Written Answers of 9 February 2001

PRIME MINISTER

  Review Body on Senior Salaries
  Mr. Miller
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the report and recommendations of the Review Body on Senior Salaries. [150123]

  The Prime Minister
  The 2001 report of the Review Body on Senior Salaries, which makes recommendations about the pay of the senior civil service, senior military personnel and the judiciary, together with the annual uprating of parliamentary salaries, is being published today. Copies are in the Vote Office and the Library of the House. I am grateful to the chairman and the members of the review body for their work.

  The main recommendations of the review body are:
  an increase from 1 April 2001 of 3 per cent. in the minimum and maximum values of each of the pay bands for the senior civil service. Within the bands, Departments will determine the individual awards on the basis of performance. As last year, a further 0.4 per cent. of the total senior civil service pay bill should be made available to fund additional performance awards for the most senior staff, whose pay has fallen well behind comparable remuneration elsewhere;
  an increase from 1 April 2001 of 3.7 per cent. in judicial salaries; and
  an increase from 1 April 2001 of 3.7 per cent. in the maxima of the pay ranges within which individual salaries are set for senior military officers.

  The Government have decided to accept these recommendations. Their cost will be met within existing departmental expenditure limits.

  Pay increases for Members of Parliament and Ministers are linked automatically to the increase in pay bands for the senior civil service. Their pay entitlement will therefore increase from 1 April 2001 by 3 per cent.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Consumer Protection
  Mr. Cash
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what were the levels of spending on consumer protection per head of population in(a) Staffordshire and (b) each other county of England (i) in the current year and (ii) in each of the last three years, distinguishing in each case the element represented by Standard Spending Assessment. [148294]

  Dr. Howells
  The accompanying table of statistics sets out spending per head of population on consumer protection in(a) Staffordshire and (b) in each other county of England (i) in the current year and (ii) in each of the last three years. A copy of the statistics has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
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  It is not possible to distinguish the element represented by the Standard Spending Assessment, as that does not make separate provision for consumer protection.

  Press Releases
  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many press releases were issued by his Department in the financial years(a) 1996–97, (b) 1997–98, (c) 1998–99 and (d) 1999–2000; how many have been issued in the current financial year; and what his estimate is of the total number for the current financial year. [149244]

  Dr. Howells
  [holding answer 8 February 2001]: The number of press release issued in each financial year is:

  (a) 1996–97: 996

  (b)1997–98: 851

  (c)1998–99: 1,107

  (d)1999–2000: 1,010

  (e)2000–01 (to date): 693.

  Postal Services Commission
  Mr. Pound
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he will lay the Government's proposed social and environmental guidance to the Postal Services Commission; and if he will make a statement. [150127]

  Mr. Alan Johnson
  Yesterday I laid in the Library of each House the draft social and environmental guidance which the Secretary of State proposes to issue to the Postal Services Commission in accordance with section 43 of the Postal Services Act 2000. A consultation on the draft guidance was carried out in accordance with section 43(3) of the Act. The consultation closed on 31 January and six responses were received for which the Government are grateful. They contained a number of useful suggestions which have been taken into account in refining the draft guidance.

  The process of giving statutory social and environmental guidance has been developed to provide a means of ensuring that regulators take due account of the Government's social and environmental policies in carrying out their statutory functions. Regulators have a statutory duty to have regard to the guidance.

  Alkaline Hydrolysis
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what evidence he has collated on the export potential of the technology of alkaline hydrolysis at elevated temperature for the inactivation of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies; and what action he is taking to assist British firms with the licence to manufacture the required machinery. [147864]

  Mr. Alan Johnson
  [holding answer 30 January 2001]: I refer my hon. Friend to the answers given him by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State, Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on 15 January 2001, Official Report, column 57W. In addition, I understand that the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Department of Health are currently funding research to assess the efficacy of the technology in inactivating infectious TSE agents. Plainly, that is a crucial factor to be addressed before the export potential can be considered.
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  Pension Funds
  Mr. Wyatt
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with other Departments on the distribution of pension funds when stock market listed companies are involved in takeovers; and if he will make a statement.[148980]

  Dr. Howells
  [holding answer 6 February 2001]: None. My Department considers takeovers in line with its competition policy and under the relevant European and UK statutory procedures. Mergers of occupational pension schemes and the distribution of pension funds must take place in accordance with the Pension Act 1995 and Inland Revenue regulations. It is for the trustees of a pension scheme to ensure that changes are carried out in accordance with legislation and do not disadvantage members. Scheme members have a right of challenge to the Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority if they consider statutory criteria have not been followed.

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

  Public Library Standards
  Ms Coffey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how he proposes to take forward his consultation about draft public library standards. [148158]

  Mr. Chris Smith
  I am today publishing public library standards. They will come into effect from 1 April 2001, and my Department will monitor and assess performance against them through the annual library planning process. There will be a three-year period for compliance and my officials will be happy to discuss the practicalities with individual library authorities. The draft standards, on which I consulted last year, have been refashioned to reflect better on library service outcomes and the requirements of best value, rather than simple inputs. Within the context of best value, they are resource neutral. I believe that library standards, together with best value provisions, will be a powerful combination to help authorities to drive up library performance. Copies of the library standards, and of the analysis of responses to the consultation exercise which I am also publishing today, are being placed in the Libraries of both Houses. In addition, both documents can be accessed via the Department's website:www.culture.gov.uk

  Wembley Stadium
  Mr. Hoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement on the future of the Wembley stadium project.[149093]

  Kate Hoey
  Wembley National Stadium Ltd. (WNSL) is continuing with its efforts to create a world-class stadium for football and Rugby league at Wembley. WNSL made a statement on 18 January ruling out the possibility of athletics returning to Wembley for the 2005 IAAF world athletics championships.

  Picketts Lock
  Miss Kirkbride
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he intends to publish the minutes of his meeting held on 16 January about Picketts Lock with the Lee Valley Forum.[148751]
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  Kate Hoey
  [holding answer 5 February 2001]: The minutes of the Lee Valley Forum meeting which took place on 16 January have been circulated to forum members for comment. I will place a copy of the minutes in the Library, together with a copy of the minutes of the three previous meetings of the Lee Valley Forum, as soon as comments have been received.

  School Sports
  Miss Geraldine Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to encourage sport in schools.[148967]

  Kate Hoey
  Sport in schools was one of the key themes of our strategy "A Sporting Future for All", which the Government published last year. We now have a number of programmes in place to encourage high quality physical education and sport in schools. Through the school sport co-ordinator programme, there will be a network of 1,000 co-ordinators in secondary schools improving PE and sporting opportunities by 2004. Some £580 million will be invested from the new opportunities fund for sport in and around schools. We work closely with DfEE on these and other initiatives to develop better physical education and sport in schools and will shortly begin consulting on how to deliver an entitlement for school sport which would mean that pupils would have access to two hours of high quality sport or PE each week during and after school.

  Mr. Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will publish "A Sporting Future for All-Action Plan" submitted to him by the implementation group.[148706]

  Kate Hoey
  [holding answer 7 February 2001]: We are presently considering the recommendations contained within the action plan and will make the plan available on the Department's website shortly.

  Mr. Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the School Sports Alliance, established to oversee the new opportunities fund project for sports and arts provision in schools, will publish its conclusions about how funding will be allocated.[148707]

  Kate Hoey
  [holding answer 7 February 2001]: The School Sports Alliance will announce agreed priorities for the new opportunities fund's opportunities for young people—PE and sport in schools scheme before October, when we expect the money to come on stream.

  Lambeth and Southwark Sports Action Zone
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the(a) priorities and (b) budget for the Lambeth and Southwark sports action zone are for 2001.[149511]

  Kate Hoey
  The key priority is to produce a detailed needs assessment for the zone. The zone manager, who was appointed in September 2000, has been working with key agencies and organizations—e.g. health and education action zones, local authorities and the police—as well as the local community to produce the assessment which will inform a five-year action plan. Key themes will be the
  705W
  contribution which sport can make to health, education and lifelong learning, social inclusion, regeneration and community safety.

  The budget for the zone is £ 70,000 a year for five years, which is paying for the zone manager, administrative support and a small operational budget for the needs assessment. Future funding for the zone will be assessed against the provisions of the action plan, although in the meantime projects within the zone will remain eligible for consideration for funding from schemes such as capital awards, awards for all, the active communities development fund and the school sports co-ordinator programme. An award of £ 291,732 has been made under the school sports co-ordinators programme for the Lambeth and Southwark action zone.

  Departmental Expenditure
  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the total expenditure and the breakdown of expenditure was in his Department for the financial years(a) 1996–97, (b) 1997–98, (c) 1998–99 and (d) 1999–2000, and what the planned expenditure and breakdown of expenditure for 2000–01 is on (i) public opinion research, (ii) television, radio and newspaper advertising and (iii) direct mail. [149258]

  Mr. Chris Smith
  [holding answer 8 February 2001]: My Department has let only one contract for public opinion research during the period in question. In order to preserve commercial confidentiality I am unable to provide details of the cost. The following table shows the cost of newspaper advertising to attract candidates for the many public appointments for which I am responsible.

  £

  1996–97

  0

  1997–98

  0

  1998–99

  242,700

  1999–2000

  139,501

  2000–011

  72,000

  2000–01

  85,000

  1 Spend to date

  2 Planned spend

  No expenditure has been either incurred or is planned for television or radio advertising or direct mail.

  Press Releases
  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many press releases were issued by his Department in the financial years(a) 1996–97, (b) 1997–98, (c) 1998–99 and (d) 1999–2000; how many have been issued in the current financial year; and what his estimate is of the total number for the current financial year. [149249]

  Mr. Chris Smith
  [holding answer 8 February 2001]: The number of press releases issued by my Department for the following financial years are as follows:

  Year

  Press releases

  1996–97

  411

  1997–98

  314

  1998–99

  334

  1999–2000

  294

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  Over the same period my Department has also issued 116 invitations to the media.

  For the current financial year 2000–01, my Department has issued 300 releases to date.

  Television Reception
  Mr. Sarwar
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many television licences were issued and how many licence holders were entitled to refunds on the basis of interference or bad reception for the last year for which figures are available.[149670]

  Janet Anderson
  Television licensing statistics relate to licences in force rather than licences issued. As at 31 March 2000, there were an estimated 23.3 million television licences in force. The licence fee is a payment for permission to install or use television to receive television programmes and not for the provision of a service. Refunds are therefore not available in cases of interference or poor reception.

  "Seeing Salvation" Exhibition
  Mr. Peter Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations he made to the National Gallery regarding the content of the "Seeing Salvation" exhibition. [149697]

  Mr. Chris Smith
  I and the DCMS have warmly congratulated the National Gallery on the excellent and highly successful "Seeing Salvation" exhibition.

  Lottery Grants
  Mr. Duncan Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what has been the value to date of national lottery grant applications made by organisations in the London borough of Waltham Forest and the London borough of Redbridge; how many Lottery grant applications have been made by organisations in the London borough of Waltham Forest and the London borough of Redbridge; and how many lottery grant applications in Chingford and Woodford Green have been approved. [149826]

  Kate Hoey
  We have contacted the national lottery distributing bodies to request such information as they hold, and I will write to the hon. Member as soon as it is available, placing copies of my letter in the Libraries of both Houses.

  Mr. Duncan Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been paid out in grants, from lottery funds, to the(a) London borough of Waltham Forest and (b) London Borough of Redbridge in (i) cash terms and (ii) as a percentage of the London total. [149825]

  Kate Hoey
  According to the information supplied to us by the distributing bodies for the national lottery awards database, the total amount awarded from the national lottery to recipients located in the London borough of Waltham Forest is £ 12,982,165, which amounts to 0.54 per cent. of the total amount awarded to the London region. The total amount awarded to recipients located in the London borough of Redbridge is £ 8,771,018, which amounts to 0.37 per cent. of the total amount awarded to the London region.
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SOLICITOR-GENERAL

  Crown Prosecution Service
  Mr. Burnett
  To ask the Solicitor-General when he proposes to conduct another survey into the morale of the Crown Prosecution Service; and if he will place details of the survey in the Library. [R] [149692]

  The Solicitor-General
  The CPS conducted its first staff attitude survey and stress audit in mid-2000. As a result, the CPS board agreed a number of measures to improve morale. Substantial additional resources available to the CPS next year will build on work that has already been done to alleviate the causes of stress.

  The CPS recently published its commitment regularly to assess staff attitudes in its 2001–02 business plan and proposes to run further surveys to establish how staff perceptions have changed on a comparative basis. The next survey is planned for 2002, but no decisions have yet been made on the exact scope, extent or distribution arrangements for that survey.

DEFENCE

  Armed Forces Pay Review Body
  Mr. Hepburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the report and recommendations of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body. [150175]

  Mr. Hoon
  The 2001 report of the Armed orces Pay Review Body has been published today. Copies of the report are available in the Vote Office and the Library of the House. I wish to thank the chairman and members of the review body for their hard work in producing this report.

  The AFPRB has recommended an increase in basic military salary of 3.7 per cent. for all ranks. The AFPRB has also recommended increases in the rates of additional pay (eg flying pay, submarine pay and diving pay) in the reserves' bounties, and in charges.

  These recommendations fully support the armed forces strategic personnel policies, in particular in relation to recruitment and retention. The additional cost to the defence budget will be £222 million. This will be met within existing departmental expenditure limits.

  The AFPRB's recommendations are to be accepted in full with implementation effective from 1 April 2001.

  In addition, alongside the copies of the review body's report, I have placed in the Library a copy of a supplementary letter from the chairman of the AFPRB recommending the introduction of two financial retention incentives for certain categories of aircrew. The additional cost of these measures will be £16.8 million in 2001–02, which will also be met within existing departmental expenditure limits.

  Sierra Leone
  Mr. Duncan Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many UK military personnel are deployed on the ground in Sierra Leone; [146483]
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  (2) if he will make a statement on the progress made in training of the Sierra Leone Army by the UK training teams. [146482]

  Mr. Hoon
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19 December 2000,Official Report, column 89W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Chatham and Aylesford (Mr. Shaw) and on 26 January 2001, Official Report, column 725W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Mr. Rammell).

  Kosovo
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Albanians apprehended for illegal activity by UK members of KFOR in the last two months were handed over to(a) KFOR authorities and (b) Camp Bondsteel. [149380]

  Mr. Spellar
  [holding answer 8 February 2001]: Sixty-one ethnic Albanians were apprehended for illegal activity by British troops operating as part of the KFOR reserve in support of Multi-National Brigade (East) (MNB(E)), in the past two months (December 2000 and January 2001) and were handed over to KFOR authorities at the detention facility, Camp Bondsteel.

  Weapon Components
  Mr. Key
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where the components for(a) the L15 and (b) the Ml07 rounds for the A590 gun are (i) manufactured and (ii) assembled. [149353]

  Dr. Moonie
  [holding answer 8 February 2001]: Components for the L15 round are manufactured by RO Defence, at its sites in Birtley, Bridgwater, Bishopton, Blackburn and Glascoed. The final assembly of the L15 round takes place at Glascoed, Gwent.

  The M107, a cheaper training projectile, is no longer procured for use by the British Army. The last batch of M107 was received in July 1999 and was procured through NAMSA from the Italian contractor, Simmel, by competitive tender. We have no knowledge of where the components were manufactured and assembled, which really is a matter for the contractor. Approximately 1,100 Ml07 projectiles remain and will be consumed at training during this year.

HEALTH

  Doctors and Dentists Pay Review Body
  Mrs. Fitzsimons
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the supplementary report of the Doctors and Dentists Pay Review Body. [150087]

  Mr. Denham
  I am responding on behalf of my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the supplementary report of the review body on doctors and dentists remuneration (DDRB), I understand that a similar announcement is being made by the First Minister and the Minister for Health and Community Care in Scotland. Copies of the reports are available in the Vote Office and the Library. I am grateful to the chairman and members of the DDRB for their hard work.
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  We announced on 18 December that the pay recommendations of the DDRB were being accepted in full and without staging. The DDRB recommended an overall pay increase of 3.9 per cent, for salaried doctors and dentists and general medical and dental practitioners.

  To encourage the retention of general medical practitioners, the DDRB has also recommended a 7 per cent. increase in seniority allowances, worth in the region of £500 for a general medical practitioner with 25 years service. This is in addition to the 3.9 per cent. increase in intended average net remuneration.

  The supplementary report from the DDRB covers areas of GPs income aimed at meeting the expense of running their practices and any balancing recovery from debts owed by the profession. In its considerations of what provision to make for indirectly reimbursed practice expenses and the operation of the balancing correction the review body have recommended:
  provision for indirect expenses of £23,790 for each GP;
  a recovery of £248 per GP in accordance with normal rules; and
  a joint review by the BMA and Health departments of the operation of the pay system. This should look at handling the cumulative overpayment that has occurred in the system (£2,684 per GP), the operation of the balancing mechanism and forecasting of expenses in time for next year's round.

  The Government share DDRB's concerns about the operation of the balancing mechanism, the setting of practice expenses and the management of the cumulative debt. We have decided that the BMA and the Health departments should put work in hand immediately to develop a review of these issues. That being the case, the Government have decided to suspend the balancing mechanism pending the outcome of the review.

  The average GP will benefit by a further £248 above what the DDRB have recommended. In addition, we will consider constructively how to manage the cumulative debt of the profession (around £80 million) for the benefit of patients and the development of practices.

  DDRB also recommended that urgent agreement was needed on flu vaccination payments. Higher payments to GPs were introduced in last autumn's campaign to increase vaccination coverage of people aged 65 and over. We now propose that the whole cost of these payments, not just the proportion relating to the extra coverage achieved, should remain available for investment in general practice.

  The gross income of GPs will therefore increase to £80,300 per annum, as shown in the table, with effect from 1 April 2001.

  £

  April 2000

  April 2001

  1. IANI (includes 2001 seniority increase)

  54.220

  56,510

  2. Expenses provision

  24,510

  23,790

  3. IANI plus Expenses (1+2)

  78,730

  80,300

  4. Balancing recovery

  (261)

  1(248)

  5. IAGI (3+4)

  78,469

  80,300

  1 Suspended

  Tattoos and Piercings
  Miss McIntosh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what representations he has received concerning the safety of tattoos and piercings; [147522]
  710W
  (2) what research his Department has carried out into the safety of tattoos and piercings; [147524]

  (3) what assessment he has made of the health risks associated with tattoos and piercings; [147523]

  (4) what guidance his Department has issued to the public on the safety of tattoos and piercings. [147525]

  Yvette Cooper
  We have received a small number of representations about the safety of skin piercing, including tattooing.

  The Department has not commissioned any research into the safety of skin piercing.

  If proper hygienic precautions are not taken, there is a risk of blood-borne virus infection and localised wound infections. Localised wound infections may also occur after skin piercing, if the tattooing or piercing is touched by the client with dirty hands or comes into contact with soiled clothes, towels or bedlinen. Non-infectious and usually not serious complications may occur such as swelling around the piercing and bleeding.

  Advice on the risk of blood-borne virus transmission via skin piercing has been included in leaflets for the public on sexual health for young people, HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C published by Health Promotion England. The Department's leaflets on general health advice for travellers and specific advice on avoiding the risks of HIV infection while abroad provide similar information. Local authorities, which are responsible for regulating skin piercing businesses, have also produced information for the public.

  Embryonic Stem Cell Research
  Mrs. Ann Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his support for the establishment of a House of Lords Select Committee on Embryonic Stem Cell Research is conditional on its membership being balanced and representative of different views on the subject. [148275]

  Yvette Cooper
  Membership of House of Lords Select Committees is a matter for the Lords' Committee of Selection. We look forward to working with the Committee and will, as we have said, consider its conclusions carefully.

  Mrs. Ann Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the commitment of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Lord Hunt, in the House of Lords on 22 January 2001, House of Lords,Official Report, column 121, to review regulations in the light of the report of a House of Lords Select Committee on Embryonic Stem Cell Research includes annulling those regulations if the Committee concludes that such research is not necessary; and if he will make a statement. [148273]

  Yvette Cooper
  We have made it clear that we will consider very carefully the conclusions of the House of Lords Select Committee and will review the regulations in the light of those conclusions. However, the Committee has not yet begun its deliberations and it is not possible to speculate on whether action may be appropriate when its conclusions are known.
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  Mrs. Ann Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority intends to adopt for assessing, in connection with project licence applications it receives, whether research upon embryonic stem cells offers potential for progress which could not be made using adult stem cells. [148272]

  Yvette Cooper
  Research involving the use of human embryos can be carried out only if it meets the strict conditions of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 and a licence has been issued by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA).

  Among other things, the 1990 Act requires the HFEA to be satisfied that any proposed use of embryos is necessary for the purposes of the research. If the proposed use of embryos is not considered necessary for any reason, a licence will not be granted.

  The HFEA may grant licenses for research projects only for the purposes set out in the 1990 Act and in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Research Purposes) Regulations.

  For each research project the HFEA requires a detailed application describing:

  the objectives of the project;

  the scientific background;

  the methodology and experimental design;

  the estimated usage of oocytes and embryos; and

  the source of this material.

  The application must also include:

  the CVs of all staff participating directly in the research project;

  information for patients relating to the proposed project;

  relevant clinical and laboratory protocols;

  consent forms regarding use of gametes and embryos for this project; and,

  any relevant publications.

  The HFEA requires research applications to have Research Ethics Committee approval. The project must explain its objectives, protocols and why the research is necessary. Before considering a research application the HFEA obtains at least two peer review reports on the project's merits covering:

  whether the research fulfils the categories for which embryo research is permitted

  the importance of the research in the field

  whether research has been done before

  whether the use of human embryos is justified

  suitability of the methods

  length of the study

  applicant's qualifications.

  An HFEA Licence Committee is arranged to consider each application and the peer review reports. It will also consider the information given to donors.

  Research is monitored through:

  annual licence renewal, subject to acceptable progress reports;

  nnual progress reports (in cases where two or three-year licences are granted);

  final reports.

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  Social Services Spending
  Mr. Cash
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the levels of spending on social services per head of population were in(a) Staffordshire and (b) each other county of England (i) in the current year and (ii) in each of the last three years, distinguishing in each case the element represented by standard spending assessment. [148293]

  Mr. Hutton
  The information requested is shown in the table.

  Current expenditure on personal social services per head of population

  £

  1997–98 gross (final outturn)

  1998–99 gross (final outturn)

  1999–2000 gross (provisional outturn)

  Bedfordshire

  166.26

  175.29

  186.06

  Berkshire1

  192.07

  —

  —

  Buckinghamshire

  160.09

  169.87

  180.05

  Cambridgeshire1

  149.16

  167.95

  178.78

  Cheshire1

  167.25

  179.66

  201.59

  Cornwall

  180.50

  186.86

  199.22

  Cumbria

  168.77

  172.95

  185.55

  Derbyshire

  184.85

  171.71

  215.53

  Devon1

  206.03

  209.59

  227.59

  Dorset

  169.32

  170.32

  185.37

  Durham

  175.55

  183.96

  233.54

  East Sussex

  218.03

  225.78

  244.77

  Essex1

  183.53

  187.65

  203.72

  Gloucestershire

  133.93

  173.87

  184.37

  Hampshire

  138.87

  147.47

  160.25

  Hertfordshire

  179.39

  185.96

  201.01

  Isles of Scilly

  145.99

  182.77

  181.69

  Kent1

  179.74

  193.40

  224.45

  Lancashire1

  205.30

  211.75

  227.14

  Leicestershire

  128.17

  136.10

  149.94

  Lincolnshire

  145.07

  188.09

  208.34

  Norfolk

  192.69

  207.33

  225.70

  North Yorkshire

  164.90

  177.45

  189.39

  Northamptonshire

  165.96

  183.67

  202.98

  Northumberland

  214.70

  234.73

  —

  Nottinghamshire1

  204.22

  195.64

  204.29

  Oxfordshire

  149.21

  162.59

  183.15

  Shropshire1

  173.89

  178.02

  192.06

  Somerset

  147.50

  157.62

  185.93

  Staffordshire

  152.85

  163.89

  177.04

  Suffolk

  167.07

  174.84

  193.43

  Surrey

  155.97

  186.24

  174.91

  Warwickshire

  154.48

  163.64

  170.31

  West Sussex

  190.73

  193.41

  203.27

  Wiltshire

  143.08

  150.98

  186.78

  Worcestershire1

  163.95

  175.30

  193.26

  Shire Counties

  172.80

  181.41

  —

  1 1997–98 data relate to county prior to local government reorganisation on 1 April 1998.

