Written Answers of 12 June 2002

HOUSE OF COMMONS

  Accommodation Review
  Mr. Steen
  To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the cost to public funds is of the accommodation review being undertaken by HOK International Ltd.; and for what reason the review is not being undertaken in-house. [59780]

  Mr. Kirkwood
  [holding answer 10 June 2002]: The cost of the accommodation review is £169,700. HOK International Ltd. is assisting the Serjeant at Arms and a project team representing all Departments of the House to carry out the review of the House of Commons estate on behalf of the Board of Management. The consultancy was let to bring in expertise and resources not available in-house. The aim of the review is to identify options and to make recommendations that will assist the House in forming its accommodation strategy over the period 2003–08.

  Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards
  Sir George Young
  To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, if he will make a statement on the resources available to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. [61775]
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  Mr. Kirkwood
  The House's Internal Review Service (IRS) has now reported to the Commission. The principal findings are:that the Parliamentary Commissioner's present time commitment of three days a week should he sufficient to cope with current and expected future need;
  that the temporary office support post should be made permanent;
  that there should be a new post of investigative support officer to assist the Commissioner with detailed day-to-day work. This would also enable the Registrar of Members' Interests to concentrate on, and help the Commissioner with, the preventive, educational and advice aspects of the work.

  At its last meeting the Commission discussed the report and its findings with the chairman of the Committee on Standards and Privileges and with the Parliamentary Commissioner, who expressed themselves content with the additional resources proposed. Following that meeting, copies of the report were given to members of the Committee on Standards and Privileges. They, too, indicated that they were content with what was proposed. The Commission has therefore directed that the report's recommendations should be implemented.

  Following implementation, the staff of the Commissioner's office will be: the Commissioner, the registrar, the assistant registrar, the investigative support officer, the Commissioner's personal assistant, and a general office assistant.

  The report recommends that the IRS should conduct a verification review in 12 months' time. The Commission will take any action necessary as a result of that review, but in any event remains committed to providing whatever resources, both in terms of staff and days worked, that may be required.

  I am placing a copy of the review manager's report in the Library and on the parliamentary website at www.parliament.uk. I am also arranging for a copy to be sent to the Committee on Standards in Public Life.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Peace Process
  Fiona Mactaggart
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his assessment is of levels of bipartisan support for the peace process. [57735]

  Dr. John Reid
  We believe that all those with the interests of Northern Ireland at heart should come together in support of the peace process and the continuing implementation of the Belfast Agreement. The backing we receive here is essential to our efforts to sustain and carry forward the process.

  Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme
  Mr. McCabe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the new criminal injuries compensation scheme for Northern Ireland. [57736]

  Mr. Patrick Hall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he has taken to improve the criminal injuries compensation scheme for Northern Ireland. [57751]

  David Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the new criminal injuries compensation scheme for Northern Ireland. [57753]

  Mr. Browne
  The scheme, introduced on 1 May, put in place many of the recommendations of the independent review of compensation carried out by Sir Kenneth Bloomfield. It is similar to arrangements in the rest of the UK, and is designed to provide innocent and deserving victims of crime with a quicker and easier way to obtain compensation for their injuries. The tariff amounts of compensation for pain and suffering have been set at existing average levels within Northern Ireland. Additional payments can be made for pecuniary loss and other expenses. Many improvements to the eligibility criteria will ensure that compensation is widely available to those who have suffered at the hands of violent criminals.

  Bloomfield Report
  Mr. Tom Harris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps the Government have taken to implement the recommendations of the Bloomfield report. [57737]

  Mr. Browne
  The Government have made substantial progress towards implementation of the Bloomfield report. We have established the Northern Ireland Memorial Fund, which we continue to support financially; the family trauma centre in Belfast; and a new Northern Ireland Centre for Trauma and Transformation which will be based in Omagh. We provide core funding to victims' groups; we fund the Legacy Project, based in Warrington; and we part-fund the implementation of the Devolved Administration's Victims' Strategy. We have revised the criminal injuries compensation scheme and took steps to facilitate the recovery of the 'Disappeared.'

  Decommissioning
  Mr. Joyce
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment is of the prospects for further decommissioning of weapons by Loyalist terrorists. [57739]

  Mr. Gardiner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his latest assessment is of the prospects of decommissioning of weapons by loyalist terrorists. [57759]

  Dr. John Reid
  The Government have consistently called for decommissioning from all paramilitary organisations. We have had two acts of decommissioning from the IRA. That must be the start of a process. It is imperative that we now see reciprocation from loyalists, and all groups dismantling all the apparatus of terror.

  Mrs. Ann Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on prospects for further decommissioning of IRA weapons. [57746]

  Dr. John Reid
  The second act of decommissioning, reported on by the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning on 8 April 2002, indicates the IRA's commitment to the process. The commission is continuing its contact with the IRA representative to facilitate the ultimate decommissioning of all IRA arms. However, this progress needs to be part of an ongoing process and indeed must involve all paramilitary groups. All paramilitary groups must end all forms of terrorist activity and dismantle the apparatus of terrorism.

  Integration
  Mr. Wray
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent measures the Government have taken in Northern Ireland to assist the integration of the Catholic and Protestant communities. [57740]

  Mr. Browne
  We are committed to upholding the principles of partnership, equality and mutual respect, which are cornerstones of the Belfast Agreement. Through working towards full implementation of the Agreement, the Government continue to promote inclusivity at all levels.

  Terrorist Disbandment
  Mr. Donaldson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the progress towards the disbandment of the Provisional IRA and other terrorist groups in Northern Ireland. [57741]

  Jane Kennedy
  We need to see the dismantling of all the apparatus of terror, and the decommissioning of weapons and mindsets. We need to complete the transition away from violence. The IRA has embarked upon a process of decommissioning: it is imperative that we now see reciprocation from loyalists, and the standing down and disbandment of all paramilitary organisations.

  Provisional IRA
  David Burnside
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list by month since January the shooting incidents attributed to the Provisional IRA in Northern Ireland. [57742]

  Jane Kennedy
  The table provides details of the shooting incidents attributed to Republican groups. Since 1 January to 30 April 2002 there have been 34 shooting incidents attributed to Republicans. It is not possible to attribute these incidents to any specific paramilitary organisation.

  Shooting incidents 1 January to 30 April 2002, by DCU

  DCU

  Details of incident

  4 January

  Lisburn

  Paramilitary-style shooting

  5 January

  Belfast West

  Paramilitary-style shooting

  6 January

  Fermanagh

  Shots heard—5 x bursts of 5 rounds each were fired

  7 January

  Ballymena

  Three shots were fired at a house

  12 January

  Belfast North

  Paramilitary-style shooting

  13 January

  Belfast West

  Paramilitary-style shooting

  16 January

  Belfast East

  Paramilitary-style shooting

  17 January

  Newry and Mourne

  Paramilitary-style shooting

  18 January

  Lisburn

  Paramilitary-style shooting

  18 January

  Craigavon

  Shots fired at a lorry driver

  21 January

  Downpatrick

  Two shots fired into a bar

  23 January

  Belfast West

  Paramilitary-style shooting

  23 January

  Belfast West

  Paramilitary-style shooting

  27 January

  Lisburn

  Paramilitary-style shooting

  31 January

  Belfast South

  Paramilitary-style shooting

  11 February

  Coleraine

  Paramilitary-style shooting

  17 February

  Belfast North

  Shots fired in street

  18 February

  Belfast West

  Paramilitary-style shooting

  20 February

  Belfast North

  Paramilitary-style shooting

  21 February

  Downpatrick

  Shots fired at vehicle—one person killed

  26 February

  Craigavon

  Paramilitary-style shooting

  28 February

  Belfast North

  Paramilitary-style shooting

  2 March

  Belfast North

  Paramilitary-style shooting

  3 March

  Downpatrick

  Shot fired during an armed robbery

  9 March

  Belfast West

  Paramilitary-style shooting

  15 March

  Newry and Mourne

  Paramilitary-style shooting

  20 March

  Armagh

  Eight shots fired at house/vehicle

  23 March

  Fermanagh

  Shots fired at police station

  26 March

  Lisburn

  Paramilitary-style shooting

  6 April

  Lisburn

  Paramilitary-style shooting

  7 April

  Belfast North

  Paramilitary-style shooting

  12 April

  Lisburn

  Paramilitary-style shooting

  17 April

  Dungannon and South Tyrone

  Fatal shooting

  18 April

  Belfast North

  Shots fired

  Paramilitary Crime
  Mr. Baron
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement about the criminal activities of the paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland. [57743]

  Jane Kennedy
  The Organised Crime Task Force, which I chair, has identified that the legacy of terrorism remains a significant influence in Northern Ireland. Of the 76 organised criminal enterprises that we have identified operating in Northern Ireland, nearly half are either associated with, or controlled by loyalist or republican paramilitary organisations. The insidious nature of some local problems—notably extortion—can be traced directly to terrorism. In addition, some of the more important criminals derive their status and influence from their current or historic paramilitary links.
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  Shooting incidents attributed to Republicans, 1 January to 30 April 2002

  Number of incidents

  January

  15

  February

  7

  March

  7

  April

  5

  Total

  34

  Note:

  These figures may be subject to minor amendment.

  Richard Ottaway
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what evidence he has collated of recent breaches of the ceasefire and Belfast Agreement by Republican paramilitaries; and if he will make a statement. [57738]

  Jane Kennedy
  We keep the ceasefires of all paramilitary organisations under constant review. The Acting Chief Constable's security assessment is that there is no indication that the IRA is intending to recommence its campaign. However, a ceasefire is no longer enough. If there is to be confidence in this process then we need to see a whole-hearted commitment to exclusively peaceful means and a clear demonstration that the war is over.

  Organised Crime Task Force
  Mr. Love
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the work being done by the Organised Crime Task Force for the next 12 months. [57744]

  Huw Irranca-Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the work of the Organised Crime Task Force to date. [57752]

  Jane Kennedy
  This year, as last year, the priority areas for concerted multi-agency effort are extortion, drugs, oils-related fraud, tobacco and alcohol duty evasion and money laundering. In addition, we have added two new strategic priority areas: the trade in counterfeit goods and armed robbery. The Organised Crime Task Force has published a range of performance indicators in its year two strategy document, which will be used to judge performance in 12 months time.

  Dr. Palmer
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the work of the Organised Crime Task Force over the past 12 months. [57748]

  Jane Kennedy
  A year on from the publication of the Task Force's first "Threat Assessment and Strategy", we have seen some truly remarkable successes against organised criminals in Northern Ireland. During the past 12 months, 57 criminal networks have been subject to detailed law enforcement investigation, 43 have had members arrested for a wide range of serious offences and 24 networks have had members successfully prosecuted. As a result of concerted law enforcement activity during the past year, 42 organised crime networks have been disrupted or dismantled.

  Colombia
  Mr. Bellingham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he next expects to meet representatives of the US State Department to discuss IRA involvement in the terrorist campaign in Colombia. [57747]

  Jane Kennedy
  I meet and speak to the ambassador in the US State Department, Dr Haass, regularly. We discuss a wide range of issues.

  Mr. Johnny Adair
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what conditions have been attached to the release from prison of Mr. Johnny Adair. [57749]

  Jane Kennedy
  Mr. Adair was released from prison on 15 May in accordance with the Northern Ireland (Remission of Sentences) Act 1995.

  As with any prisoner released under this Act, if it appears to the Secretary of State that Mr. Adair's continued liberty would present a risk to the safety of others or he was likely to commit further offences, he can be recalled to prison to serve the period between half and two-thirds point of his sentence without recourse to the courts.

  Furthermore, and again as with any prisoner under the Treatment of Offenders (NI) Order 1976, if he is convicted of a non-scheduled offence in Northern Ireland before 15 May 2010—the date on which he would have
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  been released if no remission had been granted, a court may order his return to prison to serve out the remainder of his sentence.

  If he is convicted of a scheduled offence for which he receives a custodial sentence, then the court must order his return to prison to serve what remains of his sentence.

  Community Security
  Mr. Illsley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps the Government are taking to improve community security in Northern Ireland. [57750]

  Mr. Browne
  The Government published a draft community safety strategy for consultation on 10 April 2002. The strategy sets out a broad framework for action at a local level to address local concerns about crime, the fear of crime and anti-social behaviour. It will require close co-operation from a wide range of agencies in both the devolved and non devolved administrations.

  Linda Gilroy
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps the Government are taking to enhance crime prevention and community safety in Northern Ireland. [57757]

  Mr. Browne
  The Government are taking forward a number of crime prevention campaigns in Northern Ireland with appropriate partners. In addition, a draft community safety strategy was published for consultation on 10 April 2002. The strategy sets out a broad framework for action at a local level to address local concerns about crime, the fear of crime and anti-social behaviour.

  Dr. Iddon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the relationship between community safety partnerships and district policing partnerships. [57758]

  Mr. Browne
  District Policing Partnerships and Community Safety Partnerships will serve different purposes—the first is accountability based, and the second service delivery. DPPs are made up of elected representatives and independent members. CSP members will be drawn from organisations with responsibility for service delivery. The police will be the common denominator, and close links will be important, with opportunities for the DPP to contribute to the CSP.

  Criminal Justice Review
  Mrs. Humble
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made in implementing the Criminal Justice Review; and if he will make a statement. [57754]

  Mr. Browne
  The Justice (Northern Ireland) Bill which paves the way for implementing many, though not all, of the accepted criminal justice review recommendations is currently under consideration by Grand Committee in the House of Lords, having successfully completed its Commons stages. Other recommendations are being taken forward administratively. Subject to royal assent, it is intended to publish a revised Implementation Plan which will set out progress made in respect of each recommendation and indicate timescales for their implementation.

  Proceeds of Crime Bill
  Mr. Savidge
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the impact in Northern Ireland of the Proceeds of Crime Bill. [57755]

  Mr. Browne
  I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Mr. Rammell).

  Security Situation
  Sir Teddy Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the security situation in the Province. [57756]

  Jane Kennedy
  There is a significant threat from dissident Republican paramilitaries and from disaffected elements within Localism who are intent in continuing with their campaign to disrupt the peace process. Tensions between the two communities in north and east Belfast have erupted yet again in more street violence. This violence is totally unacceptable and must be brought to an end. The appearance of gunmen firing at rioters and the security forces is also a worrying development. We will continue to monitor closely the ceasefires of all the paramilitary organisations and will take appropriate action if considered necessary.

  Policing
  Mike Gapes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the prospects for the future of policing in Northern Ireland. [57734]

  Jane Kennedy
  We have laid firm foundations for a new beginning to policing. We have a Policing Board with cross-community participation and broad powers to hold police to account.

  I warmly welcome the appointment of Hugh Orde as the new chief constable. He is adistinguished senior police officer who brings with him invaluable experience for both Northern Ireland and the Metropolitan Police.

PRIME MINISTER

  European Commission
  Mr. Davidson
  To ask the Prime Minister what his policy is on the proposal by the President of the European Commission for the Commission to be given powers to issue binding instructions to Governments that deviate from the policy guidelines adopted by euro zone members and to be the sole representative of the EU in international economic and financial meetings. [60583]

  The Prime Minister
  The Government do not agree with this proposal.

  Mr. Davidson
  To ask the Prime Minister what his policy is on the proposals of the President of the European Commission to give the Commission powers to recommend action on national budget deficits that could only be overturned by a unanimous vote of all EU Governments; when he was first informed of this proposal; and if he will make a statement. [60580]
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  The Prime Minister
  The Government do not agree with this proposal. The European Commission's communication "A Project for the European Union" was released on 22 May 2002, and I was informed after its release.

  Mr. Davidson
  To ask the Prime Minister if he was consulted before the President of the European Commission's proposals for additional economic powers to be given to the Commission were publicised; and if he will make a statement. [60587]

  The Prime Minister
  I was not consulted before the publication of the European Commission's Communication "A Project for the European Union" on 22 May 2002.

  Mr. Davidson
  To ask the Prime Minister what his policy is on the proposal by the President of the European Commission for the national veto on taxation matters to be abolished; and if he will make a statement. [60584]

  The Prime Minister
  The Government's position is that unanimity should be retained for decisions on taxation.

  Gibraltar
  Mr. MacDougall
  To ask the Prime Minister how many times in the last three years he has discussed Gibraltar with the Spanish Prime Minister. [60791]

  The Prime Minister
  I talk to the Spanish Prime Minister frequently on a range of EU and other foreign policy issues. We most recently discussed Gibraltar during Prime Minister Aznar's visit to London on 20 May.

  Intelligence and Security Committee
  Mark Tami
  To ask the Prime Minister when he expects to lay the Intelligence and Security Committee's annual report before Parliament. [61926]

  The Prime Minister
  I am grateful to the Intelligence and Security Committee for their valuable work and their latest annual report. Following consultation with the Intelligence and Security Committee over matters which could not be published without prejudicing the discharge of the function and operation of the Intelligence and Security agencies, I will lay the report before the House tomorrow. Copies will also be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

  The Government will respond formally to the report shortly.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

  Youth Participation
  Shona McIsaac
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what arrangements the Government are making to publish Departments' action plans for the implementation of the core principles for involving children and young people. [61139]

  Mr. Denham
  In line with the commitment set out in "Learning to Listen—Core Principles for the Involvement of Children and Young People in Government", the following Departments are today publishing their action plans:
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  Department for Culture, Media and Sport

  Ministry of Defence

  Department for Education and Skills

  Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

  Department of Health

  HM Treasury

  Home Office

  Lord Chancellor's Department

  These will be placed on the Children and Young People's Unit website, www.cypu.gov.uk, and copies will be placed in the Library.

  The Children and Young People's Unit will be reviewing progress against action plans in an annual report.

  Sick Leave (Teachers)
  Mr. Willis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many(a) primary school teachers and (b) secondary school teachers took sickness absence in (i) 1999, (ii) 2000 and (iii) 2001, broken down by (1) full-time and (2) part-time teachers. [60527]

  Mr. Miliband
  In the calendar years 1999, 2000 and 2001 (provisional), the numbers of full-time and part-time teachers in the English maintained schools sector taking sickness absence1 were as follows:

  Full-time

  Part-time

  1999

  234,520

  30,130

  2000

  238,820

  34,450

  2001

  246,300

  37,300

  These figures cannot be broken down by phase.
  1 Sickness absence on working days, whether paid absence or not, of teachers with permanent contracts or contracts of over one month, including teachers without QTS. The numbers of teachers taking sick leave includes an individual teacher only once however many periods of sickness absence they have had.

  Mr. Willis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many days(a) primary school teachers and (b) secondary school teachers took in sickness absence in (i) 1999, (ii) 2000 and (iii) 2001, broken down by (1) full-time and (2) part-time teachers. [60528]

  Mr. Miliband
  In the calendar years 1999, 2000 and 2001 (provisional), the numbers of days of sickness absence' taken by full-time and part-time teachers in the English maintained schools sector were as follows:

  Full-time

  Part-time

  1999

  2,249,150

  254,180

  2000

  2,392,400

  301,970

  2001

  2,461,000

  338.900

  These figures cannot be broken down by phase.
  1 Sickness absence on working days, whether paid absence or not, of teachers with permanent contracts or contracts of over one month, including teachers without QTS. The number of days taken as sick leave includes all periods of sick leave.

  Sure Start
  Mr. Dismore
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on Sure Start projects in Barnet. [57890]

  Ms Blears
  Barnet does not at present have a Sure Start programme operating in the borough. However, the borough has been invited to consider setting up a programme as part of the sixth wave of Sure Start announced on 14 May 2002.

  Literacy/Numeracy Strategies
  Mr. Damian Green
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research she has commissioned into the effectiveness of the national literacy and numeracy strategies; and if she will make a statement. [60244]

  Mr. Miliband
  [holding answer 10 June 2002]: The university of Toronto is independently evaluating the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies. Last year they produced the following report:
  Watching and Learning 2, OISE/UT Evaluation of the Implementation of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies, Second Annual Report, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto (September 2001).
  They reported that
  "the Strategies have influenced virtually all schools in England, moving literacy and numeracy to top priority in classrooms across the country."

  Ofsted is also evaluating the literacy and numeracy strategies through its regular inspections of schools and in two nationally representative samples of primary schools.

  Grammar School Ballots
  Mr. Chaytor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list, for each of the last three years, the total payments made by her Department to electoral reform services for the purpose of(a) establishing the number of parents forming the electorate in area grammar school ballots and (b) establishing the list of primary schools whose parents form the electorate in feeder school grammar school ballots. [59244]

  Mr. Miliband
  The information requested is set out in the table:

  £

  Petition year

  (a) Establishing number of parents forming electorate in area grammar school ballots1

  (b) Establishing the list of primary schools whose parents form the electorate in feeder school grammar school ballots1

  1999–2000

  171,396

  13

  2000–2001

  82,982

  11

  2001–20022

  389,516

  14

  1 To nearest pound

  2 To date

DEFENCE

  1901 Census
  Mr. Edward Davey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the information memorandum sent to potential bidders for QinetiQ refers to QinetiQ's contract with the Public Record Office for the 1901 Census website; and if he will make a statement. [57797]

  Dr. Moonie
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 23 May 2002,Official Report, column 475W.

  Nuclear Decommissioning
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many nuclear facilities, storage areas, fixed equipment and reactors(a) have been in the last 30 years and (b) are planned to be decommissioned by his Department; and in each case, what the cost was. [60394]

  Dr. Moonie
  Data on how many nuclear facilities, storage areas, fixed equipment and reactors decommissioned over the past 30 years within the Ministry of Defence is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, expenditure from 1997–98 was provided to my hon. Friend on 5 March 2002,Official Report, columns 162–63W.

  As at 31 March 2001 (the latest available published figures), the MOD's nuclear liabilities amounted to £3,574,809,000 (representing the liabilities discounted at 6 per cent. and expressed in 2000–01 money values) or £16,039,639,000 (undiscounted). A more detailed breakdown is not available in the form requested.

  Farnborough Airshow
  Mr. Simon Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what support his Department is giving to the organisers of the Farnborough Airshow taking place in July; and if his Department is providing assistance to enable overseas visitors to attend it. [60616]

  Dr. Moonie
  In support of the Government's commitment to a strong United Kingdom defence industry, the Ministry of Defence undertakes a broad range of activities in support of The Society of British Aerospace Companies organisation of this prestigious show to help ensure its continued position as the world's premier business aerospace exhibition. Normal marketing support to United Kingdom exhibitors is provided by the Defence Export Services Organisation, and other assistance includes helping the organisers ensure the maximum exposure of United Kingdom products to potential customers by supporting official inward visits.

  United Kingdom Hydrographic Office
  Ann McKechin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made with the Quinquennial Review of the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office; and if he will make a statement. [61910]

  Dr. Moonie
  I am pleased to announce today the outcome of the first stage of the Quinquennial Review of the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO).
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  Phase 1 of the review, announced on 9 May 2001, was headed by Admiral Sir Jonathon Band, then Deputy CINCFleet. A steering group directed the work of the review team. It had an independent chairperson and comprised representatives of the Royal Navy, the UKHO, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, the Meteorological Office, HM Treasury, Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Defence's business improvement team.

  The UKHO was established as a Defence support agency of the MOD in 1990, and has operated as a Trading Fund since 1996.

  Evidence was taken from a wide range of stakeholders and customers, including the Royal Navy, commercial customers, other Government Departments, port authorities and other hydrographic offices, as well as from staff.

  Phase 1 of the review recommends that the UKHO should seek to maintain its position as the leading hydrographic office internationally, and should focus on meeting UK defence and Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) obligations. It should continue as a trading fund for the immediate future, but its future status needs to ensure that it is best placed to maintain its self-financing structure in the digital era. While the strong national interest of the UKHO's work is deemed consistent with continued Government ownership and responsibility, the UKHO is encouraged to seek partnerships with the private sector to help it to better exploit both current and new wider markets.

  I have accepted the Phase 1 report, in particular the recommendation that the UKHO should aim in the medium term to convert to a wholly owned, Government-owned, company if certain conditions relating to its future role in the digital era are met. Accordingly, I have asked the chief executive to report to the Hydrographic Office Ministerial Advisory Board in two years time, to allow the board to review progress towards viability as a Government-owned company in the digital era, covering both income and cost base, and the protection of data supply. I have placed copies of a summary of the report in the Library of the House.

  Phase 2 of the Quinquennial Review will cover the implementation of the recommendations of Phase 1, and review efficiency measures. It will also cover the strategy for addressing the requirements of other Government Departments, and governance and scrutiny issues.

  Reserve Forces
  Mr. Reed
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes he plans to the role of the reserves in home defence and security. [61911]

  Mr. Hoon
  The work to date on the New Chapter to the Strategic Defence Review indicates that there is scope for an additional role for the reserves in home defence and security tasks, which would draw on their strengths and skills in the response to a crisis and which the reserves would themselves welcome. To explain our concept and to seek views upon it, the Ministry of Defence has today issued a discussion document entitled "The Role of the Reserves in Home Defence and Security". Copies of the document have been placed in the Library of the House. It makes proposals for providing a significant
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  enhancement to the support which the Department and armed forces can provide to the civil authorities in such circumstances in three areas:
  by the formation of reaction forces on a regional basis, comprising an average of 500 reserve personnel who volunteer for the role and who would be available to be deployed in a crisis;
  by formalising the role of 2 Signals Brigade, and its predominantly Territorial Army subordinate units, in supporting those personnel deploying in response to a crisis, and enhancing its communications equipment accordingly;
  by using reserve personnel to improve our contingency planning, and the machinery by which the civil authorities can gain access to support from the armed forces in a crisis.

