Written Answers of 9 January 2003

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

  Parliamentary Security
  Mr. Andrew Turner
  To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission pursuant to his answer of 5 December 2002,Official Report, column 980W, what arrangements are in place to ensure best value in the provision of security arrangements within the parliamentary estate. [87867]

  Sir Archy Kirkwood
  Regular monthly meetings are held between officials of both Houses and Metropolitan Police Administration to review costs, staff overtime and attendance.

  Contracts for physical arrangements are let following the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply's recommended procurement practices and Government recognised best practice. Contracts below the EC threshold are subject to competitive tender and value for money considerations. Contract management procedures are to be reviewed across the House next year to ensure the arrangements deliver the quality, service and cost benefits identified in business cases.

  The House's Audit Committee, chaired by the right hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Mr. Forth), is charged by the Commission with having general oversight of the work of internal audit and review, with particular emphasis on promoting economy, efficiency and effectiveness.

TRANSPORT

  Air Traffic Control
  Miss McIntosh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the comparative level of investment by the United Kingdom in national air traffic control equipment with that of the EU average. [89007]

  Mr. Jamieson
  There is little financial information available from national air navigation services providers across the EU on the magnitude of investment in air traffic control equipment. Even if comparative information were available, it would be difficult to make a meaningful assessment because the level of investment by any service provider depends where that provider is in its investment cycle, for example whether or not it is currently introducing major new facilities as NATS has recently done at Swanwick.

  Miss McIntosh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what co-operation there is between British and Dutch air traffic controllers; and what form this takes. [89002]
  290W
  Mr. Jamieson
  The Civil Aviation Authority has proposed new arrangements for the upper airspace over the North Sea and, as part of these changes, a small area of UK airspace amounting to less than 0.1 per cent of North Sea airspace will, from 20 March 2003, be serviced by the Dutch national authorities. Co-operation between national air traffic control authorities is widespread and routine across Europe and is effected under the auspices of Eurocontrol and—in the case of the UK—the Civil Aviation Authority. The co-operation takes the form of one national authority handling traffic which is in the national airspace of another state where this will facilitate the most expeditious movement of air traffic.

  Miss McIntosh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many air traffic controllers were employed by NATS on(a) 1 May 1997 and (b) 1 May 2002; and how many hours of training was provided to air traffic controllers annually in the year ending (a) 1 May 1997 and (b) 1 May 2002 [89005]

  Mr. Jamieson
  NATS employed 1,735 air traffic controllers on 1 May 1997 and 1942 on 1 May 2002. These figures include trainee controllers. I am informed by NATS that trainee controllers received 145,054 hours of training in the year ending 1 May 1997 and 235,346 hours of training in the year ending 1 May 2002. Information about continuing in-service training of qualified controllers is not readily available.

  Miss Anne McIntosh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what assessment he has made of the level of staff morale at NATS; and if he will make a statement; [89000]

  (2) what the level is of medical ailments registered by employees at NATS on (a) 1 May 1997 and (b) 1 May 2002 in (i) the appropriate book and (ii) by other means. [89003]

  Mr. Jamieson
  Staffing issues are matters for NATS, as the employer. NATS inform me that on 1 May 1997, 112 staff were absent out of a total of 5,142 (2.18 per cent.). On I May 2002, 102 staff were absent out of a total of 5,294 (1.93 per cent).

  Heathrow (Runway Alterations)
  Martin Linton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the results of the two-year trial, beginning August 2000, to extend night period runway alternation at Heathrow to the hour between 6 am and 7 am; and if he will make a statement. [89536]

  Mr. Jamieson
  The trial was expected to run for about two years. During 2002 it was affected on approximately 35 per cent of mornings by engineering works, including replacement of the instrument landing systems (ILS), runway resurfacing and replacement of runway lighting. Completion of the resurfacing work on the southern runway has also been delayed, and will resume in April. Consequently it is not possible at this stage to draw any firm conclusions from the trial, which will need to continue for a sustained period following the completion of the engineering works later this year.

  Major Road Schemes
  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which major road schemes in the local transport settlement for 2002 were(a) accepted, (b) provisionally approved, (c) considered work in progress and (d) rejected. [89535]

  Mr. Jamieson
  The Mansfield-Ashfield Regeneration Route was fully accepted in the 2002 Local Transport Settlement announced in December.

  The following schemes were provisionally approved. It will now be for the relevant local authorities to progress the schemes through the remaining statutory procedures.

  North Middlesbrough Accessibility Improvements—Middlesbrough

  Sunderland Central Route—Sunderland

  Cadishead Way—Salford

  Ashton Northern Bypass Stage 2—Tameside

  Wigan Inner Relief Road—Wigan

  A58 Blackbrook Diversion—St. Helens

  A165 Reighton Bypass—N. Yorks

  A43 Corby Link Road—Northamptonshire

  A24 Horsham-Capel Improvement—W. Sussex/Surrey

  A24 Ashington/Southwater Improvement—W. Sussex

  A228 Leybourne and West Mailing Bypass—Kent

  Mereoak Roundabout Improvement—Wokingham

  Insufficient information was available for a decision on the following schemes which are now classified as 'work in progress'. The schemes will be reconsidered when the local authorities concerned provide sufficient further information.

  Halfpenny Link—Sheffield/Rotherham

  Roscommon Way—Essex

  A391 St Austell to A30 Link—Cornwall

  Northern Gateway—North Tyneside

  Manor Park Bends Improvement—Bradford

  A605 Stanground Bypass—Peterborough

  A38-A370 Link Road—North Somerset

  No schemes were rejected.

  Pollution
  Mr. Lidington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his estimate is of the level of CO2 emissions from road transport in(a) 2005 and (b) 2010. [88438]

  Mr. Jamieson
  Our latest forecasts suggest that in 2010 CO, emissions from road transport in England could be in the range 29.3 to 30.2 million tonnes of carbon. We do not currently have interim forecasts for levels in 2005, but will produce these shortly.

  Seaports and Harbours (Security)
  Mr. Dismore
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to improve security at small seaports and harbours to prevent(a) acts of terrorism and (b) importation of material for use in terrorism; and if he will make a statement. [89248]
  292W
  Mr. Jamieson
  The United Kingdom already has a comprehensive security regime in place covering ports and harbours which service international ferries and cruise ship calls. In addition, the three border agencies, police Special Branch, HM Customs and Excise and the Immigration Service, control the movement of passengers and goods through small ports. Their presence at the ports is determined by a risk assessment.

  This national regime will be augmented by July 2004 with the implementation of the recently agreed International Maritime Organisation's (IMO) global maritime security regime. This agreement requires signatory nations to develop and implement maritime security procedures. All ships over 500 tonnes engaged in international voyages and all ports which service such ships will be party to the security requirements.

  Transport (Newcastle)
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the Local Transport Plan budget for Newcastle City in(a) 2001–02, (b) 2002–03 and (c) 2003–04; what the spending was in 2001–02; whether spending is likely to be reached in 2002–03; and what action was taken over underspending. [89105]

  Mr. Jamieson
  Capital funding for local transport is provided by Government in two main ways: for maintenance and schemes costing below £5 million, as a block of funds over which local authorities have discretion; and for major schemes costing over £5million, as scheme-specific funding. In recent years, up to and including 2001–02, authorities had permission to carry over their 'block' funds from one financial year to the next.

  Newcastle city council were provided with the following allocations:

  (a) £36.479 million in respect of maintenance and schemes costing below £5 million; and £5.159 million for major schemes.

  (b) £5.992 million in respect of maintenance and schemes costing below £5 million; and £6.738 million for major schemes.

  (c) £5.055 million in respect of maintenance and schemes costing below £5 million; and £1.400 million for major schemes.

  In 2001–02, £3.938 million was spent on maintenance and schemes costing below £5 million; and £3.210 million was spent on major schemes. Newcastle city council have taken advantage of the flexibility available to carry funds forward into 2002–03 and plan to spend their full allocation in the current year. Outturn spending figures for 2002–03 will be available in July 2003. Ministers have made clear to all transport authorities the importance of having effective spending programmes and of making progress towards the targets and objectives set out in their local transport plans.

DEFENCE

  Christmas Expenses
  Mr. Djanogly
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much will be spent on(a) entertaining, (b) Christmas decorations and (c) other festive activities this Christmas season by his Department and

  293W
  Government agencies answerable to his Department; and of this sum how much will be spent in Ministers' (i) private offices and (ii) official residences. [88132]

  Dr. Moonie
  [holding answer 19 December 2002]: Specific information on any official festive expenditure is not collected centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Any expenditure incurred on entertainment, decorations and any other festive activities is strictly for official purposes only, and is made in accordance with departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on the principles set out in Government accounting.

  Fire Brigades Strike
  Mr. Salter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment has been made of the safety of movements of munitions between military bases during industrial action by the Fire Brigades Union. [89444]

  Mr. Ingram
  An assessment of the safety of movements of munitions between military bases during industrial action by the Fire Brigades Union has been made by the Ministry of Defence Explosives Storage and Transport Committee (ESTC), responsible for setting MOD policy, standards and regulations for the transport of military explosives. This concluded that the risk to the general public and MOD personnel is not increased during industrial action.

  Iraq
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much ordnance has been dropped on Iraq by the RAF in each year since 1992. [88961]

  Mr. Ingram
  Between 1992 and the start of Operation Desert Fox at the end of 1998 no ordnance was released. Information on ordnance released during Operation Desert Fox is not held.

  Since 1999 the RAF, responding in self-defence against air defence targets, has released the following tonnages of ordnance.

  Year

  Tons

  1999

  79.1

  2000

  18.3

  2001

  22.2

  2002

  55.8

  Note:

  The figure for 2002 covers up to 4 December only.

  Landmines
  Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the(a) Landmines Act 1998 and (b) Ottawa Treaty permits United Kingdom armed forces or other British nationals acting in consort with the armed forces of another state to handle or otherwise provide support for the deployment of landmines. [89017]

  Mr. Ingram
  Under the Ottawa Convention, each State Party undertakes, inter alia, never under any circumstances to use anti-personnel mines (APM) or to assist, encourage or induce, in any way anyone to engage in any activity prohibited to a State Party to the 294W
  Convention. On ratification of the Convention, the United Kingdom made a statement of understanding of our obligations indicating that
  "the mere participation in the planning or execution of operations, exercises or other military activity by the UK's Armed Forces, or individual UK nationals, conducted in combination with armed forces of States not party to the Ottawa Convention, which engage in activity prohibited by that Convention, is not, by itself, assistance, encouragement or inducement".

  This statement of understanding is reflected in section 5 of the Landmines Act 1998, which is designed to provide a defence to members of the armed forces in cases which would fall within the terms of the statement.

  Our obligations under the Ottawa Convention are fulfilled not only through the Landmines Act but through training and instruction of the armed forces. Personnel are instructed that, as well as not being permitted to lay APM, they may not seek benefit from the use of APM by allies who are not bound by the Ottawa Convention by requesting the use of APM in direct support of UK forces. Moreover, UK forces may not engage in any physical activities specifically related to the emplacement of APM by allies not bound by the Ottawa Convention.

  Manning Control Reviews
  Mr. Keetch
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 16 December 2002,Official Report, column 515W, how many army personnel were issued with manning control warning certificates in each of the last 10 years, other than those discharged and listed in the answer of 27 November 2002, Official Report, column 332–33W, broken down by regiment. [89279]

  Dr. Moonie
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 27 November 2002,Official Report, columns 332–34W which provides details of those issued with manning control warning certificates and discharged under Queen's Regulations 9.413 "Not required for a full Army career". The number of those issued with a manning control warning certificate but not subsequently discharged is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Missile Defence
  Jeremy Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he intends to announce a decision on the US application to site national missile defence facilities in the UK. [89372]

  Mr. Hoon
  No specific date has yet been determined for a final decision on the United States request to upgrade the early warning radar at RAF Fylingdales. Once we have carefully considered the issues involved and taken account of parliamentary and public discussion, I will inform the House at the earliest opportunity.

  Jeremy Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what distribution, and in what languages, has been arranged by his Department of the consultation document Missile Defence; and if he will make a statement. [89381]
  295W
  Mr. Hoon
  I assume that my hon. Friend is referring to the public discussion paper published on 9 December. Copies of the paper have been placed in the Library of the House and in the main public libraries in the United Kingdom. It has been sent to Members of this House, other people and organisations with an expressed interest in missile defence, the media and to embassies in London. The paper is also available on the Ministry of Defence website. The paper is in English.

  RAF Welford
  Mr. Salter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who is in command of munitions convoys entering and leaving the US Air Force Base at RAF Welford; and what arrangements are made for providing security and safety escorts for these convoys. [89445]

  Mr. Ingram
  Overall command of United States Visiting Forces munitions convoys entering and leaving RAF Welford is vested in Commander Third Air Force USAF. Ministry of Defence Police provide security escorts, if required, to suit the size and nature of the munitions being carried.

  Mr. Salter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recommendations the Defence Munitions Rationalisation Studies made concerning the RAF Welford site; and when he plans to implement them. [89446]

  Dr. Moonie
  An estate rationalisation exercise undertaken by Defence Munitions (DM) in 2000 identified over capacity within the national DM estate. Following consideration of a number of options it was decided that DM Welford should close with its tasks being transferred to other DM locations. The site was emptied of United Kingdom owned munitions by December 2000. The UK portion of the Welford site was transferred for use by the United States authorities in October 2002. The facilities offered by Welford therefore did not feature in a follow on DM rationalisation study carried out in 2002.

  Mr. Salter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who manages contracts for the haulage of munitions to and from RAF Welford; who is responsible for initiating and controlling an emergency response in the event of an accident involving munitions in transit to or from RAF Welford; and whether the West Berkshire emergency planning officer and the Berkshire fire and rescue service are informed of movements of such munitions. [89448]

  Mr. Ingram
  The Defence Transportation and Movements Agency manages the contract for haulage of military munitions throughout the United Kingdom. The United States visiting forces are a party to that contract. Initiation of emergency action in the event of an incident/accident is the responsibility of the driver, attendant or other person responsible for a vehicle carrying military munitions. The civil authority notified of the emergency would then be responsible for its control.

  There is no requirement to notify the West Berkshire Emergency Planning Officer or Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service of munitions movement from or to RAF Welford.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

  Colombia and Bolivia
  Mr. Love
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid has been given to(a) Colombia and (b) Bolivia in the last three years; what proportion was to combat production of hard drugs; and if she will make a statement. [89412]

  Clare Short
  Over the last three financial years, gross bilateral aid to(a) Colombia and (b) Bolivia was:

  Gross bilateral aid to Colombia and Bolivia

  £000

  1999–2000

  2000–01

  2001–02

  Total

  DFID

  Total

  DFID

  Total

  DFID

  Colombia

  2,190

  1,537

  2,252

  1,730

  1,480

  934

  Bolivia

  39.785

  6,334

  9.837

  7,592

  31,495

  12,684

  No DFID funds have supported direct activities to combat the production of hard drugs.

  From 1998 to 2001 DFID gave £720.000 to support a UN alternative development programme, to provide sustainable alternative livelihoods to coca growing, in agro-forestry systems, in Bolivia. Since then DFID has not supported alternative development activities in Bolivia.

  The FCO Drugs and Crime Fund (DCF), which is active in Colombia and Bolivia, is aimed at reducing the supply of class A drugs to the UK. DCF projects focus on increasing capacity to intercept drugs being trafficked and not on combating production. DCF funds do not come from the aid budget.

  In addition, DFID contributes approx 19 per cent. to the EC. The latest available figures for Colombia and Bolivia are as follows:

  1998

  1999

  2000

  £ million

  DFID share

  £ million

  DFID share

  £ million

  DFID share

  Colombia

  6.33

  1.14

  10.94

  1.97

  9.64

  1.78

  Bolivia

  17.86

  3.19

  18.60

  3.39

  16.77

  3.10

  Green Ministers
  Mr. Gray
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which Minister in her Department is nominated Green Minister; how often she has attended meetings of the Green Ministers; and which official has responsibility for the DEFRA rural proofing check-list in her Department. [88463]

  Clare Short
  My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development represents DFID on the ENV(G) Committee. The Rural Proofing check-list is not relevant to DFID's activities and policies.

  Unanswered Questions
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many(a) parliamentary questions and (b) letters from hon. Members, in Session 2001–02 remain unanswered, broken down by those

  297W
  which are (i) one month old, (ii) two months old, (iii) three months old, (iv) four months old and (v) over six months old. [84752]

  Clare Short
  [holding answer 3 December 2002]: There are 11 parliamentary questions in total:

  10 are over six months old,

  1 is two months old.

  As of 3 December there are no letters which are one month old and which remain unanswered from hon. Members in Session 2001–02.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  National Minimum Wage
  Mr. Clelland
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people in(a) Newcastle upon Tyne and (b) Gateshead have benefited from the introduction of the national minimum wage; and what was the average uplift on earnings. [89529]

  Alan Johnson
  We do not have information on numbers of national minimum wage (NMW) beneficiaries specific to Newcastle upon Tyne or Gateshead. For the north-east region as a whole, it is thought that around 80,000 people should have benefited from the introduction of the NMW in April 1999. The number who should have benefited from the NMW uprating in October 2001 is estimated to be 110,000.

  In spring 1998, prior to the introduction of the NMW, the average wage for full-time employees on adult rates in Newcastle upon Tyne was £336.9 and in Gateshead it was £352.5. In spring 2002 the average wage in Newcastle was £409.9, an increase of nearly 22 per cent., and in Gateshead it had risen to £389.4, an increase of 10.5 per cent. over the period. Over the same period the average wage for the north east as a whole increased by nearly 18 per cent., to £399.3, and for Great Britain by 21 per cent., to £464.7.

  Wage Payments
  Harry Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she will take to encourage employers promptly to pay the wages due to those entering work; and if he will make a statement. [89291]

  Alan Johnson
  When employees are to be paid is a contractual matter for negotiation and agreement between employers and employees (or their representatives). If wages are not paid at the agreed time, employees can seek redress though the employment tribunals or the ordinary courts.

  The intervals at which wages are paid must be set out out in the written statement of employment particulars to which employees have a statutory right. Measures in the Employment Act 2002, once brought into force, will provide an improved enforcement mechanism for the requirement to issue written statements.

  Cats and Dogs (Products)
  Mr. Sanders
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what regulations there are to 298W
  prevent the (a) importation and (b) sale of goods made from (i) cats and (ii) dogs; and if she will make a statement. [88377]

  Nigel Griffiths
  At present there is no provision in the EU to prevent either the importation or sale of goods on the basis that they are made from cats and dogs.