  Note:

  Not comparable with figures for earlier years as these figures are net of income from client contributions etc.

  Standard spending assessment for personal social services per head of population

  £

  1997–98

  1998–99

  1999–2000

  2000–01

  Bedfordshire

  113.86

  118.94

  122.56

  130.19

  Berkshire1

  114.66

  —

  —

  —

  Buckinghamshire

  106.52

  110.98

  113.19

  119.54

  Cambridgeshire1

  115.85

  113.01

  118.40

  125.02

  Cheshire1

  119.73

  122.94

  132.79

  139.88

  Cornwall

  135.98

  146.07

  155.67

  164.12

  Cumbria

  128.02

  138.50

  149.31

  157.19

  Derbyshire

  128.32

  134.23

  143.59

  153.85

  Devon1

  141.81

  140.93

  145.94

  153.57

  713W

  Standard spending assessment for personal social services per head of population

  £

  1997–98

  1998–99

  1999–2000

  2000–01

  Dorset

  128.55

  134.73

  140.79

  149.55

  Durham

  155.77

  156.79

  175.24

  185.21

  East Sussex

  156.35

  165.49

  165.87

  174.71

  Essex1

  129.75

  133.09

  142.07

  150.48

  Gloucestershire

  119.22

  127.29

  134.44

  140.39

  Hampshire

  111.29

  113.20

  116.17

  122.56

  Hertfordshire

  131.40

  135.99

  139.92

  148.19

  Isles of Scilly

  143.79

  129.36

  107.10

  119.51

  Kent1

  133.13

  142.46

  146.98

  154.20

  Lancashire1

  140.41

  147.68

  153.83

  160.78

  Leicestershire

  £99.19

  107.23

  113.95

  119.61

  Lincolnshire

  130.13

  132.12

  138.50

  145.78

  Norfolk

  135.05

  135.99

  143.24

  152.90

  North Yorkshire

  125.22

  126.68

  126.24

  133.39

  Northamptonshire

  117.01

  122.51

  130.96

  137.49

  Northumberland

  141.38

  137.45

  148.27

  156.48

  Nottinghamshire1

  141.98

  130.11

  139.05

  147.38

  Oxfordshire

  116.01

  118.23

  117.98

  124.81

  Shropshire1

  122.65

  127.64

  135.70

  144.09

  Somerset

  128.41

  133.37

  138.16

  146.34

  Staffordshire

  113.00

  119.22

  128.92

  135.81

  Suffolk

  124.90

  131.65

  138.07

  145.15

  Surrey

  123.32

  126.37

  127.25

  133.09

  Warwickshire

  114.66

  122.11

  131.81

  139.02

  West Sussex

  136.70

  141.60

  140.54

  148.12

  Wiltshire

  114.97

  114.91

  118.45

  125.32

  Worcestershire1

  120.26

  124.23

  130.90

  137.88

  Shire Counties

  126.87

  130.80

  136.73

  144.23

  1 1997–98 data relate to county prior to local government reorganisation on 1 April 1998.

  Per cent. excess of SSA

  Percentage

  1997–98 gross (final outturn)

  1998–99 gross (final outturn)

  1999–2000 gross (provisional outturn)

  2000–2001 net (budgeted)

  Bedfordshire

  46

  47

  52

  25

  Berkshire1

  68

  —

  —

  —

  Buckinghamshire

  50

  53

  59

  25

  Cambridgeshire1

  29

  49

  51

  21

  Cheshire1

  40

  46

  52

  16

  Cornwall

  33

  28

  28

  4

  Cumbria

  32

  25

  24

  5

  Derbyshire

  44

  28

  50

  18

  Devon1

  45

  49

  56

  12

  Dorset

  32

  26

  32

  3

  Durham

  13

  17

  33

  6

  East Sussex

  39

  36

  48

  12

  Essex1

  41

  41

  43

  15

  Gloucestershire

  12

  37

  37

  12

  Hampshire

  25

  30

  38

  10

  Hertfordshire

  37

  37

  44

  21

  Isles of Scilly

  2

  41

  70

  36

  Kent1

  35

  36

  53

  33

  Lancashire1

  46

  43

  48

  19

  Leicestershire

  29

  27

  32

  6

  Lincolnshire

  11

  42

  50

  10

  Norfolk

  43

  52

  58

  16

  North Yorkshire

  32

  40

  50

  10

  Northamptonshire

  42

  50

  55

  37

  Northumberland

  52

  71

  —

  31

  Nottinghamshire1

  44

  50

  47

  15

  Oxfordshire

  29

  38

  55

  32

  Shropshire1

  42

  39

  42

  10

  Somerset

  15

  18

  35

  9

  Staffordshire

  35

  37

  37

  9

  Suffolk

  34

  33

  40

  13

  Surrey

  26

  47

  37

  20

  Warwickshire

  35

  34

  29

  9

  West Sussex

  40

  37

  45

  13

  Wiltshire

  24

  31

  58

  25

  714W

  Per cent. excess of SSA

  Percentage

  1997–98 gross (final outturn)

  1998–99 gross (final outturn)

  1999–2000 gross (provisional outturn)

  2000–2001 net (budgeted)

  Worcestershire1

  36

  41

  48

  13

  Shire Counties

  36

  39

  —

  16

  1 1997–98 data relate to county prior to local government reorganisation on 1 April 1998.

  Hospital Respite
  Miss Kirkbride
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will define the term respite as it applies to an NHS hospital. [148755]

  Yvette Cooper
  [holding answer 5 February 2001]: The term accident and emergency respite or diversion is used to describe periods when, due to local peaks in demand or other circumstances, a national health service trust arranges for appropriate patients to be temporarily diverted to other local hospitals in line with local protocols. Central guidance makes it clear that no hospital may close to emergency admissions unilaterally.

  Miss Kirkbride
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many times, and for how long, Alexandra hospital has been on respite during December 2000 and January 2001. [148753]

  Yvette Cooper
  [holding answer 5 January 2001]: In line with national and local protocols for hospitals experiencing periods of heavy pressure in accident and emergency departments, the Alexandra Hospital requested that Hereford and Worcester Ambulance Service national health service trust divert any appropriate patients to Worcester Royal Infirmary on three occasions in January 2001.

  This was for a period of three hours on two occasions and for eight hours on one occasion. At no time did this involve closing the accident and emergency department and the number of patients affected was minimal. There were no occasions in December 2000.

  Dietary Sodium
  Mrs. Spelman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will conduct a review into the evidence of the impact of dietary sodium. [149100]

  Yvette Cooper
  [holding answer 6 February 2001]: We accept that there is a large body of authoritative opinion that there are public health gains to be made by a reduction in sodium consumption. There are no plans to conduct a further review of the evidence on the impact of dietary sodium on health.

  As part of a wider policy on reducing deaths from heart disease and stroke, we are committed to working with the food industry to improve the overall balance of the diet, including sodium/salt in foods.

  Dental Charges
  Mr. Harvey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what percentage of adult patients received no help with dental charges under the health benefits scheme in the latest year for which figures are available; [149329]
  715W
  (2) what percentage of adult patients aged (a) 60 years and over and (b) under 60 years received no help with dental charges under the health benefits scheme in the latest year for which figures are available. [149330]

  Mr. Hutton
  [holding answer 7 February 2001]: The available information is for courses of treatment in the general dental services. 75 per cent. of adult courses of treatment attracted the full patient charge up to the maximum limit in 1999–2000 in England. The corresponding percentages for (a) patients aged 60 years and over and (b) adults aged under 60 years were 82 per cent. and 73 per cent. respectively.

  Mr. Harvey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the average charge for a course of dental treatment is for(a) patients aged 60 and over and (b) adult patients aged under 60 years, who do not receive help through the health benefits scheme; [149327]

  (2) what the average charge for an adult course of dental treatment is for patients not receiving help through the health benefits scheme. [149326]

  Mr. Hutton
  [holding answer 7 February 2001]: For patients paying the full patient charge up to the maximum limit for dental treatment in the general dental services, the average charge for a course of treatment was £21.82 in 1999–2000 in England.

  The corresponding averages for (a) patients aged 60 years and over and (b) adult patients aged under 60 years were £22.22 and £21.69 respectively.

  Prescription Charges
  Mr. Harvey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many adult patients received courses of treatment for which they met the full charge with no help from the health benefits scheme in each of the last 10 years. [149331]

  Mr. Hutton
  [holding answer 7 February 2001]: The available information is for courses of treatment in the general dental services. For patients who pay the full patient charge up to the maximum limit, the number of courses of treatment is shown in the table for the years 1991–92 to 1999–2000 for England.

  General dental service: Number of courses of treatment for charge-paying patients, 1991–92 to 1999–2000

  England

  Million

  Year

  Courses of treatment1

  1991–92

  19.5

  1992–93

  19.7

  1993–94

  18.8

  1994–95

  18.6

  1995–96

  18.4

  1996–97

  18.2

  1997–98

  18.8

  1998–99

  19.6

  1999–2000

  19.6

  1 The number of courses of treatment includes a few correction records.

  Richard Neale
  Miss McIntosh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received from the victims of Richard Neale; and what plans he has to hold a public inquiry into this case. [149442]
  716W
  Mr. Hutton
  We have received several representations recently requesting a public inquiry into the case of Richard Neale. It is clear that there needs to be a full and independent review to examine past events and ensure that all relevant lessons are learned. I anticipate that this would be led by an independent chairman with appropriately qualified and experienced expert panel members. The panel would hear evidence from a wide range of individuals, including Neale's former patients or their relatives.

  However, the Chief Medical Officer is not yet in a position to take this further, until the position on police referral and civil litigation is clearer. In the meantime, the matter is being kept under very active review, and appropriate steps to initiate an independent review will be taken as soon as they can be.

  Emergency Calls
  Mr. Laurence Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to review the recommended response times of ambulances to different categories of emergency calls; and if he will make a statement. [149678]

  Ms Stuart
  Targets, supported by evidence of clinical and cost effectiveness, have been set for all 999 and urgent ambulance calls. Category A calls which may be immediately life-threatening should be responded to within eight minutes irrespective of location in 75 per cent. of cases by 31 March 2001. All other calls should be responded to within 14 minutes in urban areas and 19 minutes in rural areas in 95 per cent. of cases.

  Clinical evidence suggests that achievement of the 75 per cent. milestone could save 1,800 lives each year in people under 75 years of age suffering heart attacks. National Health Service ambulance trusts are improving their response times. We are determined that every NHS ambulance trust must achieve the 75 per cent. milestone as quickly as possible. 75 per cent. is an achievable milestone and further progress will be one of the things considered in the context of future developments in NHS emergency care.

  Mr. Laurence Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many emergency calls for ambulances were received(a) nationally, (b) in each shire county and (c) in Gloucestershire in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [149676]

  Ms Stuart
  Information about emergency calls for each National Health Service ambulance trust and nationally in each of the last five years is contained in Table 3 of the Department of Health Statistical Bulletin "Ambulance Services, England 1999–2000". A copy is in the Library and available at www.doh.gov.uk/public/sb0014.htm.

  Prader-Willi Syndrome
  Mr. Laurence Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what training doctors receive in diagnosing and treating people with Prader-Willi syndrome; and if he will make a statement. [149673]
  717W
  Mr. Hutton
  The diagnosis of Prader-Willi syndrome forms part of the training curriculum for all paediatric specialists. Specialists involved in the diagnosis include paediatric endocrinologists and geneticists as well as developmental or neurological specialist paediatricians.

  Mr. Laurence Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with health authorities about the diagnosis and treatment of children with Prader-Willi syndrome; what NHS funding is available for the diagnosis and treatment of such children; and if he will make a statement. [149684]

  Mr. Hutton
  Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is usually diagnosed within the community child health services. The process of diagnosis can be a long one, as it may take some time of observation and multidisciplinary assessment to distinguish from other developmental or behavioural problems.

  Records of expenditure relating specifically to children suffering from PWS are not available centrally. Packages of care reflecting the child's individual needs are drawn up locally with parents, specialist clinicians and other agencies.

  Ambulance Service
  Mr.Laurence Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the sickness levels are in the ambulance service in(a) the UK, (b) Gloucestershire and (c) all shire counties; and if he will make a statement. [149677]

  Ms Stuart
  The average sickness absence rate for staff directly employed by national health service ambulance trusts in 1999 was 6.6 per cent. Figures for each individual NHS ambulance trust are shown in the table. We have set national improvement targets for health authorities and NHS trusts to reduce sickness absence rates by 20 per cent. by 2001 and 30 per cent. by 2003.

  Sickness absence rates 1999

  NHS Ambulance trust name

  Percentage

  Avon Ambulance Service NHS Trust

  7.6

  Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Ambulance and Paramedic NHS Trust

  5.5

  Cumbria Ambulance Service NHS Trust

  6.6

  Dorset Ambulance Service NHS Trust

  6.9

  East Anglian Ambulance NHS Trust

  8.2

  East Midlands Ambulance NHS Trust

  10.0

  Essex Ambulance Service NHS Trust

  4.3

  Gloucestershire Ambulance Service NHS Trust

  6.9

  Greater Manchester Ambulance Service NHS Trust

  6.0

  Hampshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust

  7.8

  Hereford and Worcester Ambulance Service NHS Trust

  5.9

  Kent Ambulance NHS Trust

  7.0

  Lancashire Ambulance Service NHS Trust

  5.0

  London Ambulance Service NHS Trust

  7.8

  Mersey Regional Ambulance Service NHS Trust

  6.6

  North East Ambulance Service NHS Trust

  6.7

  Oxfordshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust

  3.6

  Royal Berkshire Ambulance NHS Trust

  3.3

  South Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance and Paramedic NHS Trust

  8.0

  Staffordshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust

  7.4

  Surrey Ambulance Service NHS Trust

  7.0

  Sussex Ambulance Service NHS Trust

  7.0

  The Two Shires Ambulance NHS Trust

  5.5

  Warwickshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust

  7.3

  West Country Ambulance Service NHS Trust

  6.4

  West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust

  5.8

  West Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance Service NHS

  718W

  Sickness absence rates 1999

  NHS Ambulance trust name

  Percentage

  Trust

  3.1

  Wiltshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust

  4.1

  England

  6.6

  Note:

  Excludes Lincolnshire Ambulance and Health Transport Service and Tees East and North Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS trusts

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Beef Imports
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food from which countries the importation of beef into the UK is prohibited; and if he will make a statement. [148057]

  Ms.Quin
  Specific prohibitions on imports of beef from Portugal, South Africa and Swaziland are currently in place because of the disease situations in those countries. Beef may be imported from EU member states other than Portugal in accordance with Community rules. Beef may only be imported into any EU member state from third countries that have been approved by the European Commission and it must come from approved premises in those countries. Those approved third countries which currently have approved establishments are set out in the list shown. Beef cannot be imported into the UK from any third country which is not on this list.

  Argentina

  Australia

  Brazil

  Botswana

  Canada

  Croatia

  Czech Republic

  Hungary

  Malta

  Namibia

  New Zealand

  Paraguay

  Poland

  Romania

  Slovakia

  Slovenia

  United States of America

  Uruguay

  Switzerland

  Yugoslavia

  Zimbabwe.

  Secondments
  Mr. Charles Kennedy
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list secondments from commercial companies to his Department since 1997. [148404]

  Ms Quin
  There have been secondments from the Royal Bank of Scotland, Manor Bakeries and the BBC since 1997.
  719W

  Cattle Passports
  Jackie Ballard
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received about technical support at BCMS for farmers applying for cattle passports; and if he will make a statement. [148429]

  Ms Quin
  [holding answer 2 February 2001]: A number of requests and suggestions for an increase in general advisory support have been received in recent months from the BCMS industry forum, the industry-Government working group on livestock identification and directly from producers. The BCMS telephone helpline offers support on a very wide range of issues. Additionally, BCMS publish an extensive range of free publications on various aspects of cattle identification. These, together with advice from field officers on farm inspections, offer a good level of general advisory support to farmers. We expect that the number of farmers contacting BCMS by electronic means to increase significantly through the launch of our new website.

  Pesticides
  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress has been made towards achieving the Government's objective of minimising the environmental impact of pesticides. [148865]

  Ms Quin
  The MAFF publication "Towards Sustainable Agriculture—A Pilot Set of Indicators", (which is available on the MAFF website www.maff.gov.uk) includes five indicators of pesticide use which, taken together, show the progress that is being made on minimisation.

  The Government recognise that there is an on-going need to encourage and support minimisation as a component of the drive towards more sustainable agriculture. We will continue to fund a wide-ranging programme of research on minimisation, support schemes promoting environmentally friendly farming, and to promote the work of the independent pesticides forum.

  PETS Scheme
  Jackie Ballard
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when the names of appointed carriers under the PETS scheme will be announced. [148686]

  Ms Quin
  [holding answer 5 February 2001]: Participation by transport companies in the scheme is voluntary. We have already announced a number of carriers approved to bring in animals from Western Europe. These are Hoverspeed, Stena, Sea France, Brittany Ferries, European and Eurotunnel Shuttle Service. A number of airlines have also been approved as carriers—British Midland, Lufthansa and Finnair and, most recently, Air Malta and Cyprus Airways. Carriers are approved to carry animals on specific routes; there is no blanket approval for a ferry company or airline. As additional transport companies and new routes are approved by the Ministry, details will be placed on the website (http//:www.maff.gov.uk/animalh/quarantine) and made available through the PETS helpline (0870 241 1710). We are currently in negotiation with several additional companies.
  720W

  Cattle Traceability Centre
  Dr. Jack Cunningham
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many people are employed at the cattle traceability centre in West Cumbria; and if he will make a statement on its development. [149174]

  Ms Quin
  619 people are currently employed at the British cattle movement service (BCMS) in Workington. A recent better quality services (BQS) review concluded that keeping BCMS in the public sector is the right way to achieve a high quality, trusted service. As a result, 452 staff currently employed on a fixed term basis will be made permanent employees. The number of permanent employees at BCMS will then be 474. A further 145 people are currently employed on a temporary basis.

  The BQS review also identified measures to improve the quality and efficiency of the service BCMS provides. These relate particularly, but not exclusively, to the greater use of technology and are now being taken forward by BCMS. We will also continue to look at how BCMS can best work with the developing CAP payments agency in England and its equivalents in Scotland and Wales, as well as its potential role in tracking livestock other than cattle.

  Government Action Plan (Farming)
  Miss McIntosh
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what means there are for farmers to inform themselves of the Government's action plan for farming; and if he will make a statement. [148954]

  Ms Quin
  The Government publish a regular action plan for fanning bulletin, reporting progress on all the measures in the plan. The latest bulletin was issued on 6 February and was distributed to those attending the annual general meeting of the National Farmers Union. All issues of the bulletin are available on the MAFF website (www.maff.gov.uk).

  Farmers representatives also attend meetings of the agriculture strategy industry forum, established by the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, to review progress on the action plan and drive forward the strategy.

  Organophosphate Pesticide
  Mr. Tyler
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if the organophosphate pesticide known as Crufomate [chemical name: Phosphoramidic Acid, Metryl-, 2-Chloro-4-(l.l-Dimetryletryl) Phenyl Metryl Ester] is licensed for use in the United Kingdom. [148621]

  Ms Quin
  [holding answer 5 February 2001]: No. Evidence provided to the Phillips inquiry indicated that two products containing Crufomate previously marketed in the UK for the treatment of warble fly infestations were withdrawn by the manufacturers prior to the introduction of the Warble Fly Order 1978.

  Rochester Floating Fisheries
  Mr. Wyatt
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) how many boats from(a) Rochester oyster and floating fishery and (b) Rochester floating fishery are unregistered; [148712]
  721W
  (2) if boats from (a) Rochester oyster and floating fishery and (b) Rochester floating fishery are registered to fish for sole in the Medway. [148711]

  Mr. Morley
  [holding answer 5 February 2001]: The Rochester oyster and floating fishery claims a fishery in the Medway by Acts of Parliament and Royal Charter. However, as stated in the previous answer to my hon. Friend on 25 January 2000, Official Report, column 188W, only the courts are in a position to be able to rule on whether the Medway is truly a public or private fishery. I am not aware that any of the vessels owned by Rochester oyster and floating fishery members are registered or licensed.

  Support Payments
  Mr. Breed
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on what date farmers in the Shropshire area were given notification of the new arrangements for hill livestock payments; what the deadline was for applications for payments under this scheme; and if he will make a statement. [149288]

  Ms Quin
  The proposed hill farm allowance (HFA) for England was outlined in the IACS 2000 booklet, distributed to producers in March 2000. This explained that there was no need for producers to submit specific HFA claims. Detailed guidance, issued to English hill farmers in December 2000, reaffirmed that specific HFA claims are not required. Farmers in the Shropshire areas were treated no differently.

  The deadline for submission of an IACS 2000 application was 15 May 2000 and lead to automatic consideration for HFA 2001 using data from IACS, the sheep annual premium scheme, the suckler cow premium scheme and details of milk quota held on 31 March 2000. Some hill farmers will have to supply additional data where we cannot assess automatically their eligibility for HFA payments. They were written to at the end of January and have three weeks in which to reply.

  Bovine Tags
  Mr. Drew
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will review the use of yellow tags used to label cows(a) to consider if there is a better alternative tag available and (b) to reconsider the £5 replacement fee for damaged or lost tags. [148845]

  Ms Quin
  [holding answer 7 February 2001]: The requirement for cattle eartags is laid down in European Union legislation (Council Regulation 1760/2000). Any changes therefore would need to be agreed at EU level.

  Eartags authorised for official cattle identification are supplied to the industry by a range of eartag manufacturers. The price they charge for replacement tags is a commercial matter. Farmers may be able to reduce their costs by selecting an alternative supplier. We are currently investigating the principal reasons for loss or damage to cattle eartags with a view to helping the industry minimise the need for replacement tags.

  Sea Defence Projects
  Mr. Harvey
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what funding he will make available 722W
  for research into coastal erosion and sea defences in Devon under the shoreline management plan; and when such work will take place. [149513]

  Mr. Morley
  The Ministry funds a programme of strategic research and development on flood and coastal defence. However, it is for local operating authorities (normally the Environment Agency and local authorities) to undertake more site-specific studies, such as those identified in shoreline management plans. The Ministry provides grant aid to operating authorities for studies of coastal processes and scheme feasibility, provided the proposals meet certain criteria. The timing of such studies is a matter for the operating authorities.