  This is a significant development for our reserve forces, and an important new challenge for them. We will take account of the views of the reserves and their employers on the discussion document in finalising our proposals. At that stage, we will also take a final view on the implications for the size and shape of our reserve forces.

  Disposal Services Agency
  Jane Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what key targets have been set for the Disposal Services Agency for financial year 2002–03. [61912]

  Dr. Moonie
  The agency was originally launched as the Disposal Sales Agency in October 1994, and was re-launched in November 2000 as the Disposal Services Agency. The agency provides much more than a sales function for surplus Ministry of Defence equipment and stores. It provides a total disposal solution by acting as a broker and adding value through expert advice across the public sector. The agency is therefore operating very much in line with the Government's aim of more joined-up delivery.

  The chief executive of the agency has been set the following key targets for the financial year 2002–03.

  Key target 1
  To achieve a disposal sales gross cash receipt of £25 million from the sales of surplus Government owned equipment and stores. This figure reflects the expected surplus equipment disposal programme.
  Key target 2
  To meet the key performance indicators as agreed in the Customer Supplier Agreement with the Defence Logistics Organisation.
  Key target 3
  To maintain and where necessary improve by at least 2 percentage points on the customer satisfaction (baseline) rates as recorded in the 2002 customer survey.
  Key target 4
  To secure £355,000 sales per person employed for commercial activities.

TRANSPORT

  Transport Projects
  Chris Grayling
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the major transport investment projects that have been given final go-ahead by his Department since 7 June 2001. [59359]

  Mr. Jamieson
  I have been asked to reply.
  1262W
  The following projects were fully accepted in the period:
  Heathrow Airport Terminal Five
  Extensions to the Heathrow Express and the Piccadilly Line to Heathrow Airport Terminal Five
  Oldham Retaining Walls
  A689 Sedgefield to Wynyard improvements (Durham) Barnsley Coalfields Link Road Phases 2 and 3
  A2 Bean-Cobham Widening Phase 1.

  24 major local transport schemes have been provisionally accepted, conditional on statutory procedures which are essential to the scheme, or where the scheme is dependent on a contribution from a third party.

  Four schemes have been added to the targeted programme of improvements—these are still subject to statutory procedures.

  Railways
  Chris Grayling
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what legal powers he will hold to require Network Rail to change the nature of the use of sub-contractors for network maintenance. [59332]

  Mr. Jamieson
  I have been asked to reply.

  The management of maintenance contracts would be a matter for Network Rail, if it succeeds Railtrack as network operator. The guidelines issued by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 31 October 2001 specify that bidders should demonstrate proposals for focused and effective contract management. Network Rail has said it plans to improve relations with maintenance organisations through longer contracts, better alignment of incentives and by awarding contracts on the basis of best value assessments—not necessarily the lowest price.

  Mr. Blizzard
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for railways regulation. [62144]

  Mr. Darling
  As the Government announced in October 2001, they have been considering whether the railways regulatory framework continues to be fit for purpose given the changing circumstances faced by the UK rail industry. The Government's considerations have been guided by a number of key overarching principles:Providing sufficient comfort and protection to operators and lenders through independent economic regulation and in order to regulate monopoly/monopsony elements and to secure private investment in the railways at an efficient cost;
  Ensuring that public expenditure on the railways delivers the Government's objectives and achieves value for money;
  Ensuring that the level of public expenditure on the railways respects and reflects the Government's overall spending priorities, including the 10 Year Plan;
  Keeping the burden of regulation to the minimum level necessary; and
  Ensuring a stable, well led industry with clarity of roles.

  Having reviewed the current regulatory regime, the Government propose to build on the existing board structure of the ORR by establishing a statutory regulatory board. This is in line with Government policy on independent regulatory authorities, is consistent with the recommendations of the Better Regulation Task Force, and has been done in the case of the regulation of the gas

  1263W
  and electricity industries (Utilities Act 2000) and postal services (Postal Services Act 2000) and is in the course of being done for the Office of Fair Trading (Enterprise Bill) and the telecommunications and broadcasting sectors (Communications Bill).

  The regulator's duties include requirements to have regard to the SRA's strategies and budget. In view of the importance the Government attach to continued close working between the SRA and the regulator on these matters, I intend to issue directions to the SRA and guidance to the regulator on how I expect these requirements to be reflected in any future review of the network operator's revenue requirements.

  The Government will need to continue to keep the effectiveness of the regime under review as the rail sector develops. The implementation of EU Directives already requires the Government to review the regulatory framework and adjust it in accordance with the Directives as necessary (the implementation of the First Railway Package of Directives is due by March 2003).

  In making any further changes to the regulatory regime, the Government will continue to have regard to all of the principles set out above, treating the first one on independent economic regulation as an essential continuing requirement. Should the Government conclude that any change is required, they would consult key stakeholders on proposals in the normal way before bringing forward appropriate legislation.

  Rail Links
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what recent investigations he has carried out into the(a) feasibility and (b) utility of constructing combinations of single and double lines of rail track adjacent to motorways and trunk highways. [59872]

  Mr. Jamieson
  I have been asked to reply.

  None.

  Bridge Tolls
  Bob Spink
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total revenue was from bridge tolls for each toll bridge in England in each of the last five years. [61098]

  Mr. Jamieson
  The majority of statutory tolled bridges in England are either privately owned or operated by a local authority and are not legally obliged to send regular accounts to the Secretary of State. As such the information requested is not held by the Department.

  Fire Statistics
  Mrs. May
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many(a) fire stations, (b) full time fire-fighters and (c) part time fire-fighters there are in each fire authority. [60445]

  Mr. Raynsford
  I have been asked to reply.

  Information on the number of fire stations in each fire authority in England and Wales at 1 January for each year from 1997 to 2002 was given in my right hon. Friend's reply to the hon. Member on 19 March 2002, Official Report, columns 239–42W.
  1264W
  The number of firefighters in each fire authority area in England and Wales at 31 March 2001, the most recent date for which figures are available, is shown in the table:

  Number of wholetime and retained firefighters in post in England and Wales at 31 March 2001

  Authority

  Wholetime1

  Retained2

  Avon

  667

  160

  Bedfordshire and Luton

  330

  115

  Buckinghamshire

  292

  152

  Cambridgeshire

  276

  295

  Cheshire

  631

  146

  Cleveland

  601

  62

  Cornwall

  185

  407

  County Durham and Darlington

  405

  119

  Cumbria

  274

  370

  Derbyshire

  465

  231

  Devon

  570

  648

  Dorset

  300

  288

  East Sussex

  425

  201

  Essex

  936

  373

  Gloucestershire

  232

  257

  Greater Manchester

  2,090

  26

  Hampshire

  784

  546

  Hereford and Worcester

  355

  294

  Hertfordshire

  565

  212

  Humberside

  725

  276

  Isle of Wight

  61

  152

  Isles of Scilly

  9

  34

  Kent

  944

  494

  Lancashire

  1,010

  285

  Leicestershire

  498

  144

  Lincolnshire

  189

  413

  London

  5,693

  0

  Merseyside

  1,369

  0

  Mid and West Wales

  502

  660

  Norfolk

  310

  424

  North Wales

  283

  483

  North Yorkshire

  352

  331

  Northamptonshire

  296

  182

  Northumberland

  206

  152

  Nottinghamshire

  581

  202

  Oxfordshire

  230

  237

  Royal Berkshire

  406

  122

  Shropshire

  200

  249

  Somerset

  179

  351

  South Wales

  968

  252

  South Yorkshire

  920

  39

  Staffordshire

  473

  304

  Suffolk

  247

  352

  Surrey

  713

  103

  Tyne and Wear

  1,010

  18

  Warwickshire

  286

  149

  West Midlands

  2,031

  8

  West Sussex

  397

  272

  West Yorkshire

  1,683

  166

  Wiltshire

  222

  272

  1 In full time equivalents

  2 In 24 hour units of cover

  Source:

  Authority annual returns to HM Fire Service Inspectorate

  Regeneration
  Ms Shipley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what central government-sponsored programmes are under way to support physical regeneration projects. [59825]

  Mr. McNulty
  I have been asked to reply.
  1265W
  Central government-sponsored programmes in support of physical regeneration are primarily implemented through the Regional Development Agencies, the London Development Agency and English Partnerships. For the RDAs and the LDA all funding is directed through the Single Programme. Details of English Partnerships' programmes are set out each year in the Department's annual report.

  Ms Shipley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how much investment has been committed to physical regeneration projects in(a) the last five years and (b) the next five years. [59826]

  Mr. McNulty
  I have been asked to reply.

  During the past five years the Government's physical regeneration expenditure programme has been undertaken principally through the Regional Development Agencies (RDA), the London Development Agency (LDA) and the Urban Regeneration Agency (URA)(part of English Partnerships).

  (a) Gross cash investment on physical regeneration projects in each of the past five years has been as follows:

  £ million

  RDAs/LDA (excluding PIP)1

  Urban Regeneration Agency

  1997–98

  —

  359

  1998–99

  —

  463

  1999–2000

  108

  322

  2000–01

  2182

  247

  2001–02

  3—

  10

  1 RDAs/LDA figures are gross expenditure in cash terms on the Land and Property Programme. They exclude Partnership Investment Programme (PIP) expenditure for 1999–2000 and 2000–01, which is included within the URA figures for those two years.

  2 RDA receipts for this year included £28 million of European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

  3 The Land and Property outturn figure for 2001–02 has not yet been finalised. However, including PIP expenditure and £20 million of ERDF, it is estimated to be approximately £400 million gross in cash terms.

  (b) From 2002–03 onwards, the RDAs operate under a Single Programme. Funding for physical regeneration by the RDAs and the LDA cannot therefore be disaggregated from this offices' total contribution to the Single Programme.

  Contribution to RDAs/LDA

  £ million

  2002–03

  1,278

  2003–04

  1,425

  The URA forecasts its investment on physical regeneration projects at approximately £130 million in both 2002–03 and 2003–04.

  The level of physical regeneration expenditure by the RDAs, LDA and the URA in the subsequent two years will be determined by the context of the Spending Review and, in the URA's case, also by the outcome of the present quinquennial review of English Partnerships' future role.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Oil and Gas Industry
  Mr. Peter Duncan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the future training requirements in the oil and gas sector. [57307]

  Mr. Wilson
  An updated review of skills in this sector—funded by DTI, Scottish Enterprise, Aberdeen city council and the new Sector Skills Council COGENT—is due to be published in July this year.

  Redundant Oil Installations
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what international agreements to which the United Kingdom is party govern the long-term liability issues of contamination, accidents and maintenance of redundant oil installations that are left in place. [58347]

  Mr. Wilson
  The Oslo and Paris Convention of 1992 (OSPAR) provides for the protection of the Marine Environment of the NE Atlantic. Under the convention the UK has adopted OSPAR Decision 98/3 which provides a regime for the decommissioning of oil and gas installations and effectively prohibits sea disposal. There is a presumption that installations on the UK continental shelf will be brought back to shore for reuse, recycling or final disposal on land. However, the OSPAR Decision recognises that there may be difficulty in removing the 'footings' of large steel jackets weighing more than 10,000 tonnes and in removing concrete installations. As a result derogations may be granted in these cases if the internationally agreed assessment and consultation process shows that leaving such installations wholly or partly in place is justifiable. If a derogation is granted, the permit will specify who will be liable for the remains and require suitable monitoring and management measures to prevent or mitigate any adverse consequences to both the environment and other users of the sea.

  In the UK, to ensure the orderly decommissioning of all installations, including those subject to derogation from the OSPAR Decision, the decommissioning of each installation is addressed within a decommissioning programme. The programme assesses the potential decommissioning solutions and determines the most appropriate disposal option by balancing safety, the environment, impact on other users of the sea, technical feasibility and economics. The programme must be approved by the Secretary of State under the Petroleum Act 1998.

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mr. Andrew Turner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of ordinary written questions for her Department were answered within a week of tabling in each month since June 2001; and what proportion of questions for named day received a substantive answer on that day in each month since June 2001. [58988]

  Ms Hewitt
  The information is as follows.
  1267W

  Percentage of:

  Ordinary written questions answered within five sitting days

  Named day written questions answered on that day

  June 2001

  100

  56

  July 2001

  94

  47

  October 2001

  88

  46

  November 2001

  67

  35

  December 2001

  70

  20

  January 2002

  84

  34

  February 2002

  74

  47

  March 2002

  71

  29

  April 2002

  87

  61

  May 2002

  57

  33

  Compensation Applications
  David Hamilton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to the answer of 26 March 2002,Official Report, columns 698–99W, on compensation applications, if she will provide a breakdown of the top 100 companies and organisations and the amounts paid to those lawyers dealing with vibration white finger and carpal tunnel syndrome. [60803]

  Mr. Wilson
  In the time given, the Department cannot provide the costs paid to the top 100 solicitors/organisations. The following table updates the details of costs paid to the 10 solicitors/organisations who represent the largest number of vibration white finger claims in ascending order of total claims intimated.

  Solicitor/organisations

  Costs paid (£ million)

  1. Thompsons

  6.3

  2. Browell Smith and Co.

  4.8

  3. UDM

  4.0

  4. Raleys

  3.5

  5. Hugh James Ford Simey

  3.5

  6. Graysons

  2.3

  7. Watson Burton

  2.2

  8. Moss

  1.6

  9. Towells

  1.5

  10. AMS Law

  1.2

  Legal Costs
  David Hamilton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to the answer of 26 March 2002,Official Report, columns 797–98W, on legal costs, if she will provide a breakdown of the top 100 companies and organisations and the amounts paid to those lawyers dealing with bronchitis and emphysema. [60802]

  Mr. Wilson
  In the time given, the Department cannot provide the costs paid to the top 100 solicitors/organisations. The following table updates the details of costs paid to the 10 solicitors/organisations who represent the largest number of respiratory disease claims in ascending order of total claims intimated.

  Solicitors/organisations

  Costs paid (£ million)

  1. Thompsons

  19.2

  2. Hugh James Ford Simey

  10.7

  3. Raleys

  5.2

  4. Browell Smith and Co.

  4.1

  1268W

  Solicitors/organisations

  Costs paid (£ million)

  5. UDM

  3.5

  6. Irwin Mitchells

  2.7

  7. Towells

  2.5

  8. Graysons

  2.3

  9. Watson Burton

  1.8

  10. O. H. Parsons

  1.3

  Computers
  Dr. Kumar
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures are(a) in place and (b) under discussion in her Department in order to ensure compliance with the WEEE directive. [60753]

  Mr. Wilson
  The WEEE directive is still in draft. The conciliation process is about to commence and the final text should be finalised this autumn. This will allow detailed implementation plans to commence. A formal consultation was completed in December 2000, on the original Commission draft, and there has been constant discussion with all stakeholders since. Informal retailer, local authority and small business focus groups have already been established to consider compliance options, with more planned. A series of formal consultations are planned early next year.

  Minimum Wage
  Mr. Lyons
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to remove the lower rate of the minimum wage. [60533]

  Alan Johnson
  We have no such plans. I announced new terms of reference for the Low Pay Commission today and will of course carefully consider any recommendations made on this issue in their next report.

  European Structural Fund
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the financial contribution into the United Kingdom's economy has been in each of the last five years from the European Structural Fund. [60710]

  Alan Johnson
  The total European Union Structural Funds allocations to the United Kingdom for the periods 1994–99 and 2000–06 are euro 12,590 and euro 16,640 million, equivalent to £8,380 and £10,799 million at 2000 prices. The table breaks these totals into the yearly sums. These figures include the European Social Fund allocation.

  Euro million

  £ million

  1997

  2,552

  1,668

  1998

  2,569

  1,679

  1999

  2,673

  1,748

  2000

  2,496

  1,621

  2001

  2,471

  1,595

  The figures in the table are allocations rather than receipts. Some receipts are not recorded centrally and, in any case, receipts in any one year will include reimbursement of some claims submitted in respect of previous years. Similarly some claims submitted during the year in question will not be paid in that year.

  Newspaper Distribution Monopolies
  Brian Cotter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) when she last met the National Federation of Retail Newsagents to discuss wholesaler monopolies of newspaper and magazine distribution; [60496]

  (2) if she will meet the chief executive of the National Federation of Retail Newsagents to discuss the wholesaler monopolies of newspaper and magazine distribution. [60497]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  My right hon. Friend and other DTI Ministers have not met the National Federation of Retail Newsagents recently.

  Responsibility for monitoring the newspaper and magazine distribution market and investigating allegations of anti-competitive behaviour lies with the Director General of Fair Trading. The Office of Fair Trading is currently reviewing the Code of Practice on the supply of national newspapers, introduced following the 1993 monopoly report on newspaper distribution in England and Wales. It is also examining other issues affecting the industry including exclusive distribution and carriage charges.

  BNFL
  Mr. Chaytor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list, for each of the last three years, each political donation made by British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. and each of its subsidiaries; what budget has been allocated by BNFL and its subsidiaries for political donations in 2002–03; and if she will make a statement. [59241]

  Mr. Wilson
  [holding answer 11 June 20021: This is a matter for the company. I have asked the chief executive to write to my hon. Friend.

  Renewable Energy
  Mr. Chaytor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many renewable energy projects attracted financial support from the Export Credits Guarantee Department in each of the last three years; what the level of financial support was for each project; and what percentage these represent of the total(a) number and (b) value of ECGD funded projects. [57609]

  Ms Hewitt
  ECGD has not provided new financial support for any renewable energy project during the last three years. During this period, however, additional insurance has been extended in respect of projects for which financial support had been underwritten earlier. Details of insurance provided by ECGD are not disclosed as this is treated as commercial in confidence.

  Low Pay Commission
  Dr. Starkey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the Low Pay Commission has been given new terms of reference. [61929]

  Ms Hewitt
  We have today given the Low Pay Commission new terms of reference. The Government have asked the commission to continue to monitor and evaluate the impact of the minimum wage and to make recommendations, if appropriate, for changes to the levels of the main and development rates. The commission has 1270W
  been asked to report to the Government by the end of February 2003. Copies of the terms of reference have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

  I am pleased to announce that we have also recently made two appointments to the Low Pay Commission. The new chair of the commission is Adair Turner, vice chairman of Merrill Lynch Europe and the new employer member is Angie Risley from Whitbread Group plc.

  Broadband
  Michael Fabricant
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the roll out of broadband connectivity in Northern Ireland. [57731]

  Mr. Timms
  The Government are committed to making the UK broadband market more extensive and competitive. The Government work with colleagues in the Northern Ireland Executive to support the development of the market. As part of the £30 million UK broadband fund, Northern Ireland will be receiving £1.46 million, which will be used to fund a number of initiatives announced on 19 March 2002.

  The Northern Ireland Executive has recognised the development of a leading-edge telecommunications infrastructure as central to the development of the Northern Ireland economy. It has launched a number of initiatives such as the SME Broadband Satellite pilot programme to encourage companies to embrace broadband.

  The Northern Ireland Executive will in due course issue a call for expressions of interest in potential flagship projects.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Angola
  Angus Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what part his Department played in brokering the ceasefire between the Government of Angola and the UNITA rebels signed in April; and if he will make a statement. [58912]

  Mr. MacShane
  Prior to the ceasefire in Angola, Her Majesty's Government operated a two-track policy towards Angola which was to support the existing sanctions regime against UNITA, as a means of pressing them towards dialogue; while working on the Angolan Government to improve their humanitarian performance, tackle corruption and create some genuine democratic space for possible dialogue. We worked with the Government of Angola, our EU colleagues and the United Nations with the aim of encouraging transparent dialogue between all parties to the conflict.

  We welcome and support the current cease-fire and moves towards peace in Angola. The signature of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Chiefs of Staff of Angolan armed forces and UNITA on 4 April is an important step on the path to securing peace and stability. The agreement should be the start of a sustainable process through negotiation and dialogue.

  1271W
  Both sides now need to make firm commitments towards the implementation of a transparent and inclusive political process.

  Press Releases
  Pete Wishart
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many press releases have been issued by his Department in each month of 2002. [59499]

  Mr. Straw
  The number of press bulletins issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for the period specified is:

  Number

  January

  40

  February

  37

  March

  39

  April

  45

  May

  49

  June

  1

  The figures include a daily bulletin of ministerial engagements and announcements and other press releases. The daily bulletin may contain a number of announcements. All Foreign Office press releases, including statements and speeches by Ministers, can be read on our website at www.fco.gov.uk.

  Pete Wishart
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many press releases were issued by his Department(a) in each month between May and December 1997 and (b) in each year from 1998 to 2001 inclusive. [59498]

  Mr. Straw
  The number of press bulletins issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for the period specified is:

  Number

  1997

  May

  59

  June

  49

  July

  48

  August

  29

  September

  51

  October

  55

  November

  45

  December

  45

  1998

  January

  38

  February

  33

  March

  58

  April

  35

  May

  34

  June

  27

  July

  37

  August

  29

  September

  31

  October

  37

  November

  27

  December

  28

  1999

  January

  47

  February

  53

  March

  65

  April

  76

  May

  51

  June

  59

  1272W

  Number

  July

  59

  August

  29

  September

  39

  October

  48

  November

  40

  December

  29

  2000

  January

  32

  February

  29

  March

  41

  April

  32

  May

  36

  June

  39

  July

  42

  August

  24

  September

  54

  October

  46

  November

  36

  December

  33

  2001

  January

  29

  February

  28

  March

  39

  April

  30

  May

  24

  June

  31

  July

  30

  August

  9

  September

  35

  October

  34

  November

  39

  December

  35

  The figures include a daily bulletin of ministerial engagements and announcements and other press releases. The daily bulletin may contain a number of announcements. All Foreign Office press releases, including statements and speeches by Ministers, can be read on our website at www.fco.gov.uk.

  Regulatory Impact Unit
  Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people his Department employs in its regulatory impact unit; and if he will make a statement. [59874]

  Mr. Straw
  As a non-regulatory Department, the FCO does not have a dedicated regulatory impact unit. Issues relating to regulatory impact are dealt with by a member of FCO staff as part of his overall duties.

  Hawk Jets
  Tony Baldry
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will be raising the UK's sale of Hawk jets to India during his forthcoming visit to the region. [60419]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary had not planned to discuss the possible sale of Hawk jets to India during his visit to the region, and did not himself raise it. The subject was, however, mentioned by the Indian Defence Minister George Fernandes at his meeting with my right hon. Friend, and a brief discussion on the issue followed.

  Liberia (Arms)
  Mr. Carmichael
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of Liberia's use of revenue generated by its shipping register to purchase arms in breach of the UN embargo. [60169]

  Mr. MacShane
  [holding answer 10 June 2002]: The report of the UN Expert Panel published in October 2001 found that in 2000 revenue from the Liberian Shipping Registries Incorporated (LISCR) (which manages Liberia's shipping registry on behalf of the Government of Liberia) was diverted to purchase arms in breach of UN sanctions. Since then LISCR has taken action to prevent this reoccurring. LISCR channels shipping registry funds to Liberia's Bureau of Maritime Affairs which the panel described in April 2002 as 'little more than a cash extraction operation and cover from which to fund and organise off-budget expenditures including for sanctions-busting'. The Expert Panel report published in April 2002 expressed continued concern at the use made by the Bureau of Maritime Affairs of Liberia's shipping registry funds.

  President Taylor's involvement in weapons trafficking and his support for armed groups continue to threaten regional peace and stability. The UK therefore welcomes the provisions contained in UN Security Council resolution 1408 (2002) that call on Liberia to establish transparent and internationally verifiable audit regimes to ensure that revenue derived from the Liberia shipping registry is used for legitimate social, humanitarian and development purposes, not sanction-busting.

  Turkey
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last met members of the Turkish Government; what issues were discussed on their progress towards possible membership of the European Union; and if he will make a statement. [60707]

  Peter Hain
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State most recently met Foreign Minister Cem on 14 May in Reykjavik, during the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting. They discussed European Defence, the transfer to Turkey of the ISAF lead and Cyprus.

  British Citizens (EU Prisons)
  David Davis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British citizens spent more than seven days in prison in each EU country, in each year since 1997; and how many were subsequently acquitted. [60386]

  Mr. Bill O'Brien
  All British Embassies and High Commissions keep records of those British prisoners who have asked the local authorities to inform the British Mission of their detention. These records show how long a prisoner was detained and whether he/she was later acquitted. However the Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not collate statistics in the format requested, and so to provide this information would incur disproportionate costs.
  1274W
  The FCO maintains quarterly records of the number of British nationals serving custodial sentences in prisons overseas and I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Tooting on 7 May 2002, Official Report, column 456–458W.

