthy implementation time scale. Progress is being monitored by three of the Department's regional offices with a high security hospital in their area (North-West, London and Trent), and by the high security psychiatric services commissioning national oversight group.

    Mr. Heald
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much of the expenditure provided in 2001–02 to implement the Tilt report has been spent. [22087]

    Jacqui Smith
    £5 million of current expenditure funding and £38 million of capital expenditure funding has been provided centrally for 2001–02 to support the implementation of Tilt report recommendations.

    The £5 million of current expenditure funding is to support the process of moving inappropriately placed patients out of the high security hospitals to more suitable accommodation. Agreement has been reached with the regional commissioners of high and medium secure psychiatric services about the split of the £5 million between regions, and an allocation will shortly be made to the lead commissioning health authority for each region.

    The £38 million of capital expenditure relates to improvements to the physical security of the high security hospitals, particularly the upgrading of perimeter security that Sir Richard Tilt saw as being necessary in the interests of maintaining public safety. The funding was split, in line with estimated need, between the three Department of Health regional offices with performance management responsibility for a high security hospital.
    987W
    Actual spend across the three hospitals as at the end of November 2001 was £8.4 million. It is estimated that financial year-end spending will be significantly greater than this amount but that there will be a carry over of spending planned for 2001–02 into 2002–03, particularly due to a delay in the perimeter security upgrading at Ashworth hospital arising from complications in obtaining planning permission.

    Children's National Service Framework
    Mr. Heald
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the timetable is of the planned Children's National Service Framework. [22090]

    Jacqui Smith
    The Children's National Service Framework will have a broad remit encompassing social care and maternity services as well as health services for children. The standards that will be developed first, in response to the Bristol Royal Infirmary Inquiry report, are those relating to acute/hospital care. These will be published in 2002. The timetable for the publication of the rest of NSF has not yet been finalised.

    Prescription Charges
    Mr. Heald
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to introduce exemption from prescription charges for those persons who suffer from severe mental illness. [22095]

    Jacqui Smith
    Our policy is to give priority to helping those who may have difficulty in paying charges, rather than extending the exemption arrangements to people with other medical conditions.

    Podiatrists
    Mr. Heald
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consultations took place with non-state registered podiatrists prior to appointment of the podiatry representative to the Shadow Health Professions Council. [22097]

    Mr. Hutton
    None. There is scope on the Health Professions Council for one registrant member and one alternate for each profession regulated by the Council. The registrant and alternate members of the Shadow Council were appointed on the nomination of the relevant professional bodies.

    Mr. Heald
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the time which it will take to process applications by non-state registered podiatrists for entry to the register of the Health Professions Council. [22098]

    Mr. Hutton
    This is a matter for the Health Professions Council. Decisions on applications must be given subject to the time limits mentioned for dealing with applications in Article 9(5) of the Draft Health Professions Order 2001.

    Mr. Heald
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health under what titles and descriptions non-state registered podiatrists will be able to practice after the transition period under the Health Professions Order has expired. [22096]

    Mr. Hutton
    Any title or titles which are not protected under the order.
    988W

    Mental Health
    Mr. Heald
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 23 November 2001,Official Report, column 567W, if he will place in the Library the report from the Mental Health Act Commission and others on ethnic monitoring, racial harassment and training. [22100]

    Jacqui Smith
    Copies of the report, entitled "National Visit 2, Improving Care for Detained Patients from Black and Minority Ethnic Communities" are available in the Library.

    Mr. Heald
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health when it is planned to launch the toolkit to support mental health services in promoting mental health for people of ethnic minority communities. [22084]

    Jacqui Smith
    We hope to make the toolkit available in autumn 2002.

    Mr. Heald
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken to ensure equality of treatment for those who are(a) black and (b) of ethnic minority backgrounds who are suffering from severe mental illness and are detained in special hospitals. [22094]

    Jacqui Smith
    The principle of equality of treatment for all lies at the heart of our modernisation programme and we are taking steps to ensure that equality, diversity and inclusiveness is built into all national health service and social care service delivery.

    In regard to high security (special) hospitals, each has undertaken a range of initiatives to improve the situation of black and minority ethnic patients. In the longer term the hospitals will be guided by a national strategy, currently being drafted, which will address issues surrounding black and minority ethnic mental health more widely.

    Social Services
    Mr. Laws
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on his plans to progress towards a population-based distribution formula for social services expenditure by county councils. [22268]

    Jacqui Smith
    The distribution formula for personal social services already takes account of the population base by local authority, (for example the children's formula takes account of the resident population aged 0–17), as well as relative levels of need.

    The formulae are currently being reviewed in time for 2003–04 allocations. Local government representatives are being actively involved in this process, and we will be consulting widely before making final decisions.

    Wanless Report
    Mr. Swire
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he first discussed(a) the interim Wanless report and (b) the conclusions of the Chancellor of the Exchequer regarding the interim Wanless report, with the Chancellor of the Exchequer. [22245]

    Mr. Milburn
    My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer and I meet regularly and discuss a range of issues.
    989W

    NHS Expenditure
    Mr. Swire
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list per capita spending on the NHS for each region of England in the last 12 months. [22243]

    Mr. Hutton
    The expenditure by weighted head of population for each English region for 2000–01 is shown in the table.

    Expenditure by health authorities and primary care trusts

    Region

    Per capita spending (£)

    Northern and Yorkshire

    803.52

    Trent

    810.12

    Eastern

    803.44

    London

    886.12

    South East

    810.94

    South West

    849.78

    West Midlands

    794.52

    North Western

    826.84

    England

    825.38

    Notes:

    1. Expenditure is taken from health authority and primary care trust summarisation forms which are prepared on a resource basis and therefore differ from cash allocations in the year. The expenditure is the total spent by the health authority and by the primary care trusts within each region. The majority of General Dental Services expenditure is not included in the health authority or primary care trust accounts and is separately accounted for by the Dental Practice Board.

    2. Health authorities and primary care trusts should account for their expenditure on a gross basis. This results in an element of double counting where one body acts as the main commissioner and is then reimbursed by other bodies. The effect of this double counting within the answer cannot be identified.

    3. Some health authorities act as lead commissioners for particular specialties which inflates their figures when compared with others and also causes differences between years. Other factors may also distort the figures so the results are therefore not all directly comparable with each other and with answers to similar questions for previous years.

    Sources:

    Health authority audited summarisation forms 2000–01

    Primary care trust audited summarisation schedules 2000–01

    Weighted population estimates for 2000–01

    NHS University
    Mr. Wyatt
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Microsoft software to supply the NHS University will be an open system which will allow other suppliers to participate. [22608]

    Mr. Hutton
    The operating systems for the national health service University, including software, are yet to be decided upon and no purchase has been made from any particular supplier. One of the main considerations for any e-learning component of the NHS University will be its ability to reach the largest number of staff in the widest range of organisations. This will enable the NHS to utilise investments in hardware and software, from a number of suppliers, to the full.

    Mr. Wyatt
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the tender document for the national health service University will be put into the public domain. [22607]

    Mr. Hutton
    The national health service University is at an early stage of development. Established tendering procedures will be followed when the NHS University is in a position to let contracts to suppliers.
    990W
    Mr. Wyatt
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health who will validate and check the new software system for the NHS University. [22609]

    Mr. Hutton
    The national health service University is a new initiative and is still in its early stages of development. Decisions about software systems have not yet been taken.

  SOLICITOR-GENERAL

    Ministerial Court Representation
    Mr. Gordon Prentice
    To ask the Solicitor-General on how many occasions she has appeared in court for the Government since her appointment; and if she will make a statement. [22283]

    The Solicitor-General
    I have not appeared in court for the Government on any occasion since my appointment.

    The Attorney-General has since his appointment appeared for the Government on three occasions: once in the Court of Appeal; once at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg; and once at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Hamburg. The last Attorney-General did not appear in court for the Government of any occasion. The last Solicitor-General appeared in court for the Government on eight occasions.

  SCOTLAND

    Tax Burden
    Mr. Swire
    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will make a statement about Scotland's share of the tax burden in the last financial year. [10380]

    Mrs. Liddell
    The Scottish Executive estimate tax receipts raised in Scotland in their publication "Government Expenditure and Revenue in Scotland". The latest edition published by the Scottish Executive in December 2000 was for the financial year 1998–99, a copy of which is available in the House Library.

    BAE Systems
    Mr. Sarwar
    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when(a) she and (b) the Minister of State next plan to visit BAE Systems shipyards on the Clyde. [10752]

    Mrs. Liddell
    My hon. Friend the Minister of State participates on the Clyde Shipyards Task Force and therefore maintains strong links with the upper Clyde yards. He last visited the Goven yard on 19 November to co-sign the contract to award two alternative landing support logistics ships (ALSLs) to BAE Systems Marine and plans to visit Scotstoun in the near future. I hope to visit the yards soon.

    Concessionary Coach Fares
    Mr. Lazarowicz
    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will bring forward measures to provide for half-price fares for older and disabled people on long-distance coach journeys between Scotland and England. [21876]
    991W
    Mr. Foulkes
    The Government, the Scottish Executive and the National Assembly for Wales are all consulting on proposals entitling coach operators to fuel duty rebates in return for them offering half-price fares to older and disabled passengers on scheduled long-distance coach journeys. The Government will hold discussions with the devolved Administrations on how best to co-ordinate arrangements across Britain.

  WORK AND PENSIONS

    Habitual Residence Test
    Mr. Mudie
    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants have been refused benefit under the habitual residence test, indicating what proportion of them were British citizens in each year of its operation. [8654]

    Malcolm Wicks
    The available information is in the tables:

    Claims for income support/jobseeker's allowance (income based) subject to the habitual residence test

    Year

    Total claims

    Total claims disallowed

    Claims from UK citizens disallowed

    Claims from UK citizens disallowed as a percentage of all claims disallowed

    1994–95

    59,677

    19,961

    3,764

    19

    1995–96

    103,828

    19,614

    6,006

    31

    1996–97

    99,534

    17,565

    8,596

    49

    1997–98

    117,653

    18,131

    9,857

    54

    1998–99

    112,976

    18,461

    10,603

    57

    1999–2000

    98,227

    11,698

    5,546

    47

    2000–01

    84,147

    9,601

    4,246

    44

    Note:

    The habitual residence test was introduced in August 1994

    Source:

    Income Support/Jobseeker's Allowance (Income Based) Management Information System Programme.

    Claims for housing benefit and council tax benefit subject to the habitual residence test

    Year

    Housing benefit claims disallowed

    Council tax benefit claims disallowed

    1996

    1,100

    300

    1997

    1,300

    540

    1998

    620

    360

    1999

    930

    470

    2000

    600

    290

    Notes:

    1. The data refer to households, which may be a family, a single person or a couple.

    2. The totals for Great Britain have been rated up to account for local authorities that have not responded. This is standard practice in reporting totals where there have been non-respondents.

    3. The figures in the table will show some double counting as some households that have claimed one benefit will also have claimed the other.

    4 The figures exclude cases where the household has claimed income support or jobseeker's allowance (income based).

    5. Data are not collected separately on claims from UK citizens, so no proportionate figures can be given.

    6. Data were not collected prior to 1996.

    Source:

    Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System Policy Monitoring Returns 1996 to 2000
    992W

    Benefit Fraud
    Mr. Clappison
    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many suspected benefit frauds have been(a) investigated and (b) resulted in a successful prosecution as a result of (i) submissions to the Targeting Fraud website and (ii) calls to the National Benefit Fraud
    Hotline. [11257]

    Malcolm Wicks
    Information on the last financial year and this year to date is in the table:

    Period

    Investigations completed

    Fraud established/corrective action taken

    Successful prosecutions

    Targeting Fraud website1

    1 May 2000 to 31 March 2001

    184

    28

    0

    1 April 2001 to 30 September 2001

    302

    68

    1

    National Benefit Fraud Hotline

    1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001

    33,318

    7,917

    492

    1 April 2001 to 30 September 2001

    15,977

    4,061

    344

    1 Launched May 2000

    Benefits Agencies (Access)
    Mr. Webb
    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what impact the heightened security measures in place in Government and civil service offices since 11 September have had on the operation and accessibility of benefits agencies for claimants; and if he will make a
    statement. [14298]

    Mr. Nicholas Brown
    [holding answer 13 November 2001]: This is a matter for Alexis Cleveland, Chief Executive of me Benefits Agency. She will write to the hon. Member.