  Common Agricultural Policy
  Mr. Spring
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he will make a statement on the implications for the CAP budget of Commissioner Schreyer' s statement on additional financing in respect of BSE on 31 January; [148760]

  (2) what estimate he has made of the potential cost to the CAP of the imbalance in the EU beef market resulting from BSE. [148764]

  Ms Quin
  [holding answer 7 February 2001]: The Commission's initial estimate of the cost of the measures agreed at the December Agriculture Council was 971 million euro. We understand that the Commission will be proposing further measures to the February Agriculture Council, which will now take place on 26/27 February. We do not yet know what the Commission will propose but welcome the fact that it recognises the need to constrain total CAP expenditure within the ceilings set out in the current financial perspective.

  Mr. Spring
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proposals the Government have made to ensure that the cost of the CAP remains within the Berlin financing perspectives following recent changes in demand in the EU. [148761]

  Ms Quin
  [holding answer 7 February 2001]: The Commission is responsible for making proposals. The UK Government support the Commission's intention to propose a package of measures before the February Council which ensure that total CAP expenditure remains within the ceilings set out in the current financial perspective.

  Beef Labelling
  Mr. Webb
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to ensure that beef which is slaughtered abroad and processed in the United Kingdom is not labelled as solely British; and if he will encourage local authority trading standards officers to enforce existing regulations. [149583]

  Ms Quin
  Under EU rules, fresh, chilled or frozen beef must not be labelled as British unless it is derived from cattle born, raised and slaughtered in the UK. To use the term "British", an operator must have an approval issued by one of the UK agriculture departments and employ an independent third party verifier to check the validity of the claim. My Department has issued guidance on the EU beef labelling rules to operators in England and has
  723W
  worked closely with LACOTS on guidance to local authorities on enforcement. The guidance which has been issued by LACOTS asks local authorities to be pro-active in securing compliance with the rules. Further information is available via the Department's website (http://www.maff.gov.uk/foodrin/fdindx.htm)

  Skills Deficiencies
  Mr. Boswell
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to follow-up skills deficiencies in land-based industries revealed by skills checks and to secure their remediation through vocational training programmes. [149472]

  Ms Quin
  [holding answer 8 February 2001]: Some 10,000 skill check training need assessments are being co-ordinated by Lantra national training organisation using funding provided under the action plan for farming. Lantra is aggregating the information obtained through this exercise to compile a comprehensive picture of the sector's training needs at both a national and regional level. Where relevant, the information will be used to help refine the work force development plan which Lantra is currently developing for DfEE.

  £22 million has been made available to fund training through the vocational training scheme (VTS) which forms part of the England rural development programme. The VTS is open for applications and farmers who have identified a training need through the skill check programme can apply for funding where they wish to undertake 20 days or more of training. Alternatively, training providers can apply on behalf of groups of farmers. This can be for much shorter periods provided the collective time is for 20 training days or more. Lantra is working closely with training providers to ensure that the funding available under the VTS is fully and effectively utilised to address key skill gaps. The VTS will fund up to 75 per cent. of eligible training costs. To date, just over 90 VTS applications have been received and 20 projects worth some £300,000 have been approved.

  Flooding (Hereford)
  Mr. Keetch
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when the report from W. S. Atkins regarding flood defences for the City of Hereford will be published; and if he will make a statement. [149524]

  Mr. Morley
  [holding answer 8 February 2001]: I understand that Messrs. W. S. Atkins have completed preliminary investigations into potential options for flood alleviation at Hereford and have submitted a report to the Environment Agency. The report will be presented to the Wye local flood defence committee for consideration at its meeting on 2 March 2001.

  Renderers
  Mr. Burnett
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the companies that have tendered in the last three years for Government contracts for rendering beef, indicating which of them are associated or connected with each other. [R] [149686]
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  Ms Quin
  There have been no tenders for rendering services in the past three years, the previous tender having been held in 1997. The arrangements are being reviewed this summer.

  Farmers (Retirement Schemes)
  Mr. Burnett
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he proposes to introduce a retirement scheme for owner occupiers and tenant farmers; and if he will make a statement. [R] [149688]

  Mr. Morley
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for South-East Cornwall (Mr. Breed) on 23 January 2001,Official Report, column 515W.

  Agrimonetary Compensation
  Mr. Burnett
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if, during this financial year, he proposes to draw down the full agrimonetary compensation to which the UK agricultural industry is entitled. [R] [149689]

  Ms Quin
  In the current financial year we expect to pay some £182 million in agrimonetary compensation, including £100 million of optional compensation. Further compensation became available on 1 January this year; we expect the Commission to notify us of the amount later this month. The Government then have until the end of April to decide whether to pay any optional amounts.

SCOTLAND

  Regional Aid
  Mr. Grieve
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will make a statement on European Union regional aid(a) in the years 1997 to 2000 and (b) proposed for 2001. [145665]

  Mrs. Liddell
  Structural fund expenditure in Scotland for 1997–98 was £164 million, for 1998–99 was £160 million and for 1999–2000 was £205 million. Planned expenditure for 2000–01 is £130 million. Total funds available for 2000–06 are euro 1,700 million (about £1 billion at current exchange rate).

  Poverty
  Mr. Grieve
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will make a statement on poverty in Scotland, and numbers of Scottish people living in poverty, in(a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999 and (d) 2000. [145645]

  Mrs. Liddell
  The UK Government have introduced a range of measures to address poverty and social exclusion. For example, the national minimum wage has ensured decent minimum levels of pay for over 100,000 people in Scotland and the New Deal has helped over 30,000 young people in Scotland into jobs since its introduction in 1998. The Working Families Tax Credit benefits over 100,000 families in Scotland and, together with other measures introduced this Parliament, is estimated to lift around 100,000 children in Scotland out of poverty by 2002. (We are committed to abolish child poverty in 20 years, with the ambition to halve it in 10 years.) For the elderly, we have introduced the Minimum Income Guarantee, which
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  benefits around 164,000 people aged 60 or over; an increased Winter Fuel Payment, which benefits around 1 million people aged 60 or over; and free television licences for those people aged 75 or over, benefiting over 300,000 pensioners. Over the course of this Parliament, we are spending across Great Britain an extra £9 billion, over and above inflation, on pensioners, with over half going to the poorest third.

  The Government have also set up the Joint Ministerial Committee on poverty to ensure that the UK Government and the devolved Administrations can work together to tackle the problems of poverty and social exclusion.

  Working Families Tax Credit
  Mr. Davidson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people in Glasgow, Pollok are in receipt of the Working Families Tax Credit. [147871]

  Mr. Foulkes
  Copies of the latest quarterly inquiries giving statistics for the Working Families Tax Credit and the Disabled Persons Tax Credit are in the House Library. These statistics contain estimates, based on a 5 per cent. sample of awards, of the number of recipients in each parliamentary constituency and in each local authority. As at August 2000, it is estimated that around 2,100 families in Glasgow, Pollok were in receipt of the Working Families Tax Credit.

ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS

  Local Transport Plans
  Mr. Kidney
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps he is taking to ensure that money allocated to local authorities for local transport plans is not transferred to other local authority services. [149172]

  Mr. Hill
  For 2001–02, the majority of capital funding allocated for local transport will be provided in the form of grant and supplementary credit approvals (SCA) which are ring-fenced for transport.

  From 2002–03 the new cross-service single capital pot—which will include a contribution to cover small-scale integrated transport measures and maintenance of local highways and bridges—will be introduced to provide authorities with discretion over the allocation of capital funds across their functional responsibilities. This does not affect the need for authorities to allocate the resources required to deliver their objectives and targets. It does, however, allow them greater flexibility in the use of those resources and will help deliver improved outcomes and better services through more effective tackling of cross-cutting issues. Allocations for major transport schemes costing over £5 million will continue to be provided as grant and SCA and ring-fenced to the particular schemes concerned.

  We have now put in place, under the provisions of the Transport Act 2000, a clear statutory duty on authorities to carry out their functions to deliver their local transport plans and we expect them to commit the resources to do so. We are also requiring authorities to monitor their progress against the objectives and targets set in their
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  plans and to provide annual progress reports which we shall take into account in determining annual allocations to authorities.

  Mr. Kidney
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the quality of the first round of local transport plans. [149170]

  Mr. Hill
  It is very encouraging to see the standard and commitment demonstrated by all authorities in completing their full local transport plans (LTPs). Overall, they represent a significant improvement on the provisional plans submitted in July 1999.

  The plans demonstrate that authorities are taking forward the Government's integrated transport agenda at the local level, taking full account of the importance of the environment, safety, economy, accessibility and integration. The full LTPs are also increasingly integrated with wider corporate objectives, and recognise the role transport can play in tackling broader local issues such as health and social exclusion.

  The commitment many authorities have shown in engaging local partners and communities in finalising their full plans has been particularly impressive, with many undertaking comprehensive and innovative participation exercises.

  The plans also illustrate that authorities are aware of the importance of monitoring their performance and are taking steps to ensure that monitoring systems are in place to show how they will achieve their targets and objectives.

  Oil Tankers
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what negotiations he is initiating to ensure that maritime states give shelter to oil tankers on the high seas which are in danger of breaking up. [148169]

  Mr. Hill
  This is a matter which potentially affects all maritime states, and the appropriate international forum in which to discuss it is the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). Indeed, the IMO's Maritime Safety Committee is expected to discuss the issue of ports/places of refuge when it meets in May of this year.

  Planning
  Mr. Ben Chapman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make it his policy to levy charges on an increasing scale on developers who make repeated appeals in residential planning cases. [149057]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  We have no plans to levy charges on developers who make repeated planning appeals. Section 70A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 gives local planning authorities the power to turn away planning applications where a substantially similar proposal has been rejected by the Secretary of State, on appeal or following a call-in, within the previous two years and where there has been no significant change in the material circumstances
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  Mr. Ben Chapman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will bring forward proposals to give objectors equal rights to developers and their agents when inspectors visit sites subject to residential planning applications. [149058]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  Under the statutory rules for handling appeals by inquiries or hearings, all parties, including objectors, have an opportunity to attend a site visit if undertaken by an inspector. The rules for handling appeals by written representations do not include provision for a site visit, but an inspector will always make one. The planning inspectorate will notify objectors of the site visit arrangements if they have been asked to do so.

  In all cases, inspectors refuse to hear evidence or submissions from any parties during a site visit.

  Mr. Ben Chapman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will limit the number of appeals a developer can make in residential planning cases. [149059]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  A developer's right of appeal to the Secretary of State against a local planning authority's refusal of, or failure to decide, a planning application is a long-established part of the planning system. Section 70A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 enables local planning authorities to turn away repeat applications in defined circumstances. We have no plans to change the current position.

  Transport Infrastructure
  Caroline Flint
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what the value was of Government financial grants to the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive for each year from 1996–97 to the most recent year for which figures are available. [149069]

  Mr. Hill
  I should first point out that there is a fundamental difference between Passenger Transport Executives (PTEs) and Passenger Transport Authorities (PTAs). The PTAs function is to formulate general policies for meeting public transport requirements in its area, and the function of the PTE is to put these policies into effect, with funding from the PTA.

  The figure I am quoting relate to grants and borrowing approvals announced in the local transport capital expenditure settlements for the South Yorkshire PTA for the financial years 1996–97 to 2001–02. They are as follows:

  £million

  1996–97

  3.251

  1997–98

  5.600

  1998–99

  6.125

  1999–2000

  8.500

  2000–01

  11.923

  2001–02

  22.500

  Total

  57.899

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  In addition, some of the funds initially allocated to the South Yorkshire PTA were transferred to the South Yorkshire districts in-year for public transport works. Of the total figure of £57.899 million allocated to the South Yorkshire PTA for the period 1996–97 to 2001–02, it is estimated that £43.894 million was transferred to the South Yorkshire districts. This gives an estimated residual figure of £14.005 million issued to the South Yorkshire PTA over the six year period.

  Caroline Flint
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what the value was of Government financial support for transport infrastructure projects affecting Doncaster residents, for each year since 1996–97. [149070]

  Mr. Hill
  The figures I am quoting relate to grants and borrowing approvals announced in the local transport capital expenditure settlements for Doncaster Metropolitan borough council for the financial years 1996–97 to 2001–02. They are as follows:

  £million

  1996–97

  5.712

  1996–98

  2.732

  1998–99

  1.036

  1999–2000

  2.850

  2000–01

  19.684

  2001–02

  124.790

  Total

  56.804

  1 This figure includes £9 million Transport Supplementary Grant held back until required.

  In addition, some of the funds initially allocated to the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority (SYPTA) were transferred to the South Yorkshire districts in-year for public transport works. For the period 1996–97 to 2001–02 some £57.899 million was initially issued to the SYPTA, and of this it is estimated that £9.243 million was transferred to Doncaster Metropolitan borough council. This gives an estimated total of £66.047 million issued to Doncaster over the six year period.

  Mr. Hammond
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on his policy regarding the use of a hybrid Bill as the means of promoting a transport infrastructure project to which the Transport and Works Act 1992 applies.; [148976]

  Mr. Hill
  The Transport and Works Act procedure is the normal means of considering whether authority should be given for transport infrastructure projects that fall within its scope. This would not preclude the possibility of the Government promoting a hybrid Bill where we considered this to be an appropriate means of authorising a scheme.

  Local Government Finance
  Mr. Michael J. Foster
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) how many submissions were received by his Department(a) in total and (b) from Worcestershire to the consultation paper on local government finance; [148891]

  (2) how many schools in Worcestershire submitted responses to the local government finance Green Paper. [148892]
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  Ms Beverley Hughes
  We received 16,321 consultation responses in sufficient time to include them in the analysis of responses to the local government finance Green Paper. 14,402 of these were part of a campaign by the Fair Education Funding Forum (F40). Many of these were from schools and parents in Worcestershire. Further analysis of the responses by geographical location is not feasible as some of the addresses are unclear and such analysis could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Mr. Michael J. Foster
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will rank, in descending order, each local authority in the West Midlands on the basis of wealth per head of population. [148889]

  Mr. Andrew Smith
  I have been asked to reply.

  The information requested is not available.

  Water Authorities
  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what plans he has to change the responsibilities of water authorities whose customers have had their properties damaged because of the failure of the water authority properly to safeguard their plant and equipment; and if he will make a statement; [149081]

  (2) if he will introduce legislation to give Government powers to prosecute water companies which fail to protect their equipment from the effects of flooding. [149515]

  Mr. Robert Ainsworth
  Water and sewerage undertakers already have a statutory duty to maintain their systems (including plant and equipment). Their performance is put under scrutiny by the Office of Water Services and, as part of this, checks are made on the serviceability of their networks. The undertakers are also required to have plans in place to deal with any failure in the system.

  Where waste water from a company's sewer enters a customer's property, customers are entitled to the return of a years sewerage charges up to £1,000 under the guaranteed standards scheme. If sewer flooding is caused by severe weather (eg widespread flooding), payment is not due. These provisions are in addition to individuals rights under common law.

  We have no plans at present to make changes to these responsibilities or make any failure a criminal offence.

  Flooding
  Miss McIntosh
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to compensate fully local authorities for the total costs of the recent floods; and if he will make a statement. [148950]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  In addition to the emergency assistance available to local authorities under the Bellwin scheme and the extra £51 million to accelerate new flood defence schemes, my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the chair of the floods task force, recently announced that a further £11.6 million has been made available nationally to pay for the Environment Agency's short-term emergency response and repair costs.
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  In order to find a longer-term solution to the current problems, we have already embarked upon a review of the way in which flood defence is funded. All of the relevant Government Departments and agencies are involved in this review, including MAFF, DETR, HMT and the Environment Agency. The review steering group is currently commissioning research to inform the work of the review. Based on the current timetable, the review is expected to report its conclusions in September this year.

  Departmental Policies (Morecambe and Lunesdale)
  Miss Geraldine Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will set out, including statistical information, the effect on the Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [149125]

  Ms Beverley Hughes
  The constituency of Morecambe and Lunesdale has benefited from a range of Government initiatives since 2 May 1997, including:

  Capital allocations for housing

  Year

  £million

  1997–98

  1.8

  1998–99

  3.0

  1999–2000

  3.4

  2000–01

  3.9

  2001–02

  4.4

  By 2001–02, the resources made available to support Lancaster city council's housing capital investment programme will have more than doubled since the Government came to power. It is for the local authority to determine where within its boundary these resources are invested.

  Single regeneration budget

  SRB Round 1—Turning the Tide: Morecambe
  This is a seven-year strategy to halt decline and build tourism through the comprehensive regeneration of an area in the town centre. The scheme builds on pre-existing housing schemes and extends to business, training and environmental projects.
  SRB total is £4.3 million, of which £2.7 million since 1997–98.

  SRB Round 5—Luneside regeneration
  This seven-year scheme aims to tackle dereliction and draw private investment into key sites in Lancaster. It addresses deprivation through linked programmes of enterprise support, training and community development.

  SRB total is £4.997 million
  It is not possible to identify the exact proportion of this figure allocated to areas within the Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency.

  Local transport plans

  Year

  £million

  1997–98

  111

  1998–99

  18

  1999–2000

  110

  2000–01

  211

  2001–02

  28

  1 These figures are for Lancashire country council's transport policies and programmes allocation

  2 This figure is from Lancashire county council's provisional local transport plan settlement

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  It is not possible to determine exactly how much of these amounts has been spent on the Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency. The constituency has benefited from Lancashire county council's integrated transport policies.

  European funding

  The Government have secured European funding for Morecambe under the North West Objective 2 programme for 2000–06. It is not possible to state the amounts involved because the programme has yet to be launched.

  Local government finance settlement

  The following figures show the Government grants to Lancaster county council and Lancaster city council as part of the local government finance settlement.

  The information for general grant (revenue support grant, national non domestic rates, and damping grants) is a follows:

  Year

  £million

  Lancaster city council

  1997–98

  11.028

  1998–99

  11.015

  1999–2000

  11.283

  2000–01

  11.671

  2001–02

  12.236

  Lancashire county council

  1997–98

  —

  1998–99

  578.211

  1999–2000

  601.844

  2000–01

  628.203

  2001–02

  644.494

  These figures have not been adjusted to make year on year comparisons possible. There is no figure for 1997–98 because Lancashire county council was undergoing reorganisation.

  It is not possible to determine the exact amounts allocated by the two councils to the Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency.

  Housing (Young People)
  Mr. Ruane
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what provision he has made for housing of people aged 16 to 18 years in England. [149787]

  Mr. Robert Ainsworth
  We are determined to provide stronger support for people who become unintentionally homeless. We will extend the groups of vulnerable homeless people who have a priority need for accommodation to include 16 and 17-year-olds, and care leavers aged 18 to 21. We will make these changes shortly by order under section 189 of the 1996 Housing Act.

  Fire service: net current expenditure per head 1997–98 to 2000–01

  £per head of population

  Fire authority

  1997–98 Outturn

  1998–99 Outturn

  1999–2000 Outturn

  2000–01 Budget-based

  Avon

  25.84

  27.10

  28.35

  29.63

  Bedfordshire and Luton

  25.55

  25.92

  28.65

  28.91

  Berkshire

  23.12

  23.27

  25.05

  26.47

  Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes

  19.75

  20.60

  20.80

  22.53

  Cambridgeshire and Peterborough

  20.79

  20.62

  22.58

  24.09

  Cheshire

  24.33

  24.77

  27.46

  28.20

  Cleveland

  38.49

  39.13

  41.39

  43.74

  Cornwall

  24.35

  24.65

  25.26

  26.46

  Cumbria

  27.52

  27.61

  29.98

  32.20

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  We are also concerned to improve the provision and management of supported housing for young people. The new supporting people programme will come into effect in 2003–04, providing an integrated policy and funding framework for support services for vulnerable households, including young people. Additionally, we will provide £120 million capital funding for a new safer communities supported housing fund, together with associated revenue support of £17 million, to provide new housing and support for young people at risk, and other vulnerable people.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  RSPCA
  Mr. Wyatt
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what reasons underlay the decision by the Charities Commission that the RSPCA cannot display the words "Ban Animal Experimentation" on a RSPCA van. [149290]

  Mr. Boateng
  This is a matter for the Charity Commission, which will write to my hon. Friend. A copy of the Commission's reply will be placed in the Library.

  Staffordshire Constabulary
  Mr. Fabricant
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many civilian staff were employed by Staffordshire constabulary(a) in May 1997 and (b) at the latest date for which figures are available. [148390]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  [holding answer 7 February 2001]: Information on police service personnel numbers is collected twice a year in March and September. On 31 March 1997, Staffordshire police had 763 civilian support staff. On 30 September 2000, the latest date available, the force had 897 civilian support staff, 134 more civilian staff than the force had in March 1997.

  Fire Services
  Mr. Cash
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the levels of spending on fire services were per head of population in(a) Staffordshire and (b) each other county of England (i) in the current year and (ii) in each of the last three years, distinguishing in each case the element represented by standard spending assessment. [148291]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  Information on net current expenditure per head of population in England, based on returns to the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, is shown in the table.
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  Fire service: net current expenditure per head 1997–98 to 2000–01

  £per head of population

  Fire authority

  1997–98 Outturn

  1998–99 Outturn

  1999–2000 Outturn

  2000–01 Budget-based

  Derbyshire

  21.21

  23.78

  24.34

  25.61

  Devon

  26.05

  26.88

  28.84

  30.13

  Dorset

  21.87

  24.07

  25.10

  26.19

  Durham and Darlington

  26.96

  27.44

  28.76

  30.58

  East Sussex

  26.77

  26.84

  29.81

  30.46

  Essex

  25.60

  26.45

  27.87

  28.93

  Gloucestershire

  21.41

  21.97

  22.71

  24.17

  Greater Manchester

  29.92

  30.87

  31.56

  33.01

  Hampshire

  20.45

  21.85

  23.85

  24.67

  Hereford and Worcester

  22.20

  23.60

  24.75

  26.07

  Hertfordshire

  23.67

  23.65

  25.33

  26.82

  Humberside

  30.11

  31.40

  32.54

  34.28

  Isle of Wight

  34.00

  38.69

  38.69

  40.68

  Isles of Scilly

  91.88

  74.61

  74.30

  84.37

  Kent and Medway Towns

  25.45

  26.92

  28.46

  29.27

  Lancashire

  27.19

  28.69

  30.24

  31.36

  Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland

  18.68

  20.66

  21.22

  22.37

  Lincolnshire

  19.49

  20.58

  22.22

  22.37

  London

  37.22

  38.26

  38.48

  40.78

  Merseyside

  36.61

  38.85

  40.89

  42.11

  Norfolk

  19.66

  20.49

  23.46

  26.06

  North Yorkshire

  23.17

  23.50

  25.59

  25.13

  Northamptonshire

  18.87

  19.89

  21.69

  22.03

  Northumberland

  30.79

  32.51

  37.34

  37.02

  Nottinghamshire and City of Nottingham

  23.54

  25.01

  26.43

  26.62

  Oxfordshire

  19.65

  21.30

  22.96

  22.80

  Shropshire and Wrekin

  25.23

  26.42

  28.92

  29.25

  Somerset

  21.37

  22.69

  25.15

  26.36

  South Yorkshire

  25.28

  27.41

  29.32

  30.99

  Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire

  21.49

  22.52

  23.39

  24.37

  Suffolk

  20.39

  21.81

  22.27

  24.22

  Surrey

  26.45

  28.50

  28.77

  29.47

  Tyne and Wear

  33.59

  37.29

  37.12

  39.58

  Warwickshire

  27.92

  27.28

  28.78

  30.84

  West Midlands

  27.92

  29.53

  30.77

  32.16

  West Sussex

  25.37

  26.35

  28.27

  29.45

  West Yorkshire

  27.16

  28.39

  29.89

  30.29

  Wiltshire and Swindon

  19.85

  20.62

  22.09

  24.28

  The figures are not directly comparable with standard spending assessments (SSA). Details of SSAs per head of population are available in the House of Commons Library in the "SSA Handbook" and, since 1998–99, in "Standard Spending Assessments Authority by Authority". This information is also available on the internet at: http://www.local.detr.gov.uk/finance/ssa/ handbook/0001/hand0001.htm. Information on the 2001–02 settlement will be available in due course.