  East Timor
  Annabelle Ewing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next plans to meet representatives of the Chinese Government; and if he will raise the case of Ngawang Sandrol at that meeting. [59782]

  Mr. MacShane
  [holding answer 10 June 2002]: My right hon. Friend, the Foreign Secretary, hopes to meet Chinese Ministers later in the year. We raise human rights issues, including Tibet, with the Chinese at every suitable occasion and will continue to do so.

  Ngawang Sangdrol is one the individual cases that we regularly raise with the Chinese in the context of the biannual UK/China Human Rights Dialogue. We most recently raised her case during the dialogue which took place in Beijing on 15 May. In their response, the Chinese said that her sentence had been reduced by 18 months.

  Mr. Lyons
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the UK's diplomatic staffing will be in East Timor. [60484]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  The British Office in East Timor was up-graded to an Embassy at Independence on 20 May 2002. There are two diplomatic staff in Dili.

  Middle East
  Mr. Lyons
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what involvement the UK Government will have in the preparations for peace talks in the Middle East. [60481]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, and a member of the EU, the UK is actively involved in international efforts to revitalise the Middle East Peace Process in order to achieve a just and lasting peace.

  A revitalised peace process must lead to the establishment of two viable, secure, territorially sovereign and democratic states of Israel and Palestine, mutually recognised and committed to peaceful coexistence within agreed borders. It should address key issues, particularly in respect of Jerusalem, settlements and refugees. It should also secure a comprehensive peace that includes full peace treaties between Israel, Lebanon and Syria. Only genuine commitment by the parties to such an agenda can break the current cycle of violence and reprisal.

  Achieving these goals will require a continuous process that includes confidence building measures and timelines; ensures parallel movement on the political, security and economic tracks; and is based on UN Security Council Resolutions 242, 338 and 1397.

  We expect to take this forward at the G8 Foreign Minister's meeting, 12–13 June, and in our consultations with other involved countries in coming weeks.

  Zimbabwe
  Mr. Pollard
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on progress towards restoring democracy in Zimbabwe. [60246]

  Mr. MacShane
  There is now a strong international consensus opposed to the actions of the Zimbabwe regime. We will work to strengthen that consensus, while supporting credible regional efforts (in particular the joint initiative of South Africa and Nigeria) to restore democratic legitimacy to Zimbabwe.

  Mr. Spring
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the adherence of the Zimbabwean Government to the constitution in respect of(a) section 18(1) on the protection of the law and (b) section 18(9) on entitlement to a fair hearing within a reasonable time by an independent court. [60184]

  Mr. MacShane
  It would not be appropriate for me to comment on individual constitutional clauses in isolation. But we have made clear on numerous occasions our deep concern at the Zimbabwean authorities' campaign to undermine the rule of law in Zimbabwe, and its persistent failure to protect and enforce the Zimbabwean people's rights under the country's Constitution.

  Mr. Spring
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures have been taken to ensure that those who commit violations of human rights in Zimbabwe are brought to international justice; and if he will make a statement. [60407]

  Mr. MacShane
  The UK Government and its EU and other international partners will continue to focus international attention on abuses of human rights in Zimbabwe.

  The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) will come into force on 1 July 2002. The Court will not have retrospective jurisdiction over crimes alleged to have been committed before that date.

  Mr. Spring
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government are taking to prevent President Mugabe from buying(a) arms and (b) anti-riot gear for the internal security purposes. [60195]

  Mr. MacShane
  The UK imposed an arms embargo on Zimbabwe in May 2000. This is implemented by prohibiting the export of goods and technology on the Military List which forms Part III of Export of Goods (Control) Order 1994, as amended.

  In addition, on 18 February 2002 the European Union agreed a Council Common Position (2002/145/CFSP) imposing targeted sanctions including a full arms embargo, and an embargo on the sale or supply to Zimbabwe of equipment which might be used for internal repression.

  The embargo on the sale or supply to Zimbabwe of equipment which might be used for internal repression is implemented in the Community by Council Regulation 310–2002 and prohibits the export to Zimbabwe from the Community of equipment listed in Annex II of the regulation. This includes, 'anti-riot helmets', 'anti-riot shields', 'body armour, other than those manufactured to
  1276W
  military standards or specifications', portable devices designed or modified for the purpose of riot control or self-protection by the administration of an incapacitating substance (such as tear gas or pepper sprays)'.

  Mr. Spring
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimates the Government have made of the number of economic refugees from Zimbabwe in(a) South Africa, (b) Zambia, (c) Botswana, (d) Mozambique, (e) Madagascar and (f) the United Kingdom. [60189]

  Mr. MacShane
  The South African authorities estimate that there are up to two million Zimbabweans resident in South Africa, the majority being in the north of the country.

  No reliable figures are available on the total number of Zimbabweans in Zambia, Botswana, Mozambique, or Madagascar.

  As the United Kingdom does not require Zimbabweans to obtain entry visas, it is not possible to estimate the size of the resident Zimbabwean community in the UK. Last year, however, the Home Office received 2,085 applications for asylum from Zimbabweans.

  Lakshmi Mittal
  Mr. Ancram
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 21 May 2002,Official Report, column 255W, on meetings with Embassy staff, what the benefit to the United Kingdom, in foreign policy terms, was of the Lakshmi Mittal Romanian steel contract. [60551]

  Mr. Straw
  [holding answer 11 June 2002]: I refer the right hon. Member to the answers given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 14 February 2002, Official Report, columns 610–12W.

  Chagos Islands
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much revenue has been generated by the sale of licences to fishing boats fishing in Chagos Island waters in the last 12 month period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [57249]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  [holding answer 11 June 2002]: Revenue generated by the sale of licences for fishing in BIOT waters during 2001–02 was £800,892. This figure has yet to be audited.

  Honduras
  Mr. Chaytor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions have taken place between his officials and representatives of the Government of Honduras in respect of the number of murders of street children; and if he will make a statement. [59243]

  Mr. MacShane
  We regularly raise our concerns over the distressing plight of street children in Honduras in the framework of our bilateral relations and in international fora. In May 2002, an official from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office while in Honduras, raised the issue of human rights with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and visited a juvenile rehabilitation centre in Tegucigalpa.
  1277W
  EU Ambassadors in Tegucigalpa recently invited the new Human Rights Commissioner to attend a meeting where the plight of street children in Honduras was discussed.

  The Honduras Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP), a good example of a British Government poverty reduction strategy for developing countries, is designed to integrate actions and commitments to tackle child poverty. Through the PRSP, HMG is committed to strengthening the role of the Honduran Institute for Children and the Family especially in assisting vulnerable children and adolescents; and to helping implement Honduras' National Plan for the Gradual and Progressive Eradication of Child Labour.

  Civil Service Recruitment
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 22 April,Official Report, column 230W, on Civil Service recruitment, if he will place in the Library a copy of the questionnaire sent to staff requesting information about education details. [60665]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  Yes.

  Migrant Workers
  Mr. Rosindell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the(a) activities and (b) budget of the Administrative Commission of the European Communities on Social Security for Migrant Workers. [57899]

  Mr. Nicholas Brown
  I have been asked to reply.

  The Administrative Commission on social security for migrant workers is set up under Articles 80 and 81 of EEC Regulation 1408–71, which lays down the rules for co-ordination of member states' social security schemes for workers who move within the European Economic Area. The Administrative Commission's main function is to deal with administrative questions and questions of interpretation of the provisions of Regulation 1408–71. This enables consistency in implementation across the member states. Among its other tasks are the fostering and development of cooperation between member states in social security matters. It may also submit proposals for revising the Regulation.

  The Administrative Commission is currently considering a number of items: the proposed European health card; implications arising from decisions of the European Court of Justice; the EU-Switzerland agreement; changes to forms used by member states where a claim for a benefit involves more than one state; matters relating to the electronic issue of documents; proposals for amending the EC regulation on the co-ordination of social security benefits and applications from candidate countries to list certain benefits in the annexes to that regulation.

  The budget of the Administrative Commission for the current year is 1.600,000 euros which includes the technical assistance and translation costs.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

  Street Children
  Mr. Chaytor
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what projects are supported by her Department designed to improve conditions for street children in Central American countries; and if she will make a statement. [59242]

  Clare Short
  A list of projects funded through DFID's Small Grants Scheme and Joint Funding Scheme has been placed in the Library of the House.

  The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child sets out the inherent rights and entitlements needed to guarantee a child's right to survival, development and an adequate standard of living. It is crucial that development strategies in all counties address issues of child poverty and secure child entitlements.

  Examples of our work in this area include implementation of the Honduras Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP), which is a good example of a government poverty reduction strategy, which integrates actions and commitments to tackle child poverty. Through the PRSP the Government has committed to strengthen the role of the Honduran Institute for Children and the Family especially to assist vulnerable children and adolescents; and to implement the National Plan for the Gradual and Progressive Eradication of Child Labour.

  The European Commission is also funding projects in Central America with NGOs. In Honduras they are strengthening public agencies working with children at risk, training judges, police and community workers and NGOs working with children. In Nicaragua and Guatemala there are projects addressing the sexual exploitation of children. These programmes total 3.8 million euros (£2.4 million) of which the UK share is approximately 608,000 euros (£400,00).

  Saudi Arabia and Kuwait
  Joan Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid her Department has given to(a) Saudi Arabia and (b) Kuwait in the past 10 years. [60631]

  Clare Short
  None.

  Grants
  Mr. Andrew Turner
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which organisations which were in receipt of a grant from her in 1997–98 no longer are; what the annual saving is; which organisations and outside bodies which were not in receipt of a grant in 1997–98 now are; and what the annual cost is. [61399]

  Clare Short
  It would involve disproportionate cost to provide a full answer to this question.

  Child Labour
  Helen Jackson
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what her assessment is of the scale of child labour; and what steps she plans to take in relation to it. [61925]
  1279W
  Clare Short
  The most recent report form the International Labour Organisation estimates that there are 246 million working children. 179 million of them are engaged in the worst forms of child labour that endanger their physical, mental or moral well-being.

  The Government will continue to support partners that tackle child labour internationally, nationally and locally, and to promote policies that support poverty elimination and social justice for children. My Department has recently published a paper, "Liberating Children—combating hidden and harmful child labour", which looks at why there are so many children in harmful work, and suggests how everyone—governments, international organisations, business and civil society—has a part to play in tackling this persistent problem.

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

  Criminal Offences
  Mr. Andrew Turner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many criminal offences have been(a) created and (b) abolished by her Department since 1997. [55435]

  Mr. Morley
  DEFRA came into being on the 8 June 2001. Since that date over 295 Statutory Instruments emanating from the Department have come into force. A comprehensive and exhaustive list of new and abolished offences could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Some new offences have been created, some offences have been repealed and some re-enacted; most offences relate to breach of the regulations or obstruction of officers enforcing the regulations. Many of the provisions related to foot-and-mouth controls and extended offences to geographical areas covered by the controls.

  I can however provide the following information about the following measures creating such offences which have come into force since 8 June 2001:
  The Foot-and-Mouth Disease (Control of Vaccination)(England) Regulations 2001 SI No. 2375 prohibit vaccination against foot-and-mouth disease except by licence
  The Processed Animal Protein (England) Regulations 2001 SI No. 2376 restrict the feeding of processed animal protein to farmed animals
  The TSE Regulations 2002 SI No. 843 provide for the administration and enforcement of measures to deal with transmissible spongiform encephalopathies in all susceptible animals
  The Products of Animal Origin (Third Country Imports)(England) Order 2002 SI No. 1227 restrict the importation of products of animal origin
  The Plant Health (Phytophera ramorum)(England) Order 2002 SI No. 1299 implement measures to deal with the fungus named in the Order.

  Committee Mandates
  Mr. Bercow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the mandate of the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund Committee (and working party on irregularities) is; how many times it has met over the last 12 months; what the UK representation on it is; what the annual cost of its work is to public funds; if she will list the items currently 1280W
  under its consideration; if she will take steps to increase its accountability and transparency to Parliament; and if she will make a statement. [55658]

  Mr. Morley
  The Committee was set up under Council Regulation 17/64 EEC on the conditions for granting aid from the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund. Provisions which currently define the role of the Committee, confer powers on the Commission and establish rules for consultation and adoption of legislation are contained in Articles 11 to 15 of Council Regulation 1258/99 on the financing of the common agricultural policy.

  The Committee has both voting and non-voting functions. The procedures for adoption of legislation by the Committee are set out in Article 13 of Regulation 1258/99. This is a management committee procedure (variant IIa). The voting procedure is applied to regulations made under Articles 4 and 5 of Regulation 1258/99 (essentially concerned with accreditation of paying agencies and submission of annual CAP accounts). In addition, a number of other regulations require the FEOGA Committee to express an opinion via Article 13 procedures, in particular on measures adopted under the Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS), some horizontal regulations, e.g. on calculating the costs of financing intervention measures, and certain commodity regime provisions which involve the grant of aid from FEOGA funds (in the latter case the sectoral management committee normally sit as a joint management committee with the FEOGA Committee).

  The FEOGA Committee may also be consulted in circumstances set down in Article 14 of Reg 1258–99. This provides for the Fund Committee to be consulted:
  in cases where provision is made for it to be consulted;
  for the assessment of the Fund's credits to be entered in the Commission's estimate for the coming financial year and, if necessary, on additional estimates;
  on draft proposals from the Commission to the Council concerning the application of Regulation 1258–99 and on draft reports on the Fund to be submitted to the Council.

  The Committee may also examine any other question referred to it by its Chairman either on his own initiative or at the request of a representative of a Member State. It should be informed regularly of the activities of the Fund. Consultation is required by Article 6 of the Regulation (essentially concerning payment of monthly advances from the Fund and decisions on clearance of annual CAP accounts). Consultation does not involve a vote.

  The Committee has met 12 times over the past 12 months. The costs of travel and subsistence for two officers was about £13,344. Items currently under its consideration are the budget of the Common Agricultural Policy, and the clearance of accounts process.

  Together with Member States, the Commission is currently conducting a review to bring existing legislation on the conduct of comitology committees into line with Council Decision 1999/468/EC, to
  "simplify the requirements for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission".

  As an obligation to this Decision, the Commission undertook to publish an annual report on the working of committees. The first report was deposited in the Libraries of both Houses on 26 February (COM (2001) 783 Final).

  1281W
  As part of the review process, the UK Government have encouraged the Commission to produce and maintain an electronic database of every comitology committee, its agendas and recent actions, to be accessible through its website.

  Mr. Bercow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the mandate of the Standing Forestry Committee is; how many times it has met over the last 12 months; what the UK representation on it is; what the annual cost of its work is to public funds; if he will list the items currently under its consideration; if he will take steps to increase its accountability and transparency to Parliament; and if he will make a statement. [55660]

  Mr. Morley
  The Standing Forestry Committee was established by European Council Decision (89/367/EEC) made on 29 May 1989. Its mandate is to provide for closer co-operation in the forestry sector between Member States and the European Commission and thereby support forestry measures initiated under the Community agricultural structure and rural development policy. Recently the mandate has been extended in practice to provide support under Community environmental policy.

  In the last 12 months the Committee met 6 times. The Forestry Commission represents the UK. The annual cost of the Commission's involvement varies, depending on the number of meetings. In the last 12 months the cost was £2,250.

  The Committee is currently considering new legislation to monitor and assess the impacts of natural and manmade impacts on the health of forests, audit guidance on monitoring payments for forestry measures and new legislation on evaluation of forestry in rural development. Together with Member States, the Commission is currently conducting a review to bring existing legislation on the conduct of comitology committees into line with Council Decision 1999/468/EC, to "simplify the requirements for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission".

  As an obligation to this Decision, the Commission undertook to publish an annual report on the working of committees. The first report was deposited in the Libraries of both Houses on 26 February (Commission Document 5685/02).

  As part of the review process, the UK Government has encouraged the Commission to produce and maintain an electronic database of every comitology committee, its agendas and recent actions, to be accessible through its website.

  Mr. Bercow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the mandate of the Joint Meetings of Management and/or Regulatory Committees dealing with agrimonetary questions is; how many times it has met over the last 12 months; what the UK representation on it is; what the annual cost of its work is to public funds; if she will list the items currently under its consideration; if she will take steps to increase its accountability and transparency to Parliament; and if she will make a statement. [55663]
  1282W
  Mr. Morley
  This committee oversees the agrimonetary compensation regulations. It has met twice over the last 12 months. The UK was represented by one official. The cost of travel and subsistence was about £1,024. There are no items currently under consideration.

  Together with Member States, the Commission is currently conducting a review to bring existing legislation on the conduct of comitology committees into line with Council Decision 1999/468/EC, to
  "simplify the requirements for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission".

  As an obligation to this Decision, the Commission undertook to publish an annual report on the working of committees. The first report was deposited in the Libraries of both Houses on 26 February (COM (2001) 783 Final). As part of the review process, the UK Government have encouraged the Commission to produce and maintain an electronic database of every comitology committee, its agendas and recent actions, to be accessible through its website.

  Tuberculosis
  Mr. Breed
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many(a) farmyard and (b) feral (i) cats and (ii) dogs have been tested in TB endemic areas by constituency in the last 30 years; and what proportion of these turned out to he TB reactors. [55811]

  Mr. Morley
  The information is not available in the format requested. However since 1970 a total of 150 cats and 96 dogs have been tested for TB. Of those, 16 cats and one dog tested positive. The statistics gathered do not differentiate between feral and household cats.

  Mr. Breed
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she routinely tests free-roaming farm animals when a TB breakdown occurs. [55845]

  Mr. Morley
  In addition to cattle, DEFRA will undertake testing of goat herds co-located with a cattle herd that has had confirmed TB reactors. Testing of any co-located farmed deer in the same circumstances is strongly advised but is not carried out as a routine.

  Law Enforcement Agencies
  Mr. Andrew Turner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what law enforcement agencies and prosecuting authorities designated with legislation there are within the responsibility of her Department; and what complaints procedure is available for each. [57102]

  Mr. Morley
  [holding answer 16 May 2002]: The Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), which was created on the 8 June 2001, is responsible for prosecuting offences in relation to the core Departmental functions administered by various Inspectorates or Services including; the Sea Fisheries Inspectorate, the Veterinary Field Service, the Egg Marketing Inspectorate, the Horticulture Marketing Inspectorate, the Plant Health Safety Inspectorate and the British Cattle Movement Service. It is also responsible for prosecuting offences alleged by the Forestry Commission. Each of the bodies has an established procedure for

  1283W
  dealing with complaints. The procedure generally has three stages. Firstly the complaint is considered by managers within the Inspectorate or Service; secondly, if the complaint is not resolved it may be referred to the Departmental Complaints Adjudicator for investigation; and thirdly, if the complaint still remains unresolved the complainant may then write to their Member of Parliament and ask for the matter to be referred to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration.

  DEFRA is also responsible for prosecuting offences in relation to six executive agencies; the Rural Payments Agency (RPA), the Central Science Laboratory (CSL), the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), the Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD), the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD). Complaints about the agencies referred to above are initially considered by managers within each agency and ultimately by the Chief Executive of the Agency. If the complaint remains unresolved the complainant may then write to their Member of Parliament and ask for the matter to be referred to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration.

  Broadband
  Mr. Weir
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to offer assistance to small businesses in rural areas to enable them to access broadband communications as they become available. [57213]

  Alun Michael
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Minister for e-Commerce and Competitiveness, the hon. Member for Paisley, South (Mr. Alexander), on 24 May 2002,Official Report, column 631W. Ministers at the Department of Trade and Industry and DEFRA with Regional Development Agencies and others are keen to assist in meeting the needs of rural economies.

  Canoeing
  Mr. Gareth R. Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reason the Angling and Canoeing Liaison Group of the Environment Agency's meeting on Wednesday 8 May to discuss access for canoeists was cancelled; and if she will make a statement. [58369]

  Alun Michael
  The cancellation of the Angling and Canoe Access Group meeting on 8 May 2002 was due to the high number of apologies for absence sent prior to the meeting.

  Given that Government will respond shortly to the University of Brighton research, "Water-based sport and recreation: the facts", the meeting is being rescheduled to allow consideration of this important research.

  Rural Development Regulations
  Mr. Todd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions her Department has had with the European Commission regarding changing rural development regulations to allow(a) member states and (b) regions within them, to vary the application of voluntary
  1284W
  modulation; and what analysis her Department has carried out to ascertain the impact of regionalisation of modulation. [59704]

  Mr. Morley
  Discussions have taken place between my Department and the European Commission in preparation for the Mid-term Review of CAP. They have included possible changes to the Rural Development Regulation and horizontal measures legislation in relation to modulation and the potential for different rates of modulation in different areas. We will consider carefully the impact of possible different rates of modulation together with other potential changes to the legislation. We will, of course, consult stakeholders on any new options that emerge from the MTR before taking any decisions on implementation.

  Imported Meat and Poultry
  Mr. Beggs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will list the(a) meat and poultry products imported into the United Kingdom and (b) country of origin of products subsequently found to be unsuitable for human consumption in the United Kingdom in the last three years. [60330]

  Mr. Morley
  Tables detailing the list of meat and poultry products imported into the United Kingdom and the countries from which consignments have been rejected have been placed in the Library of the House. The table of rejected consignments covering all rejections made by UK Border Inspection Posts from 1999 to 2001 has also been placed in the Library of the House; however, details of the reason for rejection are not held centrally.

  Noxious Weeds Act
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many prosecutions there have been under the Noxious Weeds Act 1959 since 1972; and what assessment she has made of the Act's effectiveness. [57250]

  Mr. Morley
  [holding answer 11 June 2002]: Records of enforcement activity under the Weeds Act 1959 going back to 1972 are not readily available. However, it is rarely necessary to invoke the formal powers of the Act and I can confirm that there have been no prosecutions in the last five years.

  The fact that there have not been prosecutions does not mean the Act has been ineffective. The Act puts the onus on landowners to control the spread of injurious weeds from their land. DEFRA investigates each complaint about injurious weeds on its merits, but gives priority to complaints where there is a threat to farmland, farming activities and on farm diversified equine activities. Once DEFRA officials have made the occupier of land aware of the presence of injurious weeds, the matter can usually be resolved satisfactorily through co-operation and advice, without taking statutory action.

  Review of London Markets
  Mr. Pound
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the Review of London Markets. [61923]
  1285W
  Mr. Morley
  In its report on New Covent Garden Market published last year the House of Commons Select Committee on Agriculture recommended a review of the provision of wholesale markets in London.

  In response to this recommendation and in conjunction with the Corporation of London, which owns three of the four major wholesale markets in central London, we have commissioned Mr. Nicholas Saphir to undertake a review. Mr. Saphir is an adviser to several large food and farming companies in the United States, South America and Europe and has wide experience of the operation of the food chain in England. We have asked him to produce an initial report by the end of September.

  The terms of reference of the review are as follows:

  To consider:
  whether the existing London wholesale market facilities are well adapted to the needs of the business communities and users which they serve;
  the effect on the operation of the markets of the legislation which governs them;
  the potential impact of product diversification and changing demand for the services provided by wholesale markets; and
  the scope for developing a co-ordinated strategy for the future management of the markets;
  and to make such recommendations to the Secretary of State and the Corporation of London as the reviewer considers appropriate, after having regard to the practicality and legal and financial implications of implementing them.

  Mr. Saphir may be contacted at the following address:

  Review of London Markets

  Room 106

  Eastbury House

  30–34 Albert Embankment

  London

  SE1 7TL.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

  Operational Units
  Mrs. Curtis-Thomas
  To ask the Solicitor-General, pursuant to her answer of 27 February 2002,Official Report, column 1330W, what (a) educational, (b) technical and (c) professional qualifications are required for the business managers who head each operational unit. [60207]

  The Solicitor-General
  [holding answer 10 June 2002]: Area Business Manager posts do not require the post holder to have specific educational, technical or professional qualifications. Recruitment to these posts is done on the basis of a person specification, which sets out in detail the key competencies for the post. Candidates are required to state clearly evidence which demonstrates their achievement of each competency, and applications are judged on merit.

  Crown Prosecution Service
  Mrs. Curtis-Thomas
  To ask the Solicitor-General how many(a) performance reviews and (b) case specific reviews were undertaken in (i) 1999–2000, (ii) 2000–01 and (iii) 2001–02, broken down by prosecuting authority. [59347]
  1286W
  The Solicitor-General
  The CPS prosecutes around 1,350,000 cases a year in the magistrates courts and 115,000 in the Crown Court. Cases are subject to continuous review by prosecutors and mechanisms are in place to monitor CPS area performance quarterly. HMCPSI also undertakes inspections of CPS areas. Since the current cycle of inspections began in 1999, HMCPSI has published 39 area inspections reports.

  All cases with an adverse outcome are subject to specific review by a senior prosecutor in the area concerned to ascertain reasons and accountability for the outcome. They number around 1,700 a year in the magistrates courts and 15,000 a year in the Crown Court.

  Mrs. Curtis-Thomas
  To ask the Solicitor-General if each CPS region has recently received a modern IT infrastructure; what the cost of the infrastructure was per CPS region as a percentage of the total revenue budget; what the total revenue budget is in each case; and if these systems are compatible with other systems in the criminal justice system. [59345]

  The Solicitor-General
  The Connect 42 project provided over 5,300 staff across all of the 42 CPS areas with a common IT infrastructure with modern office automation. The project ran from 1999 and concluded in March 2002, on time and within budget.