  My noble Friend, the Minister for Trade and Investment in response to an oral question from Baroness Gale on 11 December 2001, Official Report, column 1234, has undertaken to report to Parliament on the Government's findings on how much cat and dog fur is coming into the UK; whether a similar ban to that enacted in the US would be effective; and to explore all options for stopping the trade, if there is evidence that it exists. She has invited those MPs and Peers who have written to Ministers on this topic to a meeting in the Houses of Parliament on 15 January 2003 to discuss the issue further.

  People's Panel
  Dr. Vincent Cable
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry who the(a) current and (b) past members are of the People's Panel; and if she will make a statement. [88822]

  Mr. Alexander
  I have been asked to reply.

  The People's Panel came to an end in January 2002. Over the course of its lifetime it was made up of a representative sample of more than 5,000 members, recruited at random from among the UK public. It is standard practice for the personal details of members of the public involved in such research to remain anonymous.

  Post Office
  Mr. Andrew Turner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of(a) the savings to be achieved and (b) the number of sub post offices to be closed under the Post Office's network reinvention. [87340]

  Mr. Timms
  [holding answer 16 December 2002]: Post Office Ltd. estimate that collectively savings from the urban reinvention programme together with savings from other measures and initiatives including reductions in administrative costs and overheads should make a substantial contribution to restoring the network business to profitability. The Network business made an operating loss of £82 million in the financial year 2000–01.

  Post Office Ltd. does not have a predetermined list of offices which will close under their urban reinvention programme, nor is there any arithmetical formula which will determine the number of closures in any given area.

  Dr. Cable
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many post offices there are in each parliamentary constituency; how many of them transacted more than 40 per cent. of their work volumes on behalf of the Benefits Agency in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement. [87865]

  Mr. Timms
  [holding answer 18 December 2002]: A special exercise was undertaken by the Post Office in 1999 to determine the numbers of post offices in each

  299W
  Parliamentary constituency and how many of them derive more than 40 per cent. of their income from benefits work. That information is set out in the reply given to the then hon. Member for Birmingham, Erdington on 29 November 1999, Official Report, column 22W, and remains the latest information available in that form.

  Post Office Ltd. also compiled a list of post offices by Parliamentary constituency as of 20 April 2002 showing their classification as urban or rural offices. This exercise did not include information on percentage income derived from benefits payments. A copy of this list is held in the Libraries of the House.

  Trade Unions
  John Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions she has had with(a) the Confederation of British Industry, (b) the TUC and (c) the Institute of Directors regarding union recognition in the workplace. [89045]

  Alan Johnson
  The Department of Trade and Industry is currently undertaking a Review of the Employment Relations Act 1999, which includes the provisions for statutory trade union recognition. DTI officials have already held a number of informal consultation meetings with interested parties, including the CBI and the TUC.

  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State also holds regular meetings with employer and trade union representatives, including the TUC, CBI and IoD, at which employment matters are discussed.

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

  Air Quality
  Mr. Lidington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her most recent estimate is of the proportion of the population that in 2010 will be living in parts of the country that have achieved the air quality strategy objective for 2010. [88439]

  Margaret Beckett
  Different air quality objectives apply in respect of different pollutants, different dates and different parts of the country. For many pollutants, our latest modelling indicates that by 2010 100 per cent. of the population will be living in areas that meet the current air quality strategy objectives. But in respect of other pollutants, there remain some areas where the current objectives may not be met. In respect of particulate matter (PM10), for example, our latest air quality projections estimate that in 2010, 88 per cent of the population of England (excluding London) will live in areas that meet the air quality strategy objective. Furthermore, it is estimated that 98 per cent. of the population of London will live in areas that meet the air quality strategy objective for PM10 for London in 2010. Additional measures will need to be developed over the coming years to increase the proportion of the population living in areas that meet the strategy targets for PM10.
  300W
  Mr. Lidington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her most recent estimate is of the proportion of the population that will live in the parts of the country where the air quality strategy objective for NOx will have been achieved by 2005. [88440]

  Margaret Beckett
  My Department's latest air quality projections estimate that more than 98 per cent. of the population will live in parts of England where the air quality strategy objective for nitrogen dioxide will have been achieved in 2005. Additional measures will need to be developed over the coming years to increase the proportion of the population living in areas that meet the strategy objective.

  Accreditation
  Mr. Mark Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her Department is doing to support the Government's policy on accreditation. [88088]

  Alun Michael
  The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) is recognised by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry as the sole national body for the accreditation, against international standards, of certification and inspection bodies, testing and calibration laboratories. Defra uses UKAS accreditation services whenever it is appropriate to do so.

  Eggs
  Norman Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of eggs sold were(a) free range and (b) intensively farmed in the last year for which records are available. [89086]

  Mr. Morley
  [holding answer 8 January 2003]: In 2001 the proportions of total throughput of UK egg packing stations by type of egg production system were as follows:

  Percentage

  Free Range

  22.9

  Laying Cages

  71.7

  Barn

  5.4

  Farming
  David Burnside
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she has taken to encourage the formation of co-operatives among farmers; and if she will make a statement. [88866]

  Mr. Morley
  We have been working with an industry led steering group on the development of proposals for a new body called English Farming and Food Partnerships to encourage greater co-operation and collaboration between producers. It will aim to enable farmers to become more competitive by advocating collaboration, providing specialist advice and project delivery, and through training and education. It is intended that the body will be launched early this year.

  We have also announced that projects which aim to strengthen and expand collaborative activity among farmers will be one of the priorities of the new Agricultural Development Scheme. The Rural Enterprise Scheme offers grants for the formation or development of collaborative groups to market quality products. Collaborative groups of producers are also eligible to apply for capital grants under the Processing and Marketing Grant scheme.

  We are also exploring what legislative or fiscal constraints or disincentives to the development of agricultural co-operatives might exist.

  Foot and Mouth
  Mr. Peter Duncan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reason slaughter premiums are included in foot and mouth disease valuations after April 2001, but not before. [88593]

  Mr. Morley
  This is not the case. Foot and mouth disease culled cattle did not meet the criteria for receipt of the slaughter premium subsidy. Compensation was based either on market valuation, and thus needed no adjustment, or, from 22 March to 29 July alternatively, the standard values, which were set at fixed rates including the value of the subsidy.

  Pigmeat
  Mr. Hurst
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average price per kilogram dead weight for pigmeat was in June each year from 1990. [87292]

  Mr. Morley
  The table shows the price for pigs in pence per kilogram deadweight for June each year from 1990.

  Deadweight pig prices (pence per kilogram deadweight) for each June from 1990

  Date (June)

  Price p/kg/dw £

  1990

  138.24

  1991

  113.22

  1992

  121.21

  1993

  117.39

  1994

  109.84

  1995

  122.41

  1996

  150.40

  1997

  134.03

  1998

  91.38

  1999

  84.51

  302W

  Deadweight pig prices (pence per kilogram deadweight) for each June from 1990

  Date (June)

  Price p/kg/dw £

  2000

  98.96

  2001

  103.01

  2002

  103.39

  Rural Economies
  Patrick Mercer
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to support rural economies, with special reference to communications links. [86776]

  Alun Michael
  The new rural Public Service Agreement sets targets for increasing productivity in the least well performing rural areas and improving service accessibility. Both sets of targets require good quality communications links, both physical and electronic.

  Welfare Milk Scheme
  Mr. George Osborne
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the dairy industry about the impact of the proposed changes to the welfare milk scheme; and if she will make a statement. [88979]

  Mr. Morley
  The Dairy Industry Association was represented at a meeting which my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Lord Whitty, held jointly with my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Public Health, my hon. Friend the Member for Salford (Mrs. Blears), on 24 October 2002 to discuss the proposed reform of the welfare food scheme. This followed earlier discussions my hon. Friend had had with the Association.

CABINET OFFICE

  Accreditation
  Mr. Mark Field
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the Office is doing to support the Government's policy on accreditation. [88093]

  Mr. Alexander
  The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) is recognised by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry as the sole national body for the accreditation, against international standards, of certification and inspection bodies, testing and calibration laboratories. My Department has engaged in a number of useful discussions with UKAS and are currently developing with them new assessment procedures in relation to the Charter Mark scheme.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  British Indian Ocean Territories
  Jeremy Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the planned assistance is to elected representatives of the Bois people
  303W
  by the British Indian Ocean Territories administration in the next financial year; and if he will make a statement. [89383]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  There are no specific plans to assist any representatives of the Chagossian community in the next financial year. However, the BIOT Government has stated that it will consider reinstating the visit to the outer islands of the archipelago of a group of Chagossians which had to be cancelled earlier this year.

  Jeremy Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance was offered to the group of British Indian Ocean Territories people who arrived in the UK on 16 September travelling on UK passports. [89384]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  Although British citizens are not automatically entitled to benefits on arrival in the UK, the UK passport holders within this group were offered assistance from Crawley social services to find accommodation and employment. This help was also provided for their non-British family members.

  Caspian Sea
  Mr. Wray
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with EU representatives and countries surrounding the Caspian Sea regarding the securing of energy resources in the Caspian Sea region for European markets. [88860]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  Ministers and officials discuss Caspian energy issues with governments in the Caspian region and with EU partners on a regular basis. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary met Kazakh Foreign Minister Tokaev on 2 December and discussed UK energy investment in Kazakhstan. My hon. Friend the Minister of Energy and Construction (Mr. Wilson) visited Moscow recently and discussed energy issues, including the Caspian, with the Russian Energy Minister. Caspian energy issues are regularly discussed between EU partners and those Caspian countries with which the EU has Partnership and Cooperation Agreements (Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan).

  EU Diplomatic Service
  Mr Heathcoat-Amory
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the establishment of(a) an EU diplomatic academy and (b) an EU diplomatic service. [89127]

  Mr. MacShane
  We are content with the idea of an EU diplomatic academy which would exist alongside member states' national training arrangements, as suggested in the report from the External Relations Working Group of the Convention on the Future of Europe. We will remain engaged in the debate on this issue as it develops.

  On the establishment of an EU diplomatic service, we believe that it remains for EU member states to organise their respective bilateral diplomatic services at the national level, though co-ordination and co-location of diplomatic missions with EU partners may be appropriate. There are already 138 bilateral and
  304W
  5 multilateral delegations overseas which represent the Commission abroad. As the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy develops under the Council of Ministers and its High Representative, currently Javier Solana, there will be increased demands upon the delegations of both the Commission and member states.

  EU Enlargement
  Mr. Wray
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what security concerns were raised regarding EU enlargement at the Copenhagen summit. [88951]

  Mr. MacShane
  There was no discussion at the Copenhagen European Council of security concerns regarding EU enlargement. The conclusions of the summit emphasise that enlargement"testifies to the common determination of the peoples of Europe to come together in a Union that has become a driving force for peace, democracy, stability and prosperity on our continent".

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will identify the independent studies on migration referred to in his written statement of 16 December 2002,Official Report, columns 537–551, on EU enlargement and free movement of workers. [89247]

  Mr. MacShane
  Successive independent studies have indicated that there is unlikely to be a large influx of workers from the new member states to the UK after accession. Two recent examples include: Bauer, Thomas K and Zimmerman, Klaus F (1999), "Assessment of Possible Migration Pressures and its Labour Market Impact Following EU Enlargement to Central and Eastern Europe", and Boeri, Tito and Bruecker, Herbert (2000), "The Impact of Enlargement on Employment and Labour Markets in the EU Member States".

  Murder (Overseas)
  Mr. Blunt
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are open to the Government to seek legal redress in the event of a United Kingdom citizen being murdered overseas by the forces of art occupying power. [88610]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  The steps available would depend on the circumstances of any particular case. The UK's rules applying to international claims were published in the International and Comparative Law Quarterly, Volume 37 (1998) 1006–08.

  National Missile Defence
  Jeremy Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contradiction there has been with NATO member states on national missile defence; and if he will make a statement. [89380]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  The Prague summit underlined the commitment of all our NATO allies to examining ways to address the threat posed by ballistic missile proliferation through an appropriate mix of political and defence efforts. As a follow on to work on protecting deployed forces using theatre missile defences, NATO partners agreed to set up a new
  305W
  feasibility study to examine options for protecting alliance territory, forces and population centres against the full range of missile threats.

  Somalia
  Jeremy Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what UK representation there is at the peace negotiations on the future of Somalia; and if he will make a statement. [89375]

  Mr. Rammell
  The deputy high commissioner in Nairobi attended the opening ceremony of the Somalia National Reconciliation Conference on 15 October 2002 in Eldoret, Kenya. Experts from the U K attended some of the early sessions of the conference and we have had an expert in Eldoret since 2 December 2002.

  Jeremy Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements are in operation for UK diplomatic representation in Somalia; and if he will make a statement. [89376]

  Mr. Rammell
  The British Embassy in Mogadishu has been closed since 1990 for security reasons. Coverage of Somalia is provided by the British Embassy in Addis Ababa and by the British High Commission in Nairobi.

  Syria (Elhannan Tannenbaum)
  Mr. Gibb
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to(a) the Syrian Government, (b) the Syrian ambassador in London, (c) the head of Hizballah and (d) the International Red Cross in respect of medical treatment for Mr. Elhannan Tannenbaum during his captivity. [88590]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  HMG has made a number of representations to governments in the middle east about the fate of the missing Israelis, including Elhannan Tannenbaum, and will continue to do so, pressing particularly for access to the hostages for the International Committee of the Red Cross. Most recently I raised them with the Syrian Foreign Minister, Farouk Al Shara'a, in London during the Syrian President's official visit to the UK on 16 to 18 December 2002. Our ambassadors in Beirut and Damascus also raised the missing men with their host governments, who took note of our interest on 3 October 2002 and 19 September 2002 respectively. On 12 December 2001, our ambassador in Beirut raised hostage taking in general terms with Hizballah. On each occasion we emphasised our absolute opposition to hostage taking, and that those holding hostages should free them at once.

  Our ambassador in Tel Aviv met families of the missing men, including Mr. Tannenbaum's son, on 9 September 2002

  Timber
  Norman Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the UK Government have taken to ensure that the Liberian Government, under UN Security Council resolution 1408 (2002), has established a transparent and internationally verifiable audit regime to ensure that revenue derived from the Liberian timber industry 306W
  is used for legitimate social, humanitarian and development purposes, and not for purchasing arms, and if he will make a statement. [89069]

  Mr. Rammell
  [holding answer 7 January 2003]: We regret that the Government of Liberia have not yet established an audit regime, and we remain concerned that revenues derived from logging activities are used to purchase arms in breach of UN sanctions. We have made repeated calls in the United Nations Security Council for the Government of Liberia to instigate an internationally verifiable and rigorous audit of their timber and shipping revenues as required under UNSCR 1408. We have briefed two potential auditors. Unfortunately, after discussion with the Government of Liberia, both decided not to undertake the contract.

  Turkey/Cyprus
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on discussions with Turkey about the decision to admit Cyprus as a candidate member of the European Union. [88985]

  Mr. MacShane
  My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary spoke to his Turkish counterpart during the Copenhagen European Council. They discussed the step forward Copenhagen signalled in Turkey's own candidacy and also touched on Cyprus, including the EU's continued wish to see a reunited island accede.

  Western Sahara
  Jeremy Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions have been held with the Government of Algeria on the future of the western Sahara; and if he will make a statement. [89377]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  I met Amine Kherbi the Algerian Presidential Special Envoy when he visited London to discuss western Sahara last July. Officials in London, Algiers and New York are in regular contact with their Algerian counterparts.

  Jeremy Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects to receive proposals from the UN special representative on the future governance of the western Sahara; and if he will make a statement. [89379]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  The mandate for MINURSO, the UN mission for a referendum in western Sahara is due to expire on 31 January 2003. We expect the UN Secretary General to report to the Security Council on the situation before that date.

PRIME MINISTER

  Referendums
  Mr. Andrew Turner
  To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 18 December 2002,Official Report, column 811W, what criteria he (a) applied and (b) applies in determining whether referendums are appropriate on (i) devolution and (ii) further European union. [89317]
  307W
  The Prime Minister
  The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA) provides a generic statutory framework for the conduct of referendums held across the United Kingdom, or a referendum held in Scotland, Wales, England or Northern Ireland, or in any region in England. There are no criteria, set out either in the PPERA or elsewhere, for deciding when it is appropriate to hold a referendum on a particular issue.

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

  Community Sports Initiatives
  Nick Harvey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to develop a local agency approach for(a) gaining access to, and (b) supporting funding for community sports initiatives; and if she will make a statement. [89999]

  Mr. Caborn
  Sport England is, at my request, working on a programme of modernisation and restructuring. A key feature of the programme is the devolution of greater responsibility for funding decisions to the

  Development

  Resources

  School Sport Co-ordinators

  £40 million

  Community Club Development Programme

  £20 million

  Step into Sport Volunteering Project

  £4 million

  Coach development

  £3 million

  New Opportunities Fund—School Sport and PE Programme

  £581 million (between 2001 and 2005)

  Space for Sport and the Arts

  £130 million (between 2001 and 2004)

  Sport England Grant in Aid

  £38.275 million (much of this will be directed to programmes for young people and grassroots sport.)

  Lottery Sports Fund

  £178 million (almost 80 per cent. of this will be allocated to youth and grassroots sport)

  The Department for Education and Skills will also be investing significant resources in sports provision in schools including £184 million for school sport coordinators and 115 million for specialist sports colleges over the next three years and £10 million for sporting playgrounds in 2003–04.

  Mr. Wray
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has had with European colleagues regarding(a) resources for and (b) co-operation in securing international sporting events in European countries. [88730]

  Mr. Caborn
  I meet ministerial counterparts in EU member states at a range of international fora. In the course of these meetings, I have discussed major sporting events.

  In the UK, sport's national governing bodies are responsible for securing the resources necessary for bidding for major international events, assisted where appropriate with Lottery and other funding from UK Sport and Sport England. Other EU member states have similar arrangements. It is the nature of the bidding process that national governing bodies compete for the rights to host events. As such, the scope for co-operation is limited to ensuring that fair criteria for bidding nations are applied by international sporting organisations.
  308W
  regions. To facilitate this process the regional sports boards are being reconstituted as sub-committees of Sport England. New chairs and members are being appointed, with the new boards becoming operational in April this year. Membership will comprise of representatives of local government, voluntary sport, education, health and private sectors. The boards will, in consultation with other regional agencies and local interests including regional assemblies, regional development agencies, regional cultural consortia, local, education and health authorities, produce regional sports strategies which will reflect national sporting priorities. The strategies will inform decision making by Sport England's regional offices on funding for community sports initiatives in their regions.