  Coroners Courts
  Mr. Singh
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to introduce proposals for the reform of coroner's courts. [149298]

  Mr. Boateng
  As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health announced on 30 January 2000,Official Report, column 177, the Home Secretary has set in train a review of the coroners system. The aim will be to consider what arrangements are needed for the investigation of suspicious and unnatural deaths. Account will be taken of the Chief Medical Officer's recommendations for changes to death certification procedures, and the reports of the Bristol Infirmary and Alder Hey Inquiries. The review will also keep in touch
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  with the Shipman inquiry. Further details, including the terms of reference and the review team, will be announced in due course.

  Asylum Seekers
  Mr. Duncan Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the amount(a) spent, (b) claimed and (c) allocated to the London borough of Waltham Forest and the London borough of Redbridge in respect of expenditure on asylum seekers in (i) 1998–99 and (ii) 1999–2000.[149828]

  Mrs. Roche
  Prior to 1 April 1999, the Department of Health administered all grants for supporting asylum seekers. On 1 April 1999, the Home Office took over responsibility for administering the support grant for asylum-seeking adults and families. The Department of Health retained responsibility for the payment of the grant for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) until 1 April 2000, when responsibility transferred to the Home Office.

  The amounts spent, claimed and paid to date for the London borough of Waltham Forest and the London borough of Redbridge in (i) 1998–99 and (ii) 1999–2000 are shown in the table.

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  £

  Waltham Forest

  Redbridge

  Grants

  1998–991

  1999–20002

  1998–991

  1999–20002

  (a)Spent

  3,297,458

  8,594,864

  4,591,053

  8,091,301

  (b)Claimed

  3,297,458

  8,594,864

  4,591,053

  8,091,301

  (c)Paid to date

  3,297,458

  8,594,864

  4,591,053

  8,091,301

  1 Figures provided by the Department of Health relate to three grants administered by that Department. These grants are (a) Families with children asylum seekers grant, (b) Adult asylum seekers grant and (c) unaccompanied asylum-seeking children grant (UASC). All of these figures remain subject to adjustment following the receipt of audited claims.

  2 Figures include amounts for the Adult and Families grant administered by the Home Office and the UASC grant administered by the Department of Health. All figures are net of Housing Benefit. These figures relate to the initial claims made by these authorities. Some audit certificates have yet to be received for this period and adjustments may be required once all of these certificates are submitted.

  Mr. Duncan Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers were residing in the(a) London borough of Waltham Forest and (b) London borough of Redbridge (i) in May 1997 and (ii) on the most recent date for which figures are available. [149827]

  Mrs. Roche
  Central Government do not collect information in the form requested.

  The Association of London Government has provided figures, which show the number of asylum seekers being supported by the London boroughs of Waltham Forest and Redbridge.

  Waltham Forest1

  Redbridge2

  May 1997

  Families3

  85

  110

  Singles4

  100

  130

  UASCs5

  5

  10

  January 2001

  Families3

  425

  390

  Singles4

  620

  980

  UASCs5

  155

  220

  1 January 2001 figures as at 19 January 2001

  2 January 2001 figures as at 26 January 2001

  3 Families include cases with only adult dependants

  4 Some single adults may live in other areas of the country but the accommodation is provided by the London borough

  5 UASC—Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children under 18

  Note:

  These figures have been rounded to the nearest five

  Information is not available on the number of asylum seekers not being supported by the London boroughs but residing in Waltham Forest and Redbridge.

  Entry Clearance
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the conclusions were of the ministerial review of family visit appeals conducted between 20 November 2000 and 11 January 2001; and if he will place a report of the review team's findings in the Library. [149534]

  Mrs. Roche
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Brent, North (Mr. Gardiner) on 11 January 2001,Official Report, column 609W. The
  736W
  ministerial review was completed in January and resulted in the reduction of the fees for appealing against a decision to refuse a visit visa as a family visitor to £125 and £50 from £500 and £150. A team of officials will continue to review other aspects of these appeals. A copy of their terms of reference will be placed in the Library.

  Mr.Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the net income from fees for family visit appeals since 2 October 2000; and what proportion of this net income relates to appeals which are outstanding. [149535]

  Mrs.Roche
  The current figures for net income from fees for family visitor appeals in the period 2 October to 31 December 2000 is £16,800. Of this, 31 per cent. related to appeals which are currently outstanding and which may result in further refunds.

  Mr.Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the total cost to his Department of administering family visit appeal fees since 2 October 2000. [149536]

  Mrs.Roche
  Payments are administered by diplomatic posts overseas. The Home Office reimburses the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for refunds following successful appeals. The small administrative costs of doing so are contained within existing resources.

  Mr.Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the anticipated net annual income is from family visit appeal fees. [149537]

  Mrs.Roche
  On the basis of our current planning assumptions, the anticipated net income (gross income minus refund payments) from family visitor appeal fees in a full year is around £560,000.

  Mr.Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the anticipated cost is to his and other Departments of collecting and refunding family visit appeal fees. [149538]

  Mrs.Roche
  The process of collection and refunding family visitor appeal fees is administered by diplomatic posts overseas. These costs are minimal and will be met through efficiency savings. Since the Court Service is not involved in the collection process, it has no significant costs to meet. The Home Office reimburses the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for refunds made following successful appeals. The small administrative costs of doing so are contained within existing resources. The only other cost involved is that of the refund payments themselves. We estimate that this will settle at around £370,000 for a full year.

  Mr.Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons have exercised a human rights appeal under section 65 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 against decisions refusing entry clearance; and, of that number, how many applied for entry as a family visitor. [149529]

  Mrs.Roche
  To obtain this information, we would have to examine individual case files. It is available, therefore, only at disproportionate cost.
  737W

  Police (Avon and Somerset)
  Mr. Webb
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the impact of recent changes in the number of places in police houses in the Avon and Somerset area on his policy on police recruitment; and if he will make a statement. [148737]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  Changes to the number of police houses in a police force area are matters for the police authority and chief constable to decide. We expect police authorities and chief constables to achieve best value in the use of the capital resources available to them and to make decisions about those resources in the light of all relevant considerations.

  Avon and Somerset constabulary recruited 89 officers in the six months to 30 September 2000 and continues to recruit successfully. The force has been allocated 195 recruits from the crime fighting fund (CFF) over the three years 2000–01 to 2002–03 and it expects to recruit its full allocation of 67 crime fighting fund recruits in 2000–01, over and above previously planned recruitment.

  Mr. Webb
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate the number of officers(a) recruited by, (b) resigning from and (c) retiring from the Avon and Somerset police force in each year since 1978–79. [148740]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  It is not possible to provide information on recruitment and wastage on an individual force basis before the computerisation of the police number database in 1991–92, because of the way in which information on police numbers was previously collected and stored by the Department.

  The information in the table is for each year since 1991.

  Avon and Somerset constabulary—numbers recruited, resigned and retired since 1991

  Year

  Number of officers recruited

  Number of officers who resigned

  Number of officers who retired

  19911

  133

  30

  88

  19921

  95

  15

  94

  19931

  123

  20

  129

  1994–952

  154

  17

  184

  1995–96

  55

  8

  97

  1996–97

  174

  12

  132

  1997–98

  138

  22

  124

  1998–99

  142

  14

  80

  1999–2000

  104

  21

  104

  2000–013

  89

  8

  49

  1 Prior to 1995–96 police numbers were collected on a calender year basis rather than a financial year basis

  2 Figures for 1994–95 cover the period 1 January 1994 to 31 March 1995

  3 Figures for 2000–01 are for the period 1 April to 30 September 2000

  Prisoners (Medical Services)
  Mr. Laurence Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of prisoners who suffer from mental health problems; what services are available to help them; what funding is provided for their treatment; and if he will make a statement. [149681]
  738W
  Mr. Boateng
  A survey of psychiatric morbidity among prisoners in England and Wales, undertaken in 1997 by the Office for National Statistics for the Department of Health, showed that around 90 per cent. of prisoners sampled displayed evidence of at least one of the five disorders (personality disorder, psychosis, neurosis, alcohol misuse and drug dependence) considered in the survey.

  Prisoners who need in-patient treatment for mental disorder may be transferred to psychiatric hospitals. The care and treatment of prisoners who do not need to be admitted to hospital is generally undertaken by prison health care staff under the supervision of national health service specialists.

  The Government's programme of reform for prison health care was set out in "The Future Organisation of Prison Healthcare" (March 1999). All prisons and the health authorities in which they are situated are required by March 2001, jointly to assess prisoners' health needs and to identify appropriate services to meet them. These services should include the development, over time, of in-reach into prisons by community mental health services as part of the broader development of mental health services as set out in the national service framework for mental health. Under the Government's NHS Plan an additional 300 staff will be employed by 2004 to provide such in-reach services to prisoners.

  Crime Statistics
  Mr. Ruane
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on crime figures for the Vale of Clwyd in the last 12 months. [149790]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  Recorded crime figures are not held on a constituency basis. The nearest available figures are for the Denbighshire crime and disorder reduction partnership area. The latest centrally available figures, for the year ending September 2000, are as follows:

  Number of offences

  Offences per 1,000 population

  Violence against the person

  1,047

  12.3

  Sexual Offences

  44

  0.5

  Robbery

  32

  0.4

  Burglary of a dwelling

  489

  5.8

  Theft of a motor vehicle

  348

  4.1

  Theft from a vehicle

  535

  7.3

  CCTV
  Mr. Ruane
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what grants his Department has made towards CCTV coverage in the Vale of Clwyd in each of the last four years. [149789]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  In the last four years, two grants have been made towards closed circuit television (CCTV)
  739W
  coverage in the Vale of Clwyd. In March 1997, £95,000 was awarded towards a scheme in Prestatyn under round 3 of the CCTV challenge competition, and in January 2000, £159,000 was awarded towards improving security in Rhyl under round 1 of the CCTV initiative

  Denbighshire county council has submitted three proposals for further cameras to cover towns in the Vale of Clwyd under round 2 of the CCTV initiative. These are currently under consideration.

  Deaths in dwelling1 fires, by brigade area, UK, 1982 to 1999

  Brigade area

  1982

  1983

  1984

  1985

  1986

  1987

  19882

  1989

  1990

  United Kingdom

  728

  710

  692

  700

  753

  710

  721

  634

  625

  England and Wales

  578

  561

  543

  527

  594

  548

  569

  532

  499

  England

  548

  527

  503

  505

  568

  510

  534

  508

  478

  England—non-met counties

  251

  257

  245

  230

  287

  251

  249

  261

  250

  Avon

  9

  8

  8

  10

  5

  8

  10

  8

  6

  Bedfordshire

  1

  3

  2

  2

  4

  4

  4

  4

  4

  Berkshire

  5

  3

  8

  6

  7

  5

  4

  5

  8

  Buckinghamshire

  4

  2

  6

  1

  4

  2

  3

  6

  6

  Cambridgeshire

  7

  6

  5

  2

  4

  2

  5

  3

  6

  Cheshire

  13

  9

  12

  5

  7

  8

  10

  5

  9

  Cleveland

  6

  4

  7

  5

  4

  2

  4

  6

  8

  Cornwall

  4

  3

  0

  1

  6

  2

  9

  4

  4

  Cumbria

  6

  2

  7

  4

  5

  6

  12

  8

  3

  Derbyshire

  12

  15

  8

  9

  13

  13

  6

  7

  10

  Devon

  7

  14

  8

  9

  11

  8

  5

  6

  12

  Dorset

  7

  5

  4

  3

  6

  6

  6

  4

  5

  Durham

  16

  10

  7

  5

  5

  3

  11

  12

  7

  East Sussex

  4

  7

  8

  13

  10

  8

  4

  9

  13

  Essex

  10

  14

  13

  15

  14

  10

  15

  11

  9

  Gloucestershire

  3

  0

  1

  9

  7

  4

  5

  2

  0

  Hampshire

  13

  9

  15

  11

  21

  15

  9

  10

  7

  Hereford and Worcester

  5

  3

  5

  3

  4

  4

  7

  7

  5

  Hertfordshire

  7

  8

  5

  5

  9

  6

  12

  5

  7

  Humberside

  7

  12

  6

  9

  5

  9

  11

  9

  10

  Isle of Wight

  0

  5

  3

  1

  4

  2

  0

  0

  0

  Kent

  6

  8

  14

  7

  13

  17

  9

  13

  18

  Lancashire

  23

  22

  16

  21

  24

  14

  16

  13

  14

  Leicestershire

  0

  8

  9

  7

  10

  8

  4

  6

  1

  Lincolnshire

  8

  3

  3

  1

  6

  2

  2

  5

  3

  Norfolk

  5

  5

  6

  10

  9

  5

  5

  7

  5

  North Yorkshire

  4

  9

  4

  6

  2

  9

  0

  7

  8

  Northamptonshire

  4

  6

  5

  4

  3

  15

  7

  5

  6

  Northumberland

  3

  6

  2

  3

  3

  6

  3

  7

  6

  Nottinghamshire

  6

  14

  16

  7

  12

  12

  11

  17

  9

  Oxfordshire

  4

  3

  1

  3

  9

  4

  4

  4

  3

  Shropshire

  4

  0

  2

  3

  6

  2

  4

  5

  1

  Somerset

  4

  1

  2

  1

  6

  5

  4

  1

  4

  Staffordshire

  5

  11

  3

  9

  7

  6

  7

  9

  6

  Suffolk

  5

  2

  6

  9

  4

  4

  3

  4

  6

  Surrey

  7

  5

  7

  4

  9

  6

  10

  6

  8

  Warwickshire

  7

  6

  3

  1

  1

  4

  2

  4

  5

  West Sussex

  4

  5

  6

  3

  5

  2

  4

  12

  4

  Wiltshire

  6

  1

  2

  3

  3

  3

  2

  5

  4

  Isles of Scilly3

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  0

  0

  0

  England—Met Counties

  297

  270

  258

  275

  281

  259

  285

  247

  228

  Greater Manchester

  50

  46

  47

  45

  58

  35

  49

  32

  39

  Merseyside

  34

  14

  18

  23

  30

  14

  20

  20

  14

  South Yorkshire

  17

  11

  16

  15

  22

  15

  16

  19

  17

  Tyne and Wear

  23

  13

  30

  15

  10

  16

  20

  15

  19

  West Midlands

  35

  36

  29

  24

  34

  24

  37

  31

  20

  West Yorkshire

  21

  33

  21

  36

  26

  32

  22

  30

  25

  Greater London

  117

  117

  97

  117

  101

  123

  121

  100

  94

  Wales4

  30

  34

  40

  22

  26

  38

  35

  24

  21

  North Wales

  8

  7

  5

  5

  6

  2

  5

  4

  5

  Mid and West Wales

  12

  12

  12

  8

  8

  18

  11

  5

  4

  South Wales

  10

  15

  23

  9

  12

  18

  19

  15

  12

  Northern Ireland

  24

  13

  21

  29

  27

  24

  18

  14

  13

  740W

  House Fires
  Mr. Ruane
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people died in house fires in each region in the United Kingdom in each of the last 20 years. [149791]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  The information requested is contained in the table. Figures are available at fire brigade area level from 1982 onwards.
  741W

  Deaths in dwelling1fires, by brigade area, UK, 1982 to 1999

  Brigade area

  1982

  1983

  1984

  1985

  1986

  1987

  19882

  1989

  1990

  Scotland

  126

  136

  128

  144

  132

  138

  134

  88

  113

  Strathclyde

  70

  62

  67

  80

  70

  77

  64

  48

  63

  Highland and Islands

  7

  9

  11

  5

  6

  5

  8

  4

  5

  Grampian

  8

  10

  6

  14

  9

  8

  5

  10

  11

  Tayside

  12

  17

  8

  9

  7

  8

  4

  3

  4

  Lothian and Borders

  21

  22

  20

  22

  23

  16

  25

  16

  18

  Fife

  3

  7

  4

  4

  7

  9

  10

  3

  5

  Central

  3

  5

  10

  4

  9

  11

  9

  4

  4

  Dumfries

  2

  4

  2

  6

  1

  4

  8

  0

  3

  Brigade area

  1991

  1992

  1993

  19945

  1995

  1996

  1997

  1998

  19996,7

  United Kingdom

  613

  578

  530

  488

  559

  564

  562

  506

  463 (466)8

  England and Wales

  473

  483

  403

  394

  468

  461

  462

  407

  356

  England

  430

  449

  376

  376

  428

  428

  432

  384

  338

  England—non-met counties

  202

  220

  191

  197

  236

  238

  250

  209

  177

  Avon

  8

  5

  3

  7

  2

  3

  4

  4

  8

  Bedfordshire

  3

  6

  2

  4

  4

  6

  3

  3

  1

  Berkshire

  8

  5

  4

  4

  3

  12

  5

  7

  2

  Buckinghamshire

  2

  0

  5

  3

  4

  4

  7

  1

  4

  Cambridgeshire

  6

  4

  1

  6

  3

  9

  4

  2

  3

  Cheshire

  5

  3

  7

  5

  6

  8

  11

  8

  9

  Cleveland

  4

  7

  9

  1

  7

  5

  10

  2

  4

  Cornwall

  2

  6

  8

  2

  6

  1

  6

  4

  2

  Cumbria

  3

  4

  4

  5

  10

  3

  4

  5

  3

  Derbyshire

  6

  16

  4

  10

  6

  5

  7

  8

  8

  Devon

  3

  4

  3

  5

  5

  6

  4

  6

  4

  Dorset

  1

  4

  4

  0

  10

  8

  5

  2

  8

  Durham

  10

  6

  8

  9

  6

  3

  9

  4

  9

  East Sussex

  10

  11

  6

  4

  6

  7

  7

  9

  5

  Essex

  11

  15

  5

  6

  11

  13

  14

  8

  5

  Gloucestershire

  0

  2

  1

  6

  7

  5

  4

  2

  1

  Hampshire

  6

  7

  5

  7

  14

  15

  5

  7

  8

  Hereford and Worcester

  4

  6

  9

  6

  2

  1

  6

  3

  2

  Hertfordshire

  3

  3

  5

  5

  6

  10

  10

  8

  4

  Humberside

  6

  8

  5

  9

  18

  8

  7

  10

  5

  Isle of Wight

  0

  0

  3

  1

  2

  1

  1

  1

  0

  Kent

  3

  10

  10

  11

  12

  12

  7

  5

  6

  Lancashire

  16

  13

  21

  12

  21

  19

  22

  17

  15

  Leicestershire

  8

  4

  10

  5

  9

  10

  4

  11

  3

  Lincolnshire

  1

  3

  3

  6

  6

  4

  2

  8

  3

  Norfolk

  4

  5

  4

  1

  2

  2

  5

  1

  5

  North Yorkshire

  3

  6

  3

  8

  5

  7

  7

  8

  5

  Northamptonshire

  7

  2

  0

  4

  4

  3

  8

  8

  4

  Northumberland

  1

  1

  4

  4

  3

  0

  3

  1

  2

  Nottinghamshire

  15

  8

  6

  5

  4

  11

  16

  10

  9

  Oxfordshire

  0

  4

  3

  3

  4

  10

  4

  10

  6

  Shropshire

  6

  6

  1

  7

  1

  1

  3

  0

  2

  Somerset

  2

  3

  3

  2

  3

  5

  4

  0

  1

  Staffordshire

  12

  15

  5

  4

  8

  7

  10

  8

  6

  Suffolk

  2

  0

  4

  2

  9

  0

  6

  6

  2

  Surrey

  2

  2

  2

  6

  2

  4

  5

  6

  3

  Warwickshire

  10

  6

  2

  1

  1

  1

  2

  3

  2

  West Sussex

  7

  3

  6

  3

  1

  2

  5

  3

  7

  Wiltshire

  2

  6

  3

  8

  3

  7

  4

  0

  1

  Isles of Scilly3

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  England—Met Counties

  228

  229

  185

  179

  192

  190

  182

  175

  161

  Greater Manchester

  51

  32

  32

  36

  27

  24

  29

  28

  32

  Merseyside

  8

  20

  13

  17

  15

  19

  10

  21

  11

  South Yorkshire

  12

  12

  9

  4

  8

  11

  6

  12

  10

  Tyne and Wear

  12

  12

  14

  11

  6

  12

  5

  8

  5

  West Midlands

  39

  37

  24

  21

  26

  19

  16

  18

  21

  West Yorkshire

  26

  17

  25

  24

  29

  35

  24

  23

  21

  Greater London

  80

  99

  68

  66

  81

  70

  92

  65

  61

  Wales4

  43

  34

  27

  18

  40

  33

  30

  23

  18

  North Wales

  6

  10

  10

  5

  13

  7

  5

  9

  3

  Mid and West Wales

  14

  10

  9

  3

  11

  8

  9

  3

  5

  South Wales

  23

  14

  8

  10

  16

  18

  16

  11

  10

  742W

  743W

  Brigade area

  1991

  1992

  1993

  19945

  1995

  1996

  1997

  1998

  19996,7

  Northern Ireland

  22

  13

  14

  19

  15

  7

  26

  23

  27

  Scotland

  118

  82

  113

  75

  76

  96

  74

  76

  80

  Strathclyde

  63

  38

  47

  41

  39

  56

  42

  50

  43

  Highland and Islands

  10

  7

  6

  5

  3

  7

  5

  8

  1

  Grampian

  11

  10

  10

  4

  4

  9

  7

  5

  4

  Tayside

  3

  2

  14

  5

  7

  4

  3

  4

  4

  Lothian and Borders

  17

  9

  18

  9

  6

  6

  8

  2

  13

  Fife

  6

  10

  13

  7

  6

  8

  2

  4

  9

  Central

  7

  4

  2

  2

  6

  6

  4

  2

  3

  Dumfries

  1

  2

  3

  2

  5

  0

  3

  1

  3

  1Dwellings include houseboats, caravans and any other non-building structure used solely as a permanent residence.

  2 Some casualty data have been revised since previous publication to take into account death certificate information provided by ONS and General Registrar Offices (Scotland and NI). Data revised in Home Office Statistical Bulletin, Fire Statistics, UK, 1999 (Issue 20/00).

  3 Up until 1987 data for Isles of Scilly were included with Cornwall.

  4 The brigades in Wales were restructured in April 1996. (North Wales—formerly Clywd and Gwynedd; Mid and West Wales—formerly Dyfed, Powys and West Glamorgan; and South Wales—formerly Gwent, Mid Glamorgan and South Glamorgan).

  5 Figures from 1994 onwards include late call, heat and smoke incidents. Prior to 1994 these incidents were not recorded.

  6 1999 UK totals are estimated to take account of likely revisions to the data once further information from death certificates etc have been received. No estimates have been made for individual brigade areas.