    Letter from Alexis Cleveland to Mr. Steve Webb, dated 12 December 2001:

    The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has asked me to respond to your Parliamentary Question asking what impact the heightened security measures in place in Government and Civil Service offices since 11th September have had on the operation and accessibility of benefits agencies for claimants; and if he will make a statement.
    Following the attacks of 11 September, security was heightened in Benefits Agency (BA) offices. Security guards were instructed to search all baggage when customers visited BA sites. There have been no formal or informal complaints from customers about this action.
    There has been no disruption to service to customers in Employment Services offices.
    There have been 12 incidents that have disrupted the operation of BA public caller areas. These have been for varying lengths of time, but on average the disruption lasted 2–3 hours. One of these incidents resulted in the public caller area being closed all day and customers were diverted to anomer nearby BA office. Feedback from Group 4, who provide security services for the BA, is that they have not been notified of any incidents or complaints, and generally BA customers have been very understanding and co-operative.
    Although BA offices implemented the search process, customers should not have received any disruption to normal service because of this. This search process has now reduced with security guards now checking baggage on a random basis.
    I hope this is helpful.
    993W

    Household Incomes
    Chris Ruane
    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average household income was for the poorest 10 per cent. of the population(a) in real terms and (b) as percentage increase in each year of the last 15 years. [16101]

    Malcolm Wicks
    [holding answer 19 November 2001]: Such information as is available is in the table.

    Money value of bottom decile median (£ per week) in December 2000 prices

    Year

    Before housing costs

    After housing costs

    Family expenditure survey (FES)

    1987

    109

    82

    1988–89

    107

    79

    1990–91

    103

    73

    1991–92

    104

    70

    1992–93

    105

    69

    1993–94

    110

    74

    1994–95

    115

    78

    1995–96

    117

    77

    Family resources survey (FRS)

    1994–95

    112

    67

    1995–96

    112

    72

    1996–97

    115

    74

    1997–98

    113

    72

    1998–99

    116

    79

    1999–2000

    118

    79

    Notes:

    1. The derivation of year on year percentage change in income levels from the above data is not recommended due to the fact that sampling variation for any individual year is large in relation to year on year change.

    2. All figures are estimates. There is evidence to suggest that the poorest 10 per cent. of the population as defined by their income may not be the poorest 10 per cent. in terms of living standards.

    3. Data are not available for each year of the period requested-with the financial year 1999–2000 being the latest data available.

    4. Results from the Family Resources Survey have been available only since 1994–95. Prior to that the Family Expenditure Survey was used as the data source for the Households Below Average Incomes (HBAI) series. Due to differences in the methodology employed in both the collection and analysis of data from both surveys, the figures presented above are not directly comparable across the two surveys.

    5. FRS data are presented on a financial year basis. FES data for 1987 are presented on a single calendar year basis, that for 1988–89 to 1992–93 on a two-year combined calendar year basis and 1993–94 to 1995–96 on a two-year combined financial year basis where, for example, "1995–96" denotes the financial years 1995–96 and 1996–97 combined. The coverage of the FRS is Great Britain only, as it excludes Northern Ireland, while that of the FES is the whole of the United Kingdom.

    6. The monetary values presented are rounded to the nearest pound and are equivalised. That is to say that incomes are adjusted to take into account both the size and composition of the household to allow fair comparisons between different family types. The incomes presented above relate to the actual incomes of a couple with no children, which is used as the benchmark for equivalisation in HBAI.

    7. As is standard HBAI convention, figures are presented on both a Before and After Housing Costs basis, in order to take into account variations in housing costs between households that do not necessarily reflect equivalent variations in the quality of housing.

    ONE Pilot
    Mr. Webb
    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had regarding the 994W
    introduction of a uniform housing benefit and council tax benefit form for the Basic Model ONE Pilot; and if he will make a statement. [18000]

    Malcolm Wicks
    The option of having a uniform housing and council tax benefit (HB/CTB) claim form has been available to local authorities (LAs) participating in the ONE pilots. None of the Basic Model Pilot LAs has chosen to do so, but the North Nottinghamshire Private and Voluntary Sector Pilot has introduced such a form.

    The introduction of the new Customer Management System, being rolled out from 2002, will mean that working age HB/CTB applicants who are also claiming a benefit administered through this Department, will see a uniform, single claims process.

    New Deal for Disabled People
    Mr. Clappison
    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what(a) record is kept and (b) assessment is made of the destinations of people who leave the new deal for disabled people for employment. [18054]

    Mr. Nicholas Brown
    The new deal for disabled people (NDDP) keeps records of the number of people moving into work. In the first three months operation of the NDDP extension, to the end of September, 492 people have found employment. An assessment of the destinations of people who leave the programme will be made through evaluation of the programme.

    Child Support Agency
    Norman Lamb
    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints about the work of the Child Support Agency have been made to the agency by hon. Members on behalf of constituents, in each of the past five years. [18175]

    Malcolm Wicks
    The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member.

    Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. Norman Lamb, dated 12 December 2001:
    The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in replying to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, promised a substantive reply from me.
    You asked how many complaints about the work of the Child Support Agency have been made in each of the last five years by honourable Members on behalf of their constituents.
    Unfortunately we have only counted this since July 2000. Since that date until 30th September 2001 we received 6,640 complaints from Members of Parliament on behalf of their constituents.
    I hope this is helpful.

    Working Age Agency
    Mr. Bercow
    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the cost in(a) 2000–01 and (b) 2001–02 of work undertaken on the development of a new working age agency. [19006]

    Mr. Nicholas Brown
    The Departments of Social Security and for Education and Employment absorbed all development costs in 2000–01.

    Our plans for introducing Jobcentre Plus are still developing. For this reason the information requested on costs for 2001–02 is not yet available.
    995W

    Welfare to Work
    Mr. Bercow
    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what was the capital budget welfare to work figure for 1998–99 that was not specified in Table 11 on page 102 of the 2001 departmental report. [18906]

    Mr. Nicholas Brown
    The capital budget welfare to work figure for the 1998–99 financial year that was not specified in Table 11 on page 102 of the 2001 departmental report was £27,000.

    Benefits Agency/Employment Service (Merger)
    Mr. Bercow
    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the expected saving from the proposed merger of the Benefits Agency and the Employment Service. [18978]

    Mr. Nicholas Brown
    I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Havant (Mr. Willetts) on 28 June 2001,Official Report, column 160W.

    Departmental Report
    Mr. Bercow
    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the costs and functions of the Model Office referred to on page 70 of the 2001 departmental report. [19122]

    Malcolm Wicks
    The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member.

    Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. John Bercow, dated 12 December 2001:
    The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in replying to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency promised a substantive reply from me.
    You asked for a statement on the costs and functions of the Model Office referred to on page 70 of the 2001 Departmental Report.
    Since the Model Office was established and up to the end of October 2001 the running costs have been just over £700,000.
    The main role of the Model Office is to support the introduction of the Child Support Reforms. Its functions include: the final testing from a user perspective of the new computer system, assessment of new and existing business processes, testing training material, examining organisational design and associated business products (i.e. procedures, customer materials).
    I hope this is helpful.

    Mr. Bercow
    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the costs and functions of the process learning centres referred to on page 70 of the 2001 departmental report. [19123]

    Malcolm Wicks
    The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member.

    Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. John Bercow, dated 12 December 2001:
    The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in replying to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency promised a substantive reply from me.
    996W
    You asked for a statement on the costs and functions of the process learning centres referred to on page 70 of the 2001 Departmental Report.
    Two Process Learning Centres were put into operation. The cost was £1.2 million. Their aims were to:
    Assist the design of the business process flowing from Child Support Reform and thereby inform the design of the new computer system required to support the reforms.
    Permit us to evaluate the business changes to help us plan for national implementation.
    Identify opportunities to implement some business improvements in advance of the legislative changes.
    Demonstrate the new delivery model to key stakeholders.
    I hope this is helpful.

    Mr. Bercow
    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a list of the sums which are not included in the 2001 Departmental report and are indicated by the symbol. [19419]

    Mr. Nicholas Brown
    The information has been placed in the Library.

    Long-term Unemployed
    Mr. Clappison
    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his statement of 28 November, what estimate he has made of the cost of (1) administering his proposals for the long-term unemployed; [20274]

    (2) the implementation of his proposals for the long-term unemployed. [20276]

    Mr. Nicholas Brown
    We estimate that our proposals for the long-term unemployed will cost £40 million to implement and administer in 2002–03 and 2003–04.

    Post Office Charges
    Mr. Cousins
    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the transaction charges agreed with the Post Office are for handling a benefit payment at a post office counter; and how these charges have changed since 1997. [20300]

    Malcolm Wicks
    [holding answer 5 December 2001]: The average transaction fee payable by this Department to the Post Office for order book foil encashment since 1997 are as follows:

    Year

    Average encashment cost per foil

    1997–98

    44p

    1998–99

    47p

    1999–2000

    53p

    2000–01

    60p

    The Post Office have a contract with Girobank for girocheque encashment services at post office counters, and these transaction charges are not known to the Department.

    Social Security Spending
    Mr. Laws
    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the level of social security spending for each year from 1996–97 to 2003–04; and if he will make a
    statement. [20308]
    997W
    Malcolm Wicks
    [holding answer 6 December 2001]: Social security spending is under control. The rate of growth under this Government is around half that under the previous Government. Indeed, without the extra spending of around £3 billion on families and £7.5 billion on pensioners, forecast spending in 2003–04 would be lower in real terms than it was in 1996–97. We can spend more on priority groups because we have reduced the costs of social and economic failure. For example, spending on benefits for unemployed people this year will be around £4 billion less than in 1996–97.

    Expenditure on social security benefits in Great Britain is shown in the table1.