  Mr. Wood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much her Department intends to spend in the next year developing sport at(a) youth and (b) grassroots levels. [89553]

  Mr. Caborn
  My Department and the National Lottery will be investing the following resources in 2003–04 in the development of youth and grass roots sport.

  Sporting Events
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent representations she has received regarding the staging of major sporting events in England; and if she will make a statement. [88306]

  Mr. Caborn
  Government are currently assessing whether or not to support a bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games in London. We will take forward the recommendation of the strategy unit to create a strategy for bidding for mega events and we will consider with UK Sport how to help organisations bid more effectively for major sporting events.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Appointments
  Mr. Andrew Turner
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department to which bodies his Department makes appointments; how many members there are(a) in total and (b) in each body; and how many of those appointed are (i) businessmen, (ii) businessmen in SMEs and (iii) businessmen in micro-businesses. [87392]
  309W
  Mr. Blunkett
  [holding answer 16 December 2002]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Cabinet Office (Mr. Alexander) on 16 December 2002, Official Report, column 607W.

  Asylum Seekers (Somalia)
  Jeremy Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in each of the past ten years from Somalia have(a) applied for asylum, (b) been recognised as refugees, (c) been granted exceptional leave to remain, (d) been removed to a third country, (e) made a voluntary departure and (f) returned to Somalia. [89378]

  Beverley Hughes
  The table shows the asylum applications, and grants of asylum or exceptional leave to remain (ELR), for Somali nationals over the last ten years.

  Applications received for asylum in the United Kingdom, and initial decisions1,2 1992–2001, Somalia

  Initial Decisions

  Cases considered under normal procedures4,5

  Backlog clearance exercise6

  Applications received3

  Granted asylum

  Granted ELR

  Refused

  Granted asylum or ELR under backlog criteria

  Refused under backlog criteria7

  1992

  1,575

  25

  2,210

  320

  —

  —

  1993

  1,465

  45

  3,075

  210

  —

  —

  1994

  1,840

  5

  1,575

  150

  —

  —

  1995

  3,468

  10

  2,205

  185

  —

  —

  1996

  1,780

  15

  3,580

  235

  —

  —

  1997

  2,730

  985

  1,015

  305

  —

  —

  1998

  4,685

  2,330

  375

  100

  —

  —

  1999

  7,495

  130

  55

  120

  35

  5

  2000

  5,020

  5,310

  3,575

  2,365

  55

  15

  2001p

  6,465

  2,845

  1,960

  3,495

  —

  —

  1 Figures rounded to the nearest five.

  2 Decision figures do not necessarily relate to applications received in the same period.

  3 May exclude some cases lodged at Local Enforcement Offices between January 1999 and March 2002.

  4 Information is on initial decisions, excluding the outcome of appeals ore other subsequent decisions.

  5 Cases considered under normal procedures may include some cases decided under the backlog criteria.

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

  7 Included some cases where the application has been refused on substantive grounds.

  p Provisional data.

  CCTV Cameras
  Mr. Denis Murphy
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many criminal prosecutions have been brought as a result of evidence obtained via CCTV cameras in each of the last five years. [88152]

  Mr. Denham
  The information requested is not collected centrally.

  Mr. Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the effectiveness of CCTV in combating crime in small retail businesses. [88649]

  Mr. Denham
  [holding answer 7 January 2003]: Under the Crime Reduction Programme Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) Initiative, a potential of £170 million will be spent funding 684 public area CCTV schemes. Many of these schemes cover shopping areas. Under the
  310W
  The number of Somali nationals removed between July 2001 and June 2002 was 25. Details of the destination country are not collected centrally.

  "Removed" means principal applicants removed only and includes persons known to have departed `voluntarily' after the initiation of enforcement action against them, and persons leaving under Assisted Voluntary Returns Programmes run by the International Organization for Migration. There are no reliable removal data available prior to these dates by nationality.

  We do not know how many asylum applicants have left the United Kingdom voluntarily after they have been refused asylum or exceptional leave to remain without informing the Home Office.

  Information on asylum applications and decisions is published quarterly. The next publication will be available from the end of February 2003 on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate web site at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigrationl. html.

  Small Retailers in Deprived Areas Initiative, £15 million is being provided to improve security of small retailers, including the provision of CCTV where appropriate. In year one of the Initiative (2001–02) approximately 50 per cent. of projects involved the installation or upgrading of CCTV. This figure rose to almost 70 per cent. in year two (2002–03).

  Police operational experience and various other research studies show that CCTV has considerable crime reduction and detection potential, particularly when used as part of a wider strategy.

  Early findings from a number of Home Office funded schemes are very encouraging:
  Alhambra Shopping Centre, Barnsley: Retail property crime dropped by 35 per cent. in first two years after launch in 1999.
  Thornton Estate, Hull: Shop theft has been reduced by 70 per cent. since inception in 2000.

  Correspondence
  Mr. Salmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan of 9 July 2002, regarding his constituent Mr. A. Innes of Banff. [88644]

  Beverley Hughes
  The hon. Member was sent a reply to his letter on 31 December 2002. I am sorry for the delay in doing so.

  Mr. Kaufman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 4 November from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Dr. Aisha Budhwani [89236]

  Mr. Blunkett
  I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 19 December 2002.

  Mr. Kaufman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 11 November from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. Muhammad Khaziz. [89239]

  Mr. Blunkett
  I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 17 December 2002.

  Crime Reduction Partnerships
  Mr. Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funds are available to crime reductions partnerships to(a) install CCTV in problem crime areas and (b) combat crime in deprived areas. [88650]

  Mr. Denham
  [holding answer 7 January 2003]: Under the Crime Reduction Programme Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) Initiative around £170 million will be spent between 1998 and 2003 funding 684 CCTV schemes. More than 520 of these schemes are already fully operational, with further schemes coming on line weekly.

  Although this initiative is now closed, other opportunities for funding of crime reduction measures, including CCTV schemes, currently exist under the Safer Communities, Communities Against Drugs and the Small Retailers in Deprived Areas initiatives.

  In 2002–03 the funds available under these three initiatives total £96-million Safe Communities Initiatives (SCI) £20 million, Communities Against Drugs (CAD) £70 million, Small Retailers in Deprived Areas (SRDA) £6 million.

  The Updated Drug Strategy was published in November 2002, and makes further progress towards breaking the link between drugs and crime by introducing or extending a range of interventions aimed at getting offenders with drug problems into drug treatment, in particular taking forward the work we have already done on Arrest Referral and Drug Treatment and Testing Orders, building on the pilot Drug Testing projects by extending this approach more widely, and developing better systems for throughcare and aftercare.

  In addition, in 2003–04, funding of £236 million has been made available from the National Pooled Budget for the treatment of adults and young people, from
  312W
  1999, £20 million has been made available over three years for Arrest Referral schemes and £53.7 million for Drug Treatment and Testing Orders.

  Foreign Prisoners (Deportation)
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign nationals serving prison sentences in prisons in England and Wales are to be deported on the completion of their prison sentence. [88838]

  Beverley Hughes
  As of 23 December 2002 there were 3,930 prisoners serving sentence who are known to be liable to be deported on completion of their custodial sentence. Each case is reviewed on its merits not sooner than 12 months before the prisoner might expect to be released having served the required period in custody.

  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the longest time was that a foreign national(a) man and (b) woman who had served a prison sentence waited on completion of that sentence to be deported from the UK in each of the last three years. [88839]

  Beverley Hughes
  I regret that the information requested is not available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign nationals held in prisons in England and Wales are awaiting deportation and have completed their prison sentence. [88841]

  Beverley Hughes
  As of 23 December 2002 there are 94 prisoners detained beyond completion of their criminal sentences awaiting deportation.

  Ministerial Engagements
  Mr. Andrew Turner
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many engagements were undertaken outside London(a) by him or his predecessor and (b) by Ministers in his Department in January (i) 2000, (ii) 2001 and (iii) 2002. [87353]

  Mr. Blunkett
  [holding answer 16 December 2002]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer provided by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Cabinet Office on 16 December 2002, Official Report, column 608W.

  Missing Persons
  Mr. Paul Marsden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to introduce a national database of missing persons. [88186]

  Mr. Denham
  There are already arrangements nationally to record missing persons. Details of all missing persons should be recorded on the Police National Computer (PNC) as soon as possible and in any case within 48 hours of their disappearance.

  Notification of all outstanding missing persons should be sent to the Police National Missing Persons Bureau (PNMPB) within 14 days. Most missing persons are found locally within this period. Forces will not, however, be precluded from forwarding information to the PNMPB in a shorter time if a particular case appears to warrant more urgent attention.
  313W
  The National Missing Persons Helpline (NMPH) also maintain a database for all missing persons reported to them and these files are not closed until there is a definite resolution to each case.

  The Home Office is currently working with key stakeholders within the area of missing persons, which includes the police and the NMPH, to increase co-operation and information sharing between Government Departments, and statutory and non-statutory agencies. £810,000 has been made available from the Invest to Save Budget (ISB), to put in place a new system for handling missing person cases. The aim of the project is the establishment of joint working arrangements between the United Kingdom police service and NMPH, together with improved recording and information sharing, to improve the service to missing persons and their families and to inform our understanding of the problem and develop strategies to address it. One of the key objectives of this project is to establish a unified national database of missing and unidentified people reported either to the police or to the NMPH.

  Mr. Paul Marsden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for a common risk assessment between police services for missing persons. [88191]

  Mr. Denham
  The Association of Chief Police Officers' (ACPO) 'Manual of Guidance for the Management of Missing Persons' promotes the use of a three-tier risk assessment procedure consisting of low', 'medium', and 'high' risk categories with an additional list of factors that need to be considered when assessing this risk.

  Nationality Applications
  Keith Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the backlog is of applications for nationality. [88567]

  Beverley Hughes
  I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave on 10 December 2002,Official Report, column 237W, which stated that information on the number of cases outstanding was not available.

  This is because information on the number of applications for nationality outstanding is not routinely published.

  Overseas British Citizens
  Mr. Reed
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress he has made to end the status of Overseas British Citizen and to provide those affected with full British citizenship; what representations he has received about amending the status of Overseas British Citizens; and if he will make a statement. [88625]

  Beverley Hughes
  We have no plans to end the status of British Overseas Citizen. We received representations during the passage of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Bill about the plight of British nationals who had no right of abode in the United Kingdom or elsewhere. As a result we amended the Bill to confer an entitlement to British citizenship, and with it the right of abode in the United Kingdom, on British Overseas citizens, British subjects and British protected persons 314W
  who have no other nationality and have not, since 4 July 2002, given up another nationality. The relevant section (s.12) will be commenced by order as soon as the administrative arrangements for receiving and considering applications are in place.

  The remaining provisions in the British Nationality Act 1981 relating to the statuses of British Overseas Citizen, British subject and British protected person will continue in force to cater for those who are unable or unwilling to acquire British citizenship, and to facilitate the voluntary renunciation of those statuses.

  Mr. Reed
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the number of people who would benefit from a change in the status of overseas British citizens. [88626]

  Beverley Hughes
  We estimate that there are now some 35,000 British overseas citizens and 10,000 British subjects and British protected persons who have no other citizenship. However, a margin of error must be allowed. These figures are based largely on personal contact with our overseas missions in the course of applications for passport and other consular services. There will be people who have not availed themselves of these services. Conversely, there will be people eligible for British citizenship who will not apply.

  Police
  Brian White
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action his Department can take in circumstances where police forces refuse to investigate particular complaints. [88981]

  Mr. Denham
  The Secretary of State for the Home Department does not have the power to intervene in the recording or investigation of individual complaints.

  Under section 69 of the Police Act 1996, the chief officer of the force is the appropriate authority for recording and investigating complaints, other than complaints against senior officers. All complaints about the conduct of police officers must be recorded. It is for the chief officer to determine whether a complaint relates to the conduct of officers. A complaint may be resolved informally if the complainant consents and the chief officer is satisfied that the conduct complained of would not justify criminal or disciplinary proceedings. Otherwise the complaint must be formally investigated.

  A new police complaints system will be introduced in April 2004 under provisions in the Police Reform Act 2002. This system will operate under the guardianship of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

  Under the new system, if the chief officer considers that a complaint should not be recorded because it does not relate to the conduct of police officers, he will be required to give reasons for that decision to the complainant. The complainant will have the right to appeal against that decision to the 1PCC. The IPCC will be able, if appropriate, to require the complaint to be recorded. It will also have the power to call in any complaint and to determine how any subsequent investigation should be handled.
  315W
  Mr. Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officer working days have been lost due to(a) stress and (b) illness (i) in each police force in England and Wales and (ii) in total in each of the last five years. [87912]

  Mr. Denham
  At present sickness absence in the police service is not broken down by categories such as stress or illness. Therefore it is not possible to express the number of working days lost due to stress or illness over the last five years.

  Sickness absence tables for the last five reporting periods will be placed in the Library, which give overall

  HMIC Matrix of Indicators 1997–98—sick leave

  Police days lost to sick leave

  Police days lost to long term sick leave

  Average number of police officers

  Police officers on long term sick leave

  Support staff working days lost to sick leave

  Male

  Female

  Male

  Female

  Male

  Female

  Male

  Female

  Avon and Somerset

  25,456

  4,870

  15,035

  2,673

  2,976

  289

  53

  6,814

  7,738

  Bedfordshire

  11,621

  3,918

  7,058

  2,572

  1,086

  34

  11

  1,038

  3,566

  Cambridgeshire

  11,462

  2,556

  4.449

  1,098

  1,297

  16

  5

  2,134

  5,691

  Cheshire

  22,670

  5,746

  13,983

  2,758

  2,078

  81

  23

  2,861

  10,077

  City of London

  8,635

  1,691

  4,686

  722

  869

  17

  1

  1,555

  2,227

  Cleveland

  14,323

  3,387

  8,305

  1,743

  1,494

  35

  9

  1,663

  5,989

  Cumbria

  9,508

  2,362

  5,866

  1,497

  1,166

  17

  8

  1,340

  2,807

  Derbyshire

  19,977

  4.976

  12,622

  3,451

  1,772

  40

  7

  3,920

  8,626

  Devon and Cornwall

  24,153

  6,106

  13,722

  3,342

  2,929

  40

  7

  6,594

  9,869

  Dorset

  I1,764

  2,639

  6,025

  1,277

  1,287

  80

  19

  3,462

  5,368

  Durham

  12,854

  4,250

  7.663

  2,759

  1,486

  141

  47

  2,416

  3,878

  Dyfed-Powys

  8,831

  1,755

  4,936

  779

  1,007

  92

  22

  856

  3,832

  Essex

  26,240

  7,827

  14,045

  3,980

  2,959

  52

  14

  5,680

  15,629

  Gloucestershire

  9,748

  2,186

  5,633

  999

  1,123

  92

  18

  1,860

  4,516

  Greater Manchester

  81,843

  25,051

  55,050

  17,493

  6,930

  999

  274

  18,448

  41,793

  Gwent

  10,046

  2,530

  6,209

  1,737

  1,245

  15

  6

  1,271

  3,140

  Hampshire

  25,476

  11,189

  13,546

  8,011

  3,471

  272

  127

  16,383

  0

  Hertfordshire

  14,983

  5,479

  7,408

  3,230

  1,750

  13

  5

  1,900

  9,806

  Humberside

  20,258

  3,954

  9,575

  1,871

  2,056

  28

  6

  3,805

  5,801

  Kent

  28,115

  8,449

  14,355

  4,601

  3,285

  45

  6

  5,136

  11,906

  Lancashire

  29,335

  8,084

  12,850

  3,483

  3,344

  271

  80

  4,622

  10,011

  Leicestershire

  18,466

  5,375

  8,571

  2,456

  2,020

  20

  5

  3,579

  9,529

  Lincolnshire

  11,576

  2,889

  6,773

  1,921

  1,194

  24

  5

  1,469

  2,783

  Merseyside

  40,792

  13,219

  30,333

  10,442

  4,322

  66

  26

  6,275

  19,550

  Metropolitan Police

  310,220

  84,348

  185,460

  54,325

  27,028

  2,273

  592

  70,874

  170,711

  Norfolk

  12,432

  2,621

  4,259

  704

  1,451

  61

  9

  2,322

  5,039

  Northamptonshire

  12,107

  2,637

  5,013

  1,028

  1,182

  17

  8

  1,946

  4,024

  Northumbria

  35,457

  7,872

  27,636

  5,691

  3,437

  524

  110

  5,897

  11,884

  North Wales

  11,603

  2,279

  5,582

  1,000

  1,396

  20

  6

  1,730

  4,020

  North Yorkshire

  12,059

  2,866

  6,753

  1,548

  1,375

  28

  8

  1,925

  4,481

  Nottinghamshire

  22,928

  6,601

  13,795

  4,332

  2,341

  31

  14

  5,101

  12,320

  South Wales

  42,985

  7,162

  —

  —

  2,884

  —

  —

  —

  —

  South Yorkshire

  31,298

  7,529

  15,452

  3,609

  3,194

  72

  11

  4,822

  10,995

  Staffordshire

  22,074

  6,794

  7,203

  2,607

  2,258

  134

  47

  2,655

  8,773

  Suffolk

  7,829

  2,752

  4,613

  1,745

  1,189

  18

  7

  1,942

  3,208

  Surrey

  18,401

  3,597

  12,271

  2,085

  1,642

  211

  43

  2,687

  3,246

  Sussex

  29,587

  7,248

  15,182

  3,834

  3,063

  283

  77

  6,059

  13,378

  Thames Valley

  36,466

  10,934

  23,547

  7,575

  3,820

  59

  24

  5,487

  17,003

  Warwickshire

  11,132

  2,344

  5,263

  1,114

  933

  22

  5

  1,748

  4,239

  West Mercia

  19,040

  4,544

  8,331

  1,599

  2,036

  19

  7

  4,433

  8,776

  West Midlands

  66,784

  23,097

  33,729

  11,166

  7,194

  463

  148

  9,443

  37,901

  West Yorkshire

  47,587

  12,949

  21,219

  5,739

  5,215

  331

  79

  10,116

  17,622

  Wiltshire

  7,920

  2,299

  4,151

  1,345

  1,167

  10

  5

  1,923

  3,526

  Support staff working days lost to long term sick leave

  Average number of support staff

  Support staff on long term sick leave

  Male

  Female

  Male

  Female

  Avon and Somerset

  4,255

  3,920

  1,573

  77

  86

  Bedfordshire

  556

  1,664

  551

  25

  70

  Cambridgeshire

  784

  1,987

  649

  1

  6

  Cheshire

  1,482

  5,356

  815

  6

  22

  City of London

  669

  1,320

  349

  3

  4

  Cleveland

  744

  3,161

  657

  4

  12

  Cumbria

  892

  1,328

  521

  3

  7

  Derbyshire

  2,625

  5,344

  934

  4

  23

  316W
  sickness absence figures on a force-by-force and a national basis.