  The costs of the Connect 42 infrastructure were met from a centrally held HQ budget that was partly funded from the Capital Modernisation Fund. The cost of the infrastructure per CPS area as a percentage of the total 1999–2002 revenue budget and the total gross revenue budget was:

  Connect 42:

  Total revenue budget £ million (1999–2002)

  Expenditure (£ million)

  As percentage of total area budget

  42 areas

  869.5

  19.87

  2.3

  Avon and Somerset

  20.0

  0.3

  1.5

  Bedfordshire

  8.2

  0.2

  2.1

  Cambridgeshire

  10.1

  0.2

  2.0

  Cheshire

  14.4

  0.4

  2.6

  Cleveland

  10.4

  0.3

  3.0

  Cumbria

  8.4

  0.3

  3.3

  Derbyshire

  12.1

  0.3

  2.6

  Devon and Cornwall

  17.4

  0.4

  2.2

  Dorset

  8.0

  0.2

  2.0

  Durham

  8.6

  0.2

  2.6

  Dyfed Powys

  8.0

  0.2

  2.5

  Essex

  21.3

  0.3

  1.3

  Area

  Gloucestershire

  7.1

  0.2

  2.1

  Greater Manchester

  56.0

  1.2

  2.2

  Gwent

  10.7

  0.3

  2.4

  Hampshire

  28.5

  0.5

  1.7

  Hertfordshire

  13.0

  0.3

  1.9

  Humberside

  11.9

  0.3

  2.3

  Kent

  23.1

  0.4

  1.8

  Lancashire

  26.8

  0.7

  2.5

  Leicestershire

  13.3

  0.4

  2.7

  Lincolnshire

  7.9

  0.2

  2.3

  Merseyside

  13.1

  0.8

  2.5

  London

  165.1

  3.1

  1.8

  Norfolk

  9.3

  0.3

  2.9

  Northamptonshire

  8.3

  0.2

  2.7

  Northumbria

  27.2

  0.9

  3.3

  North Wales

  10.0

  0.3

  2.9

  North Yorkshire

  10.3

  0.3

  2.5

  Nottinghamshire

  19.5

  0.5

  2.6

  South Wales

  28.0

  0.6

  2.3

  South Yorkshire

  18.7

  0.5

  2.4

  Staffordshire

  14.5

  0.4

  3.0

  Suffolk

  8.8

  0.3

  2.7

  1287W

  Connect 42:

  Total revenue budget £ million (1999–2002)

  Expenditure (£ million)

  As percentage of total area budget

  Surrey

  11.3

  0.4

  3.3

  Sussex

  18.9

  0.4

  2.0

  Thames Valley

  21.8

  0.6

  2.7

  Warwickshire

  4.9

  0.1

  2.5

  West Mercia

  14.2

  0.4

  2.9

  West Midlands

  52.9

  1.2

  2.2

  West Yorkshire

  42.4

  1.1

  2.6

  Wiltshire

  7.2

  0.2

  2.4

  The Connect 42 infrastructure provides a secure e-mail facility that is compatible with other government departments through the Government Secure Intranet (GSI) and with the police through the police network, the Criminal Justice eXtranet (CJX).

  The CPS is therefore making its full contribution to the target set out in the "The Way Ahead" for all criminal justice professionals to be able to e-mail each other securely.

  Mrs. Curtis-Thomas
  To ask the Solicitor-General which CPS regions are piloting the recommendations of Sir Robin Auld that the CPS should take over responsibility from the police for determining the charge from the outset of the case. [59343]

  The Solicitor-General
  A six-month pilot to identify the practical implications of implementing the recommendation that the CPS should take over the decision to charge from the police was established in mid-February in Kent (Medway division), Essex (the whole county), Wrexham (North Wales), Halifax (West Yorkshire) and Bath (Avon and Somerset). Two busy charging centres in Bristol were added to the pilot in April. A paper explaining the pilot in more detail is available from the Library.

  Mrs. Curtis-Thomas
  To ask the Solicitor-General if Her Majesty's CPS Inspectorate has assessed the consistency of approach between each CPS area in respect of the(a) scrutiny and (b) credibility checks undertaken by the staff of the CPS in relation to (i) all cases and (ii) historical sex abuse cases. [59336]

  The Solicitor-General
  HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) assesses the quality of decision making in each area on the basis of a sample of randomly selected files. Inspectors assess the extent to which prosecutors take all decisions in accordance with the principles set out in the Code for Crown Prosecutors (the Code) promulgated by the Director of Public Prosecutions under section 10, Prosecution of Offices Act 1985. First, there must be sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction. Secondly, once the case has passed the evidential test, the circumstances must be such that a prosecution would be in the public interest. Area inspections reveal that a very high level of compliance is attained, that is 98.3 per cent. and 99.81 per cent. respectively up to the end of March 2002. Assessments of decisions made in child abuse cases are broadly similar.

  In the joint inspection conducted by HMCPSI and Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary into the investigation and prosecution of cases involving allegations of rape (the Rape Report), published in April 2002, there were insufficient numbers of historic sex
  1288W
  abuse cases to render comparisons meaningful. Inspectors found that most decisions were in accordance with the Code, but were not satisfied that all rape cases were being reviewed consistently. Inspectors recommended that in future all rape cases be allocated to specialist lawyers and I informed the House on 25 April 2002 about the action to be taken by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in response to this. Furthermore, the inspectors recommended that the CPS updates, revises and widens its guidance to prosecutors on the review and handling of cases involving allegations of rape and that legal training on sexual offences be updated in the near future and undertaken by all appropriate lawyers and caseworkers. These recommendations, when addressed, will help ensure a consistent approach to the review and assessment of credibility in all rape cases, including historic sex abuse cases.

WORK AND PENSIONS

  Winter Fuel Payments
  Mrs. Gillan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress has been made in discussions with the European Commission about the extent of the UK's legal obligations under European regulations on winter fuel payments; and if he will make a statement. [53502]

  Mr. McCartney
  We are unable to say when discussions will conclude.

  New Deal
  Mr. Lyons
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the new deal on long-term unemployment. [59649]

  Mr. Nicholas Brown
  Since 1997, the number of people unemployed for one year or more has been cut by nearly three quarters. The new deals have played an important part in this success.

  By the end of March 2002, the new deal for young people had helped over 360,000 young people off benefit and into work. Independent research by the National Institute for Economic and Social Research found that the number of young people unemployed for six months or more would be twice as high without the new deal. It also found that the new deal had increased youth employment and had a positive knock-on effect on employment among other age groups.

  New deal 25 plus has helped over 100,000 long-term unemployed people into work. In April 2001, we launched an enhanced new deal 25 plus programme, providing a more flexible, more individually-tailored service for long-term unemployed people. Since then, the number of people aged 25 and over unemployed for 18 months or more has fallen by almost 30 per cent.

  Rents
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his answer of 24 April 2002,Official Report, column 340W, on single room rent, if he

  1289W
  will place in the Library a copy of the recent research by the Rent Service showing the average single room rent increases for the UK. [59321]

  Malcolm Wicks
  The research carried out by the Rent Service was an internal statistical analysis intended to inform the wider development of housing benefit policy. The Rent Service was not asked for and did not produce a formal report of their analysis.

  Scottish Executive
  Angus Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether a Scottish Executive Minister will be a member of the UK delegation to the Employment and Social Policy European Union Council of Ministers meeting on 3 June; and what information is being provided by his Department to the Scottish Executive in connection with pre-council scrutiny by the European Committee of the Scottish Parliament. [60278]

  Mr. Nicholas Brown
  No Scottish Executive Minister attended the Employment and Social Policy Council meeting on 3 June 2002.

  It is the responsibility of the European Committee of the Scottish Parliament to scrutinise the Scottish Executive's involvement in preparations for EU Council meetings. These arrangements are a matter for the Committee and the Scottish Executive. The Department provides information to Scottish Executive officials as part of that process.

  Agency Start-up Costs
  Mr. Paul Marsden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost of creating(a) Jobcentre Plus and (b) the Pension Service; and if he will make a statement. [47630]

  Mr. Nicholas Brown
  Jobcentre Plus as an organisation came into being on 1 April 2002, replacing the Employment Service and the working age parts of the Benefits Agency. In 56 pathfinder offices across Great Britain it is already helping people get and keep work through providing integrated work-focused services to customers and employers. This new service will be introduced across the whole network over the next few years and at the same time the IT systems which support the business will be improved. The cost of this investment in a modernised, work-focused service will be funded over the next two years from the Employment Opportunities Fund which was established in Spending Review 2000, and thereafter from the outcome of the Spending Review 2002 process. The discussions about the spending review will continue until it concludes in the summer.

  The Pension Service also came into being on 1 April 2002, replacing the pension elements of the Benefits Agency. Like Jobcentre Plus it has been established as part of a wider agenda for modernising the delivery of benefits around the needs of customer groups. The investment needed to move towards single transaction technology and planned new services to increase efficiency and accuracy is being funded from the Welfare Modernisation Fund, but as with Jobcentre Plus final figures are dependent on the outcome of Spending Review 2002.

  Departmental Underspends
  Mr. Bercow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the(a) capital and (b) revenue underspend in his Department is expected to be in the financial year 2001–02. [47796]

  Mr. Nicholas Brown
  [holding answer 10 April 2002]: Departmental expenditure figures for 2001–02 are not yet finalised. The last forecast position was published in the Budget report on 17 April.

TREASURY

  Ministerial Accommodation
  Mr. Evans
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what publicly owned accommodation is made available to him in his official role; how many nights he has been in residence at each of these properties in the last 12 months; and what the total cost was of maintaining each of these properties in the last 12 months. [55090]

  Ruth Kelly
  [holding answer 9 May 2002]: I refer to the answers given by the Prime Minister on 28 February 2002, Official Report, column 1443W and by the Deputy Prime Minister on 21 January 2002, Official Report, column 91W. Expenditure on the flat at 10 Downing Street during 2001–02 was £410. Information on the number of nights spent in residence in the accommodation by my right hon. Friend is not available.

  Work-related Illness
  Mr. Clapham
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many employees of his Department retired through work-related ill-health in the last year for which records are available; and what the cost was to the Department. [56088]

  Ruth Kelly
  [holding answer 20 May 2002]: HM Treasury does not maintain records, which enable ill-health retirements to be separately identified as work related. For HM Treasury one member of staff retired with a medical certificate issued by the civil service pension scheme medical adviser in the period 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002.

  Benefits provided on medical retirement are as set out in the rules of the principal civil service pension scheme and laid before Parliament, and provide for an immediate payment of an enhanced pension and lump sum. Ill health retirement expenditure is met centrally from the civil superannuation vote. For the year ending March 2002, provisional expenditure met from the vote was £310 million in respect of all civil service cases for which an ill health pension has been awarded. These cases number approximately 67,000 and include those who have formerly been ill health retired but who have now reached and exceeded the normal retirement age.

  National Insurance (NHS)
  Tim Loughton
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what cash increase in NI will be applicable to(a) NHS house officers, (b) NHS nurse consultants, (c) NHS senior house officers, (d) NHS specialist registrars and (e) NHS consultants. [59409]
  1291W
  Dawn Primarolo
  [holding answer 24 May 2002]: The Budget 2002 changes in national insurance contributions (NICs) will help to fund improvements to public services and a real terms increase in spending on health over the next five years of 40 per cent.

  Estimates for the increase in 2003–04 in employee NICs by grade for England are shown in the table. I regret that reliable estimates for the United Kingdom would be available only at disproportionate cost.

  £ million

  House officers

  1

  Nurse consultants

  Less than 1

  Senior house officers

  5

  Registrar group1

  5

  Consultants

  17

  1 Higher specialist training grades were restructured in the mid-1990s, with registrar and senior registrar grades being replaced by a combined specialist registrar grades. The published work force data do not allow us to distinguish between specialist registrars and the few remaining staff on the older grades. The figures have therefore been grouped together and are referred to as the registrar group.

  Inheritance Tax
  Mr. Laurence Robertson
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will raise the threshold at which inheritance tax is paid; and if he will make a statement. [60114]

  Dawn Primarolo
  [holding answer 10 June 2002]: My right hon. Friend has increased the threshold in his Budget this year.

  Lakshmi Mittal
  Mr. Ancram
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer given by the Foreign Secretary of 21 May 2002,Official Report, column 255W, on meetings with Embassy staff, what the economic benefit to the United Kingdom was of the Lakshmi Mittal Romanian steel contract. [60553]

  Mr. Boateng
  [holding answer 11 June 2002]: I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the answer given by the Prime Minister on 14 February 2002, Official Report, col. 612W.

  Construction Industry
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will target Inland Revenue employment status teams to monitor the employment status of workers in the construction industry. [60633]

  Dawn Primarolo
  I refer to my previous answer, of 16 May 2002,Official Report, column 804W). The Inland Revenue already centrally directs the minimum level of employer compliance resource to be deployed on employment status reviews, including for the construction industry.

  Computers
  Dr. Kumar
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures are(a) in place and (b) under discussion in his Department in order to ensure compliance with the WEE Directive. [60735]
  1292W
  Ruth Kelly
  I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer the Minister for Energy and Construction is giving him today.

  State Pensions
  Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 22 April 2002,Official Report, column 92W, to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Pollock (Mr. Davidson), on state pensions, if he will disaggregate the value of unfunded public pension liabilities by scheme; what assessment he has made of the reasons for the changes in the values of unfunded public pension liabilities in recent years; and if he will make a statement. [60807]

  Mr. Boateng
  The £350 billion Government Actuary's Department estimate for accrued unfunded public service pension schemes liabilities as at 31 March 2001 comprises the following:

  £98 billion for England and Wales teachers,

  £75 billion for England and Wales NHS,

  £59 billion UK civil service scheme,

  £51 billion Armed Forces,

  £35 billion GB police and fire,

  £10 billion Scottish teachers,

  £6 billion Scottish NHS,

  £16 billion for other schemes such as the Northern Irish public service schemes, overseas pensions, NDPB schemes etc.

  The increase in the value of these unfunded liabilities in recent years is due to a variety of factors, the main ones being: increases in prices and salaries, a growth in the number of public servants and reassessments of mortality rates.

  Correspondence
  Mr. Djanogly
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will reply to the letters of 23 January and 15 April from the hon. Member for Huntingdon concerning compensation for tax on further distributions to be made by the Thalidomide Trust. [60712]

  Dawn Primarolo
  Shortly.

  Manufacturing Industry
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the Government's support for the manufacturing industry in Greater London. [60709]

  Mr. Boateng
  The Government have put in place an ambitious programme of micro-economic reforms to raise UK productivity growth. Many of these measures will help manufacturers throughout the UK improve their productivity performance. For instance, manufacturers will benefit from the extension of the R&D tax credit to all firms as announced in Budget 2002, following the introduction of an R&D tax credit for small firms. Manufacturers will he the main beneficiaries of this initiative, as they undertake 80 per cent. of the UK's commercial R&D.

  Manufacturing industry in London also benefits from a range of DTI programmes to encourage investment, to promote enterprise, innovation, and knowledge transfer, to raise skills, and to provide an effective and competitive framework. Information on these is available from the

  1293W
  DTI. The Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) have recognized manufacturing as a priority in every region. The introduction of the Single Pot funding arrangement in April 2002 has given the RDAs unprecedented flexibility in the use of their resources. The London Development Agency (LDA) operates a number of schemes to support manufacturers in Greater London. Information on these initiatives is available from the LDA.

  Oil Industry
  Mr. Howard
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact of the new supplementary tax on North sea oil profits announced in the Budget on oil industry employment in(a) Scotland and (b) the UK. [R] [60590]

  Dawn Primarolo
  The Government made a full analysis of the regime. The changes to the North sea taxation regime will ensure a regime that raises a fair share of revenue and encourages long-term investment, establishing a more secure basis on which companies can plan for the future.

  Marriage and Birth Statistics
  Mr. Andrew Turner
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what the average birth weight was of children of(a) married couples, (b) cohabitees and (c) single mothers in each of the last five years; [60841]

  (2) what the infant mortality rate is among children of (a) married couples, (b) cohabitees and (c) single mothers. [60840]

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

  Letter from John Kidgell to Mr. Andrew Turner, dated 12 June 2002:
  The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent questions asking what the average birthweight and infant mortality rates are amongst children of (a) married couples, (b) cohabitees and (c) single mothers in each of the last five years. I am replying in his absence. (60840, 60841)
  Information on cohabitation is not collected directly at birth or death registration. However, for births outside marriage some information is available to infer living arrangements. The information available is shown in the tables below.

  Average birthweight by live births by type of birth registration in England and Wales, 1996–2000

  Average birthweight (grams)

  Type of birth registration

  1996

  1997

  1998

  1999

  2000

  All live births1

  3,325

  3,322

  3,325

  3,321

  3,327

  Inside marriage

  3,356

  3,354

  3,355

  3,350

  3,357

  Outside marriage

  Joint registration, same address

  3,298

  3,298

  3,307

  3,308

  3,313

  Joint registration, different address

  3,231

  3,234

  3,231

  3,232

  3,237

  Sole registration

  3,219

  3,211

  3,214

  3,213

  3,213

  1 with stated birthweight

  Infant mortality rate1 by type of birth registration in England and Wales, 1996–2000

  Type of birth registration

  1996

  1997

  1998

  1999

  2000

  All

  6.0

  5.9

  5.6

  5.7

  5.5

  Inside marriage

  5.3

  5.2

  4.9

  4.9

  4.8

  Outside marriage

  7.1

  6.9

  6.8

  6.9

  6.6

  1294W

  Infant mortality rate1 by type of birth registration in England and Wales, 1996–2000

  Type of birth registration

  1996

  1997

  1998

  1999

  2000

  Joint registration/same address

  6.6

  6.5

  5.9

  6.3

  5.9

  Joint registration/different address

  8.7

  7.4

  8.8

  8.2

  8.0

  Sole registration

  7.1

  7.6

  7.6

  7.6

  7.7

  1 per 1,000 live births

  Source:

  Office for National Statistics

  Mr. Andrew Turner
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many were divorced in the most recent year for which information is available, broken down by year of latest marriage. [60838]

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

  Letter from John Kidgell to Mr. Andrew Turner, dated 12 June 2002:
  The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your question concerning how many were divorced in the most recent year for which information is available broken down by year of latest marriage. I am replying in his absence. (60838)
  The attached table provides the information for those divorced in 2000.

  Divorces in 2000 by year of marriage

  England and Wales

  Year of marriage

  Number of Divorces1

  Total all years

  141,135

  2000

  10

  1999

  813

  1998

  5,644

  1997

  7,650

  1996

  8,550

  1995

  8,676

  1994

  8,449

  1993

  7,912

  1992

  7,636

  1991

  6,771

  1990

  6,620

  1989

  6,389

  1988

  5,697

  1987

  5,297

  1986

  4,698

  1985

  4,306

  1984

  3,889

  1983

  3,641

  1982

  3,338

  1981

  3,260

  1980

  3,228

  1979

  2,924

  1978

  2,721

  1977

  2,387

  1976

  2,181

  1975

  2,232

  1974

  1,946

  1973

  1,892

  1972

  1,767

  1971

  1,582

  1970

  1,498

  1969

  1,235

  1968

  1,103

  1967

  882

  1966

  726

  1965

  630

  1295W

  Divorces in 2000 by year of marriage

  England and Wales

  Year of marriage

  Number of Divorces1

  1964

  504

  1963

  416

  1962

  384

  1961

  290

  1960

  276

  1959

  208

  1958

  198

  1957

  147

  1956

  117

  1955

  98

  1954

  67

  1953

  63

  1952

  32

  1951

  37

  1950

  27

  1949

  21

  1948

  13

  1947

  15

  1946

  12

  1945

  12

  Before 1945

  17

  Not stated

  1

  1 The term divorce here includes both decrees absolute and decrees of nullity

  Source:

  ONS

  Social Care
  Dr. Evan Harris
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 16 May 2002,Official Report, column 807W, on social care, if he will make a statement on the recommendation of the Wanless report on a study of the trends affecting social care. [60819]

  Mr. Boateng
  The Chancellor's Budget statement of 17 April 2002 addressed the recommendations of the Wanless report.

  Mortgage Companies
  Bob Spink
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to put a duty of care on mortgage companies to repay funds to people who have had their properties repossessed and sold where there is a surplus arising on that sale. [60875]

  Ruth Kelly
  The Government are giving responsibility for regulating mortgage lenders to the Financial Services Authority (FSA). The FSA will be consulting in due course about its rules including in relation to the issue of repossessions.

  Family Incomes (South-west)
  Mr. Willetts
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for South Dorset (Jim Knight) of 9 May 2002,Official Report, columns 342–43W, on family income (south-west), how many families will be eligible for the child tax credit in each region of the United Kingdom. [58785]

  Dawn Primarolo
  Estimates of the number of families with children expected to benefit from the child tax credit directly or via IS/JSA in 2003–04 by Government office region are shown in the table.
  1296W

  Government office region

  Number of families expected to benefit from the child tax credit

  North-east

  290,000

  North-west and Merseyside

  750,000

  Yorkshire and the Humber

  540,000

  East Midlands

  380,000

  West Midlands

  500,000

  Eastern

  460,000

  London

  700,000

  South-east

  670,000

  South-west

  470,000

  Wales

  320,000

  Scotland

  430,000

  Northern Ireland

  220,000

  Total

  5,750,000

  The estimates given are based on the IGoTM tax benefit model for the UK, based on the Family Resources Survey (1999–2000) uprated to 2003–04 prices. The estimates are based on the number of families with children whose household income makes them likely to benefit from the child tax credit and do not take into account the way in which the new tax credits will respond to changes in income or other circumstances, described in detail in "The Child and Working Tax Credit" (HMT. 2001). Figures are rounded to the nearest 10,000 and the total may not sum because of rounding.

  European Council Decisions
  Mr. Rosindell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement in response to the four points identified by the Council Recommendation 2002/178/EC on the implementation of member states' employment policies, pertaining to the United Kingdom. [57904]

  Mr. Nicholas Brown
  I have been asked to reply.

  The four points relating to the UK raise issues concerning: national social partnership on productivity, skills and work organisation; reducing the gender pay gap and improving child care provision; active labour market policies for unemployed adults; and work based training to address skill gaps and improve skills.

  The recommendations to the UK have been fully addressed in the 2002 Employment Action Plan which is being supplied to the Library and put on the Internet. The Government's response highlights developments since the 2001 Plan, including: work of the CBI and TUC under the Productivity Challenge; the Kingsmill report on closing the gender pay gap; the increasing focus on wider disadvantage; and the Performance Innovation Unit report on work force development.

CABINET OFFICE

  Refurbishment (22 Whitehall)
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the letter CL/02/035437 of 7 May, when he expects to report to the House on his investigation of the circumstances surrounding the procurement of timber for the refurbishment of 22 Whitehall; and if he will make a statement. [60798]
  1297W
  Mr. Alexander
  I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 11 June 2002,Official Report, column 1188W.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

  Local Government White Paper
  Liz Blackman
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a further statement on his plans to legislate following the publication of the Local government White Paper, 'Strong Local Leadership-Quality Public Services'. [61490]

  Mr. Raynsford
  The White Paper "Strong Local Leadership—Quality Public Services" set out a vision for local government by proposing to give councils new freedoms to respond to the needs of their local communities and establish a new partnership between central and local government to deliver high quality services. We have already made substantial progress in implementing these proposals, today we are taking a further significant step forward by publishing for consultation a draft Local Government Bill which will give effect to those measures which require new primary legislation.

