To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of Civil Service staff of grade 5 and above within her Department (a) have spent their entire civil service career within her Department, (b)have had secondments to (i) the private sector and (ii) other departments and (c)have come from other departments. [26037]

[holding answer 28 January 1998]: The information for the Northern Ireland Office and the Northern Ireland Departments is as follows:

percentage
	Northern Ireland civil service staff	Home civil service staff
(a)	98	6
(b)(i)	1	0
(b)(ii)	0.5	44
(c)	0.5	50
1 Figures for Northern Ireland civil service staff cover the last five years and could be provided for earlier years only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what provision her Department makes for child care facilities for staff; what subsidy is provided for (a) nursery places and (b) holiday play schemes; if she will list the organisations used by her Department for child care; and if child care vouchers are made available to staff. [30016]

[holding answer 19 February 1998]: In the Northern Ireland Civil Service, current policy is that Departments can contribute to staff child care costs where this is justified on value for money grounds. The following subsidies are provided:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what has been the total saving accrued since 1 May as a result of changes to administrative practices in the health service in (a) primary care, (b) secondary care and (c)the HSS Executive. [35696]

The information requested is not available.In accordance with the Government's commitment to reduce bureaucracy and abolish the internal market, guidance was issued by the HSS Executive to all HSS bodies, setting out immediate changes to be made to internal market arrangements to streamline cashflows and redirect resources to patient care. Although there are a number of examples of good practice which have been implemented throughout the HPSS, in compliance with this guidance, it is not possible at this time to quantify the level of savings resulting specifically from these changes.However, savings of £2 million per annum resulting from a reduction in management costs from 1997–98 will amount to £10 million over the lifetime of this parliament and officials are currently considering further reductions in management cost.The forthcoming consultation document on the future organisation of the HPSS, which is due to issue shortly, sets out proposals for the abolition of the internal market which will redirect additional resources, saved by abolishing wasteful management structures, towards patient care.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what has been the (a) revenue and (b) capital expenditure in each of the last five years in (i) cash and (ii) real terms on social services in Northern Ireland; [35733](2) what has been the

As health and personal social services (HPSS) are provided on an integrated basis in Northern Ireland, it is not possible to break HPSS expenditure figures down between spend on health and personal social services. Accordingly, in terms of total HPSS expenditure (excluding EC Peace Moneys) the information requested is as follows:

£
Year		Cash	Real Terms Cash
1992–93	Revenue	1,206,197	1,332,844
	Capital	49,186	54,350
1993–94	Revenue	1,286,162	1,381,069
	Capital	51,775	55,596
1994–95	Revenue	1,377,703	1,457,409
	Capital	44,834	47,428
1995–96	Revenue	1,479,179	1,522,510
	Capital	41,775	42,999
1996–97	Revenue	1,510,538	1,510,538
	Capital	40,647	40,647

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what targets have been set for the Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency during 1998–99. [37069]

For 1998–99, the following performance targets have been set:

	Target
Vehicle test appointments average waiting time	21 days
Driving test appointments average waiting time	31 days
Productivity (vehicle testing)	18.5 units per man per day
Productivity (driver testing)	7.98 units per man per day
Faulty inspections	Not to exceed 0.01% of tests conducted
Level of complaints about booking arrangements	Less than 0.15% of applications received
Level of complaints about the conduct of tests	Less than 0.15% of applications received
Level of customer satisfaction with booking arrangements	At least 85% plus or minus 2% within the range of sampling error
Level of customer satisfaction with test procedures	At least 92% plus or minus 2% within the range of sampling error
Level of compliance with Theory Test Service Standards	92%

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when she intends to publish Sir Louis Blom-Cooper's Fifth Annual report as Independent Commissioner for the Holding Centres. [37070]

I have today arranged for copies of Sir. Louis Blom-Cooper's Annual Report for 1997 to be placed in the Library.I am grateful to the Commissioner and his Deputy, Dr. Bill Norris, for their Report. I note that for the fifth successive year they have found no cause for concern about the care and treatment of detainees held in the custody of uniformed officers of the RUC.I shall study carefully the recommendations which Sir Louis Blom-Cooper has made.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the Northern Ireland Social Fund discretionary budget will be for 1998–99. [37071]

I am pleased to announce that the Social Fund gross discretionary budget for 1998/99 will be £40.55 million. £9.76 million will be allocated to grants; £30.69 million to loans and £0.1 million will be held as a contingency reserve. The new allocations represent an increase of £0.21 million over the gross budget set at April 1997.Details of the individual District budget allocations, together with a note explaining the basis on which they have been made, have been placed in the Library today.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what environmental assessment his Department has made of the Regional Development Agencies Bill; and if he will place a copy in the Library. [35644]