  From next April forces will be expected to measure sickness absence according to a new dataset, issued by the Home Office last July. This dataset will recommend a series of sickness absence categories which it is recommended that forces use for internal management purposes in order to target treatment at the categories of sickness producing the most absence.

  Forces using these categories will, from the reporting period commencing in April, be able to break down their sickness absence figures into categories such as psychological disorders or infection.
  317W

  Support staff working days lost to long term sick leave

  Average number of support staff

  Support staff on long term sick leave

  Male

  Female

  Male

  Female

  Devon and Cornwall

  3,861

  4,698

  1,384

  8

  23

  Dorset

  2,073

  2,261

  805

  27

  35

  Durham

  1,597

  2,259

  618

  3

  5

  Dyfed-Powys

  348

  2,461

  404

  12

  42

  Essex

  2,923

  7,677

  1.471

  23

  13

  Gloucestershire

  1,045

  2,202

  491

  15

  38

  Greater Manchester

  11,599

  25,043

  3,207

  195

  436

  Gwent

  723

  1,588

  523

  1

  3

  Hampshire

  2,049

  6,639

  1,493

  41

  129

  Hertfordshire

  733

  4,356

  959

  2

  8

  Humberside

  1,964

  1,895

  920

  6

  9

  Kent

  2,982

  5,461

  1,485

  8

  17

  Lancashire

  1,652

  3,412

  1,398

  32

  62

  Leicestershire

  2,025

  4,434

  855

  4

  15

  Lincolnshire

  588

  1,250

  579

  5

  5

  Merseyside

  4,009

  12,077

  1,533

  9

  37

  Metropolitan Police

  37,940

  109,330

  13,705

  644

  1,764

  Norfolk

  568

  1,127

  727

  10

  20

  Northamptonshire

  951

  1,255

  694

  4

  4

  Northumbria

  3,541

  7,481

  1,479

  84

  163

  North Wales

  635

  1,318

  526

  0

  0

  North Yorkshire

  944

  2,317

  610

  2

  8

  Nottinghamshire

  2,836

  6,908

  1,212

  8

  20

  South Wales

  —

  —

  1,241

  —

  —

  South Yorkshire

  1,906

  2,836

  1,638

  7

  6

  Staffordshire

  1,727

  5,170

  911

  25

  68

  Suffolk

  1,308

  1,676

  634

  4

  7

  Surrey

  1,574

  1,082

  806

  65

  114

  Sussex

  3,197

  6,665

  1,457

  54

  100

  Thames Valley

  2,566

  8,108

  2,082

  5

  16

  Warwickshire

  982

  1,808

  435

  4

  4

  West Mercia

  2,143

  3,502

  1,066

  3

  10

  West Midlands

  3,823

  15,207

  3,329

  40

  148

  West Yorkshire

  5,181

  7,515

  2,558

  69

  111

  Wiltshire

  1,169

  1,561

  576

  5

  5

  Mr. Drew
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will ask the Government Actuary to investigate police pension costs. [88504]

  Mr. Denham
  [holding answer 8 January 2003]: As stated in the National Policing Plan, the Government are considering options for modernising police pensions to make them more flexible and affordable for future entrants. We are also seeking to meet the needs of police authorities and chief officers for a scheme which brings greater certainty about the financial impact on individual police forces.

  The Government Actuary's Department is giving such advice as is necessary regarding police pension costs and options for reform.

  Prince of Wales (Gifts)
  Andrew Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the police received a report of the existence of a written authority from the Prince of Wales to Harold Brown to dispose of a gold wedding ring; and if he will make a statement. [86245]

  Mr. Denham
  [holding answer 10 December 2002]: The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis informs me that, at the conclusion of the hearing on 3 December, the existence of a written authority from the Prince of Wales to Harold Brown to dispose of a gold wedding ring was made known to the court by defence counsel.

  Settlement Applications
  Keith Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long on average his Department took to consider an application for settlement in each year since 1990. [89459]

  Beverley Hughes
  There is no published data on decision times specifically to determine applications for settlement. We aim to screen all postal applications within three weeks and decide those that are straightforward at that point. However, because of the high number of applications in the latter part of 2002, this is, regrettably, taking around 10 weeks on average. Some that need further inquiries or more detailed consideration can take around 12 months to decide. We are taking measures to improve this situation and expect to make significant progress towards our three-week target for initial screening over the next two to three months, and to reduce the turnaround time for deciding more complex cases.

  Solicitors (Immigration Advice)
  Mr. Dhanda
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking on solicitors who fail to give appropriate assistance to clients seeking to regulate their immigration status in the UK. [89062]

  Beverley Hughes
  Anyone dissatisfied with the immigration advice or immigration services provided by their solicitor may complain to the Office of the
  319W
  Immigration Services Commissioner, which was established under Part V of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. Any subsequent disciplinary action is a matter for the relevan designated professional body. Complaints may also be submitted direct to the particular solicitor's professional body. The Commissioner must report annually to the Secretary of State as to the effectiveness of each designated professional body in regulating its members regarding the provision of immigration advice or immigration services. The Commissioner's first such report was incorporated in his Annual Report for 2001–02 which the Secretary of State presented to Parliament on 23 July 2002.

  Terrorism
  Patrick Mercer
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures have been taken to ensure that communications between the emergency services and local authorities are compatible in the event of a terrorist attack. [88406]

  Mr. Alexander
  I have been asked to reply.

  In a major incident, including a terrorist attack, it will fall to the police to co-ordinate the emergency response, as laid down in the Home Office guidance manual, "Dealing With Disaster". This is closely co-ordinated within the framework maintained by the Cabinet Office, working with the Home Office as Department with overall responsibility for counter terrorism. The Cabinet Office has regular contact with local authorities in England and Wales on this issue, through the provision of formal guidance, funding and coordination of local arrangements with national policy. The system for communications between the emergency services and local authorities has been well tried and tested through the many major incidents in which they are involved.

  Patrick Mercer
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consultations he has had with local authorities on preparations for a terrorist attack. [88407]

  Mr. Alexander
  I have been asked to reply.

  Local authorities have a general role in emergency planning, preparing to deal with the consequences of all emergencies, including those arising from terrorist attack. This is closely co-ordinated within the framework maintained by the Cabinet Office, working with the Home Office as Department with overall responsibility for counter terrorism. The Cabinet Office has regular contact with local authorities in England and Wales on this issue, through the provision of formal guidance, funding and co-ordination of local arrangements with national policy.

  Visa Processing
  Mr. Paice
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidelines are issued to hon. Members hotlines on what length of time must expire in the process of a visa application before an hon. Member's staff are permitted to make enquiries to the hon. Member's hotline; and what steps he has taken to communicate these guidelines to hon. Members. [88701]
  320W
  Beverley Hughes
  The Member of Parliament's hotline was set up to deal with general immigration inquiries of an urgent or compassionate nature. From 1 July 2002 this has been expanded to include urgent and compassionate enquiries about asylum, appeal or removal casework.

  I wrote to all the hon. Members on 18 July setting out the new arrangements and enclosing copies of an updated leaflet "Information for Members of Parliament about immigration and nationality enquiries".

  Hon. Members may make inquiries about the progress of applications at any time. However, applications for variation of leave to enter or remain are dealt with in order of receipt in the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND). Initial consideration is currently taking 10 weeks. Complex cases which cannot be decided at this stage can take around 12 months to be determined. However, if the inquiry is about an application which is still awaiting a decision by IND for over six months or where compelling evidence is provided of compassionate reasons for resolving the application quickly, the hotline and casework teams will endeavour to complete it or explain why that is not possible.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

  Incitement to Racial Hatred
  21. Mike Gapes
  To ask the Solicitor-General what plans she has to ensure that the Crown Prosecution Service works to secure a higher percentage of prosecutions in cases of alleged incitement to racial hatred. [89227]

  The Solicitor-General
  The Attorney-General and I regard it as of great importance that those who commit crimes of racial hatred are brought to justice.

  Prosecutions of race hate crimes are monitored closely by the CPS. Last year Her Majesty's Inspectorate of the Crown Prosecution Service produced a report on such prosecutions and made recommendations which the CPS is acting on.

  Fraud
  24. Mr. Bellingham
  To ask the Solicitor-General when she next expects to meet representatives of the small firm sector to examine ways of combating fraud perpetrated against businesses. [89230]

  The Solicitor-General
  I have not met with representatives of small firms of organisations to discuss ways of combating fraud perpetrated against businesses. However, I meet regularly with the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Director of the Serious Fraud Office to examine methods on combating, investigating and prosecuting fraud.

  The Serious Fraud Office investigates and prosecutes cases involving serious and complex fraud and is aware that small businesses are at risk from fraud, whether internal or external, in the same way as larger companies.
  321W
  27. Mr. Kidney
  To ask the Solicitor-General what expertise has been developed in the Crown Prosecution Service for dealing with fraud cases. [89233]

  The Solicitor-General
  The Crown Prosecution Service deals with fraud cases of all types, from simple "high street" frauds to major corporate frauds. The most complex cases do require highly specialised knowledge, for instance knowledge of Stock Exchange practices. The Casework Directorate of CPS Headquarters has a number of specialist lawyers, working with dedicated accountancy support, to deal with those cases.

  Elsewhere in the CPS special casework lawyers deal with large fraud cases, particularly in the larger urban areas where these tend to arise. The capacity of the CPS to devote more senior lawyer resources to complex cases, including fraud, has increased following its restructuring in 1999 and a significant increase in resources in recent years. In response to the recent inspection of the Casework Directorate by HMCPS Inspectorate, the CPS will shortly be considering how best it can deploy its resources to deal with fraud cases in the future.

  Prosecutions
  25. Dr. Palmer
  To ask the Solicitor-General what action she is taking to reduce the number of cases prosecuted but discontinued before trial. [89231]

  Total number of emergency calls 1996–97 to 2001–02 (thousand)

  Ambulance service NHS trust

  1996–97

  1997–98

  1998–99

  1999–2000

  2000–01

  2001–02

  Percentage increase

  Rural services

  Cumbria

  19.0

  20.7

  26.0

  25.6

  26.9

  29.6

  9.8

  Lancashire

  96.7

  107.7

  113.9

  119.4

  125.3

  136.4

  8.8

  Urban

  Greater Manchester

  215.5

  222.5

  229.5

  259.6

  272.5

  284.0

  4.2

  Mersey Regional

  183.5

  193.7

  221.7

  222.6

  228.1

  243.9

  6.9

  Source:

  DOH Health statistical health bulletin "Ambulance Services, England 2001–02"-Form KA34

  Asylum Seekers
  Mr. Paul Marsden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on how his Department ensures that primary care teams are made aware of the rights of(a) refugees and (b) asylum seekers to permanent GP registration. [86161]

  Ms Blears
  National health service medical primary care services are available free to all persons who are ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom. Refugees and asylum seekers given leave to remain in the UK, or awaiting the results of an application to remain, are regarded as ordinarily resident and entitled to full NHS general practitioner treatment.

  This will be re-emphasised in a resource pack for those who work with asylum seekers, which has been developed with the Refugee Council and will be issued early this year. Department of Health initiatives such as local development schemes and personal medical services contracts also help locally in registering refugees and asylum seekers with GPs.
  322W
  The Solicitor-General
  A number of steps are being taken to reduce the percentage of cases that are discontinued before trial:To ensure the right evidence there is closer working between the police and CPS.
  Better support for victims and witnesses.
  More CPS lawyers to ensure good quality case preparation.

HEALTH

  Ambulance Response Times
  Mr. Nigel Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the average response time was for ambulances in Clitheroe, Lancashire, at the latest date for which figures are available; and what the average response time was in each of the last five years; [83789]

  (2) what the average response time is for ambulances in (a) Lancashire, (b) the north west of England and (c) each NHS trust in England at the latest date for which figures are available: and what the average response time was in each of the last five years. [83790]

  Jacqui Smith
  Information about ambulance response times is not available specifically for Clitheroe.

  The latest information available about the proportion of emergency calls resulting in an ambulance arriving at the scene of the reported incident within the Government's target response times, including the Lancashire Ambulance NHS Trust and those covering the north west of England, is shown in the table.

  Cancer Treatment
  Tim Loughton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the most recent national average referral rate for non-urgent cases of suspected breast cancer was. [87474]

  Ms Blears
  Cancer referral guidelines were issued in March 2000 to help general practitioners identify patients with suspected cancer, including breast cancer and to refer them urgently where appropriate. We do not collect data on those patients who are routinely referred for investigation. The cancer services collaborative is working in every cancer network to modernise cancer care by streamlining and redesigning the care pathway ensuring all patients receive speedy diagnosis and treatment.

  Dr. Evan Harris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to publish information on waiting times for treatment of cancers not covered by NHS cancer plan targets before 2005. [87962]
  323W
  Ms Blears
  The NHS Cancer Plan set out new goals to reduce waiting times for cancer treatment. Data is currently published by geographical area on the Department of Health website for the two week outpatient waiting time standard and the treatment targets for 2001. Reporting of performance against the December 2002 target of a two month maximum wait, from urgent general practitioner referral to treatment for breast cancer, will begin in 2003. National reporting of performance against the 2005 targets, which relate to all cancers, will similarly begin when those targets come into force. Arrangements are being put in place to enable those providing and commissioning services for cancer patients to monitor progress in the interim.

  Cancer Plan Website
  Tim Loughton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much it cost to set up the NHS Cancer Plan website. [89358]

  Ms Blears
  The NHS Cancer Plan website is part of the overall Department of Health website. It is not possible to calculate either the costs of developing or maintaining a particular area of the Department of Health website. The content and format of the Cancer Plan website is currently being revised and will be launched this year.

  Cancer Registries
  Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health to which Department the Cancer Registries are responsible; whether they are covered by the code of practice on access to Government information; and if he will make a statement on the availability to the public of data from the Cancer Registries. [83249]

  Ms Blears
  Individual cancer registries in England are responsible to regional directors of public health who will act to ensure that both local and national requirements are met on behalf of the Department of Health.

  Information collected by cancer registries in England is published either by the individual registries or via the Office for National Statistics (ONS), in an aggregate format to protect patient confidentiality.

  Cancer registries conform to both the national health service code of practice on patient information and the code of practice defined by the United Kingdom Association of Cancer Registries (UKACR).

  Information processed by ONS on behalf of the Welsh cancer registry is published both by that registry and via the National Assembly for Wales.

  Care Plan Costs
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has commissioned over the past 10 years on the economic costs of complying with the NHS and Community Care Act 1990 in(a) performing assessments and (b) developing care plans for patients being discharged from hospital. [85706]

  Jacqui Smith
  While the Department has commissioned a range of research into the implementation of the changes introduced by the NHS and Community Care 324W
  Act 1990, none of this research looked specifically at the costs of undertaking assessments and developing care plans for patients being discharged from hospital. In general, however, the research confirms the cost-effectiveness of well-organised assessment and care management for vulnerable older people and other adults in hospital or the community.

  Carers
  Dr. Cable
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many(a) carers and (b) young carers of school age there are in (i) the Twickenham constituency, (ii) the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and (iii) London; what support is given to (A) carers and (B) young carers of school age; and if he will make a statement. [88819]

  Jacqui Smith
  The information on numbers of carers is not held centrally. Carers are entitled to an assessment to determine their needs as carers and eligibility for support. The Carers Grant, worth £100 million next year, provides money for local councils to provide short breaks for carers to enable them to continue in their caring role. Following my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's announcement in July the Grant will continue until 2006, during which time it will more than double to £185 million to provide extended care and 130,000 further breaks to carers.

  Additionally for young carers we are supporting the development of over 100 projects across the country to give carers of school age access to appropriate advice, information and support or leisure.

  Complementary Medicine
  Chris Grayling
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health which complementary treatments and therapies are available through the NHS. [88362]

  Ms Blears
  Front-line health professionals decide which complementary therapies to provide, depending on the evidence of their effectiveness and the availability of properly regulated practitioners. A survey of primary care trusts, conducted by the University of Sheffield in 2001, found that acupuncture, homeopathy, medical herbalism and osteopathy or chiropractic were most widely used.

  Delayed Discharges
  Mr. Burns
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many days were lost in the NHS in(a) England and (b) Wales due to delayed discharges in the last 12 months; and what was the estimated cost to the NHS. [82836]

  Jacqui Smith
  [holding answer 25 November 2002]: There was an average of 5,989 delayed transfers of care of patients of all ages in England per day, between the quarter beginning September 2001 and ending in June 2002. The broad estimate of the cost to the national health service where these patients have experienced delayed discharge in an acute hospital bed for this period is around £600,000 per day.
  325W
  Mr. Paul Marsden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in Shropshire were classed as delayed discharges in each NHS trust in the last year for which figures are available. [83186]

  Jacqui Smith
  The information requested for Shropshire is shown in the table. The figures are not directly comparable because of the structural changes within the national health service.

  Numbers of delayed discharges of patients of all ages by primary care trust

  Number

  Quarter 2 2002–03

  10

  Quarter 1 2002–03

  5

  Numbers of delayed discharges of patients of all ages by health authorities

  Quarter 4 2001–02

  9

  Quarter 3 2001–02

  27

  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 5 December 2002,Official Report, column 963W, on delayed discharges, (1) if he will (a) list the organisations his Department consulted and (b) set out the methodology his Department used when calculating the extra £100 million for social services; [86923]

  (2) what (a) assumptions and (b) data were used to make his estimate of the £100 million cost of transfer from the NHS to social services. [88562]

  Jacqui Smith
  [holding answer dated 16 December 2002]: The additional £100 million funding for social services announced on 28 November was not the subject of a formal consultation.

  The assumptions underlying the £100 million figure are as follows: assuming that local authorities reach the targets they have set themselves to reduced delayed transfers of care by March 2003, and which are conditions of their receiving Building Care Capacity Grant for that year, there will be a total of 4,200 delays on average per day. Of the 4,200 delays, it is assumed that 1,900 would be at the £100 rate per day and 2,300 at the £120 rate per day. Of these, it is assumed that social services might be responsible for some 60 per cent. On that basis and on the assumption that social services make no further progress in reducing delays beyond the March 2003 targets, the total sum that social services departments would have to pay in reimbursements to the National Health Service per year would be around £100 million.