    Expenditure on social security benefits in Great Britain

    £ billion

    Year

    2001–02 prices2

    1996–97

    104.5

    1997–98

    102.6

    1998–99

    102.2

    1999–2000

    103.5

    2000–01

    103.5

    2001–02

    107.2

    2002–03

    108.4

    2003–04

    110.9

    1 Figures show total expenditure on social security benefits. This includes all spending on housing and council tax benefits funded by

    1998–99

    1999–2000

    2000–01

    20011

    Total

    Cabinet Office

    9

    4

    13

    6

    32

    Privy Council Office

    0

    0

    1

    0

    1

    Charity Commission

    5

    13

    13

    7

    38

    Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    1

    1

    2

    0

    4

    Ministry of Defence

    7

    88

    43

    8

    146

    Department for Education and Skills2,3

    12

    77

    51

    6

    146

    Office for Standards in Education

    1

    0

    0

    0

    1

    Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs4

    5

    33

    35

    24

    97

    Intervention Board

    2

    1

    1

    0

    4

    Export Credits Guarantee Department

    4

    0

    0

    0

    4

    Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    3

    1

    5

    2

    11

    Government Communications Headquarters

    0

    0

    2

    0

    2

    Department of Health

    8

    19

    30

    15

    72

    Home Office2

    1

    72

    26

    21

    120

    Department for International Development

    0

    1

    6

    0

    7

    Law Officers' Departments

    0

    10

    11

    2

    23

    Lord Chancellor's Department

    0

    21

    34

    9

    64

    National Assembly for Wales

    5

    28

    3

    3

    39

    Northern Ireland Office

    0

    11

    3

    0

    14

    Scottish Executive (includes Scottish Office)

    12

    19

    33

    34

    98

    Registers of Scotland

    1

    0

    0

    0

    1

    Department of Trade and Industry

    22

    21

    26

    3

    72

    Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions4

    6

    5

    57

    44

    112

    Health and Safety Executive

    0

    6

    12

    10

    28

    Office of the Rail Regulator

    0

    0

    0

    1

    1

    Office of Water Services (OFWAT)

    0

    0

    1

    0

    1

    Ordnance Survey

    0

    1

    0

    0

    1

    Shadow Strategic Rail Authority (NDPB with effect from 1 February 2001)

    0

    0

    1

    0

    1

    HM Treasury

    2

    0

    2

    3

    7

    Office of Government Commerce

    1

    0

    0

    0

    1

    HM Customs and Excise

    1

    34

    77

    17

    129

    Inland Revenue (includes NICO and Valuation Office Agency)

    4

    252

    145

    62

    463

    Office for National Statistics

    0

    10

    1

    0

    11

    Royal Mint

    3

    0

    0

    0

    3

    Department for Work and Pensions3

    356

    1,758

    1,177

    397

    3,688

    Total

    471

    2,486

    1,811

    674

    5,442

    1 To 1 October 2001

    2 One New Dealer transferred from DfES to the Home Office

    3 Five New Dealers transferred from DfES to DWP

    4 Four New Dealers transferred from DTLR to DEFRA

    Note:

    This table monitors the number of starts and does not reflect transfer of staff under recent machinery of government changes (see 2,3,4 above)
    998W
    central and local Government. The figures do not include spending on tax credits, which are the responsibility of Inland Revenue. Spending on family credit and disability working allowance, which are superseded by tax credits, is included: £2.4 billion in 1996–97, £2.6 billion in 1997–98, £2.6 billion in 1998–99 and £2.0 billion in 1999–2000 (2001–02 prices).

    2 Real terms figures in 2001–02 prices are calculated using the GDP deflator published by the Office for National Statistics on 24 September 2001.

    New Deal
    Mr. Clappison
    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his answer of 28 November 2001,Official Report, column 901W, on the new deal, to the hon. Member for Chatham and Aylesford (Mr. Shaw), if he will give a breakdown by year of the new deal starts in the Government Departments and agencies concerned and indicate what proportion of total recruitment was represented by New Deal starts (a) in each case and (b) for all Government Departments and agencies. [21266]

    Mr. Leslie
    I have been asked to reply.

    The table sets out the number of new deal starts by Government Department (including their agencies) by financial year. Information on the proportion this represents of the total number of employees recruited by Departments over the relevant period is not held centrally. It could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
    999W

  TREASURY

    Child Poverty
    Mrs. Lawrence
    To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the Government's strategy for tackling child poverty. [23530]

    Mr. Gordon Brown
    As I said at the Treasury Committee hearing on 11 December, I am today publishing a pre-Budget report document on child poverty, "Tackling Child Poverty—giving every child the best possible start in life", which will inform next year's Budget and Spending Review 2002.

    The Government's strategy involves:

    helping to ensuring a decent family income, with work for those who can and support for those who cannot;

    delivering excellent public services for all neighbourhoods and targeted interventions for those with additional needs;

    supporting parents so that they can provide better support for their children; and

    harnessing the power and expertise of the voluntary and community sectors, providing support for innovation and good practice and building strategic partnerships with these sectors to fight child poverty.

    Copies of the document have been deposited in the Library of the House and are also available in the Vote Office.

    London Underground
    Matthew Taylor
    To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 3 December 2001,Official Report, column 54W, on London Underground, for what reason he is unable to state what involvement officials from HM Treasury have had in the value for money assessment of the London Underground PPP; and for what reason the Office of National Statistics has not made an assessment of the accounting treatment of the London Underground PPP; and if he will make a statement. [22288]

    Mr. Andrew Smith
    The value for money assessment of the London Underground PPP will be carried out by London Transport in line with the relevant guidance produced by HM Treasury and the Treasury Taskforce. Treasury, DTLR and London Underground officials are in regular contact about various aspects of the PPP.

    The accounting treatment of the London Underground PPP is a matter for London Underground's own auditors.

    Matthew Taylor
    To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what involvement members of the Council of Economic Advisers have had in the value for money assessment of the London Underground PPP; and if he will make a statement. [22255]

    Mr. Andrew Smith
    The Council of Economic Advisers has had no involvement in the value for money assessment of the London Underground PPP. The value for money assessment of the London Underground PPP will be carried out by London Transport in line with the relevant guidance produced by HM Treasury and the Treasury Taskforce.
    1000W

    Departmental Budgets
    Mrs. May
    To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what basis loans may be made for a departmental budget to a private company in administration; on how many occasions this has occurred in the last four years; and how such loans would be treated in the national accounts. [22062]

    Mr. Andrew Smith
    [holding answer 10 December 2001]: The basis on which loans may be made from a departmental budget to a private company in administration is as for any other expenditure. Departments must take account of the guidance in Government Accounting, in particular, Chapter 2, on the powers to incur expenditure.

    Information on the number of occasions that such loans have been made in the last four years is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

    In national accounts such loans are treated as loans from the government sector to the private sector. There is no impact on the public sector current surplus, public sector net borrowing, or Total Managed Expenditure (TME).

    Investment
    Mr. Laws
    To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the real growth rate of net investment, as used to produce the estimates of future public borrowing set out in Table B2, page 165, of the pre-Budget report, November 2001. [20304]

    Mr. Andrew Smith
    [holding answer 6 December 2001]: The forecast for public sector net investment is set out in Table B5, page 171, of the pre-Budget report.

    Diesel
    Mr. Blunt
    To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the duty points for diesel in the United Kingdom. [21764]

    Mr. Boateng
    In the UK, duty on hydrocarbon oils, including diesel, is payable upon removal from either:

    1. A refinery (warehouse) for delivery to home use, or

    2. An import warehouse for delivery to home use.

    By "home use" we mean consumption in the UK, as opposed to export.

    HM Customs and Excise must approve such warehouses. A full list of Mineral Oil Premises (the warehouses and producers' premises) is available to the public in notice 179B.

    Barnett Formula
    Mr. Swire
    To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what account he will take of the 2001 census in Scotland in assessing funding under the Barnett formula. [22237]

    Mr. Andrew Smith
    The Barnett formula uses the latest available mid-year population estimates. The outcome of the 2001 census will be taken into account when available.
    1001W

    Private Health Care
    Mr. Flight
    To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to increase the percentage of GDP spent on private health care. [16994]

    Mr. Andrew Smith
    None.

    Public Finance Forecasts
    Matthew Taylor
    To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reason he does not assume recent changes in(a) equity prices, (b) oil prices and (c) financial corporation (i) profits and (ii) bonuses to be cyclical for the purposes of his public finance forecasts. [22190]

    Mr. Andrew Smith
    The Treasury's methodology for estimating the impact of the economic cycle on the public finances is set out in the publication "Fiscal policy: public finances and the cycle", HM Treasury, March 1999. The impact of equity prices, oil prices and financial corporations on the forecast is described in detail in paragraphs B34-B49 of the pre-Budget report (pages 174–178).

    Business Start-ups (Buckingham)
    Mr. Bercow
    To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many business start-ups there were in the Buckingham constituency in each year since 1997. [22646]

    Ruth Kelly
    The information falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

    Letter from Len Cook to Mr. John Bercow, dated 13 December 2001:
    As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question concerning the number of business start-ups in the Buckinghamshire Constituency since 1997 (22646).
    The information requested is given in the table:

    Business start-ups (VAT registrations) in each year since 1997

    Year

    Number

    2000

    680

    1999

    690

    1998

    705

    1997

    655

    Source:

    Office for National Statistics Inter Departmental Business Register (IDBR)

    Strikes (Buckingham)
    Mr. Bercow
    To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many working days were lost through(a) official and (b) unofficial strike action in the constituency of Buckingham in each year since 1997. [22643]

    Ruth Kelly
    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

    Letter from Len Cook to Mr. John Bercow, dated 13 December 2001:
    As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary question about the number of working days lost due to strike action in the Buckingham constituency since 1997. (22643)
    The information requested is not available because Labour dispute statistics are not published below Government Office Region level.
    1002W
    Since 1981 the available figures have not distinguished between official and unofficial strikes due to the practical difficulties, in deciding if a strike is official or otherwise.

    Business (Buckingham)
    Mr. Bercow
    To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses there were in the Buckingham constituency with(a) 0 to five, (b) five to 20, (c) 20 to 49 and (d) more than 50 employees in each year since 1997. [22611]

    Ruth Kelly
    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

    Letter from Len Cook to Mr. John Bercow, dated 13 December 2001:
    As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary question concerning the number of businesses Buckingham parliamentary constituency by employee sizeband in each year since 1997. (22641)
    The information requested is shown in the table.

    Number of VAT based enterprises in Buckingham parliamentary) constituency by employee sizebands by year (J 1996–2001)

    Employees sizebands

    Year

    0–4

    5–19

    20–49

    50+

    Total,

    2001

    3,720

    465

    45

    35

    4,265

    2000

    3,690

    450

    45

    35

    4,225

    1999

    3,585

    440

    50

    35

    4,110

    1998

    3,475

    430

    40

    35

    3,980

    1997

    3,245

    400

    35

    25

    3,710

    Note:

    All figures have been rounded to the nearest 5 to avoid disclosure

    Source:

    Office for National Statistics Inter Departmental Business Register

    Financial Services Authority
    Ian Stewart
    To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what arrangements are in place to ensure that the Financial Services Authority is held accountable following the implementation of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. [23531]

    Ruth Kelly
    The Financial Services and Markets Act set out a comprehensive new framework to ensure that the FSA and its board, while independent of Government, would be properly accountable to Ministers, Parliament and the wider public. The Chancellor has today written to Howard Davies, Chairman of the Financial Services Authority, setting out how the Government propose to use their powers under the new arrangements to ensure that the accountability process works as effectively as possible.

    A copy of the letter, and the reply from the Chairman of the FSA, will today be deposited in the Library of the House and on the Treasury's website at www.hm-treasury.gov.uk.

    Investment Capital Appraisal
    Matthew Taylor
    To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 3 December 2001,Official Report, column 55W, on Treasury investment capital appraisal, when he expects the review to conclude;

    1003W
    if he will place the terms of reference in the Library; what representations he has received; and if he will make a statement. [22264]

    Mr. Andrew Smith
    The review is on-going. It needs to cover a range of complex issues and will conclude once the necessary work has been done. Its terms of reference are as per the objectives set out in paragraph 61 of the HM Treasury document—"Planning Sustainable Spending—Lessons from Previous Policy Experience", published in November 2000.

    Beer Duty
    Mr. Prisk
    To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations his Department has received on his proposals on progressive beer duty; and if the sliding scale of relief will apply to local brewers who produce up to 200,000 hectolitres per annum. [22611]

    Mr. Boateng
    The Government have announced that they are minded to introduce a reduced rate of duty on the beer produced by small breweries and has had a number of representations. A decision will be announced in Budget 2002.

    Stamp Duty
    Hugh Robertson
    To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much money HM Treasury has made from stamp duty on property sales in each of the past five years. [22610]

    Mr. Boateng
    Receipts from stamp duty charged on sales of land and property, for the last five financial years for which figures are available, from the Inland Revenue Statistics website http://www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats.