  7 Provisional

  8 Estimated

  Source:
  Home Office: Brigade FDR1 statistical returns

  Constituency Spending Limits
  Mr. Webb
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to announce the constituency spending limits which would apply in the event of a general election in(a) April and (b) May of this year. [149655]

  Election

  Current limit

  New limit

  Parliamentary general election in a county constituency

  £4,965 plus 5.6p per elector

  £5,483 plus 6.2p per elector

  Parliamentary general election in a borough constituency

  £4,965 plus 4.2p per elector

  £5,483 plus 4.6p per elector

  Local government election

  £219 plus 4.3p per elector

  £242 plus 4.7p per elector

  Prisoners (Age Profile)
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) male and (b) female prison inmates in England and Wales were aged over (i) 70, (ii) 75, (iii) 80, (iv) 85 and (v) 90 years on 1 January. [148896]

  Mr. Boateng
  Provisional information for 31 December 2000 about prisoners in England and Wales over the age of 70 years is given in the table. Information on the prison population is also available in successive volumes of "Prison Statistics England and Wales" (chapter one of the 1999 edition CM 4805).

  Number of males and females in prison over the age of 70

  Age1

  Males

  Females

  Over 70

  172

  3

  Over 75

  55

  —

  Over 80

  13

  —

  Over 85

  3

  —

  1 The category 'Over 70' includes all inmates over the age of 70 (not just 70–74), the category 'Over 75' includes all inmates over the age of 75 (not just 75–79), and so on.

  Naturalisation Applications
  Sir Brian Mawhinney
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many passports have been
  744W
  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  The limits on candidates' election expenses at parliamentary and local government elections are set down in section 76 of the Representation of the People Act 1983, with provision for periodical updating to take account of inflation. An order increasing the limits in line with inflation since March 1997 will be made shortly. The revised limits will be as follows:

  issued since May 1997 to those seeking citizenship through naturalisation, within seven months of the application being submitted. [148673]

  Mrs. Roche
  [holding answer 5 February 2001]: The information is not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  The Immigration and Nationality Directorate does not keep records of whether successful applicants for British citizenship go on to obtain British passports. The United Kingdom Passport Agency (UKPA) has no way of knowing when a passport applicant applied for British citizenship.

  Departmental Policies (Morecambe and Lunesdale)
  Miss Geraldine Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out, including statistical information, the effect on the Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [149127]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  The Home Office is working to build a safe, just and tolerant society in which the rights and responsibilities of individuals, families and communities are properly balanced, and the protection and security of the public are maintained. Detailed
  745W
  information on the impact of Home Office policies across the full range of responsibilities is set out in Home Office annual reports. A copy of the most recent report, Home Office annual report 1999–2000, is available in the Library.

  The impact of Home Office policies and actions is not normally examined by constituency and the statistics which the Department collects, such as recorded crime, cannot be matched in the way requested although set out below are examples relating to the Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency or the immediate locality:

  Under the crime reduction programme, the following amounts have been awarded to Morecambe and Lunesdale:
  reducing burglary £53,600 (Morecambe closed circuit television (CCTV) £144,000

  Schemes
  reducing burglary initiative—a project under round one of the reducing burglary initiative was awarded £53,600 to tackle burglary in the Morecambe area. An application for further funding for the Morecambe area under round three has been received and is currently under consideration.
  The initiative has a lot of partnership working between the police and other agencies and is based around the following interventions:
  Alarms
  Improved Fencing in the area
  Improved Lighting
  CCTV—two schemes were awarded a total of £144,000 under the first round of the CCTV Initiative.

  Acceptances for permanent residence in the United Kingdom, 1990–99

  Number of persons

  1990

  1991

  1992

  1993

  1994

  1995

  1996

  1997

  1998

  1999

  All acceptances1

  53,200

  53,900

  52,570

  55,640

  55,010

  55,480

  61,730

  58,720

  69,790

  97,120

  Refugees and persons given exceptional leave to remain2

  1,130

  990

  1,780

  3,990

  3,290

  1,600

  4,200

  4,830

  6,680

  22,500

  of which:

  Recognised refugees2,3

  930

  750

  1,280

  2,850

  2,260

  680

  1,120

  2,400

  4,270

  22,500

  Persons given exceptional leave to remain2

  200

  240

  500

  1,140

  1,030

  920

  3,080

  2,430

  2,410

  All other acceptances1

  52,070

  52,910

  50,790

  51,650

  51,720

  53,880

  57,530

  53,890

  63,110

  74,620

  1 Includes spouses and dependants

  2 Accepted in own right (excludes spouses and dependants)

  3 Includes refugees from South East Asia and their dependants and persons granted settlement under measures aimed at reducing the pre-July 1993 backlog as announced in the White Paper in July 1998

  Source:

  Table 6.3 of the Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom 1999

  Information for 2000 should be published in June 2001

  Detention and Training Orders
  Miss Widdecombe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many detention and training orders have been made to date; and if he will make a statement. [149161]

  Mr. Boateng
  The detention and training order was implemented on 1 April 2000. Information provided by the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales indicates that 4,560 detention and training orders were made between 1 April 2000 and 31 December 2000.

  Drug Treatment and Testing Orders
  Miss Widdecombe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drug treatment and 746W
  The West End scheme in Morecambe, awarded £84,000 proposed four cameras to complement the existing camera covering shopping facilities and residential properties. The scheme intends to tackle vehicle crime, violent crime and burglary, in tandem with the alleygating scheme, which will force offenders onto main thoroughfares with CCTC coverage.
  The Cable Street scheme in Lancaster, awarded £60,000 proposed three cameras to cover the northern area of Lancaster town centre, to add to the 12-camera system also in operation. The scheme proposed to reduce fear of violent crime, reduce vehicle crime and burglary, as well as addressing the problem of anti-social behaviour.

  More generally, all of the policies of the Home Office will impact on the residents of Morecambe and Lunesdale to a greater or lesser extent. For example:
  376 Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships have been established;
  racial harassment and racially motivated crimes have been made criminal offences by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998:
  the asylum backlog has been cut from 103,495 at the end of January 2000 to 66,195 by the end of December 2000; and
  good progress is being made in reducing the incidence of fire deaths in England and Wales. They have dropped from 605 in 1997 to 534 in 1999.

  Immigration
  Mr. Webb
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate(a) the total number of immigrants to the United Kingdom in each year since 1990 and (b) how many of those were (i) people granted asylum and (ii) other categories of immigrant. [149186]

  Mrs. Roche
  The information requested is given in the table.

  testing orders have been made to date in each police force area in England and Wales; how many have been (a) discharged and (b) breached; and if he will make a statement. [149160]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  Prior to 1 April 2000, drug treatment and testing orders were run on a pilot scheme in parts of three police force areas in England and Wales. Information is not available in the form requested, but data provided to the National Probation Directorate by the probation services in the pilot areas are given in the table. Since 1 October 2000, drug treatment and testing orders have been rolled-out on a national basis. No data on orders made since roll-out are yet available.
  747W

  Number of drug treatment and testing orders made and breached by police force area, England and Wales 30 September 1998 to 31 March 2000

  Police force area

  Number made

  Number breached

  Pilot Data (to 31 March 2000)1

  Gloucestershire

  100

  63

  Merseyside

  68

  29

  Metropolitan Police (Croydon)

  42

  28

  Source:

  1National Probation Directorate (CPG)

  Prisons (Industrial Relations)
  Mr. Fitzpatrick
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in reforming the arrangements for industrial relations in prisons and in setting up a Prison Service Pay Review Body for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. [150088]

  Mr. Straw
  On 26 July 2000,Official Report, column 713W, my right hon. Friend the Minister of State, Home Office, announced that it was my intention to set up a pay review body to make independent recommendations to the Government on the pay of prison governors, prison officers and related grades for the Prison Service in England and Wales and for the Northern Ireland Prison Service.

  I indicated that the delivery of those intentions depended on my being satisfied that the state of industrial relations within prisons is such to enable the effective and efficient management of the service. At that time, relations were not satisfactory because the Prison Officers Association (POA) had withdrawn goodwill following a decision to market test Her Majesty's Prison, Brixton.

  Since then, there has been a very frank but positive dialogue between the Prison Service, the POA and Ministers on this and a range of other issues. I am pleased to announce today that I am satisfied that the industrial relations climate is now conducive to proceeding with plans for a pay review body.

  I am also able to announce the appointment of Sir Toby Frere to the post of chair of the Prison Service Pay Review Body.

  This review body will operate on the lines of the five existing review bodies which deal with 1.3 million public sector employees. Like the existing review bodies, it will have a secretariat from the independent Office of Manpower Economics. The remit of the Pay Review Body will also have the scope to make an independent determination in relation to the pay of prison governors, prison officers, night patrol officers and prison auxiliaries in the Northern Ireland Prison Service based on submissions made to it by that service.

  This establishment of an independent pay determination mechanism is under the provisions of section 128 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994. It is part of a comprehensive improvement in Prison Service management.

  It is also my intention, when parliamentary time allows, to replace section 127 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 with a reserve statutory power and a voluntary industrial relations agreement. Section 127, as it stands, makes it unlawful for officers of a prison to take industrial action. The voluntary agreement which has been
  748W
  accepted by the Prison Governors Association (PGA) and the POA national executive committee will be put to a special POA delegates conference at the end of February. This will mean that they have agreed not to induce, support or authorise industrial action. In recognition of this we will provide them with a new disputes procedure which will include independent arbitration. The voluntary agreement, which will be legally binding, will give me, as Secretary of State for the Home Department, the power to seek injunctive relief.

  In order to bring about these important improvements in industrial relations in the Prison Service in England and Wales quickly, I intend to use the provisions of the voluntary agreement instead of those in section 127, while awaiting parliamentary time to effect the changes in legislation. However, it is clear on all sides that section 127 would be used in the event of a breakdown of the agreement.

  Together, these measures create a new climate for industrial relations in the service. They clear the way for more constructive dialogue on a wide range of issues by modernising the way that this key group of public sector workers deal with their employer.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  European Commission
  Mr. Bercow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his policy towards monitoring the European Commission's spending on its budget lines, with particular reference to moneys spent on(a) information campaigning and (b) lobby groups. [147516]

  Mr. Vaz
  The Council and Parliament are the joint arms of the EU Budgetary Authority and have responsibility in monitoring and setting annual spending for all EC institutions, including the Commission. Within this arrangement, it is the Parliament which has the final say (in its Second Reading of the Budget) over all items of non-compulsory expenditure, which includes funding for information campaigns and lobby groups. With regards to these, it is within the remit of the Commission to make commitments and payments, based on the criteria for the targeting of funds from these budget lines. The Court of Auditors has general responsibility for checking the legality and regularity of underlying transactions involving these and other EC funds and for ensuring the reliability of the Commission's accounts.

  Comitology
  Mr. Denzil Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many EU regulations and directives containing comitology powers were issued in the last 12 months. [147320]

  Mr. Vaz
  Many pieces of Community legislation contain implementing measures governed by comitology rules. In 1996, the total number of EU measures containing comitology powers was 4,500. No figures have been released by the Commission since then.

  More in-depth information about all EU legislation is available on the internet at europa.eu.int/eur-lex.
  749W

  Freedom of Movement (Third-country Nationals)
  Mr. McDonnell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what representations the Government have made within the institutions of the European Union to enable the free movement of third-country nationals travelling from one EU member state to another; [149092]

  (2) if he intends to raise within the EU the question of the freedom of movement within the EU of third-country nationals. [149091]

  Mrs. Roche
  I have been asked to reply.

  The Government have made no such representations and do not intend to do so. The right of free movement within the European Union is limited to citizens of the European Economic Area and their family members. The Government are committed to maintaining the United Kingdom's frontier controls and retaining national control over immigration policy in relation to third-country nationals. Third-country nationals wishing to travel within the European Union may do so in accordance with the requirements applicable in the member state concerned, obtaining visas if necessary.

  European Council
  Mr. Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 23 January 2001,Official Report, columns 564–65W, concerning the consultative conferences and other activities required of European presidencies during 2001 in Annexe IV of the provisional treaty of Nice, if he will list (a) the procedures and criteria by which Her Majesty's Government will select representatives of statutory and non-statutory bodies, (b) the funds to be used for organising and running these conferences and (c) to whom such representatives will report, and how they will consult. [148396]

  Mr. Vaz
  The Nice treaty agreed that the consultative process should be wide and involve members of civil society. No details have yet been worked out. The Swedish presidency has been mandated to report to the Gothenburg European Council in June. We expect this report to address possible mechanisms and scope for this process.

  Sir David Hannay
  Mr. Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Hendon (Mr. Dismore) of 29 January 2001,Official Report, column 58W, on Sir David Hannay, how many days Sir David has worked; and how much Sir David was paid in the last financial year for which figures are available. [148876]

  Mr. Vaz
  [holding answer 5 February 2001]: During financial year 1999–2000 Sir David worked 92.5 days in London and overseas at the per diem rate of £400 per day.

  Visits (India)
  Mr. Hawkins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions since he became Minister for Europe the hon.750W
  Member for Leicester, East (Mr. Vaz) has visited India; and how many of these visits were (a) on Government business and (b) at the expense of the Hindujas or one of their companies or foundations. [149829]

  Mr. Vaz
  The information is as follows:

  (a) Once between 31 January and 5 February 2000 as Minister responsible for entry clearance matters; and

  (b) None.

  Entry Clearance
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how his Department implements the Joint Entry Clearance Unit's advice to entry clearance officers that an applicant for entry clearance should be advised of the possibility of a human rights appeal only if he or she is insistent that his or her human rights have been breached. [149530]

  Mr. Vaz
  All applications for entry clearance are considered under the immigration rules and since 2 October 2000 in the light of the Human Rights Act 1998. Should applicants consider that their human rights have been breached, they can make an allegation of non-compliance either at the time of interview or subsequent representations. This will be investigated. If the applicant remains dissatisfied, an appeal will be triggered.

  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will provide a monthly breakdown, by entry clearance post, of the number of family visit visa refusals in relation to which(a) an appeal has been received, (b) the refusal has been overturned by an entry clearance manager after receipt of an appeal, (c) an appeal has been despatched, (d) entry clearance has been issued prior to the outcome of an appeal, (e) an appeal has been allowed and notified to the post and (f) an appeal has been dismissed and notified to the post, since October 2000. [149531]

  Mr. Vaz
  The breakdown on family visit refusals, appeals received, refusals overturned after receipt of an appeal and appeals despatched, covers information received from the largest 100 entry clearance posts, which submit monthly statistical returns. There are individual tables for the months of October, November and December. I regret that the information for the remaining 64 small posts (those issuing fewer than 1,200 visas a year) is not available centrally.

  The information requested on the issue of entry clearance prior to the outcome of an appeal is not available centrally or locally. The entry clearance manager may only sign the appeal form if he/she decides after review that the refusal stands.

  The second breakdown on appeal decisions was provided by the Lord Chancellor's Department and covers all 164 entry clearance posts. The information requested on the notification of the outcome of appeals is not

  751W
  available centrally and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost by contacting each of the 164 entry clearance posts individually. The Home Office informs

  Family visit visa orals appeals

  File number

  Country

  Date fax received

  Date appeal received in office

  Date sent to hearing center

  Time taken to action in Lough

  Hearing center

  Date of hearing

  VV00008/2000

  Bangladesh

  5 November 2000

  10 November 2000

  10 November 2000

  Same day

  Leeds

  30 November 2000

  VV00010/2000

  India

  7 November 2000

  14 November 2000

  14 November 2000

  Same day

  Taylor HS

  5 December 2000

  VV00018/2000

  Nigeria

  13 November 2000

  20 November 2000

  20 November 2000

  Same day

  Leeds

  7 December 2000

  VV00027/2000

  Pakistan

  n/a

  22 November 2000

  22 November 2000

  Same day

  Hatton X

  13 December 2000

  VV00029/2000

  Pakistan

  16 November 2000

  22 November 2000

  22 November 2000

  Same day

  Hatton X

  13 December 2000

  VV00030/2000

  Pakistan

  16 November 2000

  22 November 2000

  22 November 2000

  Same day

  Taylor HS

  13 December 2000

  VV00032/2000

  Pakistan

  16 November 2000

  22 November 2000

  23 November 2000

  1 day

  Hatton X

  14 December 2000

  VV00037/2000

  India

  14 November 2000

  23 November 2000

  23 November 2000

  Same day

  Taylor HS

  13 December 2000

  VV00042/2000

  India

  14 November 2000

  29 November 2000

  29 November 2000

  Same day

  Hatton X

  20 December 2000

  VV00044/2000

  Nigeria

  20 November 2000

  29 November 2000

  29 November 2000

  Same day

  Taylor HS

  20 December 2000

  VV00045/2000

  India

  17 November 2000

  29 November 2000

  29 November 2000

  Same day

  Birmingham

  21 December 2000

  VV00047/2000

  India

  16 November 2000

  29 November 2000

  29 November 2000

  Same day

  Taylor HS

  20 December 2000

  VV00067/2000

  Nigeria

  23 November 2000

  4 December 2000

  4 December 2000

  Same day

  Birmingham

  21 December 2000

  VV00082/2000

  Pakistan

  24 November 2000

  7 December 2000

  7 December 2000

  Same day

  Taylor HS

  28 December 2000

  VV00088/2000

  Pakistan

  6 December 2000

  13 December 2000

  13 December 2000

  Same day

  Manchester

  3 January 2001

  VV00103/2000

  Pakistan

  n/a

  20 December 2000

  20 December 2000

  Same day

  Taylor HS

  10 January 2001

  VV00114/2000

  Sri Lanka

  n/a

  21 December 2000

  21 December 2000

  Same day

  Taylor HS

  18 January 2001

  VV00116/2000

  Pakistan

  13 December 2000

  21 December 2000

  21 December 2000

  Same day

  Birmingham

  11 January 2001

  VV00120/2000

  Pakistan

  7 December 2000

  22 December 2000

  28 December 2000

  2 days

  Taylor HS

  12 January 2001

  VV00121/2000

  Pakistan

  7 December 2000

  22 December 2000

  28 December 2000

  2 day

  Leeds

  16 January 2001

  VV00124/2000

  Israel

  ?

  28 December 2000

  28 December 2000

  Same day

  Taylor HS

  18 January 2001

  VV00131/2000

  Pakistan

  8 December 2000

  28 December 2000

  28 December 2000

  Same day

  Hatton X

  18 January 2001

  VV00138/2000

  Pakistan

  8 December 2000

  29 December 2000

  29 December 2000

  Same day

  Taylor HS

  23 January 2001

  VV00001/2001

  Nigeria

  28 December 2000

  3 January 2001

  3 January 2001

  Same day

  Taylor HS

  24 January 2001

  VV00002/2001

  Pakistan

  19 December 2000

  3 January 2001

  3 January 2001

  Same day

  Hatton X

  24 January 2001

  VV00003/2001

  Pakistan

  19 December 2000

  3 January 2001

  3 January 2001

  Same day

  Manchester

  24 January 2001

  VV00005/2001

  Pakistan

  15 December 2000

  3 January 2001

  3 January 2001

  Same day

  Leeds

  24 January 2001

  VV00006/2001

  India

  22 December 2000

  3 January 2001

  3 January 2001

  Same day

  Hatton X

  24 January 2001

  VV00017/2001

  India

  19 December 2000

  3 January 2001

  4 January 2001

  Same day

  Manchester

  25 January 2001

  VV00019/2001

  India

  29 December 2000

  5 January 2001

  5 January 2001

  Same day

  Birmingham

  26 January 2001

  VV00024/2001

  Casablanca

  n/a

  9 January 2001

  9 January 2001

  Same day

  Hatton X

  30 January 2001

  VV00045/2001

  Bombay

  29 December 2000

  15 January 2001

  15 January 2001

  Same day

  Manchester

  5 February 2001

  VV00046/2001

  New Delhi

  5 January 2001

  15 January 2001

  15 January 2001

  Same day

  Taylor HS

  7 February 2001

  VV00048/2001

  Dakar

  4 January 2001

  16 January 2001

  16 January 2001

  Same day

  Birmingham

  6 February 2001

  VV00049/2001

  New Delhi

  9 January 2001

  16 January 2001

  16 January 2001

  Same day

  Taylor HS

  6 February 2001

  VV00051/2001

  Dakar

  4 January 2001

  16 January 2001

  16 January 2001

  Same day

  Taylor HS

  6 February 2001

  VV00058/2001

  Nigeria

  11 January 2001

  17 January 2001

  17 January 2001

  Same day

  Taylor HS

  7 February 2001

  VV00059/2001

  India

  2 January 2001

  17 January 2001

  17 January 2001

  Same day

  Trafford

  6 February 2001

  VV00063/2001

  Iran

  n/a

  17 January 2001

  18 January 2001

  1 day

  Birmingham

  8 February 2001

  VV00065/2001

  India

  12 January 2001

  19 January 2001

  19 January 2001

  Same day

  Hatton X

  9 February 2001

  VV00066/2001

  Pakistan

  15 January 2001

  19 January 2001

  19 January 2001

  Same day

  Hatton X

  9 February 2001

  VV00068/2001

  Pakistan

  15 January 2001

  19 January 2001

  19 January 2001

  Same day

  Hatton X

  9 February 2001

  VV00075/2001

  Nigeria

  15 January 2001

  22 January 2001

  22 January 2001

  Same day

  Hatton X

  12 February 2001

  VV00077/2001

  Nigeria

  15 January 2001

  22 January 2001

  22 January 2001

  Same day

  Taylor HS

  13 February 2001

  VV00078/2001

  Nigeria

  15 January 2001

  22 January 2001

  22 January 2001

  Same day

  Taylor HS

  13 February 2001

  VV00079/2001

  Uganda

  n/a

  22 January 2001

  22 January 2001

  Same day

  Taylor HS

  12 February 2001

  VV00081/2001

  Pakistan

  9 January 2001

  23 January 2001

  23 January 2001

  Same day

  Birmingham

  12 February 2001

  VV00083/2001

  Nigeria

  18 January 2001

  24 January 2001

  24 January 2001

  Same day

  Hatton X

  14 February 2001

  VV00084/2001

  Nigeria

  n/a

  24 January 2001

  25 January 2001

  1 day

  Leeds

  14 February 2001

  VV00085/2001

  Nigeria

  n/a

  24 January 2001

  25 January 2001

  1 day

  Leeds

  14 February 2001

  VV00091/2001

  Turkey

  17 January 2001

  25 January 2001

  26 January 2001

  1 day

  Taylor HS

  16 February 2001

  VV100/2001

  Pakistan

  n/a

  25 January 2001

  29 January 2001

  1 day

  Glasgow

  19 February 2001

  VV00105/2001

  Pakistan

  21 November 2000

  29 January 2001

  31 January 2001

  2 days

  Hatton X

  22 February 2001

  VV00109/2001

  Pakistan

  17 January 2001

  31 January 2001

  31 January 2001

  Same day

  Manchester

  23 February 2001

  VV00110/2001

  India

  23 January 2001

  31 January 2001

  31 January 2001

  Same day

  Manchester

  27 February 2001

  VV00111/2001

  India

  29 January 2001

  31 January 2001

  31 January 2001

  Same day

  Manchester

  27 February 2001

  VV00112/2001

  Nigeria

  25 January 2001

  31 January 2001

  31 January 2001

  Same day

  Taylor HS

  22 February 2001

  VV00115/2001

  India

  29 January 2001

  31 January 2001

  1 February 2001

  1 day

  Hatton X

  22 February 2001

  VV00117/2001

  Nigeria

  25 January 2001

  1 February 2001

  1 February 2001

  Same day

  Hatton X

  23 February 2001

  VV00119/2001

  India

  23 January 2001

  31 January 2001

  1 February 2001

  1 day

  Birmingham

  22 February 2001

  VV00120/2001

  Pakistan

  n/a

  1 February 2001

  1 February 2001

  Same day

  Birmingham

  22 February 2001

  VV00121/2001

  Turkey

  n/a

  2 February 2001

  2 February 2001

  Same day

  Leeds

  27 February 2001

  VV00121/2001

  Pakistan

  n/a

  6 February 2001

  6 February 2001

  Same day

  Birmingham

  26 February 2001

  VV00123/2001

  Pakistan

  n/a

  6 February 2001

  6 February 2001

  Same day

  Hatton X

  27 February 2001

  752W
  posts on the outcome of allowed appeals. The Lord Chancellor's Department informs posts of dismissed appeals.
  753W