  Mrs. Calton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the rates of delayed discharge were for health authorities in each of the last four quarters in the areas of(a) 3 star social services, (b) 2 star social services, (c) 1 star social services and (d) 0 star social services; [87322]
  (2) which 3 star social services departments chose not to allocate their funding for Delayed Discharges, Special Grant, 2002–03, to reducing delayed discharge; [87323]
  326W
  (3) what assessment he has made of the effects of the special grant for delayed discharges made available to social services departments in 2002–03; and if he will make a statement. [87324]

  Jacqui Smith
  The grant was used in a variety of ways, consistent with its purpose. High proportions of the grant were used to fund residential and nursing care placements, and increase fees. The funding allocated to councils will provide for a continued reduction in the number of delayed discharges from hospitals, so that 20 per cent. fewer beds are blocked in March 2003, compared to March 2002.

  The National Health Service Quarter 2 (September 2002) figures on delayed discharge and emergency readmission have been placed in the Library, along with earlier quarters' data. These data are not available by council areas. Delayed discharges are a joint health and social services indicator, but data are submitted to the Department on the basis of NHS organisations, the data having been agreed with their social services partners. No social services departments chose not to allocate their building care capacity grant funding to reduce delayed discharge, as this was a condition of their receipt of the grant.

  Depo-Provera
  Mrs. Calton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the availability of the Depo-Provera injection; what the effect is of the level of availability; and what steps his Department is taking in response. [88242]

  Ms Blears
  Departmental officials became aware in early November that there was a shortage of the injectable contraceptive Depo-Provera, which was caused by production problems. Officials have been in regular contact with the manufacturer of this product to assist rapid action to alleviate the shortage. Doctors were advised that if Depo-Provera was unavailable locally they should agree with women individually the most suitable alternative form of contraception for them. Supplies of this product are now available but due to the previous shortages, it may take several weeks for the situation to fully return to normal. Departmental officials will continue to closely monitor the situation.

  Drug Treatment
  Chris Grayling
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of people suffering from addiction to class A and B drugs are receiving treatment for that addiction. [88766]

  Ms Blears
  This information is not available centrally.

  In England, during the year 2000–01 the overall number of drug users reported as being in treatment was around 118,500.

  John Mann
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health of those undergoing drug treatment, how many(a) were referred by a GP, (b) are under GP supervision, (c) are heroin addicts, (d) have a dual diagnosis, (e) are prescribed (i) methadone and (ii) Subutex and (f) are in residential rehabilitation. [86695]

  Ms Blears
  Information on drug users undergoing treatment is as follows:
  327W
  In 2001–02, 16 per cent. of drug users presenting to drug treatment agencies in England were reported as having been referred by a general practitioner1.

  In the six month period ending 31 March 2001 around 35,100 clients were reported at drug treatment agencies in England; around 1,900, or five per cent. were reported to be clients presenting to general practitioners2.

  In 2001–02, 73 per cent. of individual drug users who presented to drug treatment agencies in England were reported as having heroin as their main problem drug3.

  Information about dual diagnosis is not available centrally.

  In the six month period ending 31 March 2001, about 8,000 drug misusers presenting for treatment were reported as having been prescribed methadone, amounting to 60 per cent. of all those who had been prescribed a treatment drug, and 420 buprenorphine, or three per cent. Information was collected when the individual first presented for treatment and other drugs may subsequently have been prescribed, as treatment developed4.

  Sources:

  1 Statistical press release "Provisional Statistics from the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System in England, 2001/02". http://www.doh.gov.uk/public/spndrugs0212.htm.

  2 Statistical bulletin "Statistics from the Regional Drug Misuse Databases for the six months ending March 2001". http://www.doh.gov.uk,public/sb0207.htm.

  3 Statistical press release "Provisional Statistics from the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System in England, 2001/02" http://www.doh.gov.uk/public/spndrugs0212.htm.

  4 Regional Drug Misuse Databases.

  Drug/Alcohol Treatment (Epsom)
  Chris Grayling
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 11 December 2002,Official Report, columns 392–93W, if he will make a statement on the future of the Greenbank Drug and Alcohol Inpatient Unit at West Park in Epsom. [88361]

  Ms Blears
  Information on unit closures is not routinely collected centrally. However, I am advised by Surrey and Sussex Strategic Health Authority that the Greenbank Unit is planned to close in March 2003. This decision was taken following a full public consultation.

  Surrey Oaklands National Health Service Trust has been working closely with service users and a multi-agency steering group to restructure services to meet the needs of a wider range of service users. This includes a stronger focus on drug users and socially excluded groups.

  Herbal Medicines Directive
  Mrs. Gillan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what pharmaceutical production and testing standards will be imposed on herbal remedies by the proposed Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive. [88687]

  Ms Blears
  The production and testing standards under the proposed Directive on Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products would be those which apply to herbal medicines with a marketing authorisation, but modified to the extent that there would not be a328W
  requirement to demonstrate the efficacy of a product for which a traditional use registration was sought. The proposed requirements are intended to provide appropriate consumer protection, for example, by ensuring that the correct ingredients of appropriate quality and free from unacceptable levels of contamination are used and that the proposed shelf life of the product can be supported. The specific requirements include meeting European guidelines on Good Manufacturing Practice for herbal medicines and compliance with the European Pharmacopoeia monographs for products of herbal origin.

  Home Care
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many households received older person home care in each of the last five years. [83765]

  Jacqui Smith
  [holding answer 28 November 2002]: At 31 March 2002, 661,000 older people were helped to live at home through the provision of a variety of community-based social services, an increase of 4 per cent., from 638,000 in March 1999. Community-based social services include day care, meals, transport and equipment as well as home care.

  Homeless People
  Tim Loughton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health which studies are looking at screening homeless people more effectively; and when they will be finalised. [83324]

  Ms Blears
  [holding answer 25 November 2002]: I am not aware of any Government studies currently looking at the effectiveness of health screening programmes for homeless people.

  Hospital Discharge and Readmission
  Mr. Paul Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many delayed hospital discharges there were associated with(a) delays in housing adaptations, (b) assessment for re-housing needs, and (c) other services provided by local authority housing departments in each year since 1997; [85707]

  (2) if he will place in the Library a copy of the quarter 2 2002–03 emergency readmission and delayed discharge figures for over 75s, broken down by (a) region and (b) trust. [86870]

  Jacqui Smith
  Information from quarter 2 of 2002–03 on the numbers and percentage of delayed discharges and emergency readmissions for over 75s, at primary care trust level, has been placed in the Library. No further breakdown of this data is collected centrally.

  We have recently announced the introduction of the access and systems capacity grant, which is a special grant to local councils to expand community based social care services and reduce hospital discharge. This is the first specific departmental investment in home improvement agencies and will contribute to reductions in delayed discharges by prompt supply of housing repairs and adaptations.

  Informed Consent
  Mr. Viggers
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Government have to legislate on the subject of informed consent by or on behalf of incompetent patients in advance of the implementation of European Directive 2001/20/CE. [86978]

  Ms Blears
  There are no plans to introduce such legislation prior to the introduction of the regulations to implement European Directive 2001/20/EC.

  Mental Health
  Tim Loughton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children under the age of 16 are receiving treatment for mental health problems. [88526]

  Jacqui Smith
  Children and adolescents with mental health problems are seen in a wide variety of health, social care, education and other settings, mainly at primary care level, by a wide variety of professionals. Information on total amounts is not collected centrally.

  National Drugs Treatment Monitoring System
  Chris Grayling
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the budget for the national drugs treatment monitoring system is; and by how much the system is projected to exceed its budget. [88359]

  Ms Blears
  The development of the national drug treatment monitoring system (NDTMS) has been seen as a priority project and a substantial investment has been made not only to develop the system, but also to maintain it for the next seven years. The cost of the system was originally estimated as follows:

  £

  Cost of Development

  543,484

  Cost of support and maintenance over 7 years

  600,650

  Total cost over 7 years

  1,144,134

  As with any large scale project there will always be unforeseen additional requirements, which will need further investments. In the case of the NDTMS project, additional investments have been required to maintain the interim system and to ensure the development of the full software system remains on track. At present it is estimated that the original budget for the project has been exceeded by some 8 per cent.

  Chris Grayling
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the nature and objectives of the national drugs treatment monitoring system. [88360]

  Ms Blears
  The national drug treatment monitoring system (NDTMS) is the national system for collecting information about problem drug users presenting for and entering into structured drug treatment services. The NDTMS will also gather information on the number of people who sustain and complete treatment programmes. The primary function of the NDTMS is to provide information on the national drugs strategy treatment target:330W
  "To increase the participation of problem drug users in drug treatment programmes by 55 per cent. by 2004 and by 100 per cent. by 2008, and increase year on year the proportion of users successfully sustaining or completing treatment programmes".

  The system will become fully operational on 1 April 2003.

  NHS Pensions Agency
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many(a) nurses and (h) health care workers applied to the NHS Pensions Agency for permanent injury benefit for a disorder in the year from Apri12001 to March 2002; and how many were successful at (i) their first application and (ii) subsequent appeal; [89108]

  (2) how many (a) nurses and (b) health care workers applied to the NHS Pensions Agency for permanent injury benefit relating to muscular skeletal disorders in the year from April 2001 to March 2002; and how many were successful at (i) their first application and (ii) subsequent appeal. [89109]

  Mr. Hutton
  I will reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

  Reproductive Health Services
  Mr. Amess
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much he gave in each of the last five years to(a) Marie Stopes International, (b) International Planned Parenthood Federation, (c) British Pregnancy Advisory Service, (d) Pregnancy Advisory Service, (e) United Nations Population Fund and (f) Family Planning Association (UK) for the purpose of (i) abortion, (ii) family planning and (iii) other reproductive health services; and how much was given by his Department to other organisations, in each of the last five years for which figures are available, to promote reproductive (A) health care, (B) abortion and (C) family planning, broken down by organisation. [86857]

  Ms Blears
  The Department has not provided any funding to Marie Stopes International, International Planned Parenthood Federation, British Pregnancy Advisory Service, the Pregnancy Advisory Service (which is no longer in existence) or the United Nations Population Fund in any of the last five years. Funding has been given to the organisations shown in the table.

  Funding for Brook Advisory Centres includes funding for various projects and core funding under the Section 64 General Scheme (Section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968) to support the central office of this organisation for the purpose of reproductive health services and advice for young people aged under 25. Funding for the fpa includes funding for various projects and Section 64 funding to support the central office of the organisation. Funding for the Contraceptive Education Service is for the purposes of providing reproductive health advice and

  331W
  information to the public and health professionals. Funding for Education for Choice was to support specific projects for the purposes of education on

  £

  1998–99

  1999–2000

  2000–01

  2001–02

  2002–03

  Total

  Brook Advisory Centres

  158,953

  126,460

  121,000

  120,000

  120,000

  646,413

  fpa (formerly the Family Planning Association)

  189,400

  315,500

  212,000

  209,000

  80,000

  1,005,900

  fpa (Contraceptive Education Service)

  900,000

  900,000

  900,000

  900,000

  975,000

  4,575,000

  Education for Choice

  31,000

  52,000

  83,000

  Fertility UK

  25,000

  35,000

  30,000

  30,000

  120,000

  1,248,353

  1,341,960

  1,264,000

  1,311,000

  1,175,000

  6,340,313

  Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital
  Gregory Barker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what NHS funding is allocated for total parental care(a) within the NHS and (b) administered at The Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital, Brighton. [81931]

  Ms Blears
  The information requested is not available from the Department, as expenditure on total parenteral nutrition cannot be disaggregated centrally from funding allocations.

  Sexual Health
  Mrs. Calton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money has been spent by the Government on sexual health in each of the last six years. [86569]

  Ms Blears
  Prior to the development of the sexual health and HIV strategy, there was no central departmental budget for sexual health. Funding was available under the Section 64 General Scheme (section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968) and other central budgets to fund a variety of projects and organisations involved in sexual health provision and health promotion. Allocations for HIV/AIDS, which were mainstreamed from April 2002; are shown in the table.

  Following publication of the sexual health and HIV strategy, new investment of £47.5 million was announced to support initiatives in the strategy. During 2001–02, we invested £5.5 million to prepare for implementation. During 2002–03, we have invested a further £14 million, including over £5 million in genitourinary medicine services, £1.5 million to roll out the chlamydia screening programme and £2 million to launch the national information campaign.

  The vast majority of funding for sexual health services is from mainstream national health service allocations to health authorities, up to March 2002, and primary care trusts.

  HIV/AIDS funding, England

  £ million

  NHS

  Local authorities

  Voluntary sector

  1996–97

  237.7

  13.7

  1.63

  1997–98

  251.9

  13.7

  1.52

  1998–99

  281.4

  13.7

  1.58

  1999–2000

  286.4

  15.5

  1.60

  2000–01

  289.4

  16.0

  1.32

  2001–02

  331.0

  16.5

  1.16

  332W
  pregnancy choices and funding for Fertility UK was Section 64 funding to support the central office of this organisation for the purposes of family planning.

  Social Work Admissions System
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many applications were received by the social work admissions system in each of the last five years. [84808]

  Jacqui Smith
  [holding answer 3 December 2002]: The number of individual social worker applications received by the social work admissions system in each of the last five years were:

  Year

  Number

  1998

  6,254

  1999

  5,175

  2000

  4,723

  2001

  4,703

  2002

  5,093

  We also know that additional applications are likely to have been made direct to the course providers.

  Unpasteurised Milk and Cream
  John McDonnell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Government have to ban the sale of unpasteurised(a) milk and (b) cream. [88950]

  Ms Blears
  There are no plans to ban sales of unpasteurised milk and cream in England and Wales.

  In Northern Ireland, there are no known sales of these products.

  In Scotland, sales of raw cows' drinking milk and cream are banned, and there are plans to extend a ban to all raw drinking milk and cream.

WORK AND PENSIONS

  Fraud
  Mr. Heald
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many telephone calls were made to the National Benefit Fraud Hotline in(a) January, (b) February and (c) March in (i) 1999, (ii) 2000, (iii) 2001, and (iv) 2002. [86994]

  Malcolm Wicks [pursuant to his reply, 17 December 2002, Official Report, c. 772W]: The information requested is in the table.
  333W

  Number of calls to the National Benefit Fraud Hotline

  Year

  January

  February

  March

  1999

  13,925

  13,798

  16,901

  2000

  14,272

  19,285

  23,118

  2001

  17,340

  18,191

  28,093

  2002

  18,621

  15,871

  18,199

  Source:

  National Benefit Fraud Hotline

  Pension Credit
  Dr. Cable
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners within the(a) Twickenham constituency, (b) London borough of Richmond upon Thames and (c) London will benefit from the introduction of the pension tax credit in October 2003; and if he will make a statement. [88817]

  Mr. McCartney
  Estimates of Pension Credit entitlement are not available on an individual constituency or regional basis due to the insufficient sample cases in the survey data used. However just under half of all pensioner households across Great Britain will be eligible for Pension Credit. Such information as is available relates to pensioners receiving the Minimum Income Guarantee and is as follows:

  Area

  MIG Recipients1

  Twickenham PC

  1,600

  LB Richmond upon Thames

  2,700

  London Government Office Region

  212,100

  1 As at August 2002

  Source:

  Income Support Quarterly Statistical Enquiry, August 2002

  Pension Service
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what criteria will be placed on deciding eligibility to a home visit from the Pension Service; and which benefit forms the visiting officers will be trained to help pensioners with. [86884]

  Mr. McCartney
  [holding answer 12 December 2002]: Where a pensioner requires a home visit from The Pension Service we expect to be able to provide one. Pensioners will have that option. There is as such no set criteria for deciding eligibility to a home visit although we expect the vast majority of queries will be dealt with swiftly and effectively without the need for a home visit. Indeed a simple call to a pension centre is likely to be the most effective and satisfactory way of dealing with customers' inquiries without the delay of appointments.

  Our local service staff will be trained on pensioner entitlements including how to help our customers fill out application forms. This training will include detailed completion of claim forms for Minimum Income Guarantee, Retirement Pension, Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance, Invalid Care allowance and Pension Credit. In addition staff will be trained to signpost customers with possible entitlement to Industrial Injuries, Constant Attendance Allowance, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit, Social Fund, Bereavement Benefit and general NHS information.

  Pensions
  Mr. Webb
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the effect is of a short period of residence in the UK on the rate of retirement pension payable to a British citizen living overseas in a country where pensions in payment are not subject to annual uprating. [88793]

  Mr. McCartney
  When a British citizen who is eligible for a UK State Pension returns to the UK, their State Pension is uprated for the duration of their stay only.

  Winter Fuel Payment
  Dr. Cable
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners within the(a) Twickenham constituency, (b) London borough of Richmond upon Thames and (c) London failed to claim the winter fuel allowance for the 2001 period; and if he will make a statement. [88818]

  Mr. McCartney
  The information is not available in the format requested. Most, but not all, people aged 60 and over are eligible for a Winter Fuel Payment. The vast majority of those eligible receive their payment automatically, without the need to claim. Of those who need to claim, it is up to the individual to choose whether to do so.

  However, for winter 2001–02, over 17,000 people in Twickenham constituency, some 29,000 people in Richmond upon Thames local authority area and just over one million people in London received Winter Fuel Payments.

  Source:

  Matching Intelligence Data Analysis Service Winter Fuel Payment 2001–02 exercise.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

  Students
  15. Mr. Swayne
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to change the Government's targets for students entering higher education. [89221]

  Margaret Hodge
  It remains the Government's aim, as set out in the Department's public service agreement, to increase higher education participation towards 50 per cent. of 18 to 30-year-olds by the end of the decade. I will be publishing a strategy for higher education later this month which will include our plans for achieving the target.

  Truancy
  16. Mr. Robathan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent research he has commissioned into truancy. [89222]

  Mr. Ivan Lewis
  The Department has commissioned research on the causes of truancy from school as part of its research programme which will be published around the end of this month. We are also evaluating the outcomes of the recent national truancy sweep exercise.

  Sure Start
  17. Huw Irranca-Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on progress with the sure start scheme. [89223]

  Mr. Stephen Twigg
  The first sure start programme, announced in 1998, has worked by bringing together early education, child care, health and family support for the benefit of young children living in disadvantaged areas and their parents.

  On 11 December the Government launched the new sure start programme (in England) which will support families from pregnancy until children are 14. The new sure start will bring together universal, free, early education and more and better child care, with greater support where there is greater need, through child care tax credit, children's centres, and on-going support for sure start local programmes.