  HOME DEPARTMENT

    Police (Early Retirement)
    Miss McIntosh
    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he will take to assist(a) North Yorkshire police and (b) other forces to tackle the impact of early retirement on officer levels. [10185]

    Mr. Denham
    The Home Office has asked the Police Negotiating Board to explore and agree ways to deliver a fair and more consistent approach towards early retirement due to ill health, so that forces, including North Yorkshire police, can match the performance of the best quartile by 2005. We also hope to introduce a national Occupational Health strategy for the police service, which should assist forces to manage cases of ill-health more effectively at the outset.

    Antisocial Behaviour Orders
    Mr. Cousins
    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders there have been in each magistrates court committee area since 1 June 2000. [20766]

    Mr. Denham
    Official statistics on the number of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued are based on quarterly returns received from magistrates courts committees (MCC). A review identified an under-count and my Department therefore undertook an exercise with 1004W
    the police to obtain more reliable figures. As a result of this reconciliation exercise the total number of ASBOs issued up until the end of September this year was 466, 184 more than previously reported. A breakdown by MCC area is given in the table.

    Number of antisocial behaviour orders1 issued up to 30 September 2001 by magistrates court committee area

    MCC area

    Up to 31 May 2000

    1 June 2000 to 30 September 2001

    Total

    Avon and Somerset

    9

    19

    28

    Bedfordshire

    —

    2

    2

    Cambridgeshire

    5

    3

    8

    Cheshire

    —

    —

    —

    Cleveland

    1

    9

    10

    Cumbria

    1

    1

    2

    Derbyshire

    3

    9

    12

    Devon and Cornwall

    1

    9

    10

    Dorset

    —

    4

    4

    Durham

    —

    10

    10

    Essex

    —

    —

    —

    Gloucestershire

    —

    4

    4

    GLMCA2

    9

    31

    40

    Great Manchester

    10

    14

    24

    Hampshire

    1

    3

    4

    Hertfordshire

    1

    8

    9

    Humberside

    —

    11

    11

    Kent

    —

    15

    15

    Lancashire

    5

    11

    16

    Leicestershire

    1

    4

    5

    Lincolnshire

    —

    1

    1

    Merseyside

    8

    9

    17

    Norfolk

    6

    11

    17

    Northamptonshire

    —

    3

    3

    Northumbria

    8

    7

    15

    North Yorkshire

    4

    6

    10

    Nottinghamshire

    1

    15

    16

    South Yorkshire

    3

    3

    6

    Staffordshire

    10

    10

    Suffolk

    3

    2

    5

    Surrey

    —

    4

    4

    Sussex

    3

    4

    7

    Thames Valley

    1

    6

    7

    Warwickshire

    —

    3

    3

    West Mercia

    5

    42

    47

    West Midlands

    11

    54

    65

    West Yorkshire

    4

    11

    15

    Wiltshire

    —

    —

    —

    Dyfed Powys

    —

    —

    —

    Gwent

    —

    1

    1

    North Wales

    —

    1

    1

    South Wales

    —

    2

    2

    England and Wales

    104

    466

    466

    1 Implemented from 1 April 1999 and data collected centrally from 1 June 2000 (including data from reconciliation exercise)

    2 Greater London Magistrates Courts Authority

    Antisocial Behaviour Orders

      National Black Police Association
      Peter Bottomley
      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what legally privileged information has been seized or obtained by surveillance of Dr. Ali Dizaei. [13710]

      Mr. Denham
      I would refer the hon. Member to my letter to him of 9 November, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.

      Peter Bottomley
      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the standards of promptness and diligence he expects in
      1005W
      the investigation of the National Black Police Association complaints against DAC Hayman and Superintendent Norman. [13712]

      Mr. Denham
      I am assured by the Chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority and the Metropolitan Police Commissioner that both the authority and the Metropolitan police service have taken all necessary and appropriate action as outlined in the relevant police regulations and legislation to deal with matters with due promptness and diligence.

      Peter Bottomley
      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action will be taken in relation to the investigating officer who authorised the interception of legally privileged conversations of Dr. Ali Dizaei in his role as the legal adviser to the National Black Police Association. [13707]

      Mr. Denham
      I understand from the Chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority that the authority has received a complaint into which it is making preliminary inquiries under the provisions of the Police (Conduct) (Senior Officers) Regulations 1999.

      Peter Bottomley
      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will assess the impact on black staff in the Police Service who sought legal advice from Dr. Ali Dizaei by the recording, transcription or use of privileged conversations of the legal adviser to the National Black Police Association. [13709]

      Mr. Denham
      I have no plans at present to institute a review. I would refer the hon. Member to my letter to him of 9 November, which clarifies the position regarding the telephone calls that Superintendent Dizaei made in connection with his National. Black Police Association business. A copy of this letter is in the Library.

      Speed Cameras
      Mr. Clapham
      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the level of accuracy is, on average, of speed cameras over the calibrated distance marked on the road. [22229]

      Mr. Denham
      [holding answer 12 December 2001]: There is no average figure for the accuracy of speed cameras. In order to ensure their accuracy and reliability all speed cameras have to be of a type approved by the Secretary of State, after rigorous testing, before evidence from them can be used in proceedings.

      Measurements of vehicle speed are made by radar or by sensors in the road. Radar displays a primary speed using several hundred measurements taken during the passage of the vehicle through its beam. It requires most of these to be within two kilometres per hour. Devices using sensors on or in the road show a primary speed which is the lower of two measurements taken between different sensor pairs. The speed is only shown when they agree within two miles per hour.

      The calibrated distance marked on the road is used only to provide an independent secondary check of the primary speed measurement. The two measurements should be within 10 per cent.

      Mr. Clapham
      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money has been raised by fines on drivers caught speeding by speed cameras;1006W
      and how the money is apportioned between (a) local police forces, (b) local authorities and (c) the Home Office. [22230]

      Mr. Denham
      [holding answer 12 December 2001]: The table gives information on the number of fixed penalties for speeding offences over the last five years where cameras have provided the evidence and the estimated revenue from fines. All the money has been paid to Her Majesty's (HM) Treasury.

      Fixed penalties

      Estimated revenue (£ million)

      1995

      170,000

      6.8

      1996

      212,600

      8.8

      1997

      288,600

      11.5

      1998

      338,800

      13.6

      1999

      423,000

      16.9

      Notes:

      1. Automatic cameras from 1995 until 1998, all camera types for 1999.

      2. Estimate based on number of fixed penalty notices accepted for payment at £40 each from 1995 to 1999 for England and Wales.

      3. Figures for 2000 not yet available.

      From April 2000 eight partnerships, comprising local police forces, local authorities, highways authorities and magistrates courts have been piloting a new 'netting off' scheme. This allows the fixed penalty revenue from speed and red-light traffic cameras to be re-invested to fund additional camera enforcement.

      Under the scheme, local magistrates courts within a partnership collect all fixed-penalty notice and fine revenue from offenders. The element to be netted off goes to the partnership's Local Authority, which acts as treasurer for the scheme, and distributes the funds to each of the partners on the basis of invoiced spend. Any revenue not used for camera enforcement goes to HM Treasury. The Home Office receives no money.

      In August the Government announced the national roll-out of the netting off scheme, and a further seven partnership areas joined the scheme in October 2001.

      Mr. Clapham
      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what degree of tolerance to speed is allowed by the speed cameras; and whether this differs between counties. [22228]

      Mr. Denham
      [holding answer 12 December 2001]: Speed cameras indicate whether or not a driver may be exceeding the speed limit. The enforcement of speed limits is an operational matter for chief officers of police. The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) published guidelines on speed enforcement thresholds in February 2000 to support a transparent and consistent approach, while recognising that not all speeding offences are the same. The police retain discretion to take account of the particular circumstances of any individual speeding incident.

      The thresholds guidelines are available on the ACPO website, at www.acpo.police.uk.

      Public Service Agreements
      Mr. Bercow
      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on progress towards the public service agreement target for the reduction in residential burglary. [17057]
      1007W
      Mr. Denham
      Our target is that, by March 2005, there will be:a reduction in recorded domestic burglary of 25 per cent. (compared to the 12 months to March 1999)—ie down from 473,349 at least to 355,011;
      no local authority area having a domestic burglary rate (measured in burglaries per thousand households) more than three times the national average.

      In the 12 months to March 2001, there were 402,984 recorded burglaries; a reduction of 14.9 per cent. compared to March 1999.

      Firearms
      Mr. McNamara
      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he has taken since October 1997 to establish a central register of persons who have(a) applied for a licence and (b) to whom a licence to carry a firearm has been granted; what consideration he has given to extending the register (i) to Northern Ireland and (ii) to Scotland; and what information will be retained on this register. [21307]

      Mr. Denham
      The central register is being developed by the Police Information Technology Organisation as part of the PHOENIX database on the Police National Computer (PNC). Following receipt of an agreed user requirement, a detailed impact assessment was carried out of the work which needed to be done to link the PNC to existing firearms systems in forces. Work is planned for completion in November 2002.

      Section 39 of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997 which requires the establishment of a register, does not apply to Northern Ireland, which has separate firearms controls.

      Scottish forces already have a centralized database which is likely to meet the requirements of section 39, except that it is only accessible on-line to Scottish forces. Work is in hand to determine the detailed technical issues involved in making the necessary links with PNC.

      The register will record full details of all persons whose applications for grant or renewal of a firearm or shot gun certificate have been accepted or refused; and also of those whose certificates have been revoked. It will also bring to notice the details of any certificate holder who is arrested/summonsed, together with details of any subsequent conviction or other disposal.

      Police Response Vehicles
      Dr. Cable
      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police response vehicles are available in each London borough and to the British Transport police. [20614]

      Mr. Denham
      The number of police response vehicles available in each London borough is set out in the table. The three British Transport police operational areas covering London (which police an area larger than that covered by the London boroughs) have 25 response vehicles.
      1008W

      London borough

      Instant response vehicles

      Area vehicles

      Barking and Dagenham

      4

      2

      Barnet

      17

      4

      Bexley

      6

      2

      Brent

      13

      2

      Bromley

      10

      3

      Camden

      9

      4

      Croydon

      10

      5

      Ealing

      9

      3

      Enfield

      6

      3

      Greenwich

      11

      5

      Hackney

      10

      2

      Hammersmith and Fulham

      8

      2

      Haringey

      9

      2

      Harrow

      6

      2

      Havering

      8

      2

      Hillingdon

      8

      4

      Hounslow

      12

      2

      Islington

      11

      2

      Kensington and Chelsea

      4

      2

      Kingston

      9

      1

      Lambeth

      20

      4

      Lewisham

      9

      3

      Merton

      6

      2

      Newham

      9

      3

      Redbridge

      12

      3

      Richmond

      7

      2

      Southwark

      15

      3

      Sutton

      4

      2

      Tower Hamlets

      9

      2

      Waltham Forest

      8

      3

      Wandsworth

      14

      2

      Westminster

      18

      3

      Total

      311

      86

      Note:

      The vehicles are classed by the Metropolitan police as 'response vehicles'. However, there are many other vehicles used in boroughs that respond to calls e.g. vans, panda cars, CID cars.

      Police Corruption
      John McDonnell
      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers were charged with corruption in(a) 1996, (b) 1997, (c) 1998, (d) 1999 and (e) 2000; and how many have been convicted of corruption offences. [20496]

      Mr. Denham
      The following numbers of officers were convicted of corruption in England and Wales:

      Year

      Number

      1996–97

      5

      1997–98

      1

      1998–99

      2

      1999–2000

      3

      2000–01

      3

      The information required to provide the number of officers charged with corruption is not held centrally and to seek this information from all police forces would involve a disproportionate cost.

      John McDonnell
      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers in the Metropolitan police are allocated to the investigation of corruption within the police service. [20500]
      1009W
      Mr. Denham
      The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis informs me that currently there are 376 police officers and 130 civilian support staff allocated to the investigation of corruption.