  File number

  6 week deadline date

  Date promulgated

  Decision

  Total days from Lough receipt to completion (target 42)

  Reason for delay

  Date tribunal appeal received

  Date tribunal Date sent to Taylor appeal received House

  VV00008/2000

  21 December 2000

  30 November 2000

  Allowed

  20

  n/a

  —

  —

  VV00010/2000

  25 December 2000

  8 December 2000

  Allowed

  24

  n/a

  —

  —

  VV00018/2000

  1 January 2001

  12 December 2000

  Allowed

  22

  n/a

  —

  —

  VV00027/2000

  3 January 2001

  Adjourned to 9 January 2001

  —

  —

  VV00029/2000

  3 January 2001

  Adjourned to 12 February 2001

  —

  —

  VV00030/2000

  3 January 2001

  21 December 2000

  Allowed

  29

  n/a

  —

  —

  VV00032/2000

  4 January 2001

  28 December 2000

  Dismissed

  36

  n/a

  29 January 2001 30 January 2001

  VV00037/2000

  3 January 2001

  20 December 2000

  Dismissed

  27

  n/a

  —

  —

  VV00042/2000

  10 January 2001

  29 December 2000

  Withdrawn

  30

  n/a

  —

  —

  VV00044/2000

  10 January 2001

  Adjourned to 31 January 2001

  —

  —

  VV00045/2000

  10 January 2001

  2 January 2001

  Allowed

  33

  n/a

  —

  —

  VV00047/2000

  10 January 2001

  Adjourned to 23 March 2001

  —

  —

  VV00067/2000

  11 January 2001

  5 January 2001

  Allowed

  31

  n/a

  —

  —

  VV00082/2000

  18 January 2001

  5 January 2001

  Dismissed

  28

  n/a

  —

  —

  VV00088/2000

  24 January 2001

  12 January 2001

  Allowed

  29

  n/a

  —

  —

  VV00103/2000

  31 January 2001

  22 January 2001

  Dismissed

  32

  n/a

  —

  —

  VV00114/2000

  1 February 2001

  22 January 2001

  Allowed

  31

  n/a

  —

  —

  VV00116/2000

  1 February 2001

  —

  —

  —

  1—

  —

  —

  VV00120/2000

  2 February 2001

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  VV00121/2000

  2 February 2001

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  VV00124/2000

  8 February 2001

  —

  —

  —

  Adjourned to 19 February 2001

  —

  x2014;

  VV00131/2000

  8 February 2001

  —

  —

  —

  Adjourned to 19 February 2001

  —

  —

  VV00138/2000

  9 February 2001

  1 February 2001

  Allowed

  32

  n/a

  —

  —

  W00001/2001

  14 February 2001

  31 January 2001

  Allowed

  28

  n/a

  —

  —

  VV00002/2001

  14 February 2001

  5 February 2001

  Allowed

  32

  n/a

  —

  —

  VV00003/2001

  14 February 2001

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  VV00005/2001

  14 February 2001

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  VV00006/2001

  14 February 2001

  31 January 2001

  Dismissed

  28

  n/a

  —

  —

  VV00017/2001

  14 February 2001

  —

  —

  —

  Adjourned to 19 February 2001

  —

  —

  VV00019/2001

  16 February 2001

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  VV00024/2001

  20 February 2001

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  VV00045/2001

  26 February 2001

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  VV00046/2001

  26 February 2001

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  VV00048/2001

  27 February 2001

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  VV00049/2001

  27 February 2001

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  VV00051/2001

  27 February 2001

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  VV00058/2OO1

  28 February 2001

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  W00059/2001

  28 February 2001

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  VV00063/2OO1

  28 February 2001

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  W00065/2001

  2 March 2001

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  W00066/2001

  2 March 2001

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  VV00068/2001

  2 March 2001

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  W00075/2001

  5 March 2001

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  W00077/2001

  5 March 2001

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  VV00078/2001

  5 March 2001

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  VV00079/2001

  5 March 2001

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  VV00081/2001

  6 March 2001

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  VV00083/2001

  7 March 2001

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  VV00084/2001

  7 March 2001

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  VV00085/2001

  7 March 2001

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  W00091/2001

  8 March 2001

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  VV00100/2001

  7 March 2001

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  VV00105/2001

  12 March 2001

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  W00109/2001

  12 March 2001

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  VV00110/2001

  12 March 2001

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  VV00111/2001

  12 March 2001

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  VV00112/2001

  12 March 2001

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  VV00115/2001

  12 March 2001

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  VV00117/2001

  15 March 2001

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  VV00119/2001

  15 March 2001

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  VV00120/2001

  15 March 2001

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  W00121/2001

  16 March 2001

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  VV00121/2001

  20 March 2001

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  VV00123/2001

  20 March 2001

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1 Adjourned due to Loughborough error—relisted to 8 February 2001 Birmingham

  754W 755W
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what has been the total cost to his Department of collecting and refunding family visit appeal fees since 2 October 2000. [149532]

  Mr. Vaz
  Minimal.

  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will provide a breakdown, by entry clearance post, of the number of family visit visa applications(a) received, (b) determined, (c) allowed and (d) refused in each month since 2 October 2000. [149533]

  Mr. Vaz
  The breakdown gives the required details for November and December, based on statistics received from the largest 100 entry clearance posts, which submit monthly statistical returns. I regret that the information for the remaining 64 small posts is not available centrally. For the October figures, I refer to my answer to the hon. Member on 12 December 2000,Official Report, columns 125–26W.

  Family visit applications—December

  Post

  Received

  Determined

  Issued

  Refused

  Abidjan

  37

  37

  36

  1

  Abu Dhabi1

  103

  103

  88

  15

  Abuja

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Accra

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Addis Ababa

  50

  50

  43

  7

  Almaty

  25

  25

  25

  0

  Amman

  267

  267

  259

  3

  Amsterdam

  152

  152

  150

  2

  Ankara

  60

  60

  59

  1

  Bahrain

  4

  4

  4

  0

  Baku

  55

  55

  55

  0

  Bandar S B

  12

  12

  12

  0

  Bangkok

  124

  124

  95

  29

  Banjul

  64

  64

  59

  5

  Beirut

  131

  131

  129

  2

  Belgrade

  650

  453

  647

  3

  Bogota

  50

  50

  41

  9

  Bombay

  566

  566

  410

  156

  Bratislava

  87

  87

  87

  0

  Brussels

  59

  59

  59

  0

  Bucharest

  119

  119

  111

  8

  Budapest

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Cairo

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Calcutta

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Canberra

  0

  0

  -6

  6

  Casablanca

  125

  125

  113

  12

  Chicago

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Colombo

  45

  45

  18

  27

  Copenhagen

  47

  47

  47

  0

  Damascus

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Dar Es Salaam

  105

  105

  92

  13

  Dhaka

  486

  404

  376

  110

  Doha

  29

  17

  24

  5

  Dubai

  60

  60

  50

  10

  Dublin

  36

  0

  36

  0

  Dusseldorf

  299

  299

  295

  4

  Ekaterinburg

  23

  23

  22

  1

  Geneva1

  191

  191

  174

  17

  Georgetown

  31

  31

  23

  8

  Guangzhou

  120

  96

  88

  32

  Hanoi

  5

  5

  3

  2

  Harare

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Havana

  3

  3

  3

  0

  Hong Kong

  85

  85

  83

  2

  Islamabad

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Istanbul

  378

  378

  360

  18

  Jakarta

  86

  86

  85

  1

  Jedda

  0

  0

  0

  0

  756W

  Family visit applications—December

  Post

  Received

  Determined

  Issued

  Refused

  Jerusalem

  8

  8

  8

  0

  Kampala

  136

  136

  108

  28

  Karachi

  302

  1,246

  287

  15

  Kathmandu

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Khartoum

  32

  0

  26

  6

  Kiev

  158

  158

  139

  19

  Kingston

  77

  77

  65

  12

  Kuala Lumpur

  19

  19

  19

  0

  Kuwait

  103

  103

  86

  17

  Lagos

  1,439

  1,439

  1,189

  250

  Lima

  19

  19

  13

  6

  Los Angeles

  279

  279

  279

  0

  Luanda

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Lusaka

  183

  183

  171

  12

  Madras

  119

  119

  110

  9

  Madrid

  20

  20

  20

  0

  Manila

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Minsk

  26

  26

  23

  3

  Moscow

  299

  299

  290

  9

  Muscat

  36

  36

  35

  1

  Nairobi

  113

  113

  94

  19

  New Delhi

  992

  992

  639

  353

  New York

  1,319

  1,086

  1,316

  3

  Nicosia

  346

  346

  339

  7

  Oslo

  45

  45

  43

  2

  Ottawa

  412

  412

  411

  1

  Paris

  339

  320

  337

  2

  Peking

  130

  130

  124

  6

  Port Louis

  67

  0

  58

  9

  Port of Spain

  6

  6

  6

  0

  Prague

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Pretoria

  10

  22

  7

  3

  Quito

  27

  27

  26

  1

  Riga

  4

  4

  4

  0

  Riyadh

  5

  5

  0

  5

  Rome

  240

  240

  237

  3

  Sana'a

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Sarajevo

  146

  146

  144

  2

  Shanghai

  26

  26

  26

  0

  Singapore

  13

  13

  13

  0

  Sofia

  218

  218

  216

  2

  Sto Domingo1

  3

  3

  2

  1

  St Petersburg

  73

  3

  0

  3

  Stockholm

  103

  103

  101

  2

  Taipei

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Tashkent

  18

  18

  17

  1

  Tbilisi

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Tehran

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Tel Aviv

  6

  6

  6

  0

  Tirana1

  78

  78

  73

  5

  Tokyo

  13

  13

  12

  1

  Tunis

  119

  119

  96

  23

  Valletta

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Vienna

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Warsaw

  1

  3

  -1

  2

  Washington

  472

  428

  472

  0

  Wellington

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Yaounde

  11

  11

  11

  0

  Zagreb

  172

  172

  160

  12

  1 Combined total for November/December

  Family visit applications—November

  Post

  Received

  Determined

  Issued

  Refused

  Abidjan

  17

  17

  13

  4

  Abu Dhabi

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Abuja

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Accra

  681

  681

  403

  278

  Addis Ababa

  120

  120

  100

  20

  Almaty

  21

  21

  20

  1

  Amman

  657

  646

  492

  6

  Amsterdam

  85

  85

  80

  5

  757W

  Family visit applications—November

  Post

  Received

  Determined

  Issued

  Refused

  Ankara

  22

  22

  20

  2

  Bahrain

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Baku

  26

  26

  26

  0

  Bandar S B

  20

  20

  20

  0

  Bangkok

  185

  185

  152

  33

  Banjul

  91

  91

  81

  10

  Beirut

  106

  106

  106

  0

  Belgrade

  596

  453

  592

  4

  Bogota

  44

  44

  33

  11

  Bombay

  566

  566

  410

  156

  Bratislava

  15

  15

  15

  0

  Brussels

  28

  28

  27

  1

  Bucharest

  186

  186

  182

  4

  Budapest

  2

  2

  1

  1

  Cairo

  118

  118

  113

  5

  Calcutta

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Canberra

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Casablanca

  126

  126

  120

  6

  Chicago

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Colombo

  57

  57

  29

  28

  Copenhagen

  71

  71

  70

  1

  Damascus

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Dar Es Salaam

  135

  135

  121

  14

  Dhaka

  287

  404

  135

  152

  Doha

  26

  17

  22

  4

  Dubai

  97

  97

  79

  18

  Dublin

  38

  0

  38

  0

  Dusseldorf'

  468

  468

  461

  7

  Ekaterinburg

  9

  9

  8

  1

  Geneva

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Georgetown

  37

  37

  31

  6

  Guangzhou

  136

  96

  70

  66

  Hanoi

  17

  17

  12

  5

  Harare

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Havana

  2

  3

  2

  0

  Hong Kong

  73

  73

  65

  8

  Islamabad

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Istanbul

  426

  426

  401

  25

  Jakarta

  87

  87

  83

  4

  Jedda

  0

  4

  0

  4

  Jerusalem

  42

  42

  42

  0

  Kampala

  41

  14

  14

  0

  Karachi

  763

  1,246

  708

  55

  Kathmandu

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Khartoum

  21

  0

  9

  12

  Kiev

  200

  200

  184

  16

  Kingston

  116

  116

  97

  19

  Kuala Lumpur

  15

  15

  11

  4

  Kuwait

  0

  83

  83

  0

  Lagos

  2,693

  2,693

  2,355

  338

  Lima

  33

  33

  32

  1

  Los Angeles

  375

  375

  374

  1

  Luanda

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Lusaka

  126

  126

  119

  7

  Madras

  216

  216

  198

  18

  Madrid

  55

  55

  55

  0

  Manila

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Minsk

  27

  27

  27

  0

  Moscow

  471

  471

  458

  13

  Muscat

  29

  29

  27

  2

  Nairobi

  226

  226

  194

  32

  New Delhi

  1,025

  1,025

  647

  378

  New York

  1,379

  1,379

  1,375

  4

  Nicosia

  268

  268

  262

  6

  Oslo

  46

  46

  44

  2

  Ottawa

  485

  485

  484

  1

  Pans

  318

  318

  317

  1

  Peking

  73

  73

  70

  3

  Port Louis

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  13

  Port of Spain

  3

  3

  3

  0

  Prague

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Pretoria

  31

  31

  28

  3

  Quito

  13

  13

  13

  0

  758W

  Family visit applications—November

  Post

  Received

  Determined

  Issued

  Refused

  Riga

  5

  5

  5

  0

  Riyadh

  25

  25

  15

  10

  Rome

  111

  111

  107

  4

  Sana'a

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Sarajevo

  202

  202

  201

  1

  Shanghai

  31

  31

  27

  4

  Singapore

  15

  15

  15

  0

  Sofia

  257

  257

  243

  14

  Sto Domingo

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  St Petersburg

  81

  81

  77

  4

  Stockholm

  164

  164

  161

  3

  Taipei

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Tashkent

  19

  19

  19

  0

  Tbilisi

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Tehran

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Tel Aviv

  12

  12

  12

  0

  Tirana

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Tokyo

  12

  12

  12

  0

  Tunis

  97

  97

  63

  34

  Valletta

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Vienna

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Warsaw

  10

  10

  9

  1

  Washington

  451

  451

  451

  0

  Wellington

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Yaounde

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Zagreb

  172

  172

  162

  10

  1 Combined total for October/November

  Family visit appeals—December

  Post

  Refusals

  Appeals received

  Overturned

  Despatched

  Abidjan

  1

  0

  0

  0

  Abu Dhabi

  15

  0

  0

  0

  Abuja

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Accra

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Addis Ababa

  7

  0

  0

  0

  Almaty

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Amman

  3

  0

  0

  0

  Amsterdam

  2

  0

  0

  0

  Ankara

  1

  0

  0

  0

  Bahrain

  0

  1

  0

  0

  Baku

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Bandar S B

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Bangkok

  29

  0

  0

  0

  Banjul

  5

  0

  0

  0

  Beirut

  2

  0

  0

  0

  Belgrade

  3

  0

  0

  0

  Bogota

  9

  0

  0

  0

  Bombay

  156

  4

  0

  4

  Bratislava

  0

  0

  0

  Brussels

  0

  1

  0

  0

  Bucharest

  8

  1

  0

  1

  Budapest

  n/a

  0

  0

  0

  Cairo

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Calcutta

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Canberra

  6

  0

  0

  0

  Casablanca

  12

  1

  0

  0

  Chicago

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Colombo

  27

  0

  0

  0

  Copenhagen

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Damascus

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Dar Es Salaam

  13

  1

  0

  0

  Dhaka

  110

  7

  0

  5

  Doha

  5

  0

  0

  0

  Dubai

  10

  1

  0

  1

  Dublin

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Dusseldorf

  4

  0

  0

  0

  Ekaterinburg

  1

  0

  0

  0

  Geneva

  17

  0

  0

  0

  Georgetown

  8

  0

  1

  0

  Guangzhou

  32

  2

  0

  0

  759W

  Family visit appeals—December

  Post

  Refusals

  Appeals received

  Overturned

  Despatched

  Hanoi

  2

  0

  0

  0

  Harare

  n/a

  0

  0

  0

  Havana

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Hong Kong

  2

  0

  0

  0

  Islamabad

  n/a

  12

  2

  11

  Istanbul

  18

  4

  0

  4

  Jakarta

  1

  0

  0

  0

  Jedda

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Jerusalem

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Kampala

  28

  0

  1

  0

  Karachi

  15

  10

  0

  10

  Kathmandu

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Khartoum

  6

  0

  0

  6

  Kiev

  19

  0

  0

  0

  Kingston

  12

  0

  0

  0

  Kuala Lumpur

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Kuwait

  17

  1

  0

  1

  Lagos

  250

  36

  0

  30

  Lima

  6

  1

  0

  0

  Los Angeles

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Luanda

  n/a

  0

  0

  0

  Lusaka

  12

  0

  0

  0

  Madras

  9

  1

  0

  1

  Madrid

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Manila

  n/a

  0

  0

  0

  Minsk

  3

  0

  0

  0

  Moscow

  9

  0

  0

  0

  Muscat

  1

  0

  0

  0

  Nairobi

  19

  0

  0

  1

  New Delhi

  353

  8

  2

  5

  New York

  3

  0

  0

  0

  Nicosia

  7

  0

  0

  0

  Oslo

  2

  0

  0

  0

  Ottawa

  1

  0

  0

  0

  Paris

  2

  0

  0

  0

  Peking

  6

  0

  1

  0

  Port Louis

  9

  0

  2

  0

  Port of Spain

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Prague

  n/a

  0

  0

  0

  Pretoria

  3

  0

  0

  0

  Quito

  1

  0

  0

  0

  Riga

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Riyadh

  5

  1

  0

  1

  Rome

  3

  0

  0

  0

  Sana'a

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Sarajevo

  2

  0

  0

  0

  Shanghai

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Singapore

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Sofia

  2

  1

  1

  0

  Sto Domingo

  1

  0

  0

  0

  St. Petersburg

  3

  0

  0

  0

  Stockholm

  2

  0

  0

  0

  Taipei

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Tashkent

  1

  0

  0

  0

  Tbilisi

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Tehran

  0

  1

  1

  1

  Tel Aviv

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Tirana

  5

  0

  0

  0

  Tokyo

  1

  0

  0

  0

  Tunis

  23

  0

  0

  0

  Valletta

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Vienna

  n/a

  n/a

  0

  n/a

  Warsaw

  2

  0

  0

  0

  Washington

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Wellington

  n/a

  n/a

  0

  n/a

  Yaounde

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Zagreb

  12

  0

  0

  0

  760W

  Family visit appeals—November

  Post

  Refusals

  Appeals received

  Overturned

  Despatched

  Abidjan

  4

  0

  0

  0

  Abu Dhabi

  n/a

  0

  0

  0

  Abuja

  n/a

  0

  0

  0

  Accra

  278

  4

  0

  4

  Addis Ababa

  20

  0

  0

  0

  Almaty

  1

  0

  0

  0

  Amman

  6

  0

  0

  0

  Amsterdam

  5

  0

  0

  0

  Ankara

  2

  0

  0

  0

  Bahrain

  n/a

  1

  0

  0

  Baku

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Bandar S B

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Bangkok

  33

  0

  0

  0

  Banjul

  10

  0

  0

  0

  Beirut

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Belgrade

  4

  0

  0

  0

  Bogota

  11

  0

  0

  0

  Bombay

  156

  4

  0

  4

  Bratislava

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Brussels

  1

  0

  0

  0

  Bucharest

  4

  0

  0

  0

  Budapest

  1

  0

  0

  0

  Cairo

  5

  0

  0

  0

  Calcutta

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Canberra

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Casablanca

  6

  0

  0

  0

  Chicago

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Colombo

  28

  1

  0

  1

  Copenhagen

  1

  0

  0

  0

  Damascus

  n/a

  0

  0

  0

  Dar Es Salaam

  14

  0

  0

  0

  Dhaka

  152

  5

  0

  5

  Doha

  4

  0

  0

  0

  Dubai

  18

  1

  0

  1

  Dublin

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Dusseldorf'

  7

  0

  0

  0

  Ekaterinburg

  1

  0

  0

  0

  Geneva

  n/a

  1

  0

  0

  Georgetown

  6

  1

  1

  0

  Guangzhou

  66

  2

  0

  0

  Hanoi

  5

  0

  0

  0

  Harare

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Havana

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Hong Kong

  8

  0

  0

  0

  Islamabad

  n/a

  21

  2

  19

  Istanbul

  25

  18

  0

  0

  Jakarta

  4

  1

  0

  1

  Jedda

  4

  0

  0

  0

  Jerusalem

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Kampala

  0

  1

  1

  0

  Karachi

  55

  1

  0

  1

  Kathmandu

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Khartoum

  12

  1

  0

  0

  Kiev

  16

  0

  0

  0

  Kingston

  19

  1

  0

  1

  Kuala Lumpur

  4

  0

  0

  0

  Kuwait

  0

  1

  0

  1

  Lagos

  338

  22

  0

  23

  Lima

  1

  0

  0

  0

  Los Angeles

  1

  0

  0

  0

  Luanda

  n/a

  0

  0

  0

  Lusaka

  7

  0

  0

  0

  Madras

  18

  1

  0

  1

  Madrid

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Manila

  n/a

  0

  0

  0

  Minsk

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Moscow

  13

  0

  0

  0

  Muscat

  2

  0

  0

  0

  Nairobi

  32

  2

  0

  2

  New Delhi

  378

  15

  2

  11

  New York

  4

  0

  0

  0

  Nicosia

  6

  0

  0

  0

  761W

  Family visit appeals—November

  Post

  Refusals

  Appeals received

  Overturned

  Despatched

  Oslo

  2

  0

  0

  0

  Ottawa

  1

  0

  0

  0

  Paris

  1

  0

  0

  0

  Peking

  3

  1

  1

  0

  Port Louis

  13

  2

  2

  2

  Port of Spain

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Prague

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Pretoria

  3

  0

  0

  0

  Quito

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Riga

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Riyadh

  10

  0

  0

  0

  Rome

  4

  0

  0

  0

  Sana'a

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Sarajevo

  1

  0

  0

  0

  Shanghai

  4

  0

  0

  0

  Singapore

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Sofia

  14

  1

  1

  0

  Sto Domingo

  n/a

  0

  0

  0

  St Petersburg

  4

  0

  0

  0

  Stockholm

  3

  0

  0

  0

  Taipei

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Tashkent

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Tbilisi

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Tehran

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Tel Aviv

  0

  1

  0

  1

  Tirana

  n/a

  0

  0

  0

  Tokyo

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Tunis

  34

  2

  0

  2

  Valletta

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Vienna

  n/a

  0

  0

  0

  Warsaw

  1

  0

  0

  0

  Washington

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Wellington

  n/a

  0

  0

  0

  Yaounde

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Zagreb

  10

  0

  0

  0

  Military Crisis Management
  Mr. Maude
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the progress made by the EU in setting up consultation and co-operation links between the EU and(a) NATO's non-EU members, (b) other countries which are candidates for accession to the EU and (c) other prospective partners in EU-led crisis management. [149796]

  Mr. Vaz
  The Nice European Council agreed arrangements to enable non-EU European Allies and other accession candidates to be involved in all phases of EU military crisis management. There will be regular consultation and dialogue at ministerial, Military Committee and official level, building on the interim agreements reached in June 2000. These arrangements are being implemented under the Swedish presidency. Nice also agreed initial proposals for the involvement of Canada, Ukraine, Russia and other potential partners. The elaboration of these arrangements is also being taken forward under the Swedish presidency.