  The consultation period will run until 23 August. The draft Bill, together with explanatory notes and regulatory impact assessments has been published on the website for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. Copies of all the consultation material have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

  Fire standard spending assessment

  £ million

  Authority1

  1997–98

  1998–99

  1999–2000

  2000–01

  2001–02

  2002–03

  Avon

  23.406

  24.405

  25.425

  26.725

  28.013

  30.025

  Bedfordshire and Luton

  11.307

  12.038

  12.570

  13.083

  13.896

  14.552

  Buckinghamshire

  13.407

  14.192

  14.845

  15.201

  16.362

  16.992

  Cambridgeshire and Peterborough

  13.649

  14.814

  15.610

  16.237

  16.948

  17.573

  Cheshire

  21.037

  22.250

  22.710

  23.211

  24.548

  25.331

  Cleveland

  20.132

  21.049

  21.648

  22.229

  23.194

  24.262

  Cornwall

  11.268

  11.958

  12.441

  12.831

  13.620

  14.071

  County Durham and Darlington

  13.997

  14.647

  15.125

  15.664

  16.211

  16.418

  Cumbria

  11.472

  12.128

  12.667

  12.824

  13.335

  13.879

  Derbyshire

  21.441

  22.472

  23.911

  24.417

  25.133

  25.743

  Devon

  24.148

  25.752

  26.309

  27.485

  28.692

  29.960

  Dorset

  14.387

  15.100

  15.872

  16.378

  17.049

  17.638

  East Sussex

  17.562

  18.652

  19.521

  20.405

  21.646

  22.503

  Essex

  35.109

  36.834

  38.299

  39.465

  42.306

  43.821

  Gloucestershire

  10.821

  11.155

  11.621

  12.125

  12.283

  12.813

  Greater Manchester

  73.155

  77.032

  78.833

  81.320

  84.681

  86.602

  Hampshire

  33.126

  35.320

  36.637

  38.329

  40.381

  42.486

  Hereford and Worcester

  12.828

  13.339

  14.411

  14.915

  15.257

  16.004

  Hertfordshire

  22.015

  23.206

  23.679

  25.747

  26.760

  27.827

  Humberside

  24.033

  24.629

  25.759

  26.516

  27.463

  28.070

  Isle of Wight

  3.118

  3.395

  3.586

  3.784

  3.968

  4.148

  Isles of Scilly

  0.289

  0.297

  0.310

  0.321

  0.337

  0.355

  Kent and Medway Towns

  33.180

  35.364

  36.557

  38.282

  40.619

  42.299

  Lancashire

  35.903

  37.389

  38.785

  40.076

  41.137

  43.295

  Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland

  19.342

  20.168

  20.709

  21.383

  22.288

  23.069

  Lincolnshire

  11.202

  11.706

  12.097

  12.472

  13.012

  13.812

  London

  248.164

  260.636

  270.513

  282.240

  302.402

  319.085

  Merseyside

  48.400

  50.167

  51.829

  52.549

  53.886

  54.810

  Norfolk

  14.856

  15.365

  16.177

  16.739

  17.205

  18.003

  North Yorkshire

  14.322

  15.299

  16.221

  16.747

  17.664

  18.991

  Northamptonshire

  11.854

  12.554

  13.083

  13.283

  14.114

  14.628

  Northumberland

  7.785

  8.062

  8.506

  8.756

  9.218

  9.456

  Single Regeneration Budget
  Mr. Andrew Turner
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the grants paid through single regeneration budget. V on the Isle of Wight, stating for each the(a) recipient organisation, (b) amount, (c) date of payments, (d) objectives and (e) performance against measurable performance indicators. [60154]

  Mr. McNulty
  Single Regeneration Budget V is administered through the Isle of Wight Economic Partnership. Information on recipient organisations, amounts, objectives and outputs to date are contained in the "Island Inclusive SRB5 Delivery Plan 2002/2003", copies of which have been placed in the House.

  With regard to date of payments, these are made to the recipient organisations quarterly in arrears in August, November, February and April each year.

  Fire Service Funding
  Mrs. May
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what funding was made available to fire authorities to assist them to provide fire safety advice to the public in the last 12 months. [60444]

  Mr. Raynsford
  Responsibility for the provision of fire services, including fire safety matters, rests locally with fire authorities. It is up to the authorities to set budgets in the light of their statutory obligations and local priorities.

  Mrs. May
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what funding was granted to the Fire Service, broken down by authority, in each of the last six years. [60438]

  Mr. Raynsford
  Fire Standard Spending Assessment (SSA) figures for England by fire authority, for the six years ending 2002–03, are shown in the table:
  1299W

  Fire standard spending assessment

  £ million

  Authority1

  1997–98

  1998–99

  1999–2000

  2000–01

  2001–02

  2002–03

  Nottinghamshire and City of Nottingham

  22.959

  24.314

  24.903

  25.505

  26.537

  27.041

  Oxfordshire

  12.402

  13.159

  13.546

  14.197

  15.113

  15.917

  Royal Berkshire

  17.299

  18.434

  18.883

  19.660

  20.969

  22.019

  Shropshire

  8.034

  8.187

  8.478

  8.851

  9.267

  9.498

  Somerset

  9.091

  9.551

  10.212

  10.491

  11.112

  11.485

  South Yorkshire

  32.311

  34.064

  35.690

  36.434

  37.478

  38.745

  Staffordshire Fire Authority

  21.122

  21.989

  22.468

  23.262

  23.876

  24.425

  Suffolk

  12.029

  12.620

  13.455

  13.897

  14.511

  15.030

  Surrey

  23.328

  24.347

  25.276

  26.183

  27.941

  29.136

  Tyne and Wear

  35.678

  36.288

  36.872

  37.829

  39.511

  40.655

  Warwickshire

  10.345

  11.077

  11.294

  11.669

  12.126

  12.492

  West Midlands

  72.317

  75.664

  78.374

  80.706

  83.342

  86.082

  West Sussex

  15.855

  17.162

  17.202

  18.631

  19.628

  20.600

  West Yorkshire

  57.304

  59.609

  61.269

  62.259

  65.253

  66.250

  Wiltshire and Swindon

  10.457

  11.041

  11.810

  12.087

  12.711

  13.109

  1 Current name of fire authority. A number of authorities were affected by local government reorganisation on 1 April 1997 and 1998 and (London) 3 July 2000.

  Note:

  In the case of combined fire authorities, for example, Kent and Medway Towns, the lire SSA is allocated to the constituent local unitary authorities.

  Fires
  Mrs. May
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what percentage of primary fires were(a) in road vehicles, (b) in dwellings, (c) in other buildings, (d) outdoor fires, (e) in private garages and sheds, (f) in retail distribution premises, (g) in industrial and transport premises and (h) in none of the above in the last 12 months. [60447]

  Mr. Raynsford
  The most recent data available refer to 2000, and are contained in the table.

  United Kingdom 2000

  Primary fires1,2

  Location

  Number

  Percentage

  Road vehicles

  94,827

  43

  Dwellings

  70,897

  32

  Other buildings

  22,440

  10

  Outdoor fires3

  12,064

  5

  Private garages and sheds

  7,868

  4

  Retail distribution premises

  5,367

  2

  Industrial and transport premises

  4,705

  2

  None of the above4

  1,367

  1

  All primary fires

  219,535

  100

  1 Including additional "late" call and heat and smoke damage incidents

  2 Figures are based on weighted sample data. Due to rounding data may not sum to 100 per cent. Data for 2000 are provisional.

  3 Other primary fires, excluding road vehicle fires and all outdoor secondary fires.

  4 This category comprises agricultural buildings.

  Mrs. May
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what percentage of house fires in each of the last six years were in(a) owner occupied housing and (b) rented housing. [60440]

  Mr. Raynsford
  The information requested is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Mrs. May
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the cost to business resulting from fire-related damage in each of the last six years. [60435]
  1300W
  Mr. Raynsford
  The most recent data on the cost of fire are for 1999. The DTLR Costs of Fire model estimates that in that year the direct cost to business of commercial building fires in England and Wales was £620 million.

  This figure only relates to the direct cost of commercial fires due to property damage (£580 million) and loss of business (£40 million).

  The full cost breakdown for commercial fires includes the costs to business of anticipating fires (e.g. fire protection), costs to local authority fire brigades in attending incidents, and costs to society in terms of deaths and injuries sustained as a result of commercial fires.

  The full cost breakdown for commercial building fires is shown in the following table.

  England and Wales 1999

  £ million

  Cost component for commercial building fires:

  Cost

  Costs in anticipation of fires:

  Fire protection

  1,600

  Fire safety

  20

  Insurance administration

  350

  Costs as a consequence of fires:

  Property losses

  580

  Loss to business

  40

  Fatalities

  10

  Injuries

  40

  Fire service response costs

  250

  Total

  2,890

  Data are not available for previous years. Earlier estimates, produced by the Home Office and non-Government organisations, were based on different methodologies and are therefore not comparable to the figures shown in the table.

  Regional Government
  Mrs. May
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what are the(a) powers and (b) responsibilities, of (i) the

  1301W
  Government offices and (ii) regional chambers of the regions, with regard to (a) sustainable development and (b) social inclusion. [60420]

  Mr. Raynsford
  The Government offices for the regions bring together the activities and interests of many Government Departments. They deliver the policies and programmes of these Departments as well as promoting a coherent regional approach to cross-cutting activities, including sustainable development and social inclusion. Government office responsibilities are set out in the corporate plan for the RCU/GO network.

  Under the Regional Development Agencies Act 1998, the regional chambers have no statutory functions other than that each RDA, in preparing its regional economic strategy, must have regard to its chamber's views. That was put into effect by a ministerial direction under section 8(2)(a) of the Act. However, chambers have, in agreement with other regional partners taken on a range of other functions. In particular a number of chambers have taken on responsibility for producing the regional sustainable development framework, and regional planning guidance.

  The regional governance White Paper 'Your Region, Your Choice' contains proposals to enhance the role of both the regional chambers and Government offices. These include providing direct funding to chambers for the purpose of regional planning, central Government support for the chamber in integrating regional strategies, and enhancing the responsibilities of Government offices in a wide range of areas.

  Mrs. May
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what(a) guidelines and (b) requirements are placed on (i) regional chambers and (ii) Government offices of the regions, with regard to their allocation of Government money to their different areas of responsibility; and if he will place copies in the Library. [60421]

  Mr. Raynsford
  In respect of the regional chambers, a three year funding programme of £15 million commenced in the financial year 2001–02. The Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions issued guidance on the allocation process for the funding in July 2001. This contained guidelines as to the types of projects that might be funded and how the bidding process would work. This was updated and re-issued in February 2002. Each chamber is issued with a grant agreement letter, setting out the requirements and limitations under which the funding is provided. I am placing a copy of the most recent guidance in the Library.

  Sponsor Departments have transferred resources to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in respect of the running costs for the RCU/GO network. The Regional Co-ordination Unit allocates these resources to individual Government offices for the regions each year.

  My Department and other sponsor Departments delegate funds directly to the Government offices in respect of programmes they deliver on our behalf.

  Programme and running costs funds are allocated and managed in accordance with the principals of Government Accounting, appropriate departmental guidance and other
  1302W
  guidance specific to individual programmes. The activities and objectives that Government offices undertake in behalf of sponsor Departments with the resources allocated are set out in the corporate plan for the RCU/GO network.

  Social Housing
  Ms Oona King
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, pursuant to the answer of the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions of 16 May 2002,Official Report, column 800W, on social housing, what other information his Department has collated on the range of initiatives, apart from the cash incentive scheme and home buy, local authorities and registered social landlords in London offer to encourage tenants to relinquish a tenancy. [60883]

  Mr. McNulty
  The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Housing Licensing Scheme
  Gillian Merron
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress has been made on the introduction of mandatory licensing schemes for houses in multiple occupancy, as stated in the Housing Green Paper 'Quality and Choice: a decent home for all'; and what such licences will specify. [60632]

  Mr. McNulty
  The Government are committed to introducing a national licensing scheme for houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) and we consulted on our proposals in 1999. We remain committed in legislating for this at the earliest possible opportunity.

  Our proposals on HMOs are targeted at combating the significant threat to occupants' health and welfare that exist in this part of the private rented sector. The licensing scheme will aim to ensure that a building in multiple occupation meets acceptable physical standards, that those involved in its management are competent and otherwise fit for such a role and the management arrangements in the property are satisfactory. To that end licences will only be granted to persons who are deemed "fit and proper" and will require such persons to ensure the property meets minimum physical fitness and safety standards, is not overcrowded and is managed effectively for the protection of the occupiers' health, safety and welfare.

  Departmental Grants
  Mr. Andrew Turner
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which organisations which were in receipt of a grant from him in 1997–98 no longer are; what the annual saving is; which organisations which were not in receipt of a grant in 1997–98 now are; and what the annual cost is. [61398]

  Mr. Raynsford
  The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

  OFCOM
  Miss McIntosh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the answer of 15 May, ref 56031, when it was decided to propose the Contents Board in the draft Bill. [57846]

  Dr. Howells
  The proposals for the Content Board were one of the many matters which had been under consideration following the publication of the communications White Paper in December 2000. The hon. Member will be aware that the draft Communications Bill giving details of the Content Board was published on 7 May.

  Lady Hermon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has for Northern Ireland to be represented on the main OFCOM board. [59113]

  Dr. Howells
  [holding answer 24 May 2002]: Members of the main board of OFCOM will be appointed for the range of expertise and experience they can provide rather than to represent specific interests. However, the Draft Communications Bill proposes that, in carrying out their functions, each member of the main OFCOM board will have an obligation to take account of the different interests of the different parts of the UK. The Draft Bill also proposes that there be specific representation for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on the Content Board and Consumers Panel.

  Overseas Visitors (Scotland)
  David Hamilton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the answer of 6 February 2002,Official Report, column 987W, how many overseas visitors came to Scotland in each year since 1998. [60801]

  Dr. Howells
  The number of visits was as follows:

  Year

  Visits from overseas (million)

  1998

  1.95

  1999

  1.86

  2000

  1.69

  2001

  1.59

  Television Licence Fee
  David Hamilton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the answer of 22 May 2002,Official Report, column 518W, on the television licence fee, which organisations and people will be part of the review process of future funding arrangements; how the Government will ensure that public service broadcasting is protected under the Royal Charter Review Process; and if she will exempt those aged 65 years and over from paying the licence fee. [60800]

  Dr. Howells
  As the BBC's charter is due to expire in 2006, we expect the charter review process to begin in 2004. It is too soon to consider how we will conduct the review, but we will want the process to provide an opportunity to consider the BBC's relationship with Government, its role within the overall broadcasting 1304W
  ecology and the arrangements for funding the Corporation. We will, of course, seek to consult as widely as possible during the course of the review. There are no plans to exempt people aged 65 years and over from paying the licence fee.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Departmental Policies (Stalybridge and Hyde)
  James Purnell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what impact his Department's policies have had on the Stalybridge and Hyde constituency since 1997. [54332]

  Mr. Denham
  [holding answer 7 May 2002]: 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 information on the impact of Home Office policies across the full range of responsibilities is set out in the Home Office Annual Reports. A copy of the most recent report, Home Office Annual Report 2001–02 is due to be published shortly.

  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 are examples relating to the Stalybridge and Hyde constituency or the immediate locality.

  Crime and Reduction

  A number of programmes have been set up to reduce crime reduction, which I have highlighted.

  Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) projects have been funded in and around Tameside, reducing burglary initiatives funded scheme in and around Ashton under Lyme including alley gating, property making, Home Watch and crime booklets. 22 street wardens provided and established in the constituency.

  Safer community's initiatives launched in 2002–03 and allocated £105,158 to assist in crime reduction.

  Communities Against Drugs 2002–03 programmes, which will intervene with street crime: these will consist of a targeted offender scheme (Operation Rhodes), mobile CCTV system, truancy sweeps, appointment of anti-social behaviour officer.

  Neighbourhood renewal, £3,015 million has been allocated in and around Tameside from 2001–04. These initiatives will intervene with street crime helping to re-establish a just, safe and tolerant society.

  Police

  Stalybridge and Hyde is in the Thameside division of Greater Manchester Police. I understand that Thameside division had 389 police officers on 31 March 2002, 36 more than in March 1997.

  Youth Crime

  The Youth Offending Team (YOT) which covers Halton and Warrington has been established since April 2000 and is funded by the Youth Justice Board. It has been allocated estimated funds for the team £292,481 for

  1305W
  the forthcoming financial year. The YOT have put in place a full range of youth justice service which have been outlined in the Crime and Disorder Act.

  The Cheshire area pledged a reduction in the time from arrest to sentence for persistent young offenders. The figures recorded are used to monitor the Governments' pledge to halve the average time from arrest to sentence for persistent young offenders in England and Wales from 142 days in 1996 to 71 days. Persistent young offenders who are as categorised as in between the ages 10 to 17-years-old who have been sentenced by any criminal court in the United Kingdom on three or more separate occasions for one or more recordable offence and within three years of the last sentencing occasion is subsequently arrested or has information laid against them for a further recordable offence.

  Within the Halton and Warrington schemes set up for adolescents who are given the opportunity to attend swimming activities which are run in February, Easter and the Whitsun and Summer holidays.

  More generally, all of the policies of the Home Office will have a greater impact on the residents of Stalybridge and Hyde to a greater 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.

  Information on the Home Office and its policies is also published on its website www.homeoffice.gov.uk.

  Illegal Drugs
  Mr. Laws
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking to reduce the volume of crack cocaine entering the United Kingdom from(a) Jamaica and (b) other countries; and if he will make a statement. [56538]

  Mr. Bob Ainsworth
  [holding answer 21 May 2002]: Crack itself is not usually imported but made in the United Kingdom from cocaine.

  Our strategy for combating cocaine trafficking is to disrupt the flow of cocaine as near as possible to the source of supply and the main transit areas. We do this by working closely with the Governments and law enforcement agencies of the countries concerned, including Jamaica, and by strengthening their own counter-narcotics capability with the provision of training, specialised equipment and expertise. My right hon. Friend the then Financial Secretary (Mr. Boateng) recently announced agreement with Jamaica to operate IONSCAN equipment at both Kingston and Montego Bay Airports.

  Anti-crime Agencies
  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the merger of Her Majesty's Customs and Excise investigation teams into drug and migrant trafficking with NCIS and NCS to create a new organisation relating to international and national organised crime. [58358]

  Mr. Bob Ainsworth
  There are no present plans to merge Customs and Excise investigative teams with those from the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) and the National Crime Squad (NCS).
  1306W
  Customs, NCIS and NCS work closely together to tackle organised crime threats including drug trafficking and people smuggling. We have established multi-agency working groups to co-ordinate the response to key threats, including the Concerted Interagency Drug Action Group (CIDA) for class A drug trafficking and REFLEX for organised immigration crime, which involve key law enforcement and intelligence agencies.

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will merge NCIS and the NCS. [58356]

  Mr. Bob Ainsworth
  There are no present plans to merge the National Criminal Intelligence Service with the National Crime Squad.

  Asylum Seekers
  Ms Abbott
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many instances in the last 12 months the Metropolitan police have been requested to attend the administrative removal of failed asylum seekers in London. [58919]

  Beverley Hughes
  This information is not routinely collected and could be obtained only by examining individual case records at disproportionate cost.

  Ms Abbott
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been in National Asylum Support Service accommodation in each of the last 12 months. [58916]

  Beverley Hughes
  Figures are only available on a quarterly basis.

  The following table shows the number of asylum seekers (including dependants) who are being supported in National Asylum Support Service (NASS) accommodation as at the end of each of the last five quarters.

  Asylum seekers (including dependants) supported in NASS accommodation

  As at end:

  Number

  March 2001

  19,540

  June 2001

  26,500

  September 2001

  32,890

  December 2001

  40,320

  March 2002

  45,640

  Notes:

  1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.

  2. Figures exclude cases where the asylum seekers support has been ceased.

  Information on the number of asylum seekers supported by NASS is published quarterly and is available on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/ rds/immigrationl.html.

  Linda Perham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if asylum seekers who appeal against a decision to refuse support will receive support pending the outcome of any appeal of this decision. [59997]
  1307W
  Beverley Hughes
  The National Asylum Support Service (NASS) may only provide or arrange for the provision of support for asylum seekers or their dependants who appear to the Secretary of State to be destitute or likely to become so within 14 days.

  Where support is provided, it may be terminated early if the asylum seeker has failed to comply with a condition on which support was granted.

  Where NASS refuses an application for support or terminated the grant of support early, there is a right of appeal against that decision. There is no right to receive support while an appeal against refusal or early termination of support is outstanding.

  Linda Perham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if asylum-seeking families with dependant children may have their support removed if they fail to report as required. [59993]

  Beverley Hughes
  The nationality, immigration and asylum Bill contains a provision to withdraw support from those who fail, without reasonable cause, to report as required. This provision applies to asylum-seeking families with dependant children in the same way as it does for others. Asylum seekers accepting an offer of support from the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) will be fully informed of the need to comply with a requirement to report and that support may be terminated if they do not do so.

  Data Protection Act
  Harry Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times the revised certificate he signed last December with respect to section 28 of the Data Protection Act 1998 has been used by the Security Service in relation to its functions; and if he will make a statement. [59261]

  Mr. Blunkett
  The revised certificate has been relied upon 45 times in relation to subject access requests to the Security Service under section 7 of the Data Protection Act 1998.

  Harry Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many subject access requests have been received by the Security Service since the right of access afforded by the Data Protection Act 1998 came into effect; how many of these requests were from data subjects who were not employed or contracted to the service; and what requests for access have resulted in personal data being obtained by data subjects. [59263]

  Mr. Blunkett
  The Security Service has received 102 requests for subject access under section 7 of the Data Protection Act 1998 since it came into effect.

  None were by individuals employed by or contracted to the Security Service.

  In 14 subject access cases the Security Service has disclosed personal data.

  Harry Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if organisations which choose to disclose personal data to the Security Service in a way which is subject to Section 28 of the Data Protection Act 1998 are given a copy of the revised certificate signed by him last December; and if he will make a statement. [59262]
  1308W
  Mr. Blunkett
  If an organisation asked about the national security exemption in respect of the disclosing of personal data to the Security Service, the Service would explain the operation of section 28 of the Act which, depending on the circumstances, may include providing a copy of the revised certificate.

  Crime Initiatives
  Chris Grayling
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is on the future structure of(a) drug action teams and (b) crime and disorder partnerships in areas with two-tier local authorities. [59088]

  Mr. Bob Ainsworth
  In view of the close links between drugs and crime, we believe that there are clear benefits to bringing together the work of Drug Action Teams and Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships. These include reducing the burdens on agencies in terms of representation; simplifying the Home Office lines of accountability for community safety issues; giving the delivery of the National Drugs Strategy a statutory mechanism; and ensuring more effective targeting of resources.

  However, we do not intend to be prescriptive about the structure of any new partnership. That is why we are consulting Drugs Action Teams (DATs), Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs) and other stakeholders on how to deliver the new partnership, seeking examples of good practice where they exist to be replicated around the country. Guidance for the new partnerships will be ready for dissemination in September 2002 and, through our regional offices, we will be working with partnerships to identify the best fit for their particular area.

  Immigration Service
  Ms Abbott
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans Her Majesty's Immigration Service has for equalities training for teams engaged in administrative removals. [58920]

  Beverley Hughes
  All immigration officers on general enforcement duties, whether recruited directly or from those already serving at ports of entry, will have received, as part of basic induction training, sessions on the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000. They will also have received sessions on asylum, including the screening of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) video; professional standards; equal opportunities legislation and diversity issues; and the handling of complaints made by members of the public.

  In addition, immigration officers selected for arrest teams, in other words, to conduct arrests in the community without police assistance, undergo a police-led training course which is pass or fail, and which includes mandatory sessions on community relations and diversity issues.

  We have judged introduction of arrest teams in London a success, and they are being extended nationwide; however, the issue of equal opportunities, community relations and diversity training is regarded as highly important and so the form and content are being kept under close review.

  Asylum Accommodation Centres
  Mr. Luff
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many staff will be employed at asylum accommodation centres; and if he will list the numbers of(a) teachers, (b) health care staff and (c) social workers within the total; [59075]

  (2) what incentive payments he is planning to make to staff employed at asylum accommodation centres; [59074]

  (3) what arrangements he is planning for the housing of the staff who will be employed at asylum accommodation centres. [59073]

  Beverley Hughes
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply my hon. Friend the Member for Wallasey (Ms Eagle) gave to the hon. Member for Gainsborough (Mr. Leigh) on 26 March 2002,Official Report, column 896W, regarding staff numbers.

  The numbers of teachers, health care staff and social workers have not yet been set. We expect that most of the work force to be employed in accommodation centres will be drawn from the existing local population, whose school-age children will already be in a local school.

  No decisions have been made on remuneration arrangements for staff employed at accommodation centres.

  Mr. Luff
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library(a) tender documentation and (b) other information given to potential contractors for asylum accommodation centres, including a note of the verbal briefing provided. [60291]

  Beverley Hughes
  Documentation from the Bidders' Conference held on 30 April will be placed in the Library.

  Animal Experiments
  David Hamilton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much Government funding is allocated to research into alternatives to animal testing with regard to medical experiments. [59880]

  Mr. Bob Ainsworth
  I refer my hon. Friend to the answer my hon. Friend the Member for Wallasey (Angela Eagle) gave to the hon. Member for Christchurch (Christopher Chope) on 7 March 2002,Official Report, column 518W.

  David Hamilton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is on the testing of cosmetics on animals. [59882]

  Mr. Bob Ainsworth
  The Government secured a voluntary ban on testing cosmetic finished products and ingredients on animals in the United Kingdom in November 1997 and this position will be maintained. It was pursued because we believe that there is inadequate justification for using animals given the benefits of these products and the alternative tests available. The European Cosmetics Directive defines cosmetics to include not only vanity products but also other products such as toothpaste, baby care products and suncream.

  We are committed to putting an end to testing cosmetics on animals across Europe and have led the way and worked hard for many years to try and achieve such a ban. We strongly support the 7th Amendment to the Cosmetics
  1310W
  Directive, which will introduce a testing ban in the European Union and will extend across Europe what has been almost solely a United Kingdom ban. It will replace the marketing ban envisaged in the 6th Amendment.

  In some countries, notably the United States, as indeed currently in other European Union countries, there are mandatory tests which must be carried out on animals as a means of demonstrating a cosmetic's safety for use on humans. We believe that a testing ban in the European Union would strengthen our negotiating position in any subsequent World Trade Organisation (WTO) discussions and enable the pursuance of an improved level of animal welfare within the European Union while ensuring full compliance with WTO rules. The Department of Trade and Industry lead in this area.