      John McDonnell
      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the Government's strategy to tackle corruption in the police service. [20497]

      Mr. Denham
      Prevention and detection of corruption in the police is the responsibility of the chief officer of the police force concerned.

      The Standards Unit and the refocused Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) will support the work of the Association of Chief Police Officers and the guidance it has issued on the prevention and detection of corruption in the police.

      The Government will assist the police service in its fight against corruption by making changes to the complaints system. We will bring forward in the Police Bill proposals which will enable the Independent Police Complaints Commission (the replacement body for the Police Complaints Authority) to manage police investigations and to conduct its own independent investigations into alleged corruption.

      Metropolitan Police
      Mrs. May
      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of the additional Metropolitan police officers pledged by the MPA last year were to be funded by resources from the crime fighting fund; and what was the(a) level of central Government funding and (b) amount that was left to be funded by the GLA precept. [20375]

      Mr. Denham
      In order to achieve a net increase in strength of 1,050 officers over the year to 31 March 2001, the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) expects to have to recruit about 2,500 officers in 2001.

      Of the total number of recruits, 807 will be funded through the crime fighting fund (CFF) for whom the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) will receive about £25.5 million of CFF funding. It will also receive about £17.5 million to meet the cost of 555 CFF officers appointed in 2000–01.

      The cost of the remaining recruits will be met by the Metropolitan police authority from its budget. The budget provision for 2001–02 for the additional 1,050 officers was £23 million.

      Home Office police grant to the Metropolitan police for 2001–02 is £1,007.5 million and the total of revenue support grant and national non domestic rates is £658.7 million. Specific grants, including the crime fighting fund, are expected to total £60 million giving a total for central Government funding of £1,726 million.

      The total MPA precept for 2001–02 was £314 million.

      Anti-terrorism Measures
      Mr. Austin Mitchell
      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason he has registered the Terrorism (UN Measures) (Channel Islands) Order 1010W
      2001 of 9 October 2001 in advance of the provisions of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Bill being passed by Parliament. [22253]

      Mr. Wills
      I have been asked to reply.

      The Terrorism (United Nations Measures) (Channel Islands) Order 2001 implemented, in the Channel Islands, the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1373/2001, which contains provisions to suppress terrorist financing. The Order was made under the United Nations Act 1946. Orders implementing the Resolution in the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man and the Overseas Territories were also made on 9 October.

      Overseas Recruitment
      Mrs. Ellman
      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to enable highly skilled individuals to come to the United Kingdom to seek employment. [23252]

      Angela Eagle
      Currently, it is not possible for individuals, other than those with ancestral ties to the United Kingdom, to come to this country to seek and take up work in the absence of a job offer. This makes it difficult to attract highly mobile people with the special talents that are required in a modern economy. We are therefore introducing a programme specifically for highly skilled migrants which will enable them to come to the United Kingdom and seek work.

      This programme is designed to allow highly skilled people to migrate to the United Kingdom in order to seek and take up work. It differs from the work permit scheme, as it does not require an employer to obtain a permit for the individual, and from the existing business routes (for example, the Innovators scheme or other business categories) in that it does not require a detailed business plan or investment in the United Kingdom. It will initially be run as a concession outside the current immigration rules.

      In order to qualify, applicants will need to demonstrate that they score 75 points or more. Points can be scored in five areas: educational qualifications, work experience, past earnings, achievement in chosen field and "Highly Skilled Migrant Programme priority applications". This final area has been specifically designed to facilitate the recruitment and retention of suitably qualified overseas doctors who wish to work as general practitioners for the national health service.

      I am today placing in the Library a draft version of the guidance to applicants. This includes full details on how an individual can score sufficient points to meet the standard required to qualify under this programme. Applicants will also have to demonstrate that they can continue their chosen careers and that they will be able to maintain and accommodate themselves and any family while in the United Kingdom.

      Those already in the United Kingdom in a capacity leading to settlement may apply directly to the Home Office to obtain this status. We will also allow those graduating from a United Kingdom university, or completing their post-graduate medical studies, to apply while remaining in the United Kingdom, provided they have not been sponsored by their home governments.
      1011W
      The Highly Skilled Migrant Programme will run for an initial period of 12 months and will come into force in January 2002. Application forms will be available from the Home Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office websites at www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk and www.fco.gov.uk respectively. Applications will be accepted by diplomatic posts overseas from 28 January 2002.

      This programme represents a further step in developing our immigration system to maximise the benefits to the United Kingdom of highly skilled workers who have the qualifications and skills required by United Kingdom businesses to compete in the global marketplace. It will allow eminent scientists to base their research projects here, should encourage the movement of business and financial experts to the City of London and give those at the top of their chosen profession the choice of making the United Kingdom their home.

      Crime (Coventry)
      Mr. Jim Cunningham
      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the most frequent types of crime in Coventry are; what the level is of violent crime; and how many reports of these crimes there were(a) in 1998 and (b) at the last date for which figures are available. [20956]

      Mr. Denham
      [holding answer 10 December 2001]: Over the West Midlands as a whole, the most common category of crime is theft (including handling of stolen goods), which comprises about 38 per cent. of crime recorded by the police. This category is also the most common over England and Wales as a whole. Figures for all theft are not collected centrally below police force area level.

      Totals of offences of violence against the person, sexual offences, and robbery, which comprise violent crime, have been collected at the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) level since 1 April 1999. The total numbers of violent offences recorded in the Coventry CDRP area in the years ending March 2000 and March 2001 were 5,986 and 6,912 respectively.

      It should be noted that recorded violent crime is subject to changes in reporting and recording. The 2001 British Crime Survey found that, over England and Wales as a whole, reporting to the police of violent offences comparable to those in recorded crime rose from 35 per cent. in 1999 to 45 per cent. in 2000.

      Also, the British Crime Survey has shown that, in England and Wales as a whole, victimisation for the violent crime in the survey which is comparable to recorded crime decreased by 19 per cent. between the 1999 and 2000 calendar years, whereas comparable violent crime recorded by the police increased by nine per cent. Violent crime recorded by the police may therefore not necessarily be a reflection of real changes in the level of victimisation.

      Police Retention
      Dr. Kumar
      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the number of police officers(a) taking sustained sick leave and (b) who retire early on the grounds of ill health. [16880]
      1012W
      Mr. Denham
      [holding answer 22 November 2001]: Information from forces collected by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary shows that in 2000–01 2,591 officers in England and Wales (excluding the Metropolitan police and South Wales police, for which figures are not available) took long term sick leave (defined as continuous sick absence of 28 days or more).

      The Home Office plans to introduce a national occupational health strategy for the police service in England and Wales. The strategy will identify positive steps that forces can take to help officers who suffer illness or injury to make the speediest possible return to duty.

      The number of ill-health retirements has declined from 2,012 in 1996–97 (45 per cent. of retiring officers) to 1,209 in 2000–01 (31 per cent.). (The figures collected centrally do not distinguish whether ill-health retirement took place either before or after the officer concerned was eligible for a maximum 30-year pension.)

      The downward trend is encouraging but more work needs to be done. The Home Office has therefore asked the Police Negotiating Board to explore and agree ways to deliver a fair and more consistent approach towards early retirement due to ill health, so that forces can achieve the best quartile baseline by 2005.

      DI John Redgrave
      Andrew Mackinlay
      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 4 December 2001,Official Report, column 230W, when the solicitor was changed; and for whom he was acting. [21748]

      Mr. Denham
      [holding answer 10 December 2001]: The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis informs me that the solicitors previously referred to are from his Directorate of Legal Services and act on his behalf. The change of lawyers took place on 24 August 2001, as a consequence of the retirement of the original lawyer.

      Resource Allocation
      Mr. Syms
      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the transfer of £22 million from the criminal justice system reserve to the Crown Prosecution Service set out in the Winter Supplementary Estimate 2001–02. [22137]

      Mr. Keith Bradley
      [holding answer 10 December 2001]: The transfer of £22 million from the Criminal Justice System Reserve to the Crown Prosecution Service represents a payment towards the cost of approved initiatives that have the joint agreement of the Home Secretary, Lord Chancellor and Attorney-General. The initiatives support joined-up criminal justice priorities.

      Ministerial Meetings
      Chris Grayling
      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he last met the Chief Constable of Surrey. [20934]

      Mr. Denham
      The Home Secretary regularly meets Chief Constables on both formal and informal occasions, and most recently met Mr. Des O'Conner, in his capacity as Vice-President of the Association of Chief Police Officers, on 3 December.
      1013W

      Correspondence
      Mr. Keetch
      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter of 11 September from Mr. John Slough, a constituent; and if he will make a statement. [21221]

      Mr. Denham
      Mr. Slough's letter of 11 September was one of several regarding his claim for compensation under the terms of the Firearms Compensation Scheme. An offer was made to him on 5 October and this formed the basis of a subsequent payment in respect of certain outstanding items. A letter was sent to him on 17 October in respect of all outstanding correspondence, explaining that since these letters had been written an offer had been made and an explanation given as to why remaining items were considered ineligible.

      Flooding (Ilford)
      Linda Perham
      To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment his Department has made of the impact on civil defence procedures in Ilford, North of the flooding of the River Roding; and what improvements have been made in the last 12 months in the event of further flooding. [15530]

      Mr. Denham
      [holding answer 16 November 2001]: As part of its responsibility for servicing the Civil Contingencies Committee, which is chaired by the Home Secretary, the Cabinet Office makes grants to local authorities under regulations made under the Civil Defence Act 1948. These cover the costs of emergency planning, liaison, training and exercising. They do not cover risk mitigation, prevention or response and it has not therefore made an assessment of the impact of specific emergencies upon any local authority.

    TRANSPORT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND THE REGIONS

      British Airlines
      Mr. Hoyle
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what Government support is being given to British airlines. [16728]

      Mr. Byers
      I have decided to provide up to £40 million of financial assistance to compensate airlines for losses arising directly from the 11 September terrorist attacks in the United States. Qualifying airlines will now be invited to submit claims under this scheme. I have placed a copy of the scheme conditions in the Library.

      Compensation under the scheme will cover lost revenue over the period during which airspace was closed. It will also compensate for additional costs incurred during that period, such as (but not limited to) airport and airspace charges, costs incurred in transporting passengers from their diverted destination to their intended destination, additional operating costs of diverted aircraft and additional crew costs.

      In making this decision I have had regard to the views of many hon. Members who have written to me, of their constituents, of the airlines and of the trade unions. I accept that the circumstances, which are consequent both
      1014W
      on the terrorist attacks and on the subsequent decisions affecting airspace, are indeed exceptional and therefore merit exceptional assistance.

      The Government have worked with their European partners to minimise distortions to the single market, and have therefore supported guidelines which limit airline compensation to cover these exceptional circumstances.

      The assistance I am offering will help airlines at a time when passenger numbers on services between the UK and US, and therefore revenues, are still significantly below their pre-11 September levels, but without distorting competition or relieving airlines of the need to take appropriate measures to meet the changed conditions in the market. The UK is giving a lead in the EU in announcing a scheme of financial assistance in respect of the closure of US airspace, just as it was the first to provide third-party war risk insurance when the market failed.

      Assistance under this package is in conformity with Commission guidelines on state aid, and I have notified the Commission of my intention accordingly.

      Railtack
      Chris Grayling
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) what payments have been made to Railtrack in administration since 7 October by(a) the Treasury, (b) his Department, (c) the SRA and (d) the Rail Regulator; [18944]

      (2) if he will make a statement on the payment of £162 million by the SRA to Railtrack in administration subsequent to the abandoning of Renewco. [18952]

      Mr. Jamieson
      Since 7 October 2001, no payments have been made to Railtrack in administration by the Treasury or the Rail Regulator. Up to 7 December 2001, the SRA had paid £162 million of network grant and some £5 million for project development. My Department had made repayable cash advances of £1,228 million to Railtrack in administration under the Loan Agreement, copies of which were placed in the House Library on 17 October. Those advances, most of which are being used to repay existing Railtrack debt, are to be recouped from the realisation of assets of the company (or new debt) when it is brought out of administration.