  EU/NATO Co-operation
  Mr. Maude
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of progress made in setting up modalities for full consultation, co-operation and transparency between the EU and NATO. [149795]
  762W
  Mr. Vaz
  The Nice European Council made wide-ranging proposals for a strategic partnership between the EU and NATO to ensure co-operation, consultation and transparency. NATO Foreign Ministers, meeting on 14–15 December, welcomed the Nice proposals. NATO proposed that EU and NATO Ministers should meet at least once every six months and that the EU's Political and Security Committee (PSC) and NATO's North Atlantic Council (NAC) should hold joint meetings at least three times every six months. NATO agreed that additional meetings would be held in times of crisis. At the 22 January General Affairs Council, the EU welcomed NATO's positive reaction to Nice and agreed NATO's proposals on joint EU/NATO meetings. The EU presidency and NATO Secretary-General have thus concluded that the EU and NATO are in agreement on the elements for the permanent arrangements for consultation and co-operation between the EU and NATO. The first PSC/NAC meeting took place in Brussels on 5 February.

  National Missile Defence
  Mr. Maude
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with other Government Departments on(a) the missile threat to Europe and (b) the US Government's preparations to pursue national missile defence. [149794]

  Mr. Vaz
  The Department has regular discussions with other interested Government Departments, in particular the Ministry of Defence, across the range of issues related to missile defence, including the missile threat to Europe and US national missile defence.

  Israeli/Palestinian Conflict
  Mr. Winnick
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to hold discussions with the new Israeli Government; and if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's policy on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. [149656]

  Mr. Wilson
  The Prime Minister has already spoken to the new Israeli Prime Minister and we will seek to maintain our excellent relations with Israel.

  Peace in the middle east will be achieved only through a negotiated settlement between Israel and the Palestinians, as well as between Israel and Lebanon and Syria. The UK will remain actively engaged, doing all it can to bring about a just and lasting peace based on United Nations Security Council resolutions 242 and 338, and the principle of land for peace.

  Barcelona Process
  Dr. Starkey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the aims of the European Union in the Barcelona process for economic development in the countries involved. [147694]

  Mr. Vaz
  The EU's aims for the economic development of the Southern Mediterranean countries involved in the Barcelona process were reaffirmed at the Conference of Euro-Mediterranean Foreign Ministers at Marseilles last November. The Foreign Secretary informed the Foreign Affairs Committee of the presidency conclusions from Marseilles in November, which outlined
  763W
  the EU's economic aims for the Barcelona process. I also informed the European Scrutiny Committees in late November last year.

  The aim of the economic chapter of Barcelona is to establish an area of shared prosperity in the Mediterranean. At Marseilles, Ministers (both from the EU and the Mediterranean partners) reaffirmed their continuing objective to create a Euro-Mediterranean free-trade area by 2010. Ministers at Marseilles also agreed to take new measures for greater liberalisation of agricultural trade. Ministers placed emphasis on accelerating the outstanding negotiations under way with Algeria, Syria, and Lebanon, and signing of the Association Agreement with Egypt. Partner countries which already have Association Agreements in place were encouraged to open up further to one another economically in order to foster their integration into the global economy.

  In support of these aims, the EU recently agreed the MEDA II regulation, which provides financial assistance to Mediterranean Partners. At Marseilles, EU Ministers confirmed that the indicative figure for the MEDA regulation over the period 2000–06 would be euro 5.35 billion.

EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT

  School Expenditure (Wandsworth)
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what has been the total spending on schools in the London borough of Wandsworth in each of the last five years. [147838]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  The following table shows spending on schools in Wandsworth for the financial years 1994–95 to 1998–99, the latest year for which this information is currently available. These figures are based on net institutional expenditure on schools maintained by the local education authority in cash terms.

  £ million

  1994–95

  55

  1995–96

  55

  1996–97

  49

  1997–98

  50

  1998–99

  53

  The following table sets out the overall resources made available to Wandsworth local education authority in both cash and real terms. These funding figures are not directly comparable with net institutional expenditure set out in the previous table.

  Standard Spending Assessment and special/specific grants

  £ million

  Cash

  Real terms

  1997–98

  92

  99

  1998–99

  95

  99

  1999–2000

  101

  103

  2000–01

  111

  111

  764W
  The following table expresses this funding on a per pupil basis. This reflects a real terms increase in funding per pupil in Wandsworth over the last three years of £400.

  Standard Spending Assessment and special/specific grants

  £ per pupil

  Cash

  Real terms

  1997–98

  3,520

  3,780

  1998–99

  3,610

  3,770

  1999–2000

  3,850

  3,930

  2000–01

  4,180

  4,180

  Under this Government, funding per pupil has already increased by over £300 nationally in real terms, and it will increase by a further £150 per pupil for 2001–02. Under the last Government, funding per pupil fell by £60 in real terms between 1994–95 and 1997–98. There will be further increases in funding following the year 2000 spending review, a further £370 per pupil over the three year period, taking the total increase to nearly £700 between 1997–98 and 2003–04.

  Student Loans
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what the net present value is of loans to students in financial year 1999–2000 under the current loan system; what rate of interest would be required to increase the net present value of student loan debt by £0.7 billion; and if he will make a statement. [148138]

  Mr. Wicks
  The net present value of the estimated £982 million income contingent loans issued in 1999–2000 to students domiciled in England and Wales is estimated to be £590 million. The nominal rate of interest required to increase this by £0.7 billion is estimated to be around 13 per cent. These figures are based on new estimates of the resource cost of income-contingent loans, which is now estimated to be 40 per cent. of the face value of the loans.

  The net present value given here is different from that quoted in the Department for Education and Employment's annual accounts for 1999–2000 because the latter includes mortgage-style as well as income contingent-style loans. Loans issued to students domiciled in Scotland and Northern Ireland are a matter for the Scottish Parliament and Northern Ireland Assembly respectively.

  Pupil Numbers
  Mr. Soames
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many(a) primary school and (b) secondary school pupils were in classes of 30 or more in (i) West Sussex and (ii) Mid Sussex constituency in each of the years from 1994–95 to 2000–01. [148353]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  [holding answer 2 February 2001]: The Government have pledged to reduce the size of infant classes to a maximum of 30 by the end of this Parliament. We have already achieved this in the vast majority of schools.

  The information requested is set out in the following table. This shows that the number of primary classes in

  765W
  West Sussex with 31 or more has fallen by over 2,500 since 1998. By September 2,000, there were only 472 (2 per cent.) infant pupils in classes over 30 compared

  West Sussex LEA

  Year

  Number of pupils in 1 teacher classes of size 1–29

  Primary Number of pupils in 1 teacher classes of size 30

  Number of pupils in 1 teacher classes of size 31+

  Number of pupils in 1 teacher classes of size 1–29

  Secondary Number of pupils in 1 teacher classes of size 30

  Number of pupils in 1 teacher classes of size 31+

  2000

  35,341

  10,680

  13,158

  32,228

  3,390

  3,506

  1999

  35,909

  7,530

  15,849

  32,227

  3,090

  3,475

  1998

  35,346

  7.560

  15,791

  31,031

  3,210

  3,410

  1997

  34,524

  6,180

  15,337

  31,610

  3,120

  3,306

  1996

  34,151

  5,550

  14,447

  32,003

  2,820

  3,119

  1995

  34,905

  5,340

  12,879

  31,627

  2,670

  2,954

  Mid Sussex parliamentary constituency

  Year

  Number of pupils in 1 teacher classes of size 1–29

  Primary Number of pupils in 1 teacher classes of size 30

  Number of pupils in 1 teacher classes of size 31+

  Number of pupils in 1 teacher classes of size 1–29

  Secondary Number of pupils in 1 teacher classes of size 30

  Number of pupils in 1 teacher classes of size 31+

  2000

  5,007

  1,260

  1,385

  5,848

  500

  540

  1999

  4,872

  750

  2,140

  5,900

  780

  511

  1998

  4,516

  930

  2,146

  5,727

  720

  441

  1997

  4,271

  3,084

  2,184

  5,784

  570

  572

  1996

  —

  1—

  1—

  —

  1—

  1—

  1995

  —

  1—

  1—

  —

  1—

  1—

  1 Not available

  Learning and Skills Councils
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list those local learning and skills councils to which no elected local authority member has been appointed. [148625]

  Mr. Wicks
  [holding answer 7 February 2001]: To date, I am pleased to report that 62 candidates with experience as elected local authority members have been appointed to the local learning and skills councils (LSCs). With a number of vacancies still to be filled, those local LSCs where no elected local authority members have been appointed are:

  Hampshire, Portsmouth, Southampton and the Isle of Wight;

  Berkshire;

  Northumberland;

  Gloucestershire; and

  London West.

  Applicants1 and accepted applicants through UCAS to full-time and sandwich first-degree courses in the United Kingdom by social class and subject

  Social class

  Year of entry 2000

  Professional

  Intermediate

  Skilled manual

  Skilled non-manual

  Partly skilled

  Unskilled

  Not known

  Grand total

  Applicants1

  Pre-clinical medicine

  2,823

  2,979

  699

  702

  360

  79

  915

  8,557

  Nursing

  515

  2,731

  1,079

  915

  1,089

  146

  1,342

  7,817

  Psychology

  2,877

  9,582

  3,853

  3,254

  2,064

  486

  2,663

  24,779

  Veterinary science

  377

  792

  178

  157

  72

  14

  116

  1,706

  Engineering2

  3,449

  8,351

  3,795

  2,388

  1,913

  366

  2,776

  23,038

  Law

  2,532

  7,483

  2,866

  2,527

  1,472

  427

  2,518

  19,825

  Accountancy

  1,002

  3,535

  1,840

  1,528

  898

  265

  1,317

  10,385

  Education3

  1,381

  6,625

  3,575

  2,628

  2,026

  404

  2,141

  18,780

  766W
  with over 4,000 (18 per cent.) in January 1998. This confirms that the Government are meeting the pledge in West Sussex.

  In addition, 46 candidates who are currently local authority officials have been appointed across the 47 local LSCs. This combination of elected members and officials from local authorities will ensure that local LSCs are well placed to work closely in partnership with local authorities.

  Degree Students
  Ms Kelly
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what the social class breakdown was in 2000 of students who(a) applied for and (b) were successful in obtaining places on degree courses at British universities in (i) law, (ii) medicine, (iii) engineering, (iv) nursing, (v) BEd teaching, (vi) accountancy, (vii) veterinary studies and (viii) psychology. [148702]

  Mr. Wicks
  [holding answer 7 February 2001]: The information is shown in the following table.

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  Applicants1 and accepted applicants through UCAS to full-time and sandwich first-degree courses in the United Kingdom by social class and subject

  Social class

  Year of entry 2000

  Professional

  Intermediate

  Skilled

  Skilled

  Partly skilled

  Unskilled

  Not known

  Grand total

  Accepted applicants

  Pre-clinical medicine

  1,970

  1,843

  363

  423

  200

  44

  386

  5,229

  Nursing

  251

  1,218

  358

  380

  419

  36

  536

  3,198

  Psychology

  1,095

  3,519

  1,188

  1,131

  689

  140

  949

  8,711

  Veterinary science

  163

  276

  51

  42

  12

  2

  49

  595

  Engineering2

  2,077

  4,608

  1,917

  1,280

  1,003

  181

  1,455

  12,521

  Law

  1,614

  4,350

  1,522

  1,384

  741

  229

  1,332

  11,172

  Accountancy

  411

  1,382

  719

  662

  348

  104

  572

  4,198

  Education3

  569

  2,639

  1,278

  997

  779

  125

  765

  7,152

  1 Each student can make up to six applications. In the table, applicants are counted once under each subject to which they applied.

  2 Includes general, civil, mechanical, aeronautical, electrical, electronic, production/manufacturing and chemical engineering courses.

  3 Includes courses with the Education Group that lead to Qualified Teacher Status.

  Individual Learning Accounts
  Mr. Mudie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what the target number for opening was and how many people have opened, individual learning accounts in(a) 1990 to 2000 and (b) 2000 to date. [148871]

  Mr. Wicks
  We have exceeded our interim target of opening 500,000 individual learning accounts by March 2001. From April 1999 to September 2000, prior to the launch of the national framework of individual learning accounts, training and enterprise councils (TECs) opened 202,654 accounts. From June 2000 until the end of January 2001, under the national framework, the individual learning account centre has opened a further 420,225 accounts. This means that 622,879 people in England have opened an individual learning account. We are on target to meet our commitment of 1 million people with an individual learning account by 2002.

  Connexions Service
  Mr. Boswell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what systems he will establish for reporting in respect of each Connexions partnership the respective level of funding in cash or kind(a) from partnership members, (b) derived from local non-partnership interests and (c) derived from other Government or European Union programmes. [148933]

  Mr. Wicks
  [holding answer 7 February 2001]: The Connexions service business planning guidance published on 23 October 2000 requires partnerships to detail, in then-own plans, the resources that will be available locally to deliver the service. Connexions partnerships will also be required to provide management accounts on a quarterly basis which will include the details of the sources and level of all income received whether in cash or in kind.

  Mr. Boswell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what action he is taking to ensure that the delivery and funding of the Connexions service(a) respects the integrity of socially excluded young people, (b) reflects the interests of those young people who are not so excluded and (c) delivers a service which seeks to integrate all young people of qualifying age. [148934]

  Mr. Wicks
  [holding answer 7 February 2001]: The Connexions service will be a universal service that will provide advice, guidance and personal support to all
  768W
  young people according to their needs. This will be delivered principally through specially trained personal advisers equipped to deal with the broad range of issues and problems faced by young people as they progress through their teenage years. Planning guidance was issued in October 2000 that set out clearly how Connexions would address the needs of the entire range of young people. It asked partnerships to state how they would provide a universal and targeted service, with key dates for implementation and also how partnerships would work with voluntary organisations to reach the hard to help. The aim is to provide a service that meets the needs of all young people during their crucial transition from adolescence to adulthood and working life.

  It will be important that future funding arrangements underpin this key aim and ensure that Connexions partnerships have the funding they need to deliver a universal service to all young people according to their needs. That is why we published "Connexions Service Funding—A Consultation Paper" on 15 January to obtain a wide range of views on these important arrangements. The consultation closes on 6 April 2001 and the findings will be published in due course. A copy of the consultation paper can be found in the House of Commons Library.

  Mr. Boswell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what action he plans to take to ensure that the Connexions funding formula approximates to the local needs of young people, and to verify and refine the accuracy of proxy measurements employed in making such calculations. [148935]

  Mr. Wicks
  [holding answer 7 February 2001]: The future funding arrangements for the Connexions service are currently the subject of public consultation. "Connexions Service Funding—A Consultation Paper" was published on 15 January and seeks views on a range of issues including the structure of a funding formula and the proxies that would best capture the needs of young people. In finally deciding which proxies should be used in the funding formula, we will be looking to ensure that the data are robust at local level and that they will be updated at least annually. The consultation ends on 6 April 2001 and a report of the findings will be published in due course. A copy of the consultation paper can be found in the House of Commons Library.
  769W

  Students Visas
  Mr. Boswell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what consultations he has held with the Home Office on the possible misuse of student visas as a means of obtaining entry to the United Kingdom; and what strategy he is taking to prevent this. [148937]

  Mr. Wicks
  [holding answer 7 February 2001]: The Department for Education and Employment has on-going discussions with the Home Office, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the British Council about how best to facilitate visa applications by genuine students. The requirements of the immigration rules for students have not been relaxed.

  Education Funding (Doncaster)
  Caroline Flint
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what the value was of Government financial support for education in Doncaster for each year from 1996–97 to 2000–01; [149072]

  (2) if he will list the schools and organisations in the Don Valley constituency which have received financial support from the standards fund, in each year since the fund was created. [149073]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  The allocations for education in Doncaster local education authority for each year from 1996–97 to 2000–01 are set out in the following table:

  £000

  Education SSA

  1996–97

  119,700

  1997–98

  118,600

  1998–99

  130,300

  1999–2000

  136,100

  2000–01

  141,700

  Funding allocations

  1996–97

  7,413

  1997–98

  6,794

  1998–99

  3,792

  1999–2000

  9,667

  2000–01

  24,967

  Outside the education SSA, the main elements of funding in 2000–01 are schools capital, standards fund and school standards grant. In addition, Doncaster local education authority will receive in 2000–01 special grant funding to support elements of the teachers pay reform packages. These are demand-led and will depend on the claims that Doncaster local education authority make for each grant.

  Doncaster local education authority has received financial support from the standards fund each year since the fund was created in 1998–99. All maintained schools in Doncaster local education authority would receive a share of that support, including those in the Don Valley constituency.

  Prior to 1999–2000, grant maintained schools did not receive financial support through the standards fund. They were funded for similar activities through a special grant paid by the Funding Agency for Schools.
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  Under this Government, funding per pupil has already increased by over £300 in real terms, and it will increase by a further £150 per pupil for 2001–02. Under the last Government, funding per pupil fell by £60 in real terms between 1994–95 and 1997–98. There will be further increases in funding following the year 2000 spending review: a further £370 per pupil over the three-year period, taking the total increase to nearly £700 between 1997–98 and 2003–04.

  Higher Education
  Mr. Boswell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment which higher education institutions failed to meet their maximum allowable student number by more than 2 per cent., for the recruitment year 2000–01. [149474]

  Mr. Wicks
  [holding answer 8 February 2001]: For the academic year 2000–01, 51 higher education institutions under-recruited by more than 2 per cent. of their maximum student number allocation and 14 institutions over-recruited by more than 2 per cent. The institutions are listed as follows.

  Institutions recruiting below minus 2 per cent. of allocated maximum student numbers

  Anglia Polytechnic University

  University of Bath

  Bishop Grosseteste College

  Bolton Institute of Higher Education

  University of Bradford

  Central School of Speech and Drama

  Cheltenham and Gloucester College of HE

  University College Chichester

  City University

  Cranfield University

  Dartington College of Arts

  University of Derby

  University of East London

  University of Essex

  Falmouth College of Arts

  Harper Adams University College

  Homerton College, Cambridge

  University of Hull

  Imperial College

  Keele University

  King Alfred's College, Winchester

  King's College London

  Lancaster University

  University of Leicester

  University of Lincolnshire and Humberside

  Liverpool John Moores University

  University of London—Institutes

  University of Luton

  University of Manchester

  UMIST

  Manchester Metropolitan University

  Middlesex University

  Newman College

  University College Northampton

  University of North London

  Nottingham Trent University

  School of Oriental and African Studies

  771W

  Oxford Brookes University

  University of Reading

  Royal Academy of Music

  Royal Holloway, University of London

  St Martin's College

  Southampton Institute

  South Bank University

  University of Sunderland

  University of Surrey Roehampton

  University of Teesside

  Trinity and All Saints

  Trinity College of Music

  University College Worcester

  University of York

  Institutions recruiting above plus 2 per cent. of allocated Maximum Student Numbers

  Bournemouth University

  Bretton Hall

  Chester College of Higher Education

  Cumbria College of Art and Design

  University of Huddersfield

  Kent Institue of Art and Design

  Kingston University

  University of Liverpool

  The London Institute

  University of Northumbria at Newcastle

  University of Nottingham

  Queen Mary and Westfield College

  Thames Valley University

  University of West England, Bristol.

  Teachers Pay Grant (Gloucestershire)
  Mr. Laurence Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what criteria were used to determine the size of the grant given to Gloucestershire, as part of the package to fund teachers' pay awards; and if he will make a statement. [149680]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Northavon (Mr. Webb) on 7 February 2001,Official Report, columns 578–79W.

  Free School Dinners
  Ms Buck
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will rank the constituencies in England by the number of children eligible for free school dinners as a percentage of the number of children attending day schools. [149771]

  Ms Estelle Morris
  The information requested is contained in tables, copies of which have been placed in the Library.

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

  Salaried Defence Offices
  Mr. Singh
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department which salaried defence offices will be open in April; what plans he has to monitor the 772W
  relative quality and cost of the salaried defence offices; and if there will be independent research into the piloted schemes. [149291]

  Mr. Lock
  The first salaried defenders offices will open at the beginning of May. The recruitment process for the office heads has taken a little longer than we hoped. An independent research team headed by Professor Lee Bridges, the Legal Research Institute, University of Warwick has been appointed to monitor and assess, among other things, the relative cost and quality of salaried defence offices compared with private practitioners.

  Community Legal Service
  Mr. Singh
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to introduce assistance for representation from the Community Legal Service legal services fund for applicants to employment tribunals in England and Wales [149293]

  Mr. Lock
  Public funding is not generally available for representation before employment tribunals. However, under the legal help scheme, funding is available for applicants to get legal advice when preparing a case to be brought before an employment tribunal.

  Sir Andrew Leggatt is conducting a review of tribunals which will assess the extent to which the administrative and practical arrangements, including representation, meet the needs of the user and the requirements of the ECHR for independence and impartiality. It would be premature to make any decisions on extending publicly funded representation in tribunal proceedings until Sir Andrew's review has been completed.

  Mr. Singh
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how the money saved from removing personal injury cases from legal aid has been redeployed within the Community Legal Service; and if these savings will be allocated to legal aid for social welfare cases. [149300]

  Mr. Lock
  The moneys saved from removing personal injury cases from legal aid are available for other matters which fall within the scope of the Legal Services Commission's funding code. No specific amounts have been set aside for social welfare cases, although under the funding code such cases receive priority.

  Mr. Singh
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will recruit sufficient lawyers for the community legal service to cover the subjects of(a) immigration, (b) education, (c) community care and (d) mental health. [149299]

  Mr. Lock
  These categories are among those which have been targeted as priority areas for funding in the community legal service. On 3 April 2000, the Lord Chancellor announced details of an additional £46 million legal help package intended to boost legal services in these areas. The number of contracts has increased significantly as a result.

  The Lord Chancellor has recently announced a further 10 per cent, increase in the advice rates for work in these and other social welfare categories of law. The purpose of this advice is to help safeguard the established contracting base of quality assured firms throughout England and Wales. However, these services are provided

  773W
  by firms contracted to the Legal Services Commission rather than through lawyers directly recruited by or employed by the Commission.

  Narey Reforms
  Mr. Singh
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department in what way the Narey reforms continue to create additional duty solicitor costs; and what reasons have been identified for this. [149282]

  Mr. Lock
  Additional costs have arisen as a result of the arrangements introduced to allow a defendant appearing at a Narey hearing to consult a solicitor of his or her own choice on the same basis as a court duty solicitor. These costs arose because of the way the scheme was structured; because higher rates were payable for some categories of work; and because solicitors have provided help in a wider range of cases than expected. The introduction of the general criminal contract on 2 April will provide greater control over payments for this work.