  Through our contributions to the European Union, we support the work of the European Center for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM), whose role is to co-ordinate the independent evaluation of the relevance and reliability of tests and validation studies, so that cosmetics products, as well as medicines, vaccines, other biologicals, medical devices, household products and agricultural products, can be manufactured, transported and used more economically and more safely while the current reliance on animal test procedures is progressively reduced.

  We also support the Test Guidelines Programme of the Organisation of Economic Development and Co-operation (OECD) which should enable alternative methods to be accepted internationally and with minimum delay.

  David Hamilton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedures are in place in relation to Government monitoring of animal testing in medical experiments. [59881]

  Mr. Bob Ainsworth
  The use of animals in experiments and other scientific procedures is strictly regulated by the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 which is widely regarded as the most rigorous piece of legislation of its type in the world. It offers a high level of protection to animals while recognising the need to use animals in research. It also requires the latest ideas and technology to be taken into account when deciding whether the use of animals is justified.

  All such procedures, whether for medical experiments or for other purposes, are licensed and tightly controlled under the 1986 Act. Applications for licences and certificates are assessed by the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspectorate, who are all highly qualified and experienced in medicine or veterinary science. They have very high professional standards directed at ensuring that animals are protected within the terms of the Act and the conditions of the licences.

  Inspectors maintain programmes of visits to establishments to check that the terms and conditions of the licences and certificates are being complied with. All designated establishments are visited regularly, the number of visits to each establishment varying according to its size and the type of work being conducted at any particular time. Two thirds of all visits are without notice. Visits by appointment are usually made to conduct interviews with staff, to discuss new work proposals and

  1311W
  ongoing work, to examine records of work, to investigate non-compliance or to view premises being considered for designation.

  In deciding whether to grant a licence for any regulated procedure, the 1986 Act requires that the likely benefits of the programme be weighed against the likely adverse effects on the animals concerned (the cost/benefit assessment) and that there are no alternatives which either replace animal use entirely, reduce the number of animals needed or refine the procedures to minimise suffering (the 3Rs). We must also be satisfied that the procedures are likely to achieve the stated objectives.

  For the purposes of this cost/benefit assessment, the cost to the animal is considered as the adverse effects of pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm. The benefits must be for humans, animals or the environment and relate to the scientific and/or medical progress likely to result directly from the programme outlined in the application.

  We are committed to ensuring that, for as long as there is a need to use animals in scientific research, the legislation to protect them is applied to maximum effect.

  Police
  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers are employed by the Hampshire Police Force; and if he will make a statement. [60008]

  Mr. Denham
  Hampshire Constabulary employed 3,477 police officers on 31 January 2002. This was 28 more officers than on 30 September 2001.

  On 30 September 2001, the most recent date for which figures have been collected centrally, the force also employed 1,507 civilian support staff.

  Private Finance Initiative
  Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) of 18 December 2001,Official Report, column 237W, on the Private Finance Initiative, what savings are expected for each project listed in his answer; and if he will make a statement. [60418]

  Beverley Hughes
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) of 24 October 2001,Official Report, column 288W.

  Police and Criminal Evidence Act
  Dr. Starkey
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will issue for consultation the revised draft PACE Codes of Practice. [61928]

  Mr. Denham
  On 15 May, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary announced a review of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and the accompanying Codes of Practice. As part of the overall review process, and in order to provide practitioners with an up-to-date set of Codes as soon as possible, limited amendments are proposed to existing Codes of Practice B-E. These will primarily take account of legislative changes since the Codes were last updated in 1995. Further changes to the Codes may follow from the broader PACE review.
  1312W
  Section 67 of PACE requires that the Secretary of State first prepare and publish revised drafts of any proposed amendments for consultation. The revised draft PACE Codes of Practice B-E were issued for consultation today and copies have been placed in the Library.

HEALTH

  Inventures
  Mr. Hoban
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how Inventures is accountable to him. [50796]

  Mr. Lammy
  [holding answer 18 April 2002]: Inventures is currently the trading arm which is part of NHS Estates, an executive agency of the Department. The agency chief executive who as accounting officer is directly accountable to my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health.

  Inventures is essentially a consultancy business employing approximately 270 staff with an annual turnover of approximately £15 million. It provides a wide variety of property services including planning, financing, procuring and managing all aspects of health care environment and estates. Its primary customers are the Department of Health and national health service trusts.

  Information for Health
  Mr. Prosser
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the report commissioned from Professor Protti by the Information Policy Unit and the NHS Information Authority on issues of implementing information for health. [61927]

  Ms Blears
  Professor Denis Protti of the School of Health Information Science at the University of Victoria, British Columbia was commissioned by the Department of Health to provide an independent assessment of the progress with electronic record development and implementation. He also considered the emerging issues around implementation of the NHS information strategy in general.

  The final report is published on the Department of Health website www.doh.gov.uk/ipu/whatnew/prottireport.pdf and copies placed in the Library.

  NHS Professionals
  Mr. Heald
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement setting out(a) the matters to be covered by the Code of Practice for NHS Professionals, (b) when it is to be completed, (c) how he intends to publish it and (d) the timetable for publication. [56616]

  Mr. Hutton
  The contents of the Code of Practice for the supply of temporary staffing will cover a generic section and professional specific appendices. The generic section covers; advertising/publicity, commission rates/ management fee, continuing professional development, criminal record bureau, equal opportunities and human rights, induction, management of information, management of service, monitoring and adherence, occupational health services, obligations of provider to their own employees, pay and conditions, placement fees, quality assurance and complaints procedures, recruitment and selection process, retaining and maintaining documents, work status.
  1313W
  The code is scheduled to be completed, published and distributed in summer 2002.

  Mr. Heald
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he estimates that NHS Professionals will meet its target of operating across all NHS organisations and staff groups by April 2003. [56615]

  Mr. Hutton
  NHS Professionals continues to be planned and extended in order to be a nationally operating service by April 2003.

  Mr. Heald
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many call centres have been set up for NHS Professionals. [56612]

  Mr. Hutton
  There are currently five call centres across the service of NHS Professionals.

  Mr. Heald
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what dedicated IT infrastructure is in place to support NHS Professionals. [56613]

  Mr. Hutton
  Each provider of NHS Professionals has sourced their information technology solutions to support a nationally integrated network.

  Mr. Heald
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of NHS temporary staff he estimates will be provided by NHS Professionals by April 2003. [56614]

  Mr. Hutton
  NHS Professionals aims to be the primary provider of temporary health care staff to the national health service by April 2003.

  Mr. Heald
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the names of the project board members of NHS Professionals. [56611]

  Mr. Hutton
  The National NHS Professionals and Agency Project Board are listed.

  There are a number of other project and steering groups which feed into this national project board, whose membership and structure is determined locally.

  Board members

  David Amos

  Deputy Director of Human Resources Directorate (Chair)—Department of Health

  Christine Beasley

  Regional Nurse Director DHSC—London

  Marcus Brindle

  NHS Purchasing and Supplies Agency Department of Health

  Janet Coster

  Managing Director of NHS Professionals—WYMAS

  Neil Griffiths

  Director of Operations/Deputy Chief Executive Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital

  Denis Gibson

  Chief Executive Workforce Development Confederation

  Caroline Fox

  National Lead for Temporary Staffing Department of Health

  Sandra Hatton

  Lead—Organisation and Leadership DHSC—London

  Josie Irwin

  Senior Employment Relations Adviser RCN

  Avril Imison

  Head of NHS Allied Health Professions Branch Department of Health

  1314W

  Board members

  Paul Jenkins

  NHS Direct National Project Manager Department of Health

  Debbie Mellor

  Acting Head of NHS Employment Department of Health

  Sue Meredith

  Director NHS Professionals—Oxford

  David Moore

  Assistant Chief Nursing Officer Department of Health

  Anne Rainsberry

  DHSC—South

  Pat Urry

  Pay Branch Department of Health

  Kathleen Weekes

  Chief Nursing & Healthcare Employment Consultant Department for Education and Employment

  Jackie Axleby

  Chief Executive Northern England Workforce Development Confederation

  Mr. Heald
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health which private nurses agencies are administering NHS Professionals for NHS trusts. [56609]

  Mr. Hutton
  NHS Professionals is run by the national health service for the NHS.

  Nursing Staff Agencies
  Tim Loughton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria are used to judge the suitability of nursing staff agencies to provide nurses for NHS establishments. [59429]

  Mr. Hutton
  [holding answer 24 May 2002]: Under the Nurses Act 1957, agencies providing nursing staff for national health service establishments are currently licensed by local authorities. From 1 September, they will be subject to regulation by the National Care Standards Commission, from which date the nurses agency regulations and national minimum standards made under the Care Standards Act 2000 are due to come into force.

  Following the success of the London agency project, NHS trusts are working together to improve the cost-effectiveness and quality of temporary staff supplied by commercial agencies through agency framework agreements negotiated with a range of agencies that have been vetted using quality, risk and value for money criteria.

  General Practitioners
  Dr. Evan Harris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many whole-time equivalent general practitioners per 100,000 population there were in(a) July 2000 and (b) at the latest date for which figures are available. [57168]

  Mr. Hutton
  The Department's general and personal medical services census is recorded annually on 30 September. The request for the information for July 2000 is referred back to the most recent census information, October 1999. The latest information available is the September 2001 census.
  1315W
  The number of whole-time equivalent general practitioners (GP) excluding GP retainers and GP registrars (the NHS Plan group) per 100,000 population were 53.4 in 1999, and 53.0 in 2001.

  The total number of whole-time equivalent GPs per 100,000 population was 57.0 in 1999, and 57.4 in 2001.

  Brian Cotter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his Department produces targets relating to the average number of patients served by a general practitioner. [58822]

  Mr. Hutton
  There are no targets for the list sizes of general practitioners.

  Overseas Doctors
  Mr. Cameron
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to alter the requirement for Commonwealth doctors to take an English language test before practising in the UK, with special reference to cases where English is already the first language of the doctor concerned. [57964]

  Mr. Hutton
  The Medical Act requires such a person to satisfy the General Medical Council's (GMC) registrar that he "has the necessary knowledge of English". We look to the GMC to apply this requirement in a proportionate and non-discriminatory way to each case. We understand that the GMC is to review the way in which it meets its obligations under the Act in relation to language proficiency.

  Agency Workers Directive
  Chris Grayling
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the implications of the European agency workers directive for the NHS. [59095]

  Mr. Hutton
  An initial regulatory impact assessment of the proposed directive on agency workers prepared by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has been placed in the Library.

  The Commission's proposal would, as it stands, require that agency workers in the national health service did not receive less favourable basic working and employment conditions than comparable workers employed by the NHS. The proposal contains limited derogations from this requirement, which may be applicable in some cases. The proposal is subject to the co-decision procedure, and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry remains in dialogue with other member countries and the Commission.

  The NHS policy is to employ personnel on permanent contracts where possible, and to ensure that temporary staff are treated fairly through NHS Professionals (the NHS-led approach to temporary staffing). We are also preparing a code of practice for the supply of temporary staff which is currently being drafted.

  Overseas Treatment
  Mr. Goodman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what reciprocal rights NHS patients have for treatment in other EU countries. [59186]
  1316W
  Mr. Hutton
  Regulations (EEC) 1408–71 and 574–72 (copies available in the Library) co-ordinate the social security and health care schemes of the EU member states. They contain provisions allowing access to health care throughout the EU on the same terms as provided to the host country's insured population. The following are the most important health care provisions of the regulations:emergency treatment for tourists temporarily visiting another EU country (the E111 arrangements);
  referral specifically for treatment of a pre-existing condition (the E112 scheme);
  health care for workers posted to another EU country (forms E101 and E128):
  health care in the new state of residence for state pensioners going to live in another EU state (E121); and
  health care for members of the family of workers or pensioners where they reside in a different EU state from the worker or pensioner (E109).

  Chris Grayling
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to extend the pilot for the overseas treatment of NHS patients to the Epsom and Ewell constituency. [59092]

  Mr. Hutton
  The pilot scheme for the overseas treatment of national health service patients is now at an end. Any NHS body can legally commission treatment overseas for its patients. However, the Department has advised any trust wishing to refer patients overseas to contact one of the lead commissioners who have been set up to organise treatment for NHS patients overseas. These lead commissioners are based in Guy's and St. Thomas' Trust and Kent and Medway health authority.

  Staff Numbers
  Mr. Lansley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff were employed in the Modernisation Agency at 1 April; and what proportion of those staff have clinical contact with NHS patients. [56860]

  Mr. Lammy
  At the 1 April 2002 there were 440 staff employed by the Modernisation Agency, of which 182 have professional clinical qualifications. 207 of the agency's staff are working directly with clinical teams and eight retain a responsibility for delivery of clinical care as part of their role with the agency.

  NHS Bank Staff
  Mr. Lyons
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in reducing the use of bank staff within the NHS. [59185]

  Mr. Hutton
  Our strategy in relation to temporary staffing is:To reduce the overall demand for temporary staff by expanding the national health service permanent workforce.
  To improve the management and cost-effectiveness of NHS 'bank' arrangements through the NHS Professionals initiative.
  NHS Professionals is being implemented against a target to operate nationally for all staff groups by April 2003, around 50 trusts are already using the service.
  To improve the cost-effectiveness and quality of temporary staff supplied by commercial agencies through co-ordinated contracts negotiated with a range of agencies that have been vetted using quality, risk and value for money criteria.
  1317W
  Between September 1999 and September 2001 there was
  a net increase of nurses working in the NHS of 20,740
  a 4 per cent. increase in number of qualified allied health professionals
  5.7 per cent. more NHS consultants—the second largest increase on record and overall the NHS workforce increased by 4.3 per cent. to 1,1666,000.

  Building on the success of the London Agency Project, further agency framework agreements are being developed across the NHS.

  Diagnostic and Treatment Centres
  Dr. Fox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what diagnostic and treatment centres are planned under the NHS plan; when(a) construction is due to commence and (b) schemes will be completed; and what the cost is of each scheme. [56940]

  Mr. Hutton
  The NHS Plan commitment is for there to be eight diagnostic and treatment centres (DTCs) open by 2004 with a further 12 in development. We are on course to deliver this.

  We announced a "first wave" of eight DTCs in February 2002. A list of the schemes is shown in the table. Development is being supported by £6.8 million central capital, supplemented by funds from local capital allocations. The schemes are on course to be operational by the end of 2002.

  Kings College Hospital NHS Trust

  North Hampshire Hospitals NHS Trust (Basingstoke Hospital)

  North Hampshire PCT (Chase Community Hospital, Bordon)

  Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Trust

  Redwood (subject to negotiation)

  Royal Hospital at Haslar, Portsmouth

  Royal Berkshire and Battle Hospitals NHS Trust (Reading)

  University College London Hospitals NHS Trust.

  In addition the NHS is developing proposals to expand and bring forward the DTC programme further, including reviewing existing proposals.

  NHS Direct
  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what role NHS Direct will have in providing advice on the threat of chemical and radiological attacks; what training has been provided to those staffing NHS Direct in providing this advice; and if he will make a statement. [57683]

  Mr. Hutton
  NHS Direct plans to develop relationships within the national health service and with the other agencies involved in emergency planning, such that full use could be made of the capabilities of NHS Direct in the event of an emergency, such as chemical or radiological attack. NHS Direct already has considerable experience in provision of information to the public whenever health scares arise. This experience is likely to be useful and can be built upon should there be a health emergency.

  Some aspects of training that would be appropriate in the NHS Direct response to chemical or radiological attack are already incorporated into local and national training programmes.

  Special Advisers
  Mr. Tyrie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many occasions between 31 March 2001 and 31 March 2002(a) departmental and (b) non-departmental special advisers have travelled abroad in an official capacity; what places were visited; and how much each visit cost. [58720]

  Mr. Lammy
  This Department has not appointed any non-departmental special advisers.

  The available information is shown in the table.

  9–11 October 2001

  6–7 November 2001

  Departmental special advisers

  1

  1

  Non-departmental special advisers

  0

  0

  Destination

  Washington

  Madrid

  Cost of visit

  £4,125.76

  £580.56

  All travel by special advisers is undertaken fully in accordance with the guidelines set out in the "Ministerial Code" and the "Civil Service Management Code".

  NHS Leadership Centre
  Tim Loughton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to make an announcement as to the appointment of a new head of the NHS Leadership Centre; and who has been in charge of the organisation since the departure of the previous head. [59579]

  Mr. Lammy
  [holding answer 24 May 2002]: The NHS Leadership Centre forms part of the NHS Modernisation Agency, which was established in April 2001.

  Following Barbara Harris' decision to step-down as Director of the NHS Leadership Centre in December 2001, Penny Humphris was seconded to the role from the 31 January 2002 on an acting basis. In the period between December 2001 and end-January 2002, David Fillingham, the NHS Modernisation Agency Director, took direct management responsibilities for the NHS Leadership Centre.

  The substantive post of Director of the NHS Leadership Centre is planned to be advertised the week commencing 10 June 2002. An announcement will be made once the recruitment process has been completed.

  NHS Consultants
  Mr. Tom Harris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on progress towards renegotiating NHS consultants' contracts. [58868]

  Mr. Hutton
  The Government's proposals for the new consultant contract were published in February 2001 and these, alongside the British Medical Association's own proposals, form the basis of continuing negotiations. We have discussed a range of issues and options in the negotiations and we are aiming to be able to announce progress shortly.

  Foundation Hospitals
  Chris Grayling
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the right of local communities to establish or convert existing hospitals into foundation hospitals. [59094]
  1319W
  Mr. Hutton
  The first wave of foundation hospitals will be selected from among the acute national health service trusts that achieve three-star ratings in July this year. Details of the application process and criteria which will be applied will be published in July. However, successful applicants will need to demonstrate among other things that they have the management capability and clinical support to make a success of NHS foundation trust status, and that they have the support of the local primary care trusts who commission services from them.

  Primary Care Trusts
  Chris Grayling
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much debt incurred by health authorities has been taken on by primary care trusts. [59091]

  Mr. Hutton
  The transfer of assets and liabilities from health authorities to primary care trusts will not be known until the audited accounts are available for financial year 2002–03.

  Hospitals (Shropshire)
  Peter Bradley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what were the budgets for(a) the Royal Shrewsbury hospital, (b) the Princess Royal hospital, Telford and (c) the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt hospital in each year since 1995. [45732]

  Ms Blears
  Pursuant to the reply given by the Under-Secretary of State for Health, my hon. Friend the Member for Pontefract and Castleford (Yvette Cooper) on 7 May 2002,Official Report, column 103W; I regret that the reply given was incomplete. I can now provide the additional information requested. The reply should read:

  Budgets for the Royal Shrewsbury hospital NHS trust, the Princess Royal hospital NHS trust and the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt NHS trust from 1995 to 2001

  £000

  Royal Princess

  Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt

  Royal Shrewsbury

  Total

  1994–95

  23,230

  19,638

  55,926

  103,794

  1995–96

  30,235

  20,595

  60,224

  111,054

  1996–97

  31,553

  21,028

  60,894

  113,475

  1997–98

  33,723

  22,368

  66,069

  122,160

  1998–99

  36,212

  25,723

  69,406

  131,341

  1999–2000

  40,216

  30,447

  84,600

  155,263

  2000–01

  43,770

  32,077

  80,280

  156,127

  Note:

  The budgets have been assumed to be the total income of the trusts during these financial years.

  Source:

  Annual accounts of the Princess Royal hospital NHS trust, the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt hospital NHS trust and the Royal Shrewsbury hospital NHS trust.

  Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals Trust
  Mr. Wilshire
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the franchise plan that he approved when appointing the new chief executive of the Ashford and St. Peter's hospitals trust. [58838]

  Mr. Hutton
  Trust chief executives are appointed and employed by national health service trust chairman and non-executives on behalf of the trust. Franchise plans are documents that set out future operational proposals for the 1320W
  trust and it is a matter for the trust in question how to use the plan. With the exception of any material that relates to the personnel appointment, and which is confidential, I would expect that the trust board would want to receive and consider the franchise at a meeting held in public.

  Smallpox Vaccine
  Pete Wishart
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when his Department assumed responsibility for the awarding of the contract to supply the UK Government with smallpox vaccine; and for what reason the management of this process was transferred to his Department from the Ministry of Defence. [57376]

  Mr. Hutton
  [holding answer 23 May 2002]: Responsibility for the provision of appropriate preventive and treatment measures for the protection of public health rests with this Department. Since smallpox vaccination of the public ceased in the 1970s and smallpox was declared eradicated worldwide, the Department has continued to hold a strategic stock of smallpox vaccine. Following a review of vaccine needs in the wake of the tragic events of September 11, a joint procurement of smallpox vaccine to meet both health and defence needs was deemed appropriate. This was part of the ongoing collaboration on medical countermeasures between the Department of Health and the Ministry of Defence.

  Pete Wishart
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health which organisations and companies were considered by his Department when awarding the contract to produce smallpox vaccine for the UK Government; what contact his Department had with each of these organisations or companies prior to the awarding of the contract; when officials from his Department visited each organisation to assess the facilities for making the vaccine; by what criteria each of the facilities was assessed; which other organisations were(a) considered, (b) contacted and (c) visited prior to the creation of a shortlist of organisations; and on what criteria the final shortlist was compiled. [57378]

  Mr. Hutton
  [holding answer 23 May 2002]: Detailed confidential discussions were held with five major pharmaceutical companies who were known to have vaccine manufacturing capability either in the UK or in Europe. The companies, whose agreement to being identified has been obtained, were Acambis, Aventis Pasteur, GlaxoSmithKline, PowderJect and R1VM. All the companies approached responded and the decision to award the contract was taken solely on the basis of the responses received from the companies.

  An official from the Department of Health accompanied officials from the Ministry of Defence on a visit to Bavarian Nordic and Impfstoffwerke Dessau Tornav at the end of January on a fact-finding visit to discuss vaccine developments and manufacturing techniques.

  The details of the Government's requirements for smallpox vaccine are not being put in the public domain as this is information that might be of use to terrorists.

  Clinical Negligence
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department has collated on the
  1321W
  take-up rate of mediation to resolve clinical negligence disputes over the past two years. [59640]

  Mr. Lammy
  The NHS litigation authority is responsible for handling clinical negligence claims made against the national health service. In June 2000, the authority began an initiative to encourage the use of mediation to resolve all suitable cases. 77 offers for mediation have been accepted and at the end of April 2002, 32 mediations have been completed, 31 successfully.

  Communication Aids
  Mrs. Fitzsimons
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to extend provision for communication aids for severely disabled people. [59754]

  Jacqui Smith
  The NHS Plan aims to benefit disabled people by increasing provision of community equipment to 50 per cent. more people than in 2000–01 and by integrating health and social service equipment services. Improved funding for the equipment (including communication aids) that such services provide is, and will be, part of increased baseline allocations to health and social services in the years 2001–02 to 2003–04. It is for local services to decide their spending priorities and there are no specific plans to extend provision for communication aids.

  Clinicians
  Mr. Barker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many clinicians within(a) the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust and (b) all NHS trusts operate outside the trust's communications loop. [58645]

  Department of Health Vacancies Survey March 2001: Vacancies in NHS trusts by region and NHS trust Qualified therapeutic radiographers 3 month vacancy rates1,2 and numbers3

  Three month

  Staff in post

  Vacancy rates percentage

  Vacancies

  (wte)

  (hc)

  England

  8.0

  110

  1,310

  1,450

  Northern and Yorkshire

  10.4

  20

  150

  170

  Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust

  27.0

  10

  10

  20

  Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

  18.2

  10

  60

  60

  South Tees Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

  0.0

  0

  30

  40

  The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust

  1.1

  0

  40

  50

  Trent

  1.9

  0

  150

  170

  Central Sheffield University Hospitals NHS Trust

  0.0

  0

  30

  40

  Nottingham City Hospital NHS Trust

  0.0

  0

  30

  30

  Southern Derbyshire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

  8.1

  0

  20

  30

  United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust

  0.()

  0

  30

  30

  University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust

  4.3

  0

  20

  30

  West Midlands

  15.1

  20

  80

  100

  North Staffordshire Hospital NHS Trust

  0.0

  0

  10

  10

  Royal Shrewsbury Hospitals NHS Trust

  8.6

  0

  10

  10

  The Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust

  26.2

  10

  20

  20

  University Hospital Birmingham NHS Trust

  15.9

  10

  30

  40

  University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust

  13.7

  0

  10

  10

  North West

  3.8

  10

  150

  170

  Christie Hospital NHS Trust

  10.1

  10

  50

  60

  Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology NHS Trust

  0.0

  0

  60

  70

  Preston Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

  0.0

  0

  30

  30

  Eastern

  6.8

  10

  140

  150

  Addenbrooke's NHS Trust

  11.6

  10

  40

  40

  Essex Rivers Healthcare NHS Trust

  0.0

  0

  20

  20

  Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust

  0.0

  0

  10

  20

  1322W
  Mr. Hutton
  The information requested has never been collected by the Department.