      Mr. Redwood
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how much Government money was paid to Railtrack plc(a) directly and (b) via the Strategic Rail Authority in 2001–02 before the Administration Order; and how much was planned for the rest of the financial year. [19427]

      Mr. Spellar
      Between 1 April and 5 October 2001, the SRA paid £360.2 million to Railtrack. Between 5 October 2001 and 31 March 2002, the SRA is scheduled to pay £162 million to Railtrack. Apart from repayable cash advances made since 7 October to Railtrack in administration under the loan agreement, no payments have been made, or are planned to be made, direct to Railtrack in 2001–02 by my Department. Details of those cash advances were set out in the reply given by the Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Plymouth, Devonport (Mr. Jamieson), to the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling) on 13 December 2001,Official Report, column 1014W
      1015W
      Chris Grayling
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions on what dates requests for advances were received from the Railtrack administrator under section 5 of the commercial loan agreement; and if these were(a) trust and (b) working capital advances. [21480]

      Mr. Jamieson
      Requests for advances are received on a weekly basis. All such requests to date have been in respect of the trust accounts.

      Chris Grayling
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what variations in budget have been recorded in management accounts provided by the Railtrack administrator under section 8.1.6(a) of the commercial loan agreement. [21486]

      Mr. Jamieson
      The management accounts are produced by Railtrack and not the administrator, who has no involvement in their computation.

      Chris Grayling
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what limitations will restrict the amount the Railtrack Administrator may borrow. [21497]

      Mr. Jamieson
      The amount that the Administrator may borrow is restricted by the terms of the commercial loan agreement.

      Mr. Wray
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on the future of the railways; what operations are under consideration for changes to their structure; and what funds will be allocated to Railtrack(a) during the period of its administration and (b) in the event that it is bought by a private company. [22080]

      Mr. Jamieson
      [holding answer 12 December 2001]: The Government want Railtrack plc' s role as Network Operator transferred to a robust successor company capable of delivering the quality of service its customers deserve as soon as possible. The structure of the successor company will depend on which bid is approved by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State.

      As far as the Government's proposal for a private sector company limited by guarantee is concerned, the broad structure was outlined in the answer given by my right hon. Friend to my hon. Friend the Member for Preston (Mr. Hendrick) on 23 October 2001, Official Report, columns 195–97W. But it will be for the bid team, under the leadership of Ian McAllister, to present a detailed proposal to the Administrators.

      All potential bidders will need to take account of the guidelines published by my right hon. Friend in reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Gedling (Vernon Coaker) on 31 October 2001, Official Report, columns 669–71W. The guidelines require them to address very clearly the basis, extent and nature of support that will be required from the Government.

      The amount the Administrator needs to borrow to support the company will depend on how long administration lasts. All borrowing from the Department will be repaid at the point the network transfers to a successful company, if not before. The rail regulator's October 2000 periodic review and the April 2001
      1016W
      agreement on the timing of direct grants from the SRA set the level of Railtrack's income for the current control period (2001–06).

      Rail Regulator
      Miss McIntosh
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what his policy is on intervening to give directions to the Rail Regulator; and if he will make a statement. [20270]

      Mr. Jamieson
      The Government have said that they wish to review the regulatory regime applying to the railways. The Government believe that any reviewed regime should contain an element of independent regulation.

      Homelessness
      Mr. Jim Cunningham
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what is the estimated number of homeless people above the age of(a) 50, (b) 60 and (c) 70 years. [19361]

      Ms Keeble
      [holding answer 3 December 2001]: This information is not collected centrally.

      The Department collects summary information on the number of households accepted by local authorities in England under the homelessness provisions of the Housing Acts 1985 and 1996, as being eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need by main category of priority need. One of these categories is those households deemed vulnerable because of old age.

      Some 4,000 households were accepted under this category in 2000–01, 4 per cent. of the total.

      Age information on rough sleepers is not recorded in the format requested but information collected during counts of people sleeping rough and in homelessness agencies' client monitoring consistently shows that most rough sleepers are men, aged between 26 and 49.

      In its 1998 report on rough sleeping, the Social Exclusion Unit reported that 6 per cent. of rough sleepers were over 60 years of age.

      Mr. Hancock
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many homeless people there are in the Portsmouth, South constituency. [21796]

      Ms Keeble
      The latest available information reported to the Department by Portsmouth city council on the number of household accepted under the homelessness provisions of the Housing 1985 and 1996 Acts as being eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and the number of homeless households in temporary accommodation is as follows:

      Number of households

      Accepted as eligible, unintentionally homeless and in priority need during July to September 2001

      162

      Resident in temporary accommodation on 31 September 2001

      70

      Source:

      DTLR P1(E) housing activity return (quaterly)
      1017W

      Train Delays
      Miss McIntosh
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what representations he has received on the delays on trains over the last two months; and if he will make a statement. [20748]

      Mr. Jamieson
      I am aware of 184 written representations received in the past two months by this Department and the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) about the performance of rail services.

      External Consultants
      Mr. Bercow
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the cost was to his Department of the use of external consultants in each of the last four years. [21246]

      Dr. Whitehead
      Figures for the spend in 2000–01 is £98.7 million and in the year to date is £79.5 million. These figures include spend by the former Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. Figures for the previous two years can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

      Stocking Farm Scheme
      Mr. Clappison
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions further to his answer of 20 November 2001,Official Report, column 182W, on the Beaumont Leys Stocking Farm Scheme, if he will indicate (a) how many of the jobs were taken by residents of the area covered by the single regeneration budget (SRB) scheme and (b) how many of the jobs were sustained jobs; and if he will give a sectoral breakdown of the jobs. [21213]

      Ms Keeble
      Seven of the 29 jobs created in the Leicester North West SRB programme have been taken by residents from the SRB area. All seven jobs have been sustained for at least six months. Six of the jobs are in the education sector and one in the creative industries sector.

      Rail Safety
      Mr. Don Foster
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) what steps have been taken to revise the railway safety group standard for crashworthiness with reference to(a) the design requirements for more realistic scenarios, (b) high speed accidents and (c) dynamic verification testing; [21172]

      (2) whether the group standard on signal sighting requires that explicit consideration be given to the readability of a signal. [21097]

      Mr. Jamieson
      I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 10 December 2001,Official Report, columns 568–93W.

      Millennium Dome
      Nick Harvey
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will state, on a monthly basis, from the date for which the most recent figures are available until December 2002, the(a) amount and (b) nature of any debts likely to be
      1018W
      incurred by the Millennium Dome if by that time no arrangements have been made and put into effect for its lease or sale. [21211]

      Ms Keeble
      After assuming the ownership of the Dome from the New Millennium Experience Company, on 1 July 2001, English Partnerships has not incurred any debts and is not expecting to do so in future. However, it has been incurring costs in relation to the Dome, as reported to both Houses recently. All such costs are to be recovered from eventual sale proceeds.

      Mr. Clifton-Brown
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will publish a full prospectus of sale for the Dome site; and if housing built on the Dome site will meet the Government's 10-year target for house building on brownfield sites in London. [22760]

      Ms Keeble
      At present, we do not intend to publish a prospectus of sale for the Dome site, given the continuation of market testing. As previously stated, and on the basis of professional advice, we are in discussion with a small number of serious contenders. Information on the Dome and associated land is made available to interested parties as necessary, in the course of confidential discussions.

      The building of houses on the Dome site is not proposed.

      Mr. Yeo
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) how many staff English Partnerships will have on duty at the Ministry of Sound's new year's eve party at the Millennium Dome, broken down by the nature and purpose of their duty; [22861]

      (2) how many staff from the emergency services will be on duty at the Ministry of Sound's new year's eve party at the Millennium Dome; [22862]

      Ms Keeble
      Arrangements with the emergency services are a matter for the Ministry of Sound and the relevant services and authorities. I understand that discussions are on-going.

      English Partnerships—as owner of the site—will have seven personnel on duty to supervise the Ministry of Sound's operations, including English Partnership's security in relation to those parts of the peninsula which will not be Ministry of Sound's responsibility. But prime responsibility for organisation of all aspects of the night's activities lies contractually with the Ministry of Sound.

      Mr. Yeo
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 6 December 2001,Official Report, column 448W, on the Millennium Dome, for what reason the three holes in the internal lining of the roof of the Millennium Dome do not need repair; and if he will make a statement. [22798]

      Ms Keeble
      It is understood that the holes to the internal lining of the two skin roof were created during the construction and fitting out period for the Dome, and during the operational year of the Dome. These do not need repairing at present as they do not affect the operation and effectiveness of the roof and the inner lining.
      1019W
      Mr. Yeo
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many staff of English Partnerships are working(a) full time and (b) part time on the (i) sale, (ii) leasing and (iii) maintenance of the Millennium Dome. [22853]

      Ms Keeble
      The numbers of staff directly employed by English Partnerships in relation to the Dome are:

      Full-time

      Part-time

      Sale

      1

      8

      Leasing

      0

      4

      Maintenance

      4

      8

      Mr. Yeo
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many staff were employed at the Millennium Dome in each month of this year, indicating for each member of staff(a) the length of their contract and (b) their responsibilities. [22854]

      Ms Keeble
      The information is not available centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

      Mr. Yeo
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what information is given to those people and undertakings who have expressed an interest in(a) bidding for and (b) leasing the Millennium Dome; and if he will place a copy of this information in the Library. [22859]

      Ms Keeble
      The information supplied has varied depending upon the nature of the inquiry.

      Mr. Yeo
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when the Ministry of Sound's period of hire of the Millennium Dome for their New Year's Eve party will(a) start and (b) finish; and if he will make a statement. [22860]

      Ms Keeble
      The Ministry of Sound commences setting up for the event on 17 December 2001, and has planning consent for the event to run from 7.00 pm on 31 December 2001 until 9.00 am on 1 January 2002. They are due to have removed all their equipment by 9 January 2002.

      Rate Relief (Buckinghamshire)
      Mr. Bercow
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many(a) village pubs, (b) post offices and (c) petrol stations in the Buckingham constituency have received rate relief in (i) 2000–01 and (ii) 2001–02. [220331

      Dr. Whitehead
      To qualify for village shop rate relief properties must be located in a qualifying settlement. That is one that is located in a designated rural area and has a population of less than 3,000. Although qualifying rural areas are designated centrally it is the responsibility of the local authorities to identify qualifying settlements of less than 3,000 persons in these rural areas. They are not required to notify us of these settlements. Therefore, we do not know where or how many properties in a particular area are in qualifying rural settlements.

      Neither do we know how many properties have been granted relief. Although local authorities provide the Department with the amount of rate relief granted in any year this is not broken down into the different types of property that are eligible to receive it. Neither are they
      1020W
      required to say how many properties have received relief. However, from next year we will be asking local authorities to provide such breakdowns in their returns.

      In 2000–01 Aylesbury Vale district council granted £18,095 in mandatory rate relief to qualifying village premises and for 2001–02 they estimate the figure to be £20,535.

      Railways
      Mr. Drew
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what discussions he has had with(a) the Rail Regulator and (b) the Strategic Rail Authority on redefining their roles. [21711]

      Mr. Jamieson
      [holding answer 10 December 2001]: We are considering options for streamlining the regulatory regime. This has involved discussions with the Rail Regulator and the new Chairman of the Strategic Rail Authority.

      Chris Grayling
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what was the total number of timetabled rail services in the United Kingdom in(a) 1993, (b) 1997 and (c) 2001. [21945]

      Mr. Jamieson
      In 1993–94 217 million train miles were operated on the UK railway network, in 1997–98 240 million and in 2000–01 268 million. Information on the number of specific services timetabled in each year is dependent upon the definition of 'service' and would be available from the National Rail timetable for the particular year, copies of which are in the Library of the House.