  Exclusion
  18. Mr. Bercow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on progress with the education and behaviour of children excluded from mainstream schooling. [89224]

  Mr. Ivan Lewis
  All local education authorities were committed to offering a full timetable to permanently excluded pupils from September 2002. In targeted schools in 34 local authorities provision is also being made for those excluded on a temporary basis. These arrangements will be extended to a further 27 local authorities in the coming year.

  Qualifications
  19. Dr. Palmer
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the analysis he has made of the degree to which the provision of education and training will match the economic demand for qualifications in the next 10 years. [89225]

  Mr. Miliband
  The Government have established sector skills councils to ensure that economic demand is more clearly articulated and the learning and skills council to ensure that provision is responsive to meet demand.

  We are also working with key partners to ensure that advances in new technology result in improved choice and quality for learners.

  Maintained schools, full-time equivalent1 number of teaching assistants by type of school—1997–2002—position in January each year—England

  1997

  1998

  1999

  2000

  2001

  2002

  Teaching Assistants2

  Nursery

  2,119.1

  2,099.3

  2,201.1

  2,249.0

  2,322.9

  2,476.4

  Primary3

  39,751.2

  42,726.6

  44,444.4

  51,127.3

  63,175.9

  69,307.0

  Secondary3

  7,820.8

  8,973.4

  10,590.1

  12,451.7

  15,466.6

  19,527.6

  Special4

  11,302.8

  12,140.2

  12,681.0

  13,424.9

  14,227.4

  14,246.9

  336W
  Research and analysis on the value of education and training will be summarised in a forthcoming Department for Education and Skills publication, "Education and Skills: The Economic Benefit".

  Admissions
  Mr. Brady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when new admissions arrangements provided for under the Education Act 2002 will come into effect. [88941]

  Mr. Miliband
  Some sections of the Act dealing with admissions have already been commenced. Most depend for implementation on Regulations, to be read in conjunction with revised Codes of Practice on School Admissions and School Admission Appeals. Subject to Parliamentary approval, the Regulations and Codes of Practice are expected to come into force on 20 January. Most aspects of the Regulations and Codes are intended to apply to admission arrangements affecting intakes from September 2004, which means, for example, that each LEA must have an admission forum in place by 20 March 2003. The obligation to co-ordinate admission arrangements applies to intakes from 2005 but LEAs are encouraged to co-ordinate secondary intakes earlier.

  Basic Needs Funding (Wokingham)
  Mrs. May
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of whether Wokingham Unitary Authority would qualify for the last round of Basic Needs funding; and what discussions he has had with Wokingham Unitary Authority on its ability to qualify for the last round of Basic Needs funding. [89252]

  Mr. Miliband
  All local education authorities (LEAs) were invited to bid for Basic Need funding when the guidance for 2003–04 was issued on 30 July 2002, and the deadline for LEAs to submit their bids was 30 September 2002. It was for LEAs to decide whether or not to bid for funding based on the criteria in the guidance. Wokingham LEA did not submit any bids for Basic Need funding in 2003–04. Officials within the Department confirmed with Helen Rowlay at the LEA that no bids were being made.

  Classroom Assistants
  Mr. Damian Green
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many classroom assistants were in service in England in each year since 1997 in(a) primary schools, (b) secondary schools and (c) all schools. [89308]

  Mr. Miliband
  The information requested is shown in the table.
  337W

  Maintained schools: full-time equivalent1 number of teaching assistants by type of school—1997–2002—position in January each year—England

  1997

  1998

  1999

  2000

  2001

  2002

  Pupil Referral Units

  267.8

  366.1

  428.9

  538.6

  622.7

  891.7

  Total Teaching Assistants

  61,261.7

  66,305.6

  70,345.4

  79,791.6

  95,815.5

  106,449.6

  1 Includes both full-time and the full-time equivalent of part-time non-teaching staff.

  2 Includes nursery assistants, special needs support staff, minority ethnic pupil support staff and non-teaching assistants. Excludes administrative staff, technicians and other non-teaching staff.

  3 Includes middle schools as deemed.

  4 Includes non-maintained special schools and special and general hospital schools.

  Source:

  Annual Schools Census

  Departmental Advertising
  Mr. Damian Green
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much money his Department has spent on(a) advertising, (b) marketing and (c) public relations in each year since 1997; and on which projects this money has been spent. [89297]

  Mr. Stephen Twigg
  Expenditure from the Department's central advertising and publicity budget is as follows:

  £000

  1997–98

  10,879

  1998–99

  13,426

  1999–2000

  9,902

  2000–01

  14,595

  2001–02

  11,688

  2002–031

  4,413

  1 Year to date

  In addition to expenditure from this central budget, expenditure from budgets allocated to individual programmes will also include spend on publicity related activity. However, it is not possible, except at disproportionate cost, to separately identify all such publicity related expenditure.

  What is possible is to identify expenditure on advertising and public relations drawn from all budgets and this is as follows:

  £000

  Advertising

  Public Relations

  1997–98

  9,992

  0

  1998–99

  15,673

  549

  1999–2000

  11,900

  88

  2000–01

  29,066

  794

  2001–02

  20,489

  1,574

  2002–031

  8,817

  1,567

  1 Year to date

  Campaigns over £500,000 are:

  £

  1997–98

  Disability Discrimination

  521,000

  Modern Apprenticeships

  912,000

  National Traineeships

  800,000

  New Deal

  6,409,000

  338W

  £

  1998–99

  New Deal

  4,772,000

  Reading and Literacy

  3,648,000

  Disability Discrimination

  1,924,000

  National Traineeships

  1,502,000

  Learning Direct

  619,000

  Career Development Loans

  604,000

  Millennium Bug Busters

  585,000

  1999–2000

  Disability Discrimination

  2,643,000

  Maths Year 2000

  2,322,000

  Age Diversity

  1,128,000

  National Traineeships

  1,077,000

  One

  873,000

  Childcare Link

  810,000

  Time Off for Study

  702,000

  2000–01

  Don't Quit Now

  2,700,000

  New Deal 50 +

  2,400,000

  ICT Employability

  2,011,000

  Childcare Recruitment

  1,821,000

  Disability Discrimination

  1,242,000

  Modern Apprenticeships

  856,000

  Individual Learning Accounts

  612,000

  Fast Track Teachers

  1,056,000

  Parents' Magazine

  1,484,000

  2001–02

  Childcare Recruitment

  2,505,000

  New Deal 50 +

  673,000

  Adult Basic Skills

  5,096,000

  Foundation Degrees

  1,816,000

  Modern Apprenticeships

  1,560,000

  Science Year 2001–02

  1,803,000

  Childcare Link

  584,000

  Connexions

  1,277,000

  Fast Track Teachers

  1,250,000

  Parents Magazine

  770,000

  Aim Higher

  1,750,000

  Millennium Volunteers

  848,000

  2002–031

  Childcare Recruitment

  666,000

  Aim Higher

  2,650,000

  Foundation Degrees

  542,000

  Connexions

  1,166,000

  Adult Basic Skills

  3,369,000

  1 Year to date

  Dyslexia
  Mr. Gerrard
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what guidance has been issued to local education authorities on the undertaking of tests to determine whether a school pupil is dyslexic; [89340]
  339W
  (2) what his policy is on (a) updating assessments of children who have previously been assessed as dyslexic and (b) the incorporation of support for dyslexia in statements of special educational needs. [89341]

  Mr. Ivan Lewis
  Guidance on identifying and assessing children's special educational needs is given in the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice, to which schools and local education authorities must have regard. The guidance is organised under four broad areas of need—communication and interaction; cognition and learning; behaviour, emotional and social development; and sensory and/or physical needs—to recognise that children often have needs in one or more areas. Dyslexia is referred to specifically in relation to communication and interaction and cognition and learning. The Department has also produced specific guidance to support pupils with dyslexia as part of the National Literacy Strategy.

  Local education authorities (LEAs) must review statements of special educational needs at least annually to ensure that the educational provision specified remains appropriate. It is for individual LEAs to decide whether to reassess children previously assessed as dyslexic, taking into account the provisions of section 328 and 329A of the Educational Act 1996, and the advice contained in the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice. LEAs must also decide upon the appropriate level of support to include in statements for such pupils, having regard to the statutory guidance contained in the Code of Practice and the advice they have obtained as part of the statutory assessment of the child's special educational needs.

  Education Act 2002
  Mr. Brady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list(a) schools and (b) local education authorities which have expressed an interest in establishing companies under the provisions of the Education Act 2002; and for what purpose. [88883]

  Mr. Miliband
  Provisions of the Education Act 2002 concerning school companies will commence on 20 January 2003, at the same time as relevant regulations come into force, and therefore no such school companies yet exist.

  Although some schools and LEAs have contacted officials to discuss the power to form or join school companies, these inquiries are purely informal.

  Regulation 25 of The School Companies Regulations 2002 and Regulation 17 of The School Companies (Private Finance Initiative Companies) Regulations 2002 provide for the supervising authority of a school company to notify the Secretary of State of certain details concerning the school company. Through this notification the Secretary of State will know the number of school companies in existence at any one time.

  Education Facilities (Wokingham)
  Mrs. May
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his answer of 20 November 2002,Official Report, column 142–43W, on education facilities (Wokingham), if he will place in the Library the list of criteria against which the PFI proposals were judged; why these criteria were chosen,
  340W
  what the (a) scoring system and (b) methodology used to assess the criteria were against which the PFI proposals were judged; and what weighting was given to each criterion when converting the scores into the ranking of the PFI proposal. [89253]

  Mr. Miliband
  Proposals from local education authorities for the 2003–04 schools PFI bidding round were assessed against five main criteria:

  (a) the extent to which the project would contribute to raising educational standards and to tackling the most urgent premises related needs;

  (b) the contribution to wider DfES and school priorities and initiatives;

  (c) the contribution to wider Government priorities and initiatives;

  (d) value-for-money;

  (e) the contribution to the future development of public private partnerships, including PFI.

  I have today placed a full copy of the bidding guidance for the 2003–04 PFI round in the Library.

  Each proposal was evaluated independently by two officials from the Department's schools private finance unit and moderated through discussion with the full team of assessors. Technical assessment was provided by external quantity surveyors and the advice of other officials in the Department was sought, where appropriate.

  The scores were weighted across the first three criteria, as follows:

  (a) 40 per cent.

  (b) 30 per cent.

  (c) 30 per cent.

  Criteria (d) and (e) were not included in the above weightings but assessed on a pass or fail basis.

  Education Funding
  Mr. Reed
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the education funding provision is in 2003–04(a) for Leicestershire and (b) on average for English counties for (i) primary and (ii) secondary pupils. [88622]

  Mr. Miliband
  The average primary and secondary formula spending share per pupil for Leicestershire and for upper tier authorities is set out in the table.

  £

  Average level of primary formula spending share per pupil

  Average level of secondary formula spending share per pupil

  Leicestershire

  2,083

  2,663

  Upper tier authorities

  2,184

  2,771

  341W
  The new system of funding for LEAs consists of a basic entitlement which is the same for all pupils, plus a top up for all deprived pupils, which is the same for all deprived pupils, and a further top up for those LEAs in areas with additional costs for recruitment and retention of staff. The average formula spending share per pupil for upper tier authorities is higher than for Leicestershire, because most upper tier authorities have a higher percentage of deprived pupils, and some have higher area costs.

  Mr. Reed
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the(a) cash and (b) percentage change in education funding for Leicestershire County Council local education authority in each year from 1991–92 to the latest year for which figures are available. [88623]

  Mr. Miliband
  The tables show the Department's total Education Standard Spending Assessment (ESSA), revenue and capital grant allocated to Leicestershire local education authority for the financial years 1997–98 to 2002–03 along with cash and percentage change for these years. 2002–03 figures are to date and provisional. The local government reorganisation and changes in ESSA methodology means that data for financial years 1991–92 to 1996–97 does not conform to current boundaries so comparable figures are not available.

  Education standard spending assessment and revenue grant

  £million

  Total cash

  Year on year cash change

  Year on year percentage change

  1997–98

  207.9

  N/A

  N/A

  1998–99

  221.8

  +13.9

  +7

  1999–2000

  238.6

  +16.8

  +8

  2000–01

  266.1

  27.5

  +12

  2001–02

  290.2

  24.1

  +9

  2002–03

  310.4

  20.2

  +7

  Note:

  Revenue funding comprises Standards Fund Grant (Departmental contribution), School Standards Grant, School Budget Support Grant, Education Budget Support Grant, Post 16 Budget Support Grant, Nursery Education Grant, Childcare Grant, Teachers Pay Reform Grant, Education Maintenance Allowance, Transitional Funding and Transitional Insurance Grant.

  Capital

  £million

  Total cash

  Year on year cash change

  Year on year percentage change

  1997–98

  2.9

  N/A

  N/A

  1998–99

  6.5

  +3.6

  +124

  1999–2000

  9.0

  +2.5

  +38

  2000–01

  21.0

  +12.0

  +133

  2001–02

  15.7

  -5.3

  -25

  2002–03

  25.0

  +9.3

  +59

  Note:

  Funding includes Basic Need (ACG), Standards Fund Grant (Departmental contribution), Voluntary Aided School Grant, Schools Access Initiative, Supplementary Credit Approvals and, New Deal for Schools Grant.

  General Teaching Council
  Mr. Brady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the unit cost is of collecting General Teaching Council registration fees by(a) compulsory deduction and (b) voluntary payments. [88887]

  Mr. Miliband
  I am informed by the General Teaching Council that it estimates the direct cost to the Council of collecting the registration fee for 2002–03 through voluntary payments from 153,000 teachers to be £90,000. The direct cost incurred by the Council in respect of a further 227,000 teachers whose fee was deducted from salary is estimated to be £166,000. The Council expects administrative costs to reduce next year as fee collection processes bed down.

  Individual Learning Accounts
  Mr. Damian Green
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimates he has made of the money lost through fraudulent activities associated with the individual learning account scheme. [89309]

  Mr. Ivan Lewis
  The precise extent of fraudulent activity within the Individual Learning Account programme will not be known until the Department's investigations are complete. However, the Department estimates that fraud and serious irregularities may amount to some £67 million.

  Modern Apprenticeships
  Dr. Stoate
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what hourly rate of pay an individual who signs up for a modern apprenticeship is entitled to receive during the course of his or her training. [88731]

  Mr. Ivan Lewis
  There is no national or average hourly rate of pay for modern apprentices. The rate of pay for a modern apprentice is agreed by the employer and the individual apprentice. Modern apprentices are either paid a wage by their employer or receive a training allowance. The minimum training allowance is £40 per week.

  Music Teaching
  Nick Harvey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent research his Department has undertaken to assess the music literacy of children in schools; and if he will make a statement. [88679]

  Mr. Miliband
  The Department for Education and Skills has carried out no recent research into the music literacy of children in schools. However, the effectiveness of National Curriculum music continues to be monitored through teacher assessments at the end of Key Stage 3.

  Last year, the Department conducted a national survey of instrumental lessons and other music activities provided by LEA Music Services. A summary of the results is available on the DfES website at www.dfes.gov.uk/musicservices

  Nick Harvey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he is taking to encourage(a) teaching, (b) listening to and

  343W
  (c) participation in music in schools; and how much his Department has spent on music in schools in each year since 1997. [88680]

  Mr. Miliband
  Music is a statutory entitlement for all pupils up to the age of 14, and can be taken as an option at Key Stage 4.

  My Department is strongly committed to music education and has a number of projects underway to encourage the teaching and learning of music in schools. For example, we have made a commitment, over time, to offer every primary school child the opportunity to learn a musical instrument. We have commissioned the QCA to produce new units for the music schemes of work to help teachers work more effectively with peripatetic music specialists and to develop their confidence and skills; and we are exploring best practice in music education through the inspection of LEA Music Services; through a network of advanced skills teachers for music; and through six pilot projects focusing primarily on instrumental tuition at Key Stage 2.

  With regard to the amount spent on music in schools, it is for individual schools to use their budgets as they judge appropriate, in music as in other areas. Additional funds from this Department come primarily through the Music Standards Fund (MSF) and the Music and Dance Scheme (MDS). Since it was set up in 1999, this Department has provided around £125 million through the MSF for the protection and expansion of LEA Music Services; while the MDS has allocated just under £65 million to gifted and talented young musicians since 1997 through its Aided Pupil Scheme.

  National Insurance (Teachers)
  Mr. Syms
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much the increases in national insurance on teachers' salaries will cost, expressed on a per pupil basis, in the next financial year. [89216]

  Mr. Miliband
  The estimated costs of the increase in national insurance contributions for teachers will be in the region of £15 per pupil in 2003–04 when overall funding per pupil will rise by an average of £140 in real terms.

  Pupil Violence
  Mr. Brady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many serious injuries to teachers caused by violence were reported to the Health and Safety Executive in each year from 1999–2000 to 2001–02. [88885]

  Mr. Miliband
  The Health and Safety Executive statistics for all school and post-school teaching sectors in Great Britain cover reported injuries that lead to an absence from work of more than three days. In 1999–2000 there were 160 such reported injuries. In 2000–01 there were 171. The provisional figure for 2001–02 is 143.

  Patrick Mercer
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many(a) teachers and (b) head teachers have encountered violence or abuse from pupils in each year since 1997. [89212]
  344W
  Mr. Ivan Lewis
  The information requested is not centrally collected. But any act of violence or abuse against heads, teachers or other school staff is one too many. Pupils must respect the authority of school staff, and parents must take their share of responsibility. That is why we are proposing to extend Parenting Orders.

  School Exams (Re-marked Papers)
  Mr. Brady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of re-marked papers at(a) GCSE, (b) AS-level and (c) A-level resulted in marks being (i) increased and (ii) decreased in each of the last three years. [88939]

  Mr. Miliband
  The data for 2002 are currently being collated by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority and will be included in the authority's annual report on inquiries on results and appeals to be published in April. Re-mark or inquiries on results outcomes have only included the possibility of a reduction in grade since 2001. Data for 2000 and 2001 are set out as follows.

  2000

  2001

  Percentage of entries involved in inquiries

  Percentage of inquiries where grade raised

  Percentage of entries involved in inquiries

  Percentages of inquiries where grade raised

  Percentage of inquiries where grade lowered

  A-level

  3.8

  16

  2.6

  18.8

  1.2

  AS-level

  1.5

  15

  2.5

  16.5

  0.5

  GCSE

  1.0

  11

  0.8

  16.9

  0.1

  Schools (Race Relations)
  Mr. Brady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools did not have a written statement of race relations policy in place by 31 May. [88889]

  Mr. Stephen Twigg
  The Commission for Racial Equality has responsibility for the enforcement of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2002. Ofsted is responsible, through their routine school inspections, for ensuring that schools have a written race equality policy in place. There is no information currently available to indicate how many schools have not complied with this specific duty.