  Asylum Seekers
  Mr. Singh
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement on the effectiveness of incentives to encourage firms to provide legal services to dispersed asylum seekers. [149294]

  Mr. Lock
  Following the introduction of incentives to encourage solicitors firms to provide legal services to asylum seekers, the number of firms with contracts to undertake immigration and asylum work has risen substantially from 400 in July 2000 to 479 in January 2001.

  The Lord Chancellor has recently announced a further 10 per cent. increase in the advice rates for immigration work. The expansion packages for dispersal areas have also been received very positively. The increase in the supply of good-quality legal services is therefore expected to continue.

  Judicial Office
  Mr. Singh
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what further progress the Lord Chancellor has made in implementing the recommendations of the report by Sir Leonard Peach on procedures for appointments to judicial office; what progress has been made in setting up the pilot assessment centre; and when it will be operational. [149281]

  Mr. Lock
  The Lord Chancellor has made significant progress in implementing the 26 recommendations made in the report by Sir Leonard Peach. For example, changes have been made to the consultation process and application forms. Two major recommendations were for the creation of a Commission for Judicial Appointments and the development of a pilot assessment centre. It is anticipated that an announcement about the appointment of the First Commissioner for Judicial Appointments will be made in March. Following the appointment of the First Commissioner, work can begin to appoint Deputy Commissioners. Preparatory work for the pilot assessment centre has begun and will continue this year with a view to running the pilot next year.
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  Legal Services Commission
  Mr. Singh
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement on the take up among solicitors' firms of the new general criminal contracts being issued for criminal legal work by the Legal Services Commission. [149295]

  Mr. Lock
  Solicitors firms will be invited by the Legal Services Commission to sign contracts in the second half of February 2001. The Lord Chancellor has just announced an overall increase in payments of 7.25 per cent. available to criminal practitioners in private practice who sign the criminal defence service contract, which will be introduced on 2 April 2001. There are some 3,300 solicitors offices which currently hold a crime franchise and provide criminal legal aid services throughout England and Wales which will be invited to sign contracts with the Commission.

  Court Service
  Mr. Singh
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what research is being undertaken on the impact of civil court fees on access to justice; what effect the reduction in the number of cases has had on the financing of the Court Service; and if further fee increases are planned for the current year. [149292]

  Mr. Lock
  It is impossible to assess the impact of civil court fees on access to justice without also looking at the effect and intention of the civil justice reforms, and other factors and trends that may influence behaviour. Two independent surveys on the impact of the reforms have already noted changes in litigation behaviour, with less litigation and faster case settlement. Our plans for evaluating the civil justice reforms will look at the effect of the reforms on access to justice. It would be difficult to scope a study that concentrated on fees alone.

  Any litigant in person who is in financial hardship can apply to the court for exemption or remission of a fee. Exemption will be automatic if someone is in receipt of a means-tested benefit. In other cases, a court officer will consider remitting all or part of a fee if financial hardship is proven.

  A public consultation paper on fee increases, issued in January 2000, explained that the fall in numbers of proceedings issued following implementation of the civil justice reforms had been partly responsible for a fee income shortfall against cost of £18 million (approximately 5 per cent.). The main reason for the shortfall was that costs could not decrease in line with the reduction in workload due to the new tasks undertaken by the courts in processing Cases.

  County court fees are currently recovering their associated costs but fees charged in the Supreme Court are not because the civil justice reforms increased the jurisdiction of county courts, leading to a fall of over 60 per cent, in proceedings issued in the Supreme Court.

  There are no plans for fee increases during the current financial year.

  Human Rights Act
  Mr. Singh
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what assessment has been made
  775W
  of the accuracy of the Department's estimate of the legal aid costs of the implementation of the Human Rights Act 1998, based on the first three months. [149301]

  Mr. Lock
  No assessment has yet been made. It is too early to do so, but the initial indications are that the additional costs are less than the provision which has been made for them.

  Family Visit Appeals
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if she will provide a monthly breakdown of the number of(a) oral and (b) paper-only family visit appeals received by the Immigration Appellate Authority since 2 October 2000. [149526]

  Jane Kennedy
  The monthly breakdown of family visit appeals received by the Immigration Appellate Authority since 2 October is as follows:

  Oral hearings

  Paper appeals

  October 2000

  0

  1

  November 2000

  12

  47

  December 2000

  11

  68

  January 2001

  38

  80

  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many family visit appeals the Immigration Appellate Authority plans to deal with(a) at an oral hearing and (b) on the papers only in the financial year 2001–02. [149540]

  Jane Kennedy
  The Immigration Appellate Authority expects to receive and process approximately 10,000 family visit visa appeals in 2001–02. Of this number, 6,000 cases are expected to be for an oral hearing and 4,000 for determination on the papers alone.

  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many(a) oral and (b) paper-only family visit appeals have been received by the Immigration Appellate Authority since 2 October 2000 in which the Immigration Advisory Service has been identified as representing the appellant. [149539]

  Jane Kennedy
  The Immigration Appellate Authority has identified 10 cases between 2 October 2000 and 31 January 2001 in which the Immigration Advisory Service represented the appellant. Of this number seven were for an oral hearing and three for paper alone.

  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if she will provide a monthly breakdown of the number of family visit appeals(a) determined, (b) allowed and (c) dismissed by the Immigration Appellate Authority (i) at an oral hearing and (ii) on the papers only since 2 October 2000. [149527]

  Jane Kennedy
  The monthly breakdown of family visit appeals determined, allowed and dismissed by the Immigration Appellate Authority since 2 October 2000 is as follows.776W

  Determined

  Allowed

  Dismissed

  October 2000

  Oral cases

  0

  0

  0

  Paper cases

  0

  0

  0

  November 2000

  Oral cases

  0

  0

  0

  Paper cases

  22

  10

  12

  December 2000

  Oral cases

  6

  4

  2

  Paper cases

  45

  8

  37

  January 2001

  Oral cases

  9

  5

  4

  Paper cases

  93

  46

  47

  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many certificates confirming the grant of controlled legal representation have been lodged with the Immigration Appellate Authority since(a) 1 April and (b) October 2000; and how many certificates lodged since 2 October 2000 relate to a family visit appeal. [149528]

  Jane Kennedy
  The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Immigration Appellate Authority
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what average time is taken by the Immigration Appellate Authority to determine(a) an asylum appeal and (b) a non-asylum immigration appeal. [149525]

  Jane Kennedy
  The average time taken by the Immigration Appellate Authority, from receipt to determination in the period 1 April 2000 to 31 January 2001, is 15.4 weeks for an asylum appeal and 22.1 weeks for a non-asylum appeal.

  Magistrates Courts
  Mr. Burnett
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what action he proposes to take where magistrates courts are closed before an appeal against closure is concluded. [R] [149693]

  Jane Kennedy
  Magistrates courts committees are responsible for the provision of an efficient and effective service to court users. It is for the local magistrates courts committee to make decisions on all accommodation matters, including where cases are listed.

  Justices Chief Executive Unit (Liskeard)
  Mr. Burnett
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the cost was of the alterations carried out over the last two years to the Justices Chief Executives Unit at Liskeard, Cornwall; and what further costs are planned. [R] [149694]

  Jane Kennedy
  Cornwall county council, the lead authority for the Devon and Cornwall magistrates courts committee, advise that the capital cost of the alterations including professional fees is £127,093. No further capital costs are expected.
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  Hinduja Brothers
  Mr. Hawkins
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department on how many occasions during his tenure as Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, the hon. Member for Leicester, East (Mr. Vaz) visited India; and how many of these visits were(a) on Government business and (b) at the expense of the Hindujas or one of their companies or foundations. [149830]

  Jane Kennedy
  None.

  Entertainment Expenses
  Mr. Hawkins
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, pursuant to was the pursuant to her answers Lord Chancellor's Department, of 1 February 2001,Official Report, column 299W, and 29 January 2001, Official Report, column 71W, on entertainment expenses, if the Lord Chancellor was the only Government Minister who spoke at the function; and if she will place a copy of the invitation to that function in the Library.

  Jane Kennedy
  My noble and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor and the Minister for Europe, my hon. Friend the Member for Leicester, East (Mr. Vaz), both spoke at the function. The Lord Chancellor does not recall any other speeches except the opening remarks by SP Hinduja. A copy of the Lord Chancellor's invitation to the function is not available. Invitation cards are routinely disposed of after one year.

TREASURY

  Basic State Pension
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost would be to the Exchequer of increasing the basic state pension to £90 for a single person and £135 for a couple; and what consequent increases there would be in receipts of(a) direct and (b) indirect tax revenue. [149487]

  Dawn Primarolo
  The information is as follows:

  Impact of increasing the basic state pension to £90 for a single person and £135 for a couple

  £ billion1

  Gross cost

  -7.5

  Savings in income-related benefits

  +1.7

  Increased direct tax revenue

  +0.8

  Cost net of IRBs and tax

  -5.0

  1+ve is an Exchequer yield

  Notes:

  1. Costs are rounded to the nearest £100 million. They exclude expenditure on bereavement benefits.

  2. Gross costs were supplied by the Government Actuary's Department. Cost net of income-related benefit savings were estimated by DSS using the Policy Simulation Model. Direct tax revenue was estimated by the Inland Revenue from a survey of personal incomes.

  3. It is difficult to assess the impact of higher pensions on indirect taxes. This would require detailed behavioural assumptions about changes in consumption patterns and would be unlikely to capture the effects accurately.
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  Age Discrimination
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the estimated effect on(a) GDP, (b) tax revenue and (c) savings in benefits if persons in the age groups (i) 45 to 49, (ii) 50 to 54, (iii) 55 to 59, (iv) 60 to 65, (v) 65 to 70 and (vi) over 70 years had the same employment rates as those in the age group 40 to 45 years. [149489]

  Dawn Primarolo
  The information is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has commissioned on the effect on(a) GDP and (b) tax revenue of age discrimination in employment. [149488]

  Dawn Primarolo
  Age discrimination in employment has adverse economic consequences, but it is not possible to produce reliable quantitative estimates of its impact on GDP or tax revenue in the absence of hard measures of the extent of age discrimination and its impact on employment. The Government are opposed to age discrimination and have committed to introduce legislation to deal with it after careful discussion with the representatives of both business and employees.

  Tax Credits
  Mr. Field
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the policy of the Inland Revenue is with respect to those claimants of tax credits who state that they are being paid less than the hourly minimum wage. [149798]

  Dawn Primarolo
  The Inland Revenue enforces the national minimum wage on behalf of the Department of Trade and Industry, which has overall responsibility for enforcement policy.

  Under the arrangements between the two Departments, the Inland Revenue investigates all complaints made to it by workers and third parties about non-payment of the minimum wage. The Department also conducts a programme of targeted investigations arising from information obtained from other internal and external sources, including Working Families Tax Credit claims.

  Working Families Tax Credit
  Mr. Maclean
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many calls have been received by the Inland Revenue's Working Families Tax Credit helpline; and what his assessment is of its capacity to deal effectively with its work load. [149377]

  Dawn Primarolo
  In the last three months of 2000, the Working Families Tax Credit helpline answered around 135,000 calls per week on average.

  Mr. Maclean
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to improve the service offered by the Inland Revenue's Working Families Tax Credit helpline, and if he will make a statement on its effectiveness. [149376]

  Dawn Primarolo
  The Working Families Tax Credit (WFTC) helpline gives advice to WFTC applicants and their representatives. As with any helpline, the aim is continuous improvement in the light of customer
  779W
  feedback. Customer surveys regularly show that callers find WFTC helpline staff courteous, knowledgeable and helpful.

  Mr. Maclean
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to streamline Inland Revenue paperwork involved in the administration of working families' tax credit. [149371]

  Dawn Primarolo
  WFTC/DPTC forms are reviewed on an on-going basis.

  Mr. Maclean
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to ensure that advice given by staff on the Inland Revenue's working families' tax credit helpline is accurate and consistent. [149800]

  Dawn Primarolo
  All Working Families Tax Credit helpline operators are given comprehensive training, and are therefore in a good position to give clear and informed guidance to callers.

  Death Certificates
  Mr. Coaker
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received from the Law Society about changes in practice with respect to the photocopying of death certificates; and if he will make a statement. [149749]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Hertsmere (Mr. Clappison) on 6 February 2001,Official Report, columns 494–95W.

  Departmental Policies (Tooting)
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the Tooting parliamentary constituency, the effect of his Department's policies and actions since 1 May 1997 on this constituency. [149868]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  Tooting, along with the rest of the United Kingdom, is benefiting from the long-term action we have taken to build economic stability and secure high and stable levels of growth and employment. Since the general election, claimant unemployment in the constituency has fallen by 2,298, or 55 per cent., youth unemployment is down by 85 per cent., and long-term unemployment has fallen by 77 per cent.

  Macro-economic stability is being complemented at the micro-economic level by the Government's policies to ease the transition from welfare into work and to make work pay. To the end of November 2000, the New Deal for 18 to 24-year-olds had helped 1,029 young people in the Tooting constituency gain valuable skills and experience—413 (40 per cent.) of whom had moved into employment. The Working Families Tax Credit (WFTC), introduced in October 1999, is helping to make work pay for low and middle-income families. In August 2000, 900 families in the constituency were benefiting from WFTC.

  The Government are also committed to developing policies which enable all pensioners to share in the country's rising prosperity. As a result of the recent pre-Budget report, all pensioners, including 10,000 in Tooting, will receive an above-inflation increase in the basic state pension from April 2001. Single pensioners will receive an extra £5 a week and couples will receive
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  an extra £8 a week. All pensioners aged 75 or over have also been entitled to a free TV licence since November 2000—including around 6,600 in Tooting.

  Ofgem
  Mr. Gibb
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will provide a detailed breakdown of the expenditure by Ofgem in 2000–01 on NETA. [149133]

  Mr. Andrew Smith
  This is an operational matter for the Chief Executive of Ofgem. I have forwarded the hon. Member's request to him and asked him to respond.

  Mr. Gibb
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will provide a detailed breakdown of the expenditure by Ofgem in 2000–01 on the regions. [149134]

  Mr. Andrew Smith
  The regional offices of Ofgem were transferred to the Gas and Electricity Consumer Council (now known as energywatch) in November 2000 under the provisions of the Utilities Act 2000 and are now the responsibility of the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.

  Customs Officers (Salary)
  Mr. Baker
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average salary is of a middle band uniformed customs officer(a) based outside London and (b) based inside London. [149593]

  Dawn Primarolo
  The information is as follows:(a) National
  Bands 4–7 (£13,240 to £19,700)
  (b) London
  Bands 4–7 (£14,398 to £20,728).

  Because of the nature of their work, staff also receive additional payments that, typically, increase these levels of basic pay by around 30–35 per cent.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Press Releases
  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many press releases were issued by his Department in the financial years(a) 1996–97, (b) 1997–98, (c) 1998–99 and (d) 1999–2000; how many have been issued in the current financial year; and what his estimate is of the total number for the current financial year. [149245]

  Dr. Reid
  The information requested is outline as follows:

  1 April 1996 to 31 March 1997: 1,818

  1 April 1997 to 31 March 1998: 1,471

  1 April 1998 to 31 March 1999: 1,605

  1 April 1999 to 31 March 2000: 1,219

  1 April 2000 to 31 January 2001: 231.

  Prior to devolution, the NIO issued press releases for all the Northern Ireland Departments, but under devolution these Departments are run by—and their press releases issued by—the Northern Ireland Executive. This accounts for the sharp drop over the past year.
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  Power was devolved to the Executive for the first time on 2 December 1999. It was suspended as of midnight on 11 February 2000, at which point the NIO resumed responsibility for the Department and their press releases once again.

  Power was then restored to the Executive on 30 May 2000. Questions relating to the number of their press releases during the periods of devolved power should be referred to the Northern Ireland Executive press office.

  It is difficult to estimate the number of press releases for the whole of the financial year 2000–01 as this depends on the political and security situation. However, an analysis of the year so far suggests a figure in the region of 255.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Medical Practitioners
  Mr. Ben Chapman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the methods of recourse benefit claimants have if they wish to challenge(a) factual material and (b) medical matters in a visiting practitioner's report. [149765]

  Mr. Bayley
  Any claimant who is unhappy with any aspect of a decision made on a claim for benefit can ask for the decision to be reconsidered. If they are still dissatisfied with the decision, for whatever reason, they can appeal. Their appeal would be dealt with by an independent appeal tribunal. At both stages, the claimant can submit further evidence in support of their claim or appeal, if they wish to do so.

  Mr. Ben Chapman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the criteria used by decision makers at the Benefits Agency when their examining medical practitioner's report is at odds with reports submitted by a claimant's GP. [149768]

  Mr. Bayley
  The general principles which decision makers should follow when considering evidence are set out in the decision makers guide.

  All evidence needs to be weighed carefully in the light of the circumstances of the case, in general medical evidence should be treated as any other evidence. If the evidence is contradictory the decision maker should try to resolve the discrepancy, decide the point on balance of probability, or follow case law guidance.

  Mr. Ben Chapman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on how he establishes good practice among medical practitioners who assess benefit claims. [149767]

  Mr. Bayley
  Training and monitoring of doctors who assess benefit claims is carried out by Sema Medical Services.

  All doctors who assess benefit claims receive training in disability assessment medicine. This includes benefit specific training, training in professional standards and customer care, and up to five days a year of update training on relevant clinical topics. The training programme and its content are agreed by the chief medical adviser to the Department of Social Security. All training reflects the consensus of informed medical opinion.
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  Doctors who have undergone training have a number of assessments supervised by experienced full time medical services doctors, and have to reach a satisfactory standard before being approved by the chief medical adviser, on behalf of the Secretary of State, to carry out unsupervised assessments. No doctor may carry out unsupervised assessments without formal approval.

  All doctors have the quality standards of their reports audited by experienced medical services doctors, according to protocols and quality standards which have been agreed by the Department. Each individual doctor is informed of the outcome of audit, and advice is given, if appropriate, on ways of improving quality standards. Advice can be informal, or may include retraining if this is needed. The audit process and outcomes are validated by the chief medical adviser.

  Mr. Ben Chapman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the training given to medical practitioners(a) before and (b) after they are employed to assess benefit claims. [149766]

  Mr. Bayley
  Doctors recruited by Sema Medical Services to assess benefit claims must have background clinical experience encompassing a wide range of disabling conditions.

  Newly recruited doctors are trained by medical services in disability assessment medicine, including benefit specific training and training in professional standards and customer care. Doctors are tested on their assimilation of training by multiple choice examination, and, if the outcome is satisfactory, they carry out a number of assessments under the supervision of an experienced medical services doctor, and have to reach a satisfactory standard before being approved by the chief medical adviser to the Department of Social Security, on behalf of the Secretary of State, to carry out unsupervised assessments.

  After initial training, all doctors receive up to five days a year of update training on specific aspects of customer care, on good practice, and on a wide range of clinical topics relevant to disability assessment medicine.

  In addition, any doctor whose performance falls below an acceptable standard will receive feedback and remedial training as appropriate.

  Prader-Willi Syndrome
  Mr. Laurence Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what directions he gives to benefits agencies about the provision of Disabled Living Allowance to people suffering from Prader-Willi syndrome; and if he will make a statement. [149682]

  Mr. Bayley
  Entitlement to Disability Living Allowance is based not on diagnosis of a specific condition but on the care and mobility needs a person has as a result of their disability.

  Because of its rarity, no specific guidance has been issued within the Benefits Agency on the needs of children with Prader-Willi syndrome, but decision makers have access to advice from doctors, where needed, on specific medical conditions. In addition, decision makers are given advice on the likely impact of a range of disabling conditions and symptoms. This includes most of the symptoms of Prader-Willi syndrome, for example,

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  low IQ, poor muscle tone and metabolic and obsessive-compulsive disorders. Decision makers are required to take into account the whole picture of needs that arise from a person's disabilities.

  Housing Benefit
  Mr. Borrow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what representations he has received concerning the introduction of Housing Benefit Regulation 7 (h) on 25 January 1999; and if he will give local authorities some discretion where the provisions of the regulation cause genuine hardship. [148643]

  Angela Eagle
  The intention of the provision was to halt the abuse where an owner-occupier transfers ownership of his or her home without money changing hands, or for less than the market price, and rents it back. Housing Benefit is still available to anyone who can prove that he or she was forced to transfer or sell because, for example, of impending repossession for mortgage arrears.

  We are aware of some cases where people sold their properties on a commercial basis some time ago and are now renting them. There is no evidence to suggest that these transactions took place to enable the seller to take advantage of the Housing Benefit scheme. We have therefore decided to bring forward amending regulations which will enable an ex-owner to claim Housing Benefit provided five years have elapsed since he or she ceased to own the property. We have completed consultation on these regulations and they will come into force this spring.

  Means-tested Benefits
  Mr. Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what the policy of the Benefits Agency is with respect to claimants of means-tested benefits who state that they are being paid less than the hourly minimum wage. [149797]

  Angela Eagle
  As a general principle in the case of income-related benefits such as Jobseeker's Allowance and Income Support, people doing work should receive the appropriate wage for the services they provide. When this does not happen and the burden of their financial support falls on the taxpayer it is reasonable to assume that an appropriate amount of earnings, called notional earnings, are being paid and to offset that against benefit entitlement.

  The total amount of earnings taken into account would normally be at least equal to the rate of the national minimum wage applicable to the person concerned. To do otherwise would in many circumstances amount to subsidising the employer through public funds.

  Benefit Claimants (Wales)
  Mr. Ruane
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many(a) grants and (b) loans were (i) awarded and (ii) refused to benefit claimants in Wales in each of the last three years. [149788]
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  Angela Eagle
  The information is in the tables.

  Social Fund Grants—Wales

  Year

  Number of awards

  Number of refusals

  1997–98

  16,500

  63,200

  1998–99

  15,900

  64,000

  1999–2000

  15,500

  29,200

  Social Fund Loans—Wales

  Year

  Number of awards

  Number of refusals

  1997–98

  98,300

  44,100

  1998–99

  103,200

  44,200

  1999–2000

  111,700

  65,400

  Notes:

  1. The numbers of awards made after review are not included in the table.

  2. The fall in the number of Community Care Grant refusals and the increase in Budgeting Loan refusals in 1999–2000 reflects the changes in the numbers of applications following the introduction of the new Budgeting Loan scheme in April 1999.

  3. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100.

  Source:

  Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System.

  Benefit Fraud
  Mr. Webb
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 23 January 2001,Official Report, column 502W, on benefit fraud, when he expects to be able to provide estimates of housing benefit fraud detected, expressed as a proportion of housing benefit expenditure for each local authority for 1999–2000. [149651]

  Mr. Rooker
  The information requested for 1999–2000 should be available in spring 2001.

  Winter Fuel Payment
  Mr. Willetts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many(a) inquiries and (b) complaints have been received from people aged 60 years and over who have been incorrectly assessed as living with another person over 60 years for the purpose of assessing eligibility to the Winter Fuel Payment in each year since 1997. [146359]

  Mr. Rooker
  The administration of Winter Fuel Payments is a matter for Alexis Cleveland, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. She will write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from Alexis Cleveland to Mr. David Willetts, dated 8 February 2001:
  The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent parliamentary question about how many (a) inquiries and (b) complaints have been received from people aged 60 years and over who have been incorrectly assessed as living with another person over 60 years for the purpose of assessing eligibility to the Winter Fuel Payment (WFP) in each year since 1997.
  Both the Winter Fuel Helpline and benefit offices have dealt with calls from customers about WFP. The exact nature of each call is not recorded, therefore, information on the number of inquiries and complaints received about an assessment as living with another person over 60 years is not available.
  I hope this reply is helpful.