  IT Strategies
  Mr. Barker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the estimated cost is of updating computer equipment in(a) Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust and (b) all NHS trusts to support Government IT strategies. [58646]

  Mr. Lammy
  Estimates of the cost of the modernisation of information management and technology in the national health service in England are set out in the report of the review, "Securing Our Future Health: Taking a Long-Term View" from Derek Wanless, published in April 2002.

  Information about the costs in individual NHS trusts is not held centrally.

  Therapeutic Radiographers
  Mr. Barker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the vacancy rate is in therapeutic radiographers in (a) the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust and (b) all NHS trusts; and what the figures were in May 1997. [58643]

  Mr. Hutton
  Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells National Health Service Trust had a vacancy rate of 6.9 per cent. for therapeutic radiographers as at March 2001 (latest figures available.)

  The first vacancy survey was conducted in March 1999, we do not hold vacancy information for 1997.

  Information on other trusts vacancies has been placed in the Library.
  1323W

  Department of Health Vacancies Survey March 2001: Vacancies in NHS trusts by region and NHS trust Qualified therapeutic radiographers 3 month vacancy rates1,2 and numbers3

  Three month

  Staff in post

  Vacancy rates percentage

  Vacancies

  (wte)

  (hc)

  Norfolk and Norwich Health Care NHS Trust

  0.0

  0

  30

  30

  West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust

  8.5

  0

  30

  40

  London

  9.1

  20

  250

  270

  Barts and The London NHS Trust

  0.0

  0

  30

  40

  Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Trust

  2.9

  0

  30

  40

  Havering Hospitals NHS Trust

  10.9

  0

  20

  20

  North Middlesex Hospital NHS Trust

  0.0

  0

  20

  20

  Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust

  14.0

  0

  10

  10

  The Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust

  25.4

  10

  30

  30

  The Royal Marsden Hospital NHS Trust

  13.4

  10

  50

  60

  University College of London Hospitals NHS Trust

  0.0

  0

  30

  30

  South East

  13.1

  30

  210

  240

  Brighton Health Care NHS Trust

  19.2

  0

  10

  10

  Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust

  6.9

  0

  40

  50

  Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust

  0.0

  0

  20

  30

  Oxford Radcliffe Hospital NHS Trust

  26.2

  10

  30

  30

  Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust

  6.5

  0

  30

  30

  Royal Berkshire and Battle Hospitals NHS

  5.5

  0

  20

  20

  Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Trust

  2.9

  0

  30

  40

  Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust

  21.1

  10

  30

  30

  South West

  2.9

  10

  170

  190

  East Gloucestershire NHS Trust

  0.0

  0

  30

  30

  Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust

  0.0

  0

  20

  20

  Poole Hospitals NHS Trust

  0.0

  0

  30

  30

  Royal Devon and Exeter Healthcare NHS Trust

  0.0

  0

  20

  30

  South Devon Healthcare NHS Trust and Torbay PCT

  9.0

  0

  10

  10

  United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust

  2.0

  0

  50

  60

  1 Three month vacancies are vacancies as at 31 March 2001 which trusts are actively trying to fill, which had lasted for three months or more(whole time equivalents).

  2 Three month vacancy rates are three month vacancies expressed as a percentage of three month vacancies plus staff in post from the September 2000 non-medical workforce census (whole time equivalent).

  3 Vacancy and staff in post numbers are rounded to the nearest 10.

  Notes:

  1. Percentages are calculated on actual figures and are rounded to one decimal place.

  2. Totals may not equal sum of component parts due to rounding.

  3. Due to rounding calculating the vacancy rates using the above data may not equal the actual vacancy rates.

  4. Due to the way vacancy data have been collected South Devon Healthcare and Torbay PCT contains combined data.

  5. Trusts where staff in post plus vacancies (wte) is less than five have been excluded.

  6. Vacancies—between zero and five vacancies.

  Source:

  Department of Health Vacancy Survey 2001

  Department of Health Non-medical workforce Census 2000

  Radiotherapy Waiting Times
  Mr. Barker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to introduce a national standard method of calculating radiotherapy waiting times for NHS health authorities. [58642]

  Mr. Hutton
  The NHS Cancer Plan set out maximum waiting time targets for first cancer treatment. We have introduced national data collection on the 2001 cancer treatment targets and are currently putting in place arrangements to collect information on waits from diagnosis to first treatment for all cancer patients. This information will he collected in a standard way.

  Local Improvement Finance Trust
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding is available(a) in England and (b) for North Staffordshire in support of the Local Improvement Finance Trust for the funding of GP premises; and if he will set out the timetable. [59741]
  1324W
  Mr. Hutton
  The national health service local improvement finance trust (NHS LIFT) initiative was announced in the NHS Plan.

  The initiative aims to deliver a step change in the quality of the primary care estate. NHS LIFT's initial focus has been to encourage investment in those parts of the country, such as inner cities, where primary care services are in most need of improvement. LIFT's objective will be to contribute to the overall NHS Plan targets of refurbishing or replacing up to 3,000 premises and 500 one-stop primary care centres by December 2004.

  The Department has earmarked £195 million (over the current spending review period) to support localities develop their LIFT schemes. All LIFT localities, including North Staffordshire, will receive significant levels of financial assistance.

  In February 2001, the Department prioritised an initial six LIFT schemes, and in January, a further 12 schemes were identified. Applications for a third wave of LIFT

  1325W
  schemes will be announced later this year. We anticipate a total of 42 LIFT schemes across the country by the end of 2004.

  Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection
  Dr. Evan Harris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received from(a) the Audit Commission, (b) the Commission for Health Improvement and (c) the National Care Standards Commission on the establishment of the Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection; and what active consultations he has undertaken. [59869]

  Jacqui Smith
  My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State has received a letter from the acting chair of the Audit Commission and has also had discussions with the chief executives of the Audit Commission, the Commission for Health Improvement and National Care Standards Commission. All have accepted the case for the establishment of the new health inspectorate.

  Officials in the Department are in close contact with these organisations regarding the development of detailed policy and implementation plans.

  Non-medical Work Force
  Mr. Weir
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many dieticians there are per head of population in each of the national health service trust areas in England; [59593]

  (2) how many (a) radiotherapists, (b) occupational therapists, (c) arts therapists, (d) orthoptists and (e) orthotists there are per head of population in each of the national heath service trust areas in England; [59887]

  (3) how many arts speech and language therapists there are per head of population in each of the national health service trust areas in England. [59594]

  Mr. Hutton
  Information has been provided on a health authority basis for dieticians, radiotherapists, occupational therapists, arts therapists, orthoptists, orthotists and speech language therapists.

  Information provided for radiographers covers both therapeutic and diagnostic radiography.

  The non-medical work force census does not collect information about orthotists.

  Between 1997 and 2001 there were

  480 more dieticians—a 21 per cent. increase

  2,390 more occupational therapists—a 21 per cent. increase

  930 more radiographers—an 8 per cent. increase

  129 more orthoptists—a 15 per cent. increase

  47 more art therapists—an 8 per cent. increase

  815 more speech and language therapists—a 17 per cent. increase.

  The information has been placed in the Library.

  Roaccutane
  Tim Loughton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the possible side effects of the anti-acne drug Roaccutane. [59413]
  1326W
  Mr. Lammy
  [holding answer 24 May 2002]: Roaccutane (isotretinoin) is licensed for the treatment of severe forms of acne. It has been associated with a number of serious side effects since evaluation of the clinical trial data at the time of licensing in 1982. These include dryness of the skin, eyes and mucous membranes, visual disturbances, liver disorders and increases in cholesterol levels.

  The safety of all medicines on the UK market is continuously monitored by the medicines control agency. The product information includes the summary of product characteristics for prescribers and the patient information leaflet included in each pack of the medicine. These are also kept under continuous review to make sure that they provide the most up to date and relevant information to healthcare professionals and the public regarding the safe use of the medicine.

  One of the key previous amendments to the product information was the strengthening of the warning relating to depression and other psychiatric reactions including suicide, which was approved in March 1998. The Committee on Safety of Medicines considered the issue of the Roaccutane and psychiatric reactions in September 2001 and advised that the existing wording adequately reflected the current level of knowledge with regard to these reactions.

  Ritalin
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received regarding inappropriate use of the prescription of Ritalin for children. [60090]

  Jacqui Smith
  We have no record of recent representations on this subject. Methylphenidate (principal brand name Ritalin) is a controlled drug under Schedule 2 of the Misuse of Drugs Act and is licensed for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children aged six years or older. Treatment should be under the supervision of a specialist in childhood behavioural disorders.

  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions of Ritalin were issued in each of the last five years for(a) attention deficit disorder and (b) attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in each (i) region and (ii) health authority. 160088]

  Jacqui Smith
  This information is not collected centrally in the form, or for the years, requested. The available data on the number of prescription items dispensed in the community (for example excluding items written and dispensed in hospitals) for methylphenidate hydrochloride by health authorities and regions for the period 1999 to 2001 are shown in the table, a copy of which has been placed in the Library. It should be noted that Ritalin, the brand name for a drug used mainly in the treatment of severe forms of childhood attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders, is the principal but not the only presentation of methylphenidate hydrochloride.

  Hospital-acquired Infections
  Tim Loughton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what average time added to patient hospital-stays is from hospital-acquired infections. [59417]
  1327W
  Mr. Lammy
  [holding answer 24 May 2002]: The data requested are not routinely collected.

  Antipsychotic Medication
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions were issued in 2001 for

  Estimated number of prescription items (thousand) dispensed in the community in England for atypical, traditional and all antipsychotics by broad age group by health authorities and regions, 2001

  Atypical Antipsychotics

  Aged 16 to 59 years

  Health authority in which dispensed

  Children aged 0–15 years

  Elderly people aged 60 and over

  Exempt

  Charged1

  Total

  Eastern region

  Bedfordshire

  0.1

  9.7

  7.4

  2.0

  19.2

  East and North Hertfordshire

  0.4

  12.5

  9.1

  2.8

  24.8

  Hertfordshire

  0.3

  17.2

  14.3

  4.8

  36.6

  Norfolk

  0.2

  10.1

  13.9

  2.7

  26.8

  North Essex

  0.2

  13.9

  13.3

  3.3

  30.7

  South Essex

  0.3

  12.4

  8.7

  2.0

  23.5

  Suffolk

  0.2

  12.5

  6.2

  2.0

  20.9

  Total for eastern region

  1.8

  88.3

  73.0

  19.6

  182.6

  London region

  Barking and Havering

  0.0

  6.5

  5.4

  1.7

  13.6

  Barnet, Enfield and Haringey

  0.0

  17.5

  16.5

  3.2

  37.3

  Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich

  0.1

  11.5

  8.3

  2.1

  22.0

  Brent and Harrow

  0.0

  5.8

  10.8

  1.8

  18.5

  Camden and Islington

  0.0

  3.7

  11.1

  1.3

  16.1

  Croydon

  0.0

  6.7

  7.7

  1.4

  15.8

  Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow

  0.0

  9.1

  13.5

  2.1

  24.7

  East London and The City

  0.1

  6.9

  17.5

  1.5

  26.0

  Hillingdon

  0.0

  1.8

  3.2

  1.1

  6.1

  Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster

  0.0

  5.4

  9.0

  1.6

  16.1

  Kingston and Richmond

  0.1

  7.2

  4.6

  1.9

  13.9

  Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham

  0.2

  13.0

  17.6

  2.0

  32.8

  Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth

  0.1

  10.9

  12.4

  2.8

  26.1

  Redbridge and Waltham Forest

  0.2

  7.8

  8.5

  1.5

  18.1

  Total for London region

  1.1

  114.0

  145.9

  26.0

  287.0

  North West region

  Bury and Rochdale

  0.0

  6.4

  8.4

  1.3

  16.1

  East Lancashire

  0.2

  9.6

  9.9

  2.1

  21.7

  Liverpool

  0.1

  12.0

  14.8

  1.4

  28.3

  Manchester

  0.1

  9.3

  17.4

  1.2

  28.0

  Morecambe Bay

  0.1

  8.0

  5.5

  1.2

  14.8

  North Cheshire

  0.0

  3.8

  4.5

  0.7

  9.0

  North West Lancashire

  0.0

  11.4

  10.3

  2.6

  24.3

  Salford and Trafford

  0.1

  8.6

  11.7

  1.5

  21.9

  Sefton

  0.0

  6.6

  9.0

  1.2

  16.8

  South Cheshire

  0.1

  13.2

  11.5

  3.1

  27.9

  South Lancashire

  0.0

  5.3

  5.1

  1.3

  11.8

  St. Helens and Knowsley

  0.0

  7.3

  10.0

  1.5

  18.8

  Stockport

  0.1

  6.7

  6.5

  1.2

  14.5

  West Pennine

  0.1

  7.2

  7.1

  1.2

  15.5

  Wigan and Bolton

  0.0

  14.7

  9.9

  1.9

  26.5

  Wirral

  0.1

  8.4

  10.4

  1.7

  20.6

  Total for North West region

  1.0

  138.6

  151.9

  25.1

  316.7

  Northern and Yorkshire region

  Bradford

  0.0

  9.7

  8.6

  1.2

  19.6

  Calderdale and Kirklees

  0.2

  11.3

  11.7

  2.2

  25.5

  County Durham and Darlington

  0.1

  9.2

  10.0

  1.8

  21.1

  East Riding and Hull

  0.0

  8.4

  11.0

  2.1

  21.5

  Gateshead and South Tyneside

  0.2

  7.2

  5.4

  1.0

  13.7

  Leeds

  0.1

  16.2

  17.1

  2.9

  36.2

  Newcastle and North Tyneside

  0.3

  17.3

  15.2

  1.8

  34.6

  North Cumbria

  0.1

  6.7

  5.5

  1.7

  14.1

  North Yorkshire

  0.2

  10.7

  7.3

  2.2

  20.4

  Northumberland

  0.2

  4.8

  5.6

  1.1

  11.7

  1328W
  (a) atypical, (b) traditional and (c) all antipsychotic medication in each region and health authority for age groups (i) 0 to 15 years, (ii) 16 to 59 years and (iii) 60 years and over. [60630]

  Jacqui Smith
  The information is shown in the table.
  1329W

  Estimated number of prescription items (thousand) dispensed in the community in England for atypical, traditional and all antipsychotics by broad age group by health authorities and regions, 2001