      Rail Franchises
      Chris Grayling
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what representations he has received about the financial implications of delay to the completion of the new South West trains and South Central franchises. [21851]

      Mr. Jamieson
      Apart from comments made by hon. Members in recent Adjournment debates, I have received no such representations.

      West Coast Main Line
      Chris Grayling
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what discussions his Department has had with Virgin trains since 7 October about the West Coast main line. [21849]

      Mr. Jamieson
      Officials from my Department and the Strategic Rail Authority have met with Virgin trains on a number of occasions since 7 October to discuss options for taking forward the West Coast Main Line upgrade. Discussions have also been held with Railtrack and other users and stakeholders.

      London Underground
      Chris Grayling
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the rate of(a) track and (b) signal failures has been on suburban routes into (i) Waterloo and (ii) London Victoria in each of the past six months. [21949]
      1021W
      Mr. Jamieson
      This information is not held centrally in the form requested. The Strategic Rail Authority publish performance statistics in their quarterly "On Track" publication. A new edition will be published shortly.

      Mr. Syms
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how the increased provision of money as set out on page 5 of the 2001–02 Winter Supplementary Estimates to the Supply Estimates for London Underground PPP advisers and rail consultants is to be spent. [22251]

      Mr. Jamieson
      The proposed increased provision is primarily for work related to Railtrack. The proposed provision for London Underground allows the Department to employ independent advisers where necessary, including Ernst and Young who are currently carrying out a review of London Underground's value for money evaluation of the tube modernisation plans.

      Tom Brake
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what estimate he has made of the costs(a) incurred to date and (b) that will be incurred if he decides not to proceed with PPP for the London Underground. [22267]

      Mr. Jamieson
      [holding answer 11 December 2001]: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for South Ribble (Mr. Borrow) on 4 December 2001, Official Report, column 296W, for part (a) of this question. For part (b) I refer him to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Eltham (Clive Efford) on 19 November 2001, Official Report, column 32W. It is not possible to estimate what cost might be involved.

      Pneumoconiosis Compensation Grant
      Mr. Syms
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many people have received a contribution from the pneumoconiosis compensation grant each year since 1979. [22247]

      Dr. Whitehead
      Since the Act came into force in 1980 and up until 31 March 2001, 9,396 claimants have received a payment. The yearly breakdown of figures is as follows:

      Year

      Claims paid

      1979–83

      4,293

      1983–84

      133

      1984–85

      55

      1985–86

      75

      1986–87

      61

      1987–88

      67

      1988–89

      55

      1989–90

      105

      1990–91

      147

      1991–92

      149

      1992–93

      162

      1993–94

      202

      1994–95

      307

      1995–96

      363

      1996–97

      453

      1997–98

      391

      1998–99

      651

      1999–2000

      799

      2000–01

      928

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      Council Tax
      David Wright
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on the arrangements for council tax benefit subsidy limitation for 2002–03 revenue support grant settlements. [21846]

      Dr. Whitehead
      We have announced the abolition of the council tax benefit subsidy limitation scheme with effect from 2002–03 in the White Paper "Strong Local Leadership—Quality Public Services".

      Business Rates
      Matthew Taylor
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assessment he has made of the reason for the change in the seasonal pattern of business rates receipts in(a) 2001–02 and (b) 2000–01. [22194]

      Dr. Whitehead
      No detailed assessment has been made of the reason for the change in the seasonal pattern of business rate receipts in England in(a) 2001–02 and(b) 2000–01. However, a comparison of the overall business rates receipts for the first two quarters of 2000–01 compared with the same quarters in 2001–02 is given in the table:

      Business rate receipts

      April to June

      July to September

      2000–01 (£ million)

      4,357

      4,040

      2001–02 (£ million)

      5,023

      4,407

      Percentage increase

      15

      9

      The figures cover both receipts from the central list (collected by central Government) and from local lists (collected by local authorities). There are several factors that can influence the amount of business rates received from one year to the next. Some of them are likely to have led to overall increases in amounts received between 2000–01 and 2001–02, and others are likely to have led to overall decreases. Factors that are known to have influenced the pattern of business rates received in 2000–01 compared with so far in 2001–02 are described as follows:

      (a) The total rateable value increased from £39,169 million in April 2000 to £41,807 million in April 2001;

      (b) The multiplier increased from 41.6p in 2000–01 and to 43.0p in 2001–02. This increase was in line with changes in the Retail Prices Index, as required by legislation;

      (c) The transfer of Crown properties to local lists in 2000–01 caused some delay to the issue of bills in that year. Consequently, in 2001–02 there has been a change in the pattern of business rate receipts as result of some Crown properties paying their bill in full at the start of the financial year;

      (d) Similarly, the transfer of power stations from the central list to local lists from 2000–01 caused some delay to the issue of bills in that year. Consequently, business rate receipts for power stations are spread more evenly across the financial year in 2001–02 than they were in 2000–01, with a higher proportion being received in the first half of the year;

      (e) The effects of foot and mouth disease, resulting in an increase in the amount of hardship relief granted, deferment of payment by business rate payers to help overcome short-term cash-flow difficulties and, on a slightly longer timescale, a reduction in rateable values.

      1023W
      Other general factors that can influence business rate receipt levels in any year include:

      (f) addition of new assessments to the rating list as a result, for example, of the opening of new large retail premises;

      (g) other local difficulties, such as the closure of significant businesses in the area;

      (h) late dispatch of bills; and difficulties faced by the introduction of new computer systems; and

      (i) successful appeals on the rateable value, with refunds going back several years.

      Emissions
      Mr. Michael Jabez Foster
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he next plans to meet motor industry leaders to discuss the Government's policy on fuel emissions. [20564]

      Mr. Jamieson
      [holding answer 11 December 2001]: DTLR Ministers regularly meet motor industry leaders to discuss fuel emissions and have a number of upcoming meetings including a seminar on the Powering Future Vehicles consultation paper on 30 January 2002. The Department's officials are also in regular contact with representatives of both the motor and oil industries in developing policy in relation to motor vehicle emissions and fuel quality.

      Abandoned Vehicles
      Dr. Murrison
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will publish an impact assessment of the Statutory Off Road Notification Scheme on the number of abandoned vehicles in England. [22469]

      Mr. Jamieson
      The reasons for the increase in abandoned vehicles are largely economic with the significant fall in the price of scrap metal, and the price of second-hand vehicles has been falling steadily. The SORN regulations are not the reason behind the increase in the number of abandoned vehicles and there are no plans to publish an impact assessment.

      Local Government Finance
      Mr. Kidney
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his oral statement of 4 December 2001,Official Report, columns 167–70, what measures of price increases he took into account in assessing the real-terms increases to which he referred. [22748]

      Dr. Whitehead
      The gross domestic product (GDP) deflator was used to assess the real-terms increase in grant since the Government took office referred to in the statement on the proposals for the funding of local government revenue expenditure next year. A series for the GDP deflator in index form is produced by the Treasury from data provided by the Office for National Statistics. This series is extended to future years by applying Treasury forecasts of the inflation rate. The series allows for the effects of changes in price (inflation) to be removed from a time series.

      Mr. Salter
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will announce details of the capital allocations to local authorities through the single capital pot for 2002–03. [23034]
      1024W
      Mr. Raynsford
      I am today announcing the first all-purpose capital allocations to local authorities through the single capital pot for 2002–03. A total of £2.3 billion will be provided in this first year of the pot. This is more than double the amount authorities received last year in basic credit approvals (BCAs).

      Today's announcement reflects the substantial increases in public resources provided for local government investment in Spending Review 2000 and demonstrates our real commitment to delivering first rate public services.

      These funds will not be ring-fenced for any particular capital investment. While the pot is made up of allocations from housing, transport, education and health budgets, councils will be free to make their own decisions about investing their capital funds locally. This delivers to councils more autonomy and flexibility to invest according to the priorities of the local community.

      The single capital pot also includes a new discretionary element. Five per cent. of the total resources available through the pot have been distributed to authorities on the basis of their performance in delivering the relevant services and the quality of their strategic asset management planning. Its purpose is to encourage and reward the effective use of a council's physical assets and new capital investment in supporting delivery of quality services and achieving better value for local people.

      Detailed tables, showing the total service allocations and the discretionary allocations for each authority, have been placed in the Library of the House. These include allocations that form part of the local transport capital settlement announced today. In parallel, housing authorities will today receive details of their housing allocations and a copy of these has also been placed in the Library.

      Regional Assembly (South-east)
      Dr. Julian Lewis
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many written representations he has received from people in the New Forest, East constituency expressing support for an elected regional assembly in the south-east of England in the past 12 months. [22801]

      Dr. Whitehead
      None.

      Social Exclusion
      Andrew Selous
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) if he will list the competitive grant scheme, administered by the Department and its agencies, open in each year since 1997 to organisations in the voluntary and community sector for the purposes of tackling social exclusion and, for each scheme in each year(a) the number of applicants,(b) the number of successful applicants, (c) the total of grants awarded, (d) the number of pages in the application form and (e) if the grant can be used to fund the core costs of the applicant organisation; [22426]

      (2) what estimate has been made of the administrative cost to the (a) state, (b) unsuccessful applicants and(c) successful applicants of the competitive grant schemes, provided by his Department and its agencies

      1025W
      open in each year since 1997 to organisations in the voluntary and community sector for the purposes of tackling social exclusion; [22405]

      (3) if he will provide a list of the grants made under the competitive grant schemes administered by his Department and its agencies open in each year since 1997 to organisations in the voluntary and community sector for the purposes of tackling social exclusion; [22422]

      (4) how many different competitive grant schemes administered by his Department and its agencies were open in each of the last 10 years to organisations in the voluntary and community sector for the purposes of tackling social exclusion; [22432]

      (5) if he will place in the Library a copy of the application form for each of the competitive grant schemes administered by his Department and its agencies open in each year since 1997 to organisations in the voluntary and community sector for the purposes of tackling social exclusion. [22411]

      Ms Keeble
      [holding answer 12 December 2001.]: The information requested can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

      Local Transport Capital Settlement
      Mrs. Humble
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will announce details of the local transport capital settlement for 2002–03. [22869]

      Mr. Spellar
      Local Transport Plans (LTPs) are the cornerstone of our integrated transport policy at local level. They require authorities to take a longer term, more strategic view than was previously the case. In return we provide greater certainty over the funding authorities can expect for the next five years.

      Last December we announced an £8.4 billion package over five years for schemes to help deliver integrated transport at the local level. As part of this, we gave authorities an indication of the funding they could expect to receive in 2002–03. The total funding available for 2002–03 is £1.58 billion, compared with the £1.36 billion available for 2001–02. As announced last year, annual funding is projected to rise further to reach £1.9 billion per year in 2004–05 and 2005–06.

      Today we are announcing the firm allocations each authority will receive for 2002–03. We are providing more for each authority than we had previously indicated which will allow them to take forward more of the smaller scale improvements that can make a big difference at local level. These include improvements to public transport, schemes to make local roads safer, less congested and better maintained, and measures to encourage cycling and walking. In addition we are accepting for funding a further 23 major local transport schemes, to add to the 69 major schemes accepted last year.

      Copies of the press notice incorporating a list of allocations for individual local transport plans have been placed in the Library of the House. Details have also been sent to hon. Members.
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      Transport (East England)
      Helen Jones
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he has considered the recommendations of the East of England Local Government Conference following completion of the Cambridge to Huntingdon multi-modal study; and if he will make a statement. [22870]

      Ms Keeble
      My right hon. Friend the Minister for Transport has today written to the Head of Planning and Transportation at the East of England Local Government Conference and has placed a copy of his letter in the House of Commons Library.