  Schools (Specialist Status)
  Mr. Green
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools have been granted specialist status in each year since 1997, broken down by(a) local education authority and (b) category of specialism. [89302]

  Mr. Miliband
  The information requested has been placed in the Library.

  Secondary Schools (Admission Policies)
  Jeremy Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what advice he gives to local education authorities on admission policies to secondary schools from out of area children; and if he will make a statement. [89373]
  345W
  Mr. Miliband
  Local education authorities (LEAs) and admission authorities for schools may set their own admission arrangements, as long as they comply with legislation and have regard to the statutory Code of Practice on School Admissions. The Code gives advice to LEAs and schools on setting admission arrangements, and refers to the 'Greenwich Judgement' of 1989 which ruled that LEA maintained schools could not refuse applications simply because a child did not live in the Authority's administrative area. However, admission policies may give priority for entry to oversubscribed schools to children who live within a specified catchment area, to those who live closest to the school, or (for secondary schools) to those who attend named "feeder" schools. These, and the many other criteria which are used to determine priority for admission to schools, may include children who live both inside and outside a LEA's area.

  Teachers' Hours
  Mr. Damian Green
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average working week for teachers in England was in each year since 1997 in(a) primary schools, (b) secondary schools and (c) all schools. [89307]

  Mr. Miliband
  Information on the average working week for teachers for each year since 1997 is not available. The School Teachers' Review Body has carried out diary studies on over 3,000 teachers in 300 schools based on one week in March 1994, 1996 and 2000. Their findings in respect of the average hours per week worked were as follows:

  Primary

  Secondary

  Classroom teachers

  1994

  48.8

  48.9

  1996

  50.8

  50.3

  2000

  52.8

  51.3

  Headteachers

  1994

  55.4

  61.1

  1996

  55.7

  61.7

  2000

  58.9

  60.8

  Threshold Assessments
  Mr. Brady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills in what proportion of cases the threshold assessment made by a headteacher has been overturned in each round of applications. [88940]

  Mr. Miliband
  Details about the proportion of threshold assessments made by headteachers in England and Wales which were overturned in each round of applications can be found in the following table:

  Percentage

  Round

  Overturned headteacher assessments

  1

  0.24%

  2

  0.29%

  3

  †

  *England only. Information in Wales not collected in Round 1

  † Information not available until summer 2003

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

  Affordable Housing
  Mrs. Calton
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has(a) to increase the supply of affordable housing in areas of shortage and (b) to make changes to reduce the loss of housing stock through the Right to Buy. [88546]

  Mr. McNulty
  In his statement to the House about sustainable communities on 18 July 2002,Official Report, column 438, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister promised to return to the House with a comprehensive long-term programme of action to tackle a number of housing and planning issues in order to deliver a step change in the Government's policies for building successful, thriving and inclusive communities in all regions. The statement, which will be made shortly, will set out how the additional funding announced in the 2002 spending review will be used and what it will buy over the three years up to 2005–06. It will cover the provision of affordable housing in areas of shortage.

  The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is concerned about some aspects of the way in which the Right to Buy is operating, and about exploitation of the rules, and is looking at ways of addressing this.

  Homeless People
  Sandra Gidley
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many homeless people, broken down by local authority, have been placed in hotel annexes of self-contained accommodation where meals were not provided in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [89125]

  Mrs. Roche
  Information distinguishing the number of households accommodated in self-contained hotel annexes has only been collected since March 2002 (previously, local authorities recorded such accommodation either as bed and breakfast or as private sector accommodation). These annexes are not necessarily directly attached to a hotel, and meals may or may not be provided, but the household has exclusive use of all facilities.

  Information on households in such accommodation confirmed, or not reported, by local authorities in England at the end of each quarter since March 2002 is presented in the table; authorities not listed reported nil returns.

  Homeless households accommodated by local authorities in self-contained hotel annexes during 2002, as at

  30 March

  30 June

  30 September

  Adur

  2

  1—

  1—

  Arun

  0

  1—

  0

  Babergh

  1—

  1—

  0

  Barking and Dagenham

  1

  0

  0

  Barnet

  482

  1—

  682

  Basildon

  1—

  0

  1—

  Bexley

  40

  34

  34

  Boston

  0

  1—

  0

  Bradford

  0

  0

  5

  Brent

  16

  11

  4

  Bromley

  36

  37

  30

  Broxbourne

  17

  9

  22

  Calderdale

  2

  0

  0

  Camden

  310

  305

  376

  Carrick

  0

  0

  1—

  347W

  Homeless households accommodated by local authorities in
  self-contained hotel annexes during 2002, as at

  30 March

  30 June

  30 September

  Chelmsford

  1—

  0

  0

  Chesterfield

  1—

  1—

  0

  Christchurch

  3

  0

  8

  City of London

  13

  12

  12

  Colchester

  0

  0

  1—

  Craven

  0

  0

  1—

  Crawley

  0

  1—

  1—

  Dartford

  1

  1—

  1

  Doncaster

  2

  2

  0

  Dudley

  0

  0

  1—

  Ealing

  9

  19

  68

  Easington

  0

  0

  1

  East Cambridgeshire

  0

  18

  0

  East Riding of Yorkshire

  0

  1—

  0

  East Staffordshire

  1

  0

  0

  Eastbourne

  22

  0

  0

  Elmbridge

  0

  0

  1—

  Enfield

  820

  833

  827

  Epsom and Ewell

  0

  0

  1

  Erewash

  1—

  1—

  0

  Fylde

  1—

  0

  0

  Greenwich

  3

  29

  2

  Guildford

  0

  0

  1

  Hackney

  1—

  1—

  92

  Halton

  1—

  0

  1—

  Hammersmith and Fulham

  1—

  0

  0

  Harborough

  1—

  0

  0

  Haringey

  1—

  1—

  1—

  Harrow

  4

  10

  8

  Havering

  1—

  0

  0

  Hertsmere

  0

  6

  7

  Hillingdon

  120

  119

  88

  Hounslow

  0

  0

  45

  Ipswich

  0

  0

  1

  Islington

  1—

  1—

  297

  Kensington and Chelsea

  0

  294

  349

  Kirklees

  0

  0

  1—

  Knowsley

  2

  1—

  0

  Lambeth

  1—

  130

  183

  Leicester

  1—

  1—

  0

  Lewes

  1

  0

  0

  Lewisham

  1—

  0

  0

  Luton

  66

  37

  69

  Macclesfield

  1—

  1—

  1—

  Medway

  7

  1—

  1—

  Merton

  0

  6

  2

  Mid Sussex

  1

  0

  0

  Newcastle upon Tyne

  0

  1—

  1—

  Newham

  1—

  184

  198

  Northampton

  0

  0

  1

  Nottingham City

  1—

  1—

  1—

  Oxford

  1—

  1—

  0

  Pen with

  0

  1—

  0

  Portsmouth

  9

  13

  14

  Preston

  0

  1—

  1—

  Purbeck

  0

  1

  8

  Redbridge

  91

  122

  91

  Richmond upon Thames

  1

  21

  18

  Richmondshire

  1

  0

  0

  Rotherham

  0

  2

  0

  Solihull

  0

  0

  1—

  South Bedfordshire

  0

  0

  1—

  South Gloucestershire

  0

  0

  7

  South Somerset

  1—

  0

  0

  Southwark

  1—

  7

  20

  Spelthorne

  0

  1—

  1—

  Stockport

  0

  11

  17

  Sunderland

  0

  0

  1—

  Surrey Heath

  3

  4

  3

  Sutton

  5

  6

  3

  Tameside

  1

  5

  6

  Tamworth

  0

  1—

  0

  Three Rivers

  0

  1

  0

  Torbay

  16

  16

  0

  Torridge

  0

  0

  2

  Tower Hamlets

  177

  149

  99

  Tunbridge Wells

  6

  9

  6

  Walsall

  0

  0

  1—

  Waltham Forest

  193

  225

  249

  Warrington

  1—

  1—

  1—

  West Berkshire

  0

  1—

  0

  West Lindsey

  1—

  0

  0

  348W

  Homeless households accommodated by local authorities in
  self-contained hotel annexes during 2002, as at

  30 March

  30 June

  30 September

  West Oxfordshire

  1

  0

  1

  West Somerset

  0

  1

  0

  West Wiltshire

  0

  0

  4

  Westminster

  107

  90

  134

  Winchester

  0

  1—

  1—

  Windsor and Maidenhead

  1

  0

  0

  Woking

  1—

  0

  0

  Wokingham

  0

  2

  20

  Wolverhampton

  0

  0

  1—

  1 Not reported

  Sandra Gidley
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which of the top 44 authorities have indicated that they anticipate meeting the commitment that no homeless family with children will live in bed and breakfast accommodation by March 2003, as stated in Issue No 5 of the Bed and Breakfast Unit Newsletter. [89126]

  Mrs. Roche
  The Government have made a clear commitment that by March 2004 no local authority should place a homeless family with children in Bed and Breakfast accommodation other than in an emergency, and even then for no more than six weeks. In April 44 of the highest using B&B authorities were required to produce bed and breakfast action plans detailing how they would meet the commitment by March 2004. Some authorities set out ambitious plans to meet the commitment a year early in March 2003, 10 currently appear on target to do so:London borough of Camden, Brighton and Hove city council, London borough of Richmond upon Thames, Colchester borough council, London borough of Waltham Forest, Poole unitary council, City of York council, Royal borough of Kingston, Hastings borough council, London borough of Harrow.

  Homelessness Act
  Mr. Love
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what evaluation has been undertaken of the implementation by local housing authorities of the Homelessness Act 2002 and associated statutory instruments; and if he will make a statement. [89397]

  Mrs. Roche
  The Homelessness (Priority Need for Accommodation) (England) Order 2002 (si 2002/2051), made under the Housing Act 1996, and the main homelessness provisions of the Homelessness Act 2002 came into force on 31 July 2002. The Homelessness Directorate within the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is monitoring implementation of the new provisions, including local housing authorities' progress in carrying out a homelessness review in their district and preparing a homelessness strategy for adoption and publication by 30 July 2003. In addition, local housing authorities have been asked to submit a statement to the directorate indicating how they propose to spend their share of £10 million, allocated by the directorate in 2002–03, to assist with the cost of implementing the Homelessness Priority Need Order. The provisions of the 2002 Act which amend part 6 of the Housing Act 1996 (allocation of housing) will not come into force until 31 January 2003.

  National Land Information Service
  Dr. Stoate
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) what plans he has to make use of the provision for
  349W
  differential pricing contained in the Electronic Communications Act 2000 to support the work of the National Land Information Service; [88672]

  (2) how many local authorities have introduced pricing for the electronic provision of answers to land and property search enquiries; [88656]

  (3) what plans he has to provide financial support to the National Land Information Service to encourage take up of its services; [88670]

  (4) whether it is his policy to support differential pricing for local authorities for the provision of answers to land and property search enquiries between electronic search and other methods of searches; [88658]

  (5) what plans he has for action in the next six months to encourage local authorities to introduce pricing for the electronic provision of answers to land and property search enquiries; [88657]

  (6) what assessment he has made of the (a) administrative and (b) staffing cost to local authorities of responding to land and property search enquiries by (i) electronic means and (ii) other means; [88671]

  (7) what steps he has taken in the last six months to encourage local authorities to introduce pricing that encourages take-up of the electronic provision of answers to land and property search enquiries. [88655]

  Mr. McNulty
  The Government supports the National Land Information Service (NLIS) initiative as a way of delivering property searches electronically within the context of the 2005 target for e-enabling public services and as a part of the seller's pack initiative. Over the last year the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has supported NLIS by contributing to a reception for exemplar authorities and co-ordinating the distribution of a letter to all authorities briefing them on the benefits of NLIS and the National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG). In particular, the briefing [paragraph 13] makes the case for lower fees as an incentive for electronic searches. Copies of the letter have been placed in the Library of the House. Officials in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and other government departments have formed a central government stakeholders group to co-ordinate work with NLIS across Government. NLIS is an integral part of our proposals to reform the home buying and selling process. It provides the information needed for conveyancing searches more quickly and with more certainty than paper-based systems. NLIS will help ensure that sellers' packs can be produced quickly and thus reduce the scope for gazumping and other problems to occur.

  Fees for searches of the local land charges are prescribed by my right hon. Friend the Lord Chancellor. Fees for other land and property searches are set by individual local authorities. These powers are already wide enough to allow different fees to be set for electronic and manual searches, so the question of an order under the Electronic Communications Act does not arise. As with other services they provide, it is the responsibility of local authorities to set income targets and fees for dealing with conveyancers' enquiries, taking account of the cost of the service and the level of charges
  350W
  the market will bear. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister supports reasonable levels of differential pricing where local authorities consider this appropriate in light of these criteria. Completely electronic based services are likely to be cheaper and the briefing quotes the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) and NLIS calculation that fees for searches received could be set at least 18 per cent. lower than for other searches (even without counting savings from electronic payment).

  There has been no assessment of administrative and staffing costs of the search methods as it is for councils to set the level of charges. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is encouraging Information House's efforts to market NLIS and the cost savings from e-enabling is clearly an attractive part of the business case for adoption. NLIS reports that over 70 authorities have introduced differential pricing for land and property searches.

  It is not the intention of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to offer financial support to either Information House or individual councils to accelerate take up of NLIS. It has always been framed as a self-funding proposition for both Information House and participation councils. However, councils may, if they wish, use part of the 200,000 capital grant made available by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (Implementing Electronic Government monies) for e-Government to support local implementation of NLIS.

  Over the next month and beyond, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will work with other government departments and NLIS in the context of the Central Government Stakeholders group to consider ways of encouraging the take up and success of NLIS. Officials are currently working with the IDeA and Information House to discuss the provision of funding to support the NLPG project and the development of Local Land and Property Gazetteers (LLPGs) in local authorities. The implementation of LLPGs in local authorities and NPLG will assist take up of NLIS. Officials in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Lord Chancellors Department are working together to examine a proposal from the Local Government Association for differential prescribed fees for searches of the local land charges register.

  Refrigerators (Recycling)
  Dr. Cable
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the local authorities who have made representations to his Department for additional resources to deal with the recycling of refrigerators; and if he will make a statement. [88820]

  Mr. Leslie
  The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is the Department with lead interest in this issue and they have received five representations since Special Grant Report No. 109 was approved by Parliament on 16 December 2002, from the following areas:

  Cambridgeshire county council;

  Devon county council;

  Gloucs county council;

  Nottinghamshire county council; and

  Stoke-on-Trent city council.

  351W
  Special Grant No. 109 provided £40 million to cover the extra costs to local authorities as a result of the Ozone Depleting Substances Regulations for the period 2002–03. Local authorities previously received an extra £6 million through Revenue Support Grant to cover the period from the introduction of the Regulations on 1 January 2002 through to 31 March 2002. Additional funding for 2003–04 onwards has been provided through Spending Review 2002 within Revenue Support Grant. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is currently consulting on its proposals for the funding of local authorities' revenue expenditure in 2003–04 and will consider carefully all representations received on these proposals.

  Section 106
  Mr. Love
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment has been undertaken of the operation by local authorities of section 106 planning obligations; and if he will make a statement. [89395]

  Mr. McNulty
  The consultation document "Reforming Planning Obligations—delivering a fundamental change" issued in December 2001 received over 500 replies. Many of these were from local authorities that provided information on how they use planning obligations.

  The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will publish a further consultation document on planning obligations in the near future.

  Social Housing
  Mrs. Calton
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to ensure that the increased funding announced in the Spending Review 2002 is used to provide good quality social housing for rent. [88543]

  Mr. McNulty
  The 2002 Spending Review settlement provided £1.4 billion extra for housing, taking the total housing spend to over £4.5 billion (rising to £5.9 billion when the Major Repair Allowance is taken into account) by 2005–06.

  The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has channelled £365 million from the Spending Review to the Housing Corporation's approved development programme for 2003–04 to provide housing for rent and low cost home ownership. It must, as a minimum, comply with the corporation's scheme development standards.

  The remainder of the funding from the Spending Review will be allocated when my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister reports to the House with a comprehensive long term programme of action to tackle a number of housing and planning issues in order to deliver a step change in the Government's policies for building successful, thriving and inclusive communities in all regions. The statement, which will be made shortly, will set out how the additional funding announced in the 2002 spending review will be used and what it will buy over the three years up to 2005–06.

  Temporary Accommodation
  Mrs. Calton
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues to ensure that information on the placement of families in 352W
  temporary accommodation is shared among statutory agencies across local authority boundaries, with particular reference to (a) housing departments, (b) education authorities, (c) social services, (d) primary care trusts and (e) the National Asylum Support Service in order to ensure that such families can gain access to the services to which they are entitled. [88545]

  Mrs. Roche
  The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is jointly funding the Association of Local Government and the Greater London Authority to develop a notification project which will improve systems for London boroughs to make notifications to housing, health, social services and education authorities of families with children placed into and leaving temporary accommodation.

  The Homelessness Code of Guidance for Local Authorities, issued in July 2002, was published jointly by my right hon. Friends the Deputy Prime Minister and the Member for Darlington (Mr. Milburn). The code includes general guidance about joint working between housing authorities, social services and health authorities, and specific guidance on the importance of local authorities ensuring that all babies and young children placed in temporary accommodation have the opportunity to receive health and environmental checks from health visitors and other primary health care professionals.

  The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister also hosts an ad hoc Ministerial Committee on Homelessness, chaired by myself to ensure dialogue between departments, which includes Ministers with portfolios covering housing, education, social services, health and asylum issues.

SCOTLAND

  Accreditation
  Mr. Mark Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what her Department is doing to support the Government's policy on accreditation. [88085]

  Mrs. Liddell
  The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) is recognised by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry as the sole national body for the accreditation, against international standards, of certification and inspection bodies, testing and calibration laboratories. My Department currently has no schemes requiring accreditation.

  Airport Expansion
  Miss McIntosh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues on the expansion of airport capacity in Scotland. [89324]

  Mrs. Liddell
  I have regular discussions with my ministerial colleagues on a wide range of issues, including matters relating to airport capacity in Scotland. The Government, in its consultation documents on future development of air transport in the United Kingdom, has jointly with the Scottish Executive sought comments from the aviation industry
  353W
  and all those affected by air travel on issues affecting the future development of air services in Scotland, including airport capacity. This consultation process is still ongoing and will inform the development of the Government's White Paper on aviation policy to be publish next year.