  Atypical Antipsychotics

  Aged 16 to 59 years

  Health authority in which dispensed

  Children aged 0–15 years

  Elderly people aged 60 and over

  Exempt

  Charged1

  Total

  Sunderland

  0.1

  4.6

  5.6

  0.7

  11.0

  Tees

  0.1

  7.6

  10.2

  1.5

  19.4

  Wakefield

  0.0

  8.3

  6.2

  1.1

  15.6

  Total for Northern and Yorkshire region

  1.7

  122.1

  119.2

  21.4

  264.4

  South East region

  Berkshire

  0.1

  11.2

  10.4

  3.6

  25.3

  Buckinghamshire

  0.1

  10.2

  9.0

  2.2

  21.5

  East Kent

  0.4

  10.8

  12.1

  2.3

  25.7

  East Surrey

  0.0

  4.5

  4.3

  1.9

  10.7

  East Sussex, Brighton and Hove

  0.3

  16.3

  14.5

  3.1

  34.1

  Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and South East Hampshire

  0.1

  15.1

  10.4

  2.9

  28.5

  North and Mid Hampshire

  0.3

  11.0

  7.2

  3.0

  21.5

  Northamptonshire

  0.4

  6.0

  8.0

  2.7

  17.1

  Oxfordshire

  0.2

  12.3

  7.5

  3.4

  23.4

  Southampton and South West Hampshire

  0.2

  13.0

  10.6

  2.9

  26.8

  West Kent

  0.3

  16.1

  13.8

  4.0

  34.1

  West Surrey

  0.3

  9.5

  6.9

  3.0

  19.7

  West Sussex

  0.2

  11.2

  10.9

  3.3

  25.6

  Total for South East region

  3.0

  147.2

  125.6

  38.4

  314.2

  South West region

  Avon

  0.1

  15.8

  16.0

  3.3

  35.2

  Cornwall and Isles of Scilly

  0.4

  5.3

  7.7

  1.2

  14.7

  Dorset

  0.1

  9.3

  9.8

  3.0

  22.2

  Gloucestershire

  0.1

  6.0

  6.4

  2.0

  14.6

  North and East Devon

  0.5

  7.9

  9.5

  1.9

  19.8

  Somerset

  0.4

  8.4

  5.6

  1.2

  15.6

  South and West Devon

  0.5

  11.1

  14.5

  2.1

  28.2

  Wiltshire

  0.2

  12.4

  8.6

  2.4

  23.6

  Total for South West region

  2.4

  76.2

  78.1

  17.2

  173.9

  Trent region

  Barnsley

  0.0

  2.7

  3.1

  0.9

  6.7

  Doncaster

  0.1

  2.6

  3.4

  0.6

  6.8

  Leicestershire

  0.1

  10.9

  13.0

  2.5

  26.5

  Lincolnshire

  0.6

  9.4

  6.9

  2.0

  18.9

  North Derbyshire

  0.1

  3.4

  4.8

  1.0

  9.2

  North Nottinghamshire

  0.0

  4.8

  3.0

  0.9

  8.7

  Nottingham

  0.0

  2.9

  2.1

  0.7

  5.7

  Rotherham

  0.0

  7.7

  4.0

  0.6

  12.4

  Sheffield

  0.1

  4.4

  6.6

  1.0

  12.0

  South Humber

  0.2

  3.5

  4:6

  0.8

  9.2

  Southern Derbyshire

  0.1

  4.6

  5.4

  1.5

  11.6

  Total for Trent region

  1.3

  56.9

  57.0

  12.4

  127.6

  West Midlands region

  Birmingham

  0.8

  16.3

  20.7

  2.6

  40.4

  Coventry

  0.1

  8.7

  8.7

  1.5

  19.0

  Dudley

  0.2

  2.0

  3.7

  0.9

  6.8

  Herefordshire

  0.0

  0.9

  2.0

  0.4

  3.3

  North Staffordshire

  0.1

  7.2

  5.2

  1.5

  14.0

  Sandwell

  0.1

  2.3

  3.8

  0.7

  6.9

  Shropshire

  0.2

  6.7

  4.5

  1.4

  12.8

  Solihull

  0.1

  2.8

  2.6

  0.6

  6.1

  South Staffordshire

  0.3

  9.7

  4.9

  1.8

  16.8

  Walsall

  0.1

  4.7

  3.5

  0.6

  8.8

  Warwickshire

  0.2

  10.1

  7.4

  2.0

  19.6

  Wolverhampton

  0.0

  3.2

  3.8

  0.4

  7.5

  Worcestershire

  0.4

  6.7

  5.0

  1.4

  13.5

  Total for West Midlands region

  2.6

  81.3

  75.9

  15.8

  175.5

  England

  14.8

  824.6

  826.7

  175.9

  1,841.9

  1330W 1331W

  Traditional antipsychotics

  Aged 16 to 59 years

  Health authority in which dispensed

  Children aged 0–15 years

  Elderly people aged 60 and over

  Exempt

  Charged1

  Items personally administered

  Total

  Eastern region

  Bedfordshire

  0.1

  10.8

  9.1

  2.6

  0.1

  22.7

  East and North Hertfordshire

  0.1

  17.0

  14.3

  4.9

  0.2

  36.5

  Hertfordshire

  0.2

  20.7

  13.9

  5.6

  0.1

  40.4

  Norfolk

  0.2

  28.8

  33.5

  7.3

  0.4

  70.2

  North Essex

  0.3

  22.7

  17.0

  4.3

  0.1

  44.5

  South Essex

  0.2

  11.7

  13.6

  3.0

  0.0

  28.5

  Suffolk

  0.2

  20.0

  14.7

  4.3

  0.3

  39.5

  Total for eastern region

  1.3

  131.7

  116.2

  32.0

  1.3

  282.4

  London region

  Barking and Havering

  0.2

  7.8

  6.0

  1.9

  0.0

  15.9

  Barnet, Enfield and Haringey

  0.1

  14.9

  18.0

  3.4

  0.0

  36.4

  Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich

  0.1

  13.6

  10.9

  3.2

  0.0

  27.9

  Brent and Harrow

  0.0

  7.4

  8.7

  1.9

  0.0

  18.1

  Camden and Islington

  0.0

  5.2

  14.1

  1.4

  0.0

  20.7

  Croydon

  0.0

  6.4

  8.2

  1.3

  0.0

  15.9

  Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow

  0.1

  11.9

  17.1

  3.5

  0.0

  32.6

  East London and The City

  0.1

  7.8

  18.8

  1.9

  0.0

  28.6

  Hillingdon

  0.1

  4.4

  3.6

  0.9

  0.0

  8.9

  Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster

  0.0

  3.5

  6.8

  1.1

  0.0

  11.4

  Kingston and Richmond

  0.0

  5.7

  4.4

  1.5

  0.0

  11.6

  Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham

  0.0

  13.4

  16.4

  2.0

  0.0

  31.9

  Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth

  0.1

  12.6

  11.0

  2.5

  0.0

  26.2

  Redbridge and Waltham Forest

  0.0

  7.1

  8.6

  1.5

  0.0

  17.2

  Total for London region

  1.0

  121.7

  152.5

  28.1

  0.0

  303.3

  North West region

  Bury and Rochdale

  0.0

  14.7

  16.2

  3.6

  0.0

  34.6

  East Lancashire

  0.1

  15.5

  20.4

  3.3

  0.0

  39.4

  Liverpool

  0.1

  12.0

  21.8

  2.0

  0.0

  35.9

  Manchester

  0.1

  14.8

  26.1

  2.0

  0.0

  43.1

  Morecambe Bay

  0.0

  13.1

  9.7

  2.6

  0.1

  25.5

  North Cheshire

  0.1

  10.6

  13.5

  2.9

  0.0

  27.2

  North West Lancashire

  0.0

  15.8

  17.1

  3.5

  0.0

  36.3

  Salford and Trafford

  0.1

  23.1

  19.3

  3.0

  0.0

  45.6

  Sefton

  0.0

  11.1

  12.6

  2.0

  0.0

  25.7

  South Cheshire

  0.1

  18.8

  15.2

  3.6

  0.0

  37.8

  South Lancashire

  0.1

  7.0

  5.3

  2.2

  0.0

  14.7

  St. Helens and Knowsley

  0.1

  11.0

  14.9

  2.3

  0.0

  28.3

  Stockport

  0.0

  17.1

  13.4

  3.4

  0.0

  34.0

  West Pennine

  0.0

  12.9

  15.8

  2.4

  0.0

  31.2

  Wigan and Bolton

  0.1

  16.0

  15.4

  3.2

  0.0

  34.8

  Wirral

  0.0

  8.4

  15.2

  2.2

  0.0

  25.9

  Total for North West region

  1.2

  222.0

  252.2

  44.3

  0.2

  519.9

  Northern and Yorkshire region

  Bradford

  0.0

  12.8

  16.1

  2.8

  0.0

  31.8

  Calderdale and Kirklees

  0.1

  16.8

  12.4

  3.1

  0.0

  32.3

  County Durham and Darlington

  0.2

  22.1

  19.1

  3.5

  0.1

  45.1

  East Riding and Hull

  0.1

  18.5

  14.6

  3.1

  0.1

  36.4

  Gateshead and South Tyneside

  0.1

  10.7

  10.9

  1.9

  0.0

  23.7

  Leeds

  0.1

  19.4

  23.9

  5.1

  0.0

  48.6

  Newcastle and North Tyneside

  0.0

  11.5

  15.8

  2.4

  0.0

  29.8

  North Cumbria

  0.1

  7.9

  8.7

  2.1

  0.1

  18.9

  North Yorkshire

  0.3

  21.3

  14.3

  4.7

  0.2

  40.8

  Northumberland

  0.0

  8.1

  7.3

  1.6

  0.1

  17.1

  Sunderland

  0.1

  6.4

  5.4

  1.1

  0.0

  12.9

  Tees

  0.2

  18.4

  17.5

  2.3

  0.0

  38.4

  Wakefield

  0.0

  8.9

  9.5

  2.3

  0.0

  20.7

  Total for Northern and Yorkshire region

  1.5

  182.7

  175.5

  36.1

  0.6

  396.5

  South East region

  Berkshire

  0.1

  14.9

  13.4

  4.2

  0.1

  32.6

  Buckinghamshire

  0.2

  12.5

  10.4

  3.9

  0.1

  27.2

  East Kent

  0.2

  14.9

  14.9

  2.7

  0.1

  32.8

  East Surrey

  0.0

  11.8

  6.2

  1.7

  0.0

  19.8

  East Sussex, Brighton and Hove

  0.1

  21.6

  23.2

  4.1

  0.1

  49.1

  1332W 1333W

  Traditional antipsychotics

  Aged 16 to 59 years

  Health authority in which dispensed

  Children aged 0–15 years

  Elderly people aged 60 and over

  Exempt

  Charged1

  Items personally administered

  Total

  Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and South East Hampshire

  0.1

  20.2

  15.8

  3.8

  0.1

  39.9

  North and Mid Hampshire

  0.3

  11.2

  8.5

  3.5

  0.1

  23.6

  Northamptonshire

  0.2

  14.4

  13.6

  3.7

  0.0

  31.9

  Oxfordshire

  0.1

  9.8

  8.2

  3.1

  0.2

  21.4

  Southampton and South West Hampshire

  0.2

  14.0

  12.2

  4.1

  0.1

  30.5

  West Kent

  0.2

  18.0

  19.7

  5.5

  0.1

  43.4

  West Surrey

  0.1

  12.5

  9.6

  3.6

  0.0

  25.8

  West Sussex

  0.1

  28.8

  13.5

  4.5

  0.1

  47.0

  Total for South East region

  1.8

  204.6

  169.2

  48.5

  0.9

  425.0

  South West region

  Avon

  0.2

  26.8

  25.4

  5.1

  0.1

  57.5

  Cornwall and Isles of Scilly

  0.1

  15.5

  16.0

  2.9

  0.2

  34.7

  Dorset

  0.2

  23.8

  14.7

  3.3

  0.1

  42.2

  Gloucestershire

  0.3

  14.0

  13.9

  4.7

  0.1

  33.1

  North and East Devon

  0.1

  14.8

  11.9

  3.1

  0.2

  30.0

  Somerset

  0.1

  11.0

  9.6

  2.1

  0.1

  22.9

  South and West Devon

  0.1

  19.6

  21.7

  3.1

  0.2

  44.7

  Wiltshire

  0.1

  14.2

  11.7

  4.0

  0.1

  30.1

  Total for South West region

  1.1

  139.7

  124.9

  28.3

  1.1

  295.2

  Trent region

  Barnsley

  0.1

  7.6

  5.1

  1.6

  0.0

  14.4

  Doncaster

  0.1

  9.5

  9.1

  2.1

  0.0

  20.7

  Leicestershire

  0.1

  21.2

  22.2

  4.8

  0.1

  48.3

  Lincolnshire

  0.1

  23.0

  16.5

  5.8

  0.2

  45.6

  North Derbyshire

  0.1

  14.3

  10.5

  2.1

  0.0

  27.0

  North Nottinghamshire

  0.1

  13.5

  8.5

  2.1

  0.1

  24.3

  Nottingham

  0.1

  19.2

  15.2

  4.3

  0.1

  38.8

  Rotherham

  0.1

  15.6

  7.5

  1.1

  0.0

  24.4

  Sheffield

  0.2

  16.2

  15.0

  3.2

  0.0

  34.6

  South Humber

  0.1

  10.7

  9.6

  2.4

  0.0

  22.9

  Southern Derbyshire

  0.1

  19.5

  12.8

  3.4

  0.0

  35.9

  Total for Trent region

  1.1

  170.3

  131.9

  33.0

  0.5

  336.9

  West Midlands region

  Birmingham

  0.6

  24.5

  34.7

  4.1

  0.0

  63.9

  Coventry

  0.1

  5.6

  8.0

  1.7

  0.0

  15.4

  Dudley

  0.0

  11.2

  8.8

  2.6

  0.0

  22.6

  Herefordshire

  0.2

  5.3

  4.4

  1.0

  0.1

  10.9

  North Staffordshire

  0.1

  15.3

  11.7

  3.5

  0.0

  30.5

  Sandwell

  0.1

  9.5

  8.0

  1.7

  0.0

  19.2

  Shropshire

  0.1

  11.7

  10.5

  2.5

  0.1

  24.8

  Solihull

  0.1

  3.5

  3.5

  1.2

  0.0

  8.2

  South Staffordshire

  0.1

  15.9

  11.1

  3.0

  0.1

  30.1

  Walsall

  0.0

  9.9

  8.1

  1.7

  0.0

  19.6

  Warwickshire

  0.0

  12.1

  9.4

  3.5

  0.1

  25.1

  Wolverhampton

  0.1

  8.4

  7.0

  1.1

  0.0

  16.5

  Worcestershire

  0.3

  17.1

  9.9

  2.3

  0.1

  29.8

  Total for West Midlands region

  1.7

  149.9

  134.9

  29.9

  0.4

  316.8

  England

  10.8

  1,322.7

  1,257.2

  280.2

  5.1

  2,876.0

  All antipsychotics

  Aged 16 to 59 years

  Health authority in which dispensed

  Children aged 0–15 years

  Elderly people aged 60 and over

  Exempt

  Charged1

  Items personally administered

  Total

  Eastern region

  Bedfordshire

  0.3

  20.5

  16.6

  4.6

  0.1

  42.0

  East and North Hertfordshire

  0.5

  29.5

  23.5

  7.6

  0.2

  61.3

  Hertfordshire

  0.5

  37.8

  28.2

  10.4

  0.1

  77.0

  Norfolk

  0.4

  38.9

  47.4

  9.9

  0.4

  97.1

  North Essex

  0.5

  36.5

  30.3

  7.7

  0.1

  75.2

  South Essex

  0.5

  24.1

  22.3

  5.1

  0.0

  52.0

  Suffolk

  0.4

  32.6

  20.9

  6.3

  0.3

  60.4

  Total for eastern region

  3.0

  219.9

  189.2

  51.5

  1.3

  464.9

  1334W 1335W

  All antipsychotics

  Aged 16 to 59 years

  Health authority in which dispensed

  Children aged 0–15 years

  Elderly people aged 60 and over

  Exempt

  Charged1

  Items personally administered

  Total

  London region

  Barking and Havering

  0.2

  14.3

  11.5

  3.5

  0.0

  29.5

  Barnet, Enfield and Haringey

  0.2

  32.4

  34.5

  6.6

  0.0

  73.6

  Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich

  0.2

  25.1

  19.2

  5.3

  0.0

  49.8

  Brent and Harrow

  0.0

  13.3

  19.5

  3.8

  0.0

  36.6

  Camden and Islington

  0.1

  8.9

  25.1

  2.7

  0.0

  36.8

  Croydon

  0.0

  13.1

  15.8

  2.8

  0.0

  31.7

  Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow

  0.2

  21.0

  30.6

  5.6

  0.0

  57.3

  East London and The City

  0.2

  14.7

  36.2

  3.4

  0.0

  54.6

  Hillingdon

  0.1

  6.2

  6.8

  2.0

  0.0

  15.1

  Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster

  0.0

  8.9

  15.8

  2.7

  0.0

  27.5

  Kingston and Richmond

  0.1

  12.9

  9.1

  3.4

  0.0

  25.5

  Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham

  0.3

  26.4

  34.0

  4.0

  0.0

  64.6

  Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth

  0.2

  23.5

  23.3

  5.3

  0.0

  52.3

  Redbridge and Waltham Forest

  0.3

  14.9

  17.1

  3.0

  0.0

  35.3

  Total for London region

  2.1

  235.6

  298.4

  54.1

  0.0

  590.3

  North West region

  Bury and Rochdale

  0.1

  21.2

  24.6

  4.9

  0.0

  50.7

  East Lancashire

  0.3

  25.1

  30.3

  5.4

  0.0

  61.1

  Liverpool

  0.2

  24.0

  36.6

  3.4

  0.0

  64.2

  Manchester

  0.2

  24.1

  43.6

  3.2

  0.0

  71.1

  Morecambe Bay

  0.1

  21.1

  15.3

  3.8

  0.1

  40.3

  North Cheshire

  0.1

  14.4

  18.0

  3.6

  0.0

  36.2

  North West Lancashire

  0.0

  27.2

  27.3

  6.0

  0.0

  60.7

  Salford and Trafford

  0.2

  31.7

  31.0

  4.5

  0.0

  67.5

  Sefton

  0.0

  17.7

  21.6

  3.2

  0.0

  42.5

  South Cheshire

  0.2

  32.0

  26.7

  6.7

  0.0

  65.6

  South Lancashire

  0.2

  12.3

  10.5

  3.5

  0.0

  26.5

  St. Helens and Knowsley

  0.1

  18.3

  24.9

  3.8

  0.0

  47.1

  Stockport

  0.1

  23.8

  19.9

  4.6

  0.0

  48.5

  West Pennine

  0.1

  20.1

  22.9

  3.6

  0.0

  46.7

  Wigan and Bolton

  0.1

  30.7

  25.3

  5.1

  0.0

  61.3

  Wirral

  0.1

  16.8

  25.6

  3.9

  0.0

  46.5

  Total for North West region

  2.2

  360.7

  404.1

  69.4

  0.2

  836.6

  Northern and Yorkshire region

  Bradford

  0.1

  22.5

  24.7

  4.1

  0.0

  51.4

  Calderdale and Kirklees

  0.3

  28.1

  24.0

  5.3

  0.0

  57.8

  County Durham and Darlington

  0.3

  31.3

  29.1

  5.4

  0.1

  66.2

  East Riding and Hull

  0.1

  26.9

  25.6

  5.3

  0.1

  57.9

  Gateshead and South Tyneside

  0.3

  17.9

  16.3

  2.9

  0.0

  37.4

  Leeds

  0.3

  35.6

  41.0

  8.0

  0.0

  84.8

  Newcastle and North Tyneside

  0.3

  28.8

  31.0

  4.2

  0.0

  64.4

  North Cumbria

  0.2

  14.6

  14.2

  3.8

  0.1

  33.0

  North Yorkshire

  0.5

  32.0

  21.5

  6.9

  0.2

  61.2

  Northumberland

  0.2

  12.9

  12.9

  2.7

  0.1

  28.8

  Sunderland

  0.1

  11.0

  11.0

  1.8

  0.0

  24.0

  Tees

  0.3

  26.0

  27.8

  3.8

  0.0

  57.8

  Wakefield

  0.1

  17.2

  15.7

  3.4

  0.0

  36.6

  Total for Northern and Yorkshire region

  3.2

  304.8

  294.8

  57.5

  0.6

  660.9

  South East region

  Berkshire

  0.2

  26.1

  23.8

  7.8

  0.1

  58.0

  Buckinghamshire

  0.3

  22.7

  19.4

  6.2

  0.1

  48.7

  East Kent

  0.7

  25.7

  27.0

  5.1

  0.1

  58.5

  East Surrey

  0.0

  16.3

  10.5

  3.7

  0.0

  30.4

  East Sussex, Brighton and Hove

  0.4

  37.9

  37.7

  7.2

  0.1

  83.2

  Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and South East Hampshire

  0.1

  35.3

  26.2

  6.7

  0.1

  88.4

  North and Mid Hampshire

  0.6

  22.2

  15.7

  6.5

  0.1

  45.1

  Northamptonshire

  0.5

  20.5

  21.6

  6.4

  0.0

  49.0

  Oxfordshire

  0.3

  22.0

  15.8

  6.5

  0.2

  44.8

  Southampton and South West Hampshire

  0.4

  27.0

  22.8

  7.0

  0.1

  57.3

  West Kent

  0.5

  34.0

  33.4

  9.5

  0.1

  77.6

  West Surrey

  0.4

  22.0

  16.4

  6.6

  0.0

  45.5

  West Sussex

  0.3

  40.0

  24.5

  7.8

  0.1

  72.5

  Total for South East region

  4.8

  351.8

  294.8

  86.9

  0.9

  739.2

  1336W 1337W

  All antipsychotics

  Aged 16 to 59 years

  Health authority in which dispensed

  Children aged 0–15 years

  Elderly people aged 60 and over

  Exempt

  Charged1

  Items personally administered

  Total

  South West region

  Avon

  0.3

  42.5

  41.4

  8.4

  0.1

  92.7

  Cornwall and Isles of Scilly

  0.5

  20.8

  23.7

  4.1

  0.2

  49.4

  Dorset

  0.3

  33.1

  24.5

  6.4

  0.1

  64.5

  Gloucestershire

  0.4

  20.1

  20.4

  6.8

  0.1

  47.8

  North and East Devon

  0.6

  22.7

  21.4

  4.9

  0.2

  49.8

  Somerset

  0.4

  19.4

  15.2

  3.3

  0.1

  38.5

  South and West Devon

  0.7

  30.8

  36.2

  5.2

  0.2

  73.0

  Wiltshire

  0.3

  26.6

  20.3

  6.4

  0.1

  53.7

  Total for South West region

  3.5

  215.9

  203.1

  45.6

  1.1

  489.2

  Trent region

  Barnsley

  0.1

  10.3

  8.2

  2.6

  0.0

  21.1

  Doncaster

  0.2

  12.2

  12.5

  2.7

  0.0

  27.6

  Leicestershire

  0.2

  32.1

  35.2

  7.3

  0.1

  74.8

  Lincolnshire

  0.7

  32.4

  23.4

  7.8

  0.2

  64.5

  North Derbyshire

  0.1

  17.7

  15.2

  3.1

  0.0

  36.2

  North Nottinghamshire

  0.1

  18.3

  11.5

  3.0

  0.1

  32.9

  Nottingham

  0.1

  22.1

  17.3

  5.0

  0.1

  44.6

  Rotherham

  0.1

  23.3

  11.5

  1.8

  0.0

  36.7

  Sheffield

  0.3

  20.6

  21.5

  4.2

  0.0

  46.6

  South Humber

  0.3

  14.2

  14.2

  3.2

  0.0

  32.0

  Southern Derbyshire

  0.3

  24.1

  18.2

  4.9

  0.0

  47.5

  Total for Trent region

  2.4

  227.2

  188.8

  45.5

  0.5

  464.5

  West Midlands region

  Birmingham

  1.4

  40.8

  55.3

  6.7

  0.0

  104.3

  Coventry

  0.2

  14.3

  16.7

  3.2

  0.0

  34.4

  Dudley

  0.2

  13.2

  12.5

  3.5

  0.0

  29.4

  Herefordshire

  0.2

  6.2

  6.4

  1.4

  0.1

  14.2

  North Staffordshire

  0.2

  22.4

  16.9

  5.0

  0.0

  44.6

  Sandwell

  0.2

  11.7

  11.8

  2.4

  0.0

  26.1

  Shropshire

  0.3

  18.4

  15.0

  3.9

  0.1

  37.6

  Solihull

  0.2

  6.3

  6.1

  1.8

  0.0

  14.3

  South Staffordshire

  0.4

  25.6

  16.0

  4.8

  0.1

  46.9

  Walsall

  0.1

  14.6

  11.6

  2.2

  0.0

  28.4

  Warwickshire

  0.3

  22.2

  16.8

  5.4

  0.1

  44.7

  Wolverhampton

  0.1

  11.6

  10.8

  1.6

  0.0

  24.0

  Worcestershire

  0.6

  23.8

  14.9

  3.7

  0.1

  43.2

  Total for West Midlands region

  4.3

  231.2

  210.8

  45.6

  0.4

  492.3

  England

  25.6

  2,147.2

  2,083.9

  456.2

  5.1

  4,717.9

  1 Charged prescription items include those where a charge was made at the point of dispensing and where a patient has a pre-payment certificate.

  Notes:

  1. The analysis of the data for non-charged categories is based on a 1 in 20 sample of all exempt prescriptions submitted to the Prescription Pricing Authority by community pharmacists, appliance contractors, and dispensing doctors. Personally administered items are free of charge.

  2. Antipsychotics are defined in the British National Formulary (BNF) paragraph 4.2.1, antipsychotic drugs. Atypical antipsychotics cover the drugs Amisulpride, Clozapine, Olanzapine, Quetiapine, Risperidone and Zotepine contained within BNF 4.2.1.

  Poisons
  Joan Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department will publish an annual report of all poisonings recorded by the National Poisons Information Service. [60629]

  Ms Blears
  A copy of the combined annual report of the National Poisons Information Service centres for the year 2000 will be placed in the Library. The combined report for 2001 is not yet available but it will be placed in the Library in due course. The hon. Member may wish to know that in future it is intended to produce a single annual report for the National Poisons Information 1338W
  Service for publication on a wider basis once enhancements to the data collection and analysis systems are completed to enable all centres to record compatible information on the inquiries they receive.

  Stroke
  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many social workers are(a) working in rehabilitative services for stroke victims and (b) working in stroke units in hospitals. [60134]

  Jacqui Smith
  The information requested is not collected centrally.

  Coronary Care
  Mr. Wray
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what services are available to those who survive heart attacks; and how often these patients were observed after leaving hospital in the last 12 months. [57817]

  Ms Blears
  The "National Service Framework" (NSF) for coronary heart disease, published in March 2000, sets out the standards of care for the national health service and others to help people who have had a heart attack, with action for secondary care, primary care and rehabilitation services.

  The immediate priority identified in the NSF is increasing the use of effective medication for patients who have had a heart attack, following discharge from hospital. Effective medication includes aspirin, statins, beta-blockers and ACE inhibitors. Prescribing will depend on individual circumstances. The myocardial infarction national audit project established by the Royal College of Physicians indicates that the targets set out in the NSF for prescription of effective medication are now being achieved nationally.

  How often patients are observed after leaving hospital will depend on individual patient needs.

  Osteoporosis
  David Davis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many of the operations postponed due to osteoporotic hip fractures were cancelled operations in(a) Hull and the East Riding and (b) England and Wales, in the last two quarters for which figures are available. [57575]

  Mr. Hutton
  Data on the number of operations postponed or cancelled due to osteoporotic hip fractures are not available, as no information is collected on the reasons for cancellations.

  Data on the number of operations cancelled in England by the hospital for non-clinical reasons on, or after, the day the patient was due to be admitted are available in the Library.

  Information about health services in Wales are a matter for the National Assembly for Wales.

  Smoking
  Mr. Arbuthnot
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the number of people in the UK who smoke, broken down by region. [59793]

  Ms Blears
  [holding answer 10 June 2000]: The information is given in the table.

  Estimated percentage and number of current cigarette smokers, among adults aged 16 and over, by region United Kingdom, 2000

  Region

  Percentage

  Number1

  United Kingdom

  27

  12,900,000

  England

  27

  10,700,000

  NHS regional office areas in England2

  Northern and Yorkshire

  28

  1,400,000

  Trent

  26

  1,100,000

  West Midlands

  26

  1,100,000

  North West

  29

  1,500,000

  Eastern

  25

  1,100,000

  1340W

  Estimated percentage and number of current cigarette smokers among adults aged 16 and over, by region United Kingdom, 2000

  Region

  Percentage

  Number1

  London

  27

  1,600,000

  South East

  25

  1,800,000

  South West

  27

  1,100,000

  Wales

  25

  600,000

  Scotland

  30

  1,200,000

  Northern Ireland

  29

  400,000

  1 Estimated number of smokers rounded to the nearest one hundred thousand.

  2 NHS regional office areas are as at 31 March 2002.

  Note:

  The number of smokers has been calculated using the 1991 census based population estimates for mid-year 2000, aged 16 and over (provided by the Office for National Statistics to the Department. of Health).

  Sources:

  Prevalence of smoking:

  (a) Office for National Statistics: General Household Survey 2000, published as 'Living in Britain: Results from the 2000 General Household Survey'.

  (b) Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency: Continuous Household Survey 2000.

  Mr. Arbuthnot
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the relationship between the incidence of smoking in particular regions of the UK and the amount of NHS health funding allocated to that region. [59794]

  Ms Blears
  [holding answer 10 June 2002]: The prevalence of current cigarette smoking by region and the health authority total allocation by region are shown in the tables.

  The national health service resource allocations take account of a number of factors including population size, age related need and relative need. Smoking prevalence is strongly related to socio-economic group, with prevalence higher in manual groups than non-manual groups. The resource allocation per capita tends to be higher in regions with above average prevalence and conversely, lower in regions with below average prevalence.

  Table 1: Prevalence of current cigarette smoking among adults aged 16 and over, by regional office area, England, 2000

  Regional office area1

  Percentage of cigarette smokers

  England

  27

  Northern and Yorkshire

  28

  Trent

  26

  West Midlands

  26

  North West

  29

  Eastern

  25

  London

  27

  South East

  25

  South West

  27

  1 NHS Regional Office Areas as at 31 March 2002.

  Source:

  Office for National Statistics: General Household Survey 2000, published as 'Living in Britain: Results from the 2000 General Household Survey'.
  1341W

  Table 2: Health authority total allocation by regional office area for 2002–03

  NHS regional office area1

  Total allocation(£000)

  England

  41,468,469

  Northern and Yorkshire

  5,420,886

  Trent

  4,197,552

  West Midlands

  4,324,033

  North West

  5,829,741

  Eastern

  4,096,433

  London

  6,974,051

  South East

  6,694,368

  South West

  3,931,405

  1 NHS Regional Office areas are as at 31 March 2002.

  Source:

  Department of Health RD Resource Allocation

  Human Genetics Commission
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the letter of the hon. Member for Pontefract and Castleford of 16 April (ref DOH/3/5653/16), what action the Human Genetics Commission is recommending in relation to Japan Tobacco, Corixa, and lung cancer vaccine licensing. [57133]

  Ms Blears
  [holding answer 10 June 2002]: The human genetics commission (HGC) is aware of the concerns surrounding US-patented lung cancer vaccines that have been licensed to an overseas tobacco firm. HGC will continue to consider the broader ethical and social implications of the patenting of genetic inventions and will take note of the findings of various reviews of patenting and intellectual property rights that are under way.

  Hepatitis
  Tim Loughton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set out the National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidelines for implementing the antiviral treatment for hepatitis C. [60524]

  Ms Blears
  [holding answer 10 June 2002]: Copies of the guidance on the use of Ribavirin and Interferon Alpha for Hepatitis C from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) have been placed in the Library. The uidance is also available on NICE's website at http://www.nice.org.uk/cat.asp?c=11657.

  Diabetes
  Mr. Laurence Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how much extra funding he plans to provide for the prevention of diabetes over the next five years; and if he will make a statement; [60122]

  (2) how much is spent in (a) England and (b) Gloucestershire on the treatment of diabetes; and if he will make a statement; [60120]

  (3) what extra funds he is providing to fund the National Service Framework; and if he will make a statement. [60119]

  Mr. Lammy
  [holding answer 10 June 2002]: Information is not collected centrally on how much is spent on the treatment of diabetes, nor is information available on expenditure on the treatment of diabetes in
  1342W
  Gloucestershire. However, it has been estimated that around 5 per cent. of total national health service resources are used for the care of people with diabetes.

  The Budget provides the highest sustained growth in NHS history, with annual average increases of 7.4 per cent. in real terms over the five years 2003–04 to 2007–08. Decisions about the allocation of the increased funding will be announced later this year.

  Prevention of diabetes is one of the key areas covered by the diabetes national service framework standards, published in December 2001. Local strategies on promoting healthy eating and physical activity, and reducing overweight and obesity, are also being developed as part of the implementation of the national service framework for coronary heart disease. We are taking forward a wide range of work across Government to reduce obesity, to increase physical activity and improve diet.

  Attention Deficit Disorders
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in each of the last five years were diagnosed with(a) attention deficit disorder and (b) attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in each (i) region and (ii) health authority, broken down by age group. [60089]

  Jacqui Smith
  This information is not collected centrally. The prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder of all types is estimated at around five per cent. of school-aged children, approximately 345,000 six to sixteen-year-olds in England.

  Food Supplements
  Miss McIntosh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received concerning the impact that EU legislation on food supplements will have on the equestrian community. [60013]

  Ms Blears
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not recently received any representations concerning the impact of the proposed Directive on food supplements on the equestrian community.

  Juvenile Sex Abusers
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures his Department takes to address the needs of children and young people who sexually abuse; and if he will make a statement. [57198]

  Jacqui Smith
  Social services departments should carry out an assessment of the needs of a child who has sexually abused. Such assessments should take into account that children who abuse may have considerable unmet developmental needs, as well as specific needs arising from their behaviour. A young abuser should be the subject of a child protection conference if he or she is considered personally to be at risk of continuing harm. Where there is no reason to hold a child protection conference, there may still he a need for a multi-agency approach if the young abuser's needs are complex. A plan of action should be put in place to address the needs of the young abuser, detailing the involvement of all agencies.
  1343W
  If children who abuse others are thought to have a mental health problem then they may also need to be referred to child and adolescent mental health services. Those facing serious charges need to undergo a forensic assessment and may also, in exceptional circumstances, need to be admitted to a specialist forensic unit.

  NHS Estate
  Mr. Heald
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what change there has been in the backlog of maintenance for the NHS estate in 2001–02. [58298]

  Mr. Lammy
  [holding answer 21 May 2002]: Backlog maintenance is defined as the cost to achieve buildings which are sound, operationally safe and exhibit only minor deterioration.

  Figures for the outturn of year 2001–02 are still being collected and validated and are therefore not yet available.

  Correspondence
  Mr. Brazier
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will answer the letter from the hon. Member for Canterbury dated 12 October 2001, regarding briefing on chemical and biological attacks. [57785]

  Mr. Hutton
  The Department has no record of receiving the hon. Member's correspondence. The Department's ministerial correspondence unit is seeking a duplicate copy of this correspondence.

  Dr. Ali Malik
  Mr. Waterson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health where in the national health service Dr. Ali Malik (GMC No. (5) 195377) is employed. [57956]

  Mr. Hutton
  The Department does not keep a register of NHS employees. However doctors are required to provide the General Medical Council (GMC) with a registered address, but this is not necessarily their place of work. The GMC publish the register on the Internet.

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  Colombia: FARC
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  DEFRA: Horticulture Research
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