      The multi-modal studies programme is a key element of our policies for integrated transport. It applies rigorously the principles which underpin our 10 Year Plan, matching solutions to severe transport problems by assessing all the options across different transport modes.

      The Cambridge to Huntingdon multi-modal study has looked in depth at the problems caused by the congested A14. These include unreliable journey times, affecting freight and public transport, as well as motorists, and accidents and congestion on other unsuitable local roads.

      The study, recommended in full by the East of England Local Government Conference, called for:

      A guided bus system utilising the former Cambridge to St Ives rail corridor as its core;

      Complementary measures to encourage public transport, cycling and walking;

      The widening and partial realignment of the A14 in the corridor to form a three-lane carriageway, including a southern bypass of Huntingdon;

      Associated junction and local road improvements, including parallel local roads between the M11 and east of Fenstanton.

      We welcome the solutions proposed by the study. They present an integrated package of measures to improve conditions for travel in the corridor between Huntingdon and Cambridge. I am particularly encouraged that many local transport elements, such as a new guided bus system, park and ride, bus priority and improved walking and cycling facilities have been included in the recommendations. These offer the prospect of great benefits to the city of Cambridge and the surrounding area.

      Some concerns have been expressed about the potential environmental impacts of the proposed road improvements. The provision of additional road capacity should only be considered after measures for making better use of existing capacity have been fully explored. In this case, however, we believe that public transport investment alone could not meet the objectives of the study. We are satisfied that a new alignment for the A 14 south of Huntingdon would secure balancing environmental benefits by taking through traffic off the highly intrusive viaducts through Huntingdon.

      The multi-modal study process does not pre-empt any of the other statutory processes. More detailed work is now required to develop and appraise individual proposals. We are inviting Cambridgeshire County Council to come forward with a full appraisal of the early phases of the guided bus project within six months and to explore further with the Strategic Rail Authority, Railtrack and the train operators the viability of the third phase alongside an existing railway line.
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      We have also asked the County Council to develop, in consultation with district councils and others, local transport proposals for measures to support public transport, cycling and walking. The proposals will need to be developed in consultation with local people whose commitment to reducing congestion and pollution in the area will be essential to the success of the Preferred Plan.

      In addition, the Highways Agency will commence preparatory work on the trunk road elements in the Preferred Plan with a view to adding the scheme to the Targeted Programme of Improvements in the near future. I am also aware that the recently published Cambridge Implementation Study has set out ideas for substantial public and private investment in transport and other infrastructure and I envisage that the partnership which supports that study should be a good foundation for further co-ordinated working to implement CHUMMS.

      Planning (North-West)
      Mr. Chaytor
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many planning applications were considered by planning authorities in the north-west region during 2000–01 in respect of land designated by the appropriate unitary development plan as green belt which were(a) approved and (b) refused by the local authority but subsequently approved at appeal. [20738]

      Ms Keeble
      The DTLR does not hold information on the number of planning applications in the green belt.

      The number of planning applications in the green belt, which were refused by local planning authorities and subsequently approved on appeal in the north-west in the financial year 2000–01, was 41.

      Formula Rents
      Mr. Dismore
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions after the introduction of formula rents in spring 2002, if vacant properties will be re-let at the full formula rent or at the lower figure then applying to similar property; and if he will make a statement. [22678]

      Ms Keeble
      Our approach to vacant properties is set out in "Guide to Social Rent Reforms" published at the same time as the December 2000 housing policy statement "Quality and Choice: A decent home for all—the way forward for housing". Social landlords will have discretion over whether to use re-lets as a means of moving more quickly towards the target rents given by the formula, or whether to keep the rents on re-lets in line with their general progress towards target rents for similar properties.

      Waterloo to Exeter Railway Line
      Mr. Swire
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the(a) total investment.(b) total passenger numbers and (c) average daily number of trains were in each of the last 10 years for the Waterloo to Exeter railway line. [22242]

      Mr. Jamieson
      Not all of the information is available in the form requested. The annual number of passenger journeys on the Waterloo-Exeter route were 4,297,000 in 1998–99; 4,468,000 in 1999–2000 and; 4,749,000 in 1028W
      2000–01. Information on the number of services operated each year is available from the National Rail Timetable, copies of which are in the Library of the House.

      Speed Cameras
      Mr. Clapham
      To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many speed cameras are positioned on roads in the United Kingdom; and which county has the most. [22227]

      Mr. Jamieson
      [holding answer 12 December 2001]: This information is not collected centrally. It is for local highway authorities, in conjunction with the police, to decide where speed cameras are deployed. Guidance on deployment is available to local authorities in
      Circular Roads 1/92.

    CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

      Picketts Lock
      Harry Cohen
      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to her answer of 31 October 2001,Official Report, column 757W, on Picketts Lock, if she will place the letter from Ann Roberts and her reply in the Library; and if she will make a statement. [20611]

      Mr. Caborn
      Ann Roberts, chair of the Lee Valley regional park authority, wrote to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 12 October. A copy of this letter and my right hon. Friend's reply is being placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

      Departmental Expenditure Limit
      Mr. Bercow
      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of the increase in the departmental expenditure limit from 2001–02 to 2002–03 will be accounted for by wage costs. [21240]

      Dr. Howells
      The level of wage costs within my departmental budget this year and in future years will be dependent upon negotiations. My Department's departmental report to be published next spring will give retrospective costs.

      Millennium Dome
      Nick Harvey
      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what is the(a) amount and (b) nature of debts incurred by the Millennium Dome; and what is the timetable for repayment. [21397]

      Dr. Howells
      The New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC), which built and operated the Dome, handed it over to English Partnerships on 30 June 2001. NMEC has no long-term debt. At the end of November 2001, NMEC held invoices totalling £297,000. NMEC intends to pay all these prior to or shortly after the appointment of a liquidator, expected to be by the end of the year.

      New Opportunities Fund
      Nick Harvey
      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) how much money has been allocated for each of the programmes provided by the New
      1029W
      Opportunities Fund (a) in total and (b) in each financial quarter since the date for which the first grant was awarded; [22262]

      (2) how much money has been allocated for each of the programmes provided by the New Opportunities Fund broken down by local authority district, in rank order according to the index of multiple deprivation, in each financial quarter since the date for which the first grant was awarded until the most recent date for which details are available. [22339]

      Mr. Caborn
      It is not possible to provide the information on New Opportunities Fund spend by individual local authority district for each financial quarter. I have however placed the other information requested in the Libraries of both Houses.

      Sports Clubs (Charity Status)
      Mr. Lidington
      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the number of sports clubs likely to be eligible for charitable status following the Charity Commission's announcement of 27 November. [21715]

      Mr. Caborn
      [holding answer 10 December 2001]: I welcome the Charity Commission's announcement of 30 November which will benefit sport and local communities. The Central Council of Physical Recreation estimates that there are over 110,000 community amateur sports clubs across the UK. Any of these clubs that are concerned with encouraging the community to participate in active sports will be able to apply for charitable status once they have made suitable minor amendments to their club constitutions and membership rules.

      The Government are currently consulting on their assessment that the Charity Commission's decision on charitability would appear to offer better prospects for community amateur sports clubs than a tax relief package the Government had been considering. Responses to that consultation are requested by the Treasury by 1 February 2002.

      I intend to meet representatives of the Charity Commission early in the new year to discuss the extent of applications from sport for charitable status and the fuller guidance the Commission intends to issue on this subject in due course.

      Bingo
      Mr. Laxton
      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she will take to implement the recommendations by the Gaming Board for Great Britain to increase the monetary limits for prize bingo. [23389]

      Mr. Caborn
      I have considered the Board's recommendations and will shortly be laying before Parliament an Order under the Gaming Act 1968 to increase the maximum cash prize in a bingo game played in a bingo club from £15 to £25 and an Order under the Lotteries and Amusements Act 1976 which will increase the maximum cash prize that may be offered in a prize bingo game played in an amusement arcade from £15 to £25 and which will increase the maximum aggregate amount that may be taken by way of the sale of chances in any one prize bingo game played at an arcade from £60 to £90.
      1030W

      Holding Answers
      Annabelle Ewing
      To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of parliamentary questions replied to by her Department were the subject of a holding answer in the last three Sessions of Parliament. [22013]

      Dr. Howells
      [holding answer 10 December 2001]: In the 1998–99 Parliamentary Session, the Department gave holding replies to 63 per cent. of the 512 named day questions received. In the 1999–2000 Session, holding replies were given to 69 per cent. of the 839 named day questions received and in the 2000–01 Session, 52 per cent. of the 289 named day questions tabled to the Department received holding replies.

    LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

      Magistrates Courts (Essex)
      Mr. Hurst
      To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many magistrates courts were operating in the(a) county of Essex and (b) unitary boroughs of Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea in (i) 1971, (ii) 1981, (iii) 1991, (iv) 1999 and (v) 2001. [R] [21753]

      Mr. Wills
      Responsibility for providing magistrates courthouses falls to local authorities in England and Wales. Neither the Home Office which had responsibility for the magistrates courts service up to 1992, nor the Lord Chancellor's Department which took responsibility over at that time has a central record of courthouses provided locally prior to 1995. I am informed that Essex magistrates courts committee has no records prior to 1995. In 1999 and 2001 there were 10 magistrates courts operating in Essex, with one in each of the unitary boroughs of Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea.

    PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE

      Capital Assets
      Matthew Taylor
      To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 20 November 2001,Official Report, column 270W, on capital assets, what guidelines the (a) National Audit Office and (b) Treasury issue on how to classify who bears the risks and rewards associated with an asset. [19189]

      Mr. Alan Williams
      I have been asked to reply in so far as the hon. Member's question refers to the National Audit Office.

      As financial auditors, the National Audit Office do not themselves issue guidelines on how to classify who bears the risks and rewards associated with an asset. This is the job of HM Treasury, as described in the Chief Secretary's written answer of 29 November 2001, Official Report, column 1122W.

      The National Audit Office as part of its financial audit work would consider whether, for the purposes of the published annual accounts of the body in question, the body's assessment with regard to who bears the risk and rewards associated with an asset has been properly carried out in compliance with the standards and guidance set down by the Treasury.

  Weapons of Mass Destruction
  Weapons of Mass Destruction
  Entry Clearance Refusals
  Entry Clearance Refusals
  Sri Lankan Asylum Seekers
  Sri Lankan Asylum Seekers
  Firearms Incidents Involving Police Personnel
  Firearms Incidents Involving Police Personnel
  Highly Skilled Migrants
  Highly Skilled Migrants
  Security Council Resolution 1373
  Security Council Resolution 1373
  Doha Declaration
  Doha Declaration
  Near Earth Objects Task Force
  Near Earth Objects Task Force
  Joint Services Adventurous Training (Gliding)
  Joint Services Adventurous Training (Gliding)
  British Troops on Active Service
  British Troops on Active Service
  Chinook Mark 2/2a Helicopter
  Chinook Mark 2/2a Helicopter
  HMS Victory Fore Topsail
  HMS Victory Fore Topsail
  Future Offensive Air System
  Future Offensive Air System
  Private Hospitals in London: NHS Occupancy
  Private Hospitals in London: NHS Occupancy
  Autism
  Autism
  Breast Cancer
  Breast Cancer
  Human Embryonic Stem Cells
  Human Embryonic Stem Cells
  Geron Bio-med
  Geron Bio-med
  Cannabis: Therapeutic Uses Report
  Cannabis: Therapeutic Uses Report
  Diabetes
  Diabetes
  Statutory Provisions: Commencement
  Statutory Provisions: Commencement
  Deaths in Custody
  Deaths in Custody
  Rural Task Force
  Rural Task Force
  Primary School Teachers: Male Graduates
  Primary School Teachers: Male Graduates