  Boundary Commission
  Mr. Peter Duncan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will make a statement on her plans to implement the latest review by the Boundary Commission for Scotland. [88594]

  Mrs. Liddell
  The Boundary Commission is required to submit its final report before December 2006. It is a matter for the Commission when, within that timescale, it does so. I am required by the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986 to lay the report before Parliament, together with the draft of an Order in Council giving it effect, with or without modifications, as soon as may be thereafter.

  Christmas Expenses
  Mr. Djanogly
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many departmental Christmas cards she and her Ministers intend to send in 2002; how much these cards will cost(a) to buy, (b) to post and (c) in staff time to sign, address and place in envelopes; and if she will place in the Library a sample copy of the official Christmas card she has sent this year. [88107]

  Mrs. Liddell
  [holding answer 19 December 2002]: Scotland Office Ministers sent around 420 Christmas cards. Other cards were issued by the Department. The total cost of purchasing Christmas cards was £830 and the expenditure was incurred in accordance with the principles on financial procedures and propriety set out in Government Accounting. Details of postage costs and staff time involved in issuing the cards is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. I have arranged for a copy of the Scotland Office Christmas card to be placed in the Library.

  Mr. Djanogly
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much will be spent on(a) entertaining, (b) Christmas decorations and (c) other festive activities this Christmas season by her Department and Government agencies answerable to her Department; and of this sum how much will be spent in Ministers' (i) private offices and (ii) official residences. [88131]

  Mrs. Liddell
  [holding answer 19 December 2002]: My Department spent £1,520 on Christmas decorations for the public entrances to its office buildings. The expenditure was incurred in accordance with the principles on financial procedures and propriety set out in Government Accounting.

  No money has been spent on entertaining or other festive activities in the Department or Ministers' private offices. I do not have an official residence.

  Green Ministers
  Mr. Gray
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which Minister in her Department is the nominated Green Minister; how often she has attended meetings 354W
  of the Green Ministers; and which official has responsibility for the DEFRA rural proofing check-list in her Department. [88454]

  Mrs. Liddell
  My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Scotland Office represents the Scotland Office on the ministerial committee ENV(G).

  Policy responsibility for the rural proofing check-list in the Scotland Office rests with the Parliamentary and Constitutional Division.

  Tax/Government Spending
  Mr. Joyce
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will calculate(a) the tax revenue from Scotland since 1980 and (b) the total government spending in Scotland since 1980; and if she also will calculate these figures omitting tax revenues from the continental shelf. [88219]

  Mrs. Liddell
  [holding answer 19 December 2002]: A table setting out estimates of aggregate expenditure and revenues for Scotland is provided in the table. As noted in the footnote to the table, there are different sources for different parts of the series and therefore some potential for variation in the estimating approaches used.

  Estimated Aggregate Expenditure and Revenues, Scotland 1980–81 to 1999–2000

  £ billion

  Financial year

  Expenditure 1

  Revenues (excluding North Sea revenues) 1

  UK North Sea revenues2

  1980–81

  11.0

  8.5

  3.7

  1981–82

  12.3

  10.0

  6.5

  1982–83

  13.3

  10.6

  7.8

  1983–84

  14.2

  11.4

  8.8

  1984–85

  15.1

  12.0

  12.0

  1985–86

  15.8

  13.1

  11.3

  1986–87

  16.6

  13.7

  4.8

  1987–88

  18.7

  14.9

  4.6

  1988–89

  19.4

  16.3

  3.2

  1989–90

  21.6

  17.6

  2.4

  1990–91

  22.3

  18.7

  2.3

  1991–92

  24.2

  19.5

  1.0

  1992–93

  27.0

  19.4

  1.3

  1993–94

  28.6

  20.2

  1.2

  1994–95

  29.9

  22.1

  1.6

  1995–96

  31.3

  23.9

  2.3

  1996–97

  31.5

  25.0

  3.3

  1997–98

  32.2

  26.8

  3.3

  1998–99

  33.1

  28.4

  2.5

  1999–2000

  33.8

  29.8

  2.5

  1 Sources: 1978–79 to 1987–88—unpublished data used to compile parliamentary answer, 21 March 1997, Official Report, column 969;

  1987–88 to 1991–92—unpublished data produced in September 1993 by the Scottish Office, using the methodology used for the publication "Government Expenditure & Review In Scotland" (GERS) and updating the first GERS, 1992;

  1991–92 to 1995–96—GERS 1995–96 (Scottish Office 1997);

  1995–96 to 1999–2000—GERS 1999–2000 (Scottish Executive 2001).

  2 Petroleum revenue tax, oil royalties and North Sea Corporation Tax before ACT set-off.

  Source:

  Inland Revenue Statistics
  355W

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
  Rev. Martin Smyth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what training is provided within the health and social services system in Northern Ireland in relation to attention deficit hyperactivity for workers with personal contact with sufferers to help inform their practice. [88260]

  Mr. Browne
  Psychiatrists are educated about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) during their general professional training as part of child and adolescent mental health subjects. Child and adolescent psychiatrists, who undergo higher professional training prior to becoming consultants focus on relevant areas such as ADHD in more depth. Postgraduate training, as part of continual professional development, also ensures increased awareness and keeps professionals abreast of developments in this area.

  Nurses and social workers can also specialise in child and adolescent psychiatry and in 2001 17 nurses and each year six social workers have received this training.

  Ballycastle to Campbeltown Ferry
  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the progress towards restoring the Ballycastle to Campbeltown ferry. [88935]

  Mr. Pearson
  The Scottish Executive has the lead role in relation to the tendering exercise to restore the Ballycastle to Campbeltown ferry service. Northern Ireland officials are working closely with their Scottish colleagues and final tender documentation will be issued shortly. This holds open the prospect of the service resuming in time for the summer 2003 season.

  Broadband Coverage
  Mr. Beggs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much public finance has been allocated to support extending broadband coverage in Northern Ireland. [89110]

  Mr. Pearson
  In September 2001 the Northern Ireland Executive approved £18.04 million to be allocated to telecommunications development over the following three years. In addition Northern Ireland secured £1.46 million as its share of the £30 million UK Broadband Fund.

  In November 2002, under the EU's Interreg III Programme, approximately £4 million (7 million euros) was allocated to stimulate investment in efficient communications and e-commerce infrastructure in Northern Ireland and the border counties of ROI. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment is liasing with the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources (DCMNR) in Dublin to develop a Call in line with the aims of Interreg III.

  Childminders
  Mrs. Iris Robinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which health trusts in Northern 356W
  Ireland permit children to be looked after by childminders who are related to them; and how many examples there are in each trust. [88060]

  Mr. Browne
  Health and social services trusts do not collect the information requested as a matter of routine enquiry. The information therefore would not be readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Eastern Health Board
  Mr. Hunter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will take measures to achieve greater equality of funding for the NHS trusts in the Eastern Health Board. [88914]

  Mr. Browne
  The resources available to the DHSSPS are distributed to each of the four HSS Boards on the basis of a regional capitation formula, which takes various factors into account, such as the population profile and additional need. It is the responsibility of each board to allocate resources equitably to its population. Boards are encouraged to use the capitation formula to inform spending decisions for their sub-board populations.

  The Eastern Health and Social Services Board is currently reviewing the equitable distribution of resources to its sub-board population. The board has been working on a strategy to address the equitable allocation of resources to all trusts in its area and, following public consultation, implementation of the resultant strategy should commence from April 2003.

  Grammar Schools
  Mr. Beggs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the future of grammar schools in Northern Ireland. [88796]

  Jane Kennedy
  I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend, East (Sir Teddy Taylor) on 27 November 2002,Official Report, column 302.

  Hospital Waiting Lists
  Rev. Martin Smyth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what further action he intends to take to reduce hospital waiting lists; and if he will make a statement. [88802]

  Mr. Browne
  A wide range of measures is being taken to tackle hospital waiting lists. These include the expansion of existing bed capacity, the development of protected elective facilities, the provision of additional in-patient procedures, the development of community provision as an alternative to hospital treatment, the validation of waiting lists and improved management of waiting lists.

  I believe that these measures will have an impact. For example, half of HSS Trusts were able to report a fall in numbers waiting at 30 September 2002. It is also important to note that, despite the large numbers of people waiting for hospital treatment, almost three-quarters of inpatients treated between July and September 2002 waited for less than three months and 95 per cent. waited less than a year for their treatment.
  357W

  Land Banks
  Mr. Beggs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the locations of land banks held for housing development by(a) the Housing Executive and (b) housing associations are; and what estimate he has made of the number of new homes which will be built on those land banks over the next five years. [89467]

  Mr. Browne
  The Housing Executive owns land mainly as an inheritance from former housing authorities and through acquisition to satisfy identified need. Most of its land is in estates and would comprise a mixture of firstly, land on which the houses, or other essential buildings, have been built and secondly, amenity or open space land. The Housing Executive is currently identifying sites in its ownership that could be suitable for development, without giving rise to a serious loss of amenities or space.

  The Housing Executive's land transfer programme for development by housing associations would allow for the following units to be built:

  Housing Executive's land transfer programme for development by housing associations

  Units

  Schemes

  2002–03

  342

  26

  2003–04

  413

  28

  2004–05

  446

  31

  2005–06

  310

  20

  Note:

  Figures for 2006–07 are not yet available.

  Additional land required to meet the Department's new build targets is acquired on an ongoing basis.

  Housing Associations do not maintain a land bank. When a housing need is identified in a particular location, land is purchased on a one-off basis to meet that need. The land purchase is, therefore, specific to a particular project. In general, the land is used right away.

  The identification of individual locations of land held for both could be done only at disproportionate cost.

  Nursing and Personal Care
  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the provision of free nursing care and personal care in Northern Ireland. [88937]

  Mr. Browne
  Since 7 October 2002, up to £100 a week is payable on behalf of residents who would otherwise have to pay all of the nursing home fees themselves for their nursing care in a nursing home. This payment is dependent on an assessment of nursing needs.

  The Northern Ireland Executive commissioned work on free personal care and a report was forwarded to the First Minister and Deputy First Minister on 8 August 2002. Following discussion at the Executive on 12 August, Ministers asked for further work to be undertaken. That work has not yet been completed. It is not possible at this stage to give any indication about the timing or subsequent handling of the report, since this is a matter which should be determined by the Executive.
  358W

  Primary and Post-primary School Budgets
  Mr. Beggs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he plans to allocate additional monies to primary and post-primary schools' central budgets. [88794]

  Jane Kennedy
  The Department of Education plans to allocate an additional £2 2.2 million to schools over and above their delegated budgets. An announcement regarding how these resources are to be divided among schools will be made in the new year.

  Public Transport (Free Fares)
  Mr. Dodds
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost of providing free fares on public transport in Northern Ireland has been in each of the last three years. [87332]

  Angela Smith
  Costs incurred by the Department for Regional Development in respect of the provision of free fares on public transport in Northern Ireland under the Concessionary Fares Scheme in each of the last three years are as follows:

  £

  1999–2000

  719,343

  2000–01

  807,084

  2001–02

  3,600,528

  Costs incurred by the Department of Education in respect of the provision of free travel for school children on public transport are:

  £

  1999–2000

  21,923,075

  2000–01

  20,708,035

  2001–02

  22,464,968

  Schools (Investment)
  Lembit Öpik
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much funding has been made available under the NI Programme for Building Sustainable Prosperity, Measure 4, Investing in Early Learning, to(a) controlled, (b) maintained and (c) grant-maintained integrated schools; and if he will make a statement. [86869]

  Jane Kennedy
  A total of 11.34 million Euros (of which 8 million Euros is the EU contribution) is available to the Department of Education under Measure 3.4 of the European Union's Building Sustainable Prosperity Programme, for securing the building of controlled, maintained, integrated and Irish-medium pre-school education facilities in local communities. The Measure will allow the Department to reclaim capital expenditure on a programme of nursery units, either built or to be built. The programme must, however, go through the application and selection procedure required by the EU. This procedure has not yet been concluded, and at this stage it is not possible to attribute any costs to Measure 3.4.
  359W
  However, between 1 January 2000 and November this year, a total of £5,103,000 million has been spent on building units for which the Department expects to reclaim the EU contribution. £2,660,000 million of this has been spent in the controlled sector, £2,134,000 million in the maintained, £239,000 in the integrated and £70,000 in the Irish Medium.

  Step-up Job Scheme
  Mr Donaldson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to provide pilots of the step-up job scheme. [88846]

  Jane Kennedy
  The report of the askforce on employability and long term unemployment, which I launched on 16 December, contains a proposal to pilot an intermediate labour market based on the step-up pilots in GB. Consideration is presently being given to the arrangements for the introduction of this pilot.

  Trainee Mathematics Teachers
  Mr. Beggs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to award golden hellos to trainee mathematics teachers. [88786]

  Jane Kennedy
  There are no plans to introduce financial incentives in Northern Ireland to attract mathematics graduates, or graduates in any other subjects, into the teaching profession.

  Wind Farm Developments
  Mr. Beggs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what(a) public grants, (b) loans and (c) subsidies are available to support wind farm developments. [89401]

  Mr. Pearson
  The Department of Trade and Industry manage a £79 million UK-wide capital grant fund to assist the deployment of offshore wind farms. There are however, no grants, loans or subsidies available to support the further development of onshore wind farms in Northern Ireland.

TREASURY

  Climate Change Levy
  Dr. Whitehead
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of 360W
  his policy of exempting the biodegradable elements of waste feed from the climate change levy upon the economic size of incinerators. [88583]

  John Healey
  The exemption from climate change levy (CCL) for electricity generated from new forms of renewable sources covers a range of renewable sources, including biodegradable waste. No assessment has been made of the effect of the exemption on the economic size of incinerators. However, the scope and rates of all taxes, including CCL, are reviewed annually as part of the Budget process.

  Government Procurement
  Norman Lamb
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on progress towards delivering savings in Government procurement through the office of Government Commerce. [89270]

  Mr. Boateng
  [holding answer 7 January 2003]: The total value for money gains in Government procurement reported by central civil Government bodies for the years 2000–01 and 2001–02 is £815 million.

  Landfill Levy
  Dr. Whitehead
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of anticipated receipts from the landfill levy will be allocated to(a) continuing funding for environmental schemes and (b) funding to encourage sustainable waste management in (i) 2003–04, (ii) 2004–05 and (iii) 2005–06. [88584]

  John Healey
  No decision has yet been made on the precise figures that will apply. However, in 2003–04, landfill operators will be able to divert approximately 6 per cent. of their total tax liability to the funding of local environmental schemes. About a further 14 per cent. will be used to fund the uptake of more sustainable waste management practices. Estimates for future years will depend on the figures applied in 2003–04. The figures for 2005–06 will also depend on decisions the Government take on how the revenue from the proposed tax increase of £3 per tonne is recycled.

  Public Services Productivity
  Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place the minutes of the Public Services Productivity Panel for calendar years 2000 to 2002 in the Library. [87211]

  Mr. Boateng
  It has been the practice of successive administrations not to release the minutes of meetings concerned with the development of policy. Exemption 2 (internal discussion and advice) of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information applies.

  Prisoners: Mental Health Care
  Prisoners: Mental Health Care
  Custody Plus Scheme
  Custody Plus Scheme
  Prison Service Rules and Regulations
  Prison Service Rules and Regulations
  Firearms Register
  Firearms Register
  Crimes of Violence in the West End
  Crimes of Violence in the West End
  Immigration Detainees
  Immigration Detainees
  Deer Management on Exmoor
  Deer Management on Exmoor
  Hunting Bill: Background Research
  Hunting Bill: Background Research
  Hunting Bill: Rio Declaration on Environment and Development
  Hunting Bill: Rio Declaration on Environment and Development
  St Andrews Golf Club
  St Andrews Golf Club
  NHS: Delayed Discharge and Emergency Re-admission
  NHS: Delayed Discharge and Emergency Re-admission
  Diabetes National Service Framework Delivery Strategy
  Diabetes National Service Framework Delivery Strategy
  Free Prescriptions and Tax Credits
  Free Prescriptions and Tax Credits
  Irish Government: Respect for Traditions
  Irish Government: Respect for Traditions
  Belfast Agreement
  Belfast Agreement
  Irish Government: Human Rights Commission
  Irish Government: Human Rights Commission
  Ireland: Reference to the Two States
  Ireland: Reference to the Two States
  Northern Ireland: Learning Disabilities
  Northern Ireland: Learning Disabilities
  North/South Ministerial Council: Equality Scheme
  North/South Ministerial Council: Equality Scheme
  Use of Irish in Official Business Guidance
  Use of Irish in Official Business Guidance
  Northern Ireland: Weston Park Discussions
  Northern Ireland: Weston Park Discussions
  Northern Ireland: Post-primary Arrangements
  Northern Ireland: Post-primary Arrangements
  Belfast Agreement: Cross-Border Bodies
  Belfast Agreement: Cross-Border Bodies
  Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission
  Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission
  Belfast Agreement: Implementation Bodies
  Belfast Agreement: Implementation Bodies
  Northern Ireland: Linguistic Diversity
  Northern Ireland: Linguistic Diversity
  North/South Ministerial Council: Reports and Statements
  North/South Ministerial Council: Reports and Statements
  Northern Ireland: Language Implementation Body
  Northern Ireland: Language Implementation Body
  North/South Ministerial Council: Terminology
  North/South Ministerial Council: Terminology
  North/South Ministerial Council: Suspension of Assembly
  North/South Ministerial Council: Suspension of Assembly
  Government Policy Statements 1997–2001
  Government Policy Statements 1997–2001
  Ulster-Scots Agency Interim Chief Executive
  Ulster-Scots Agency Interim Chief Executive
  Northern Ireland: Digital Hearing Aids
  Northern Ireland: Digital Hearing Aids
  Waterways Ireland: Canal Development
  Waterways Ireland: Canal Development
  Saints and Scholars Integrated Primary School
  Saints and Scholars Integrated Primary School
  Waterways Ireland: Date of Establishment
  Waterways Ireland: Date of Establishment
  Central African Republic: Assistance to HIV Sufferers
  Central African Republic: Assistance to HIV Sufferers
  Belfast Agreement: Letter from Chief Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Committee
  Belfast Agreement: Letter from Chief Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Committee
  Management of Private Office Papers
  Management of Private Office Papers