Chapter 8 of the White Paper "Building Partnerships for Prosperity" sets out the approach we intend regional development agencies to take to environment and sustainable development issues. The Regional Development Agencies Bill gives effect to this by providing the appropriate legislative framework.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what the English Partnerships funding allocations, broken down by Government office region, have been each year since their inception. [35911]

English Partnerships became fully operational from April 1994. Its total expenditure, in £ million, on its development programme, excluding expenditure on the Greenwich Peninsula, over the 3 years since its inception has been as follows:

£ million
Year	Expenditure
1994–95	225.4
1995–96	236.7
1996–97	235

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what the Rural Development Commission funding allocations have been for each year since 1988, broken down by Government office region. [35912]

Approved grant in aid provision for the Rural Development Commission (RDC) for the years 1988–89 to 1997–98 is set out in the table. The regional allocations made by the RDC cannot be broken down by Government Office region because the RDC's regional structure does not reflect the Government Office regional structure.

£000
Year	Approved grant in aid provision
1988–89	30,589
1989–90	31,237
1990–91	27,043
1991–92	16,267
1992–93	11,969
1993–94	21,342
1994–95	31,694
1995–96	38,980
1996–97	39,677
1997–98	40,064

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the future of the Rural Development Commission. [37148]

The Rural Development Commission and the Countryside Commission are to be merged to form a new body that will play a central role in the Government's policy of developing a sustainable, living, countryside, while recognising the interdependence of urban and rural areas. The new body will pursue an integrated approach to conserving and enhancing the countryside as an essential resource for the benefit of this and future generations and meeting the distinctive needs of rural areas, those who live in, work in or visit them. The Chairman and Board members will be chosen for the contribution they can make to this.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will require local authority housing services to include an empty homes strategy in their published housing strategies. [35894]

Local authorities are expected to produce a housing strategy covering all aspects of housing as they have responsibility towards their tenants and residents to make sure that the best use is made of all housing in their area. This strategy is used as part of the assessment on which the allocation of capital resources is based. Within this strategy local authorities should consider whether empty property in the local area can be brought back into use to meet local needs and set out how this will be achieved.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how he intends to promote the availability of low-cost houses for rent in appropriate numbers in rural areas. [36057]

Through the Capital Receipts Initiative we are making an extra £800 million available to local authorities in 1997/98 and 1998/99 which they will be investing in improvements to existing housing and the provision of new social lettings in both urban and rural areas in partnership with Registered Social Landlords.Guidance issued by my Department to local authorities on the preparation of their housing strategies highlights the need to identify and prioritise rural housing needs alongside other housing needs in their areas. It is for local authorities to set priorities which guide the allocation of both the Housing Corporation's and their own funding for new social housing in their areas. However, for 1998/99 we have asked the Housing Corporation to aim for around 3.4% of the new social lettings approved under the Approved Development Programme to be in small rural villages with a population of 3,000 or less.The rural "exceptions" policy enables local planning authorities to grant consent for sites which would not normally be released for development, to provide low-cost housing for local needs. In addition, our planning and affordable housing policy enables local planning authorities to seek the inclusion of an element of affordable housing in new housing developments. We have recently consulted on changes to the policy which will further assist the supply of affordable housing in rural areas.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what regulations govern the disposal of slaughterhouse waste on agricultural land. [36063]

Activities involving the recovery or disposal of waste are subject to control under the amended EC Framework Directive on waste. The waste management licensing system established under Part II of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1994 is the main means by which the requirements of the Framework Directive have been transposed into national law. Under this system, anyone who deposits, recovers or disposes of waste must do so in compliance with the conditions of a waste management licence or with the conditions of an exception from waste management licensing.The speading of waste on land which results in benefit to agriculture or ecological improvement is classified as a waste recovery operation under the Directive and an exemption from licensing for certain types of waste has been provided in Regulation 17 and paragraph 7 of Schedule 3 to the 1994 Regulations. One of the types of waste covered by the exemption is blood and gut contents from abattoirs. We intend to review the exemption in the light of the findings of a research project which is due to be completed at the end of April. I indicated on 13 March 1998,

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many staff are employed in Scotland by his Department; and where those staff are located. [36248]

At 1 March 1998, my Department employed 650 permanent staff in Scotland. The table gives the numbers of staff in each location.

DETR staff in Scotland by location
Location	Staff
Aberdeen	84
Airdrie	6
Ayr	4
Bathgate	5
Bishopbriggs	42
Dumbarton	2
Dumfries	6
Dundee	16

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what specific changes to departmental transport arrangements have to date been implemented following the receipt of the Green Transport Plan; [36646](2) on what date he plans to introduce a green commuting plan. [36658]

Since the "Guide to Green Transport Plans" was circulated to all Departments in September last year, my Department has been working on a pilot project to prepare Green Transport Plans for three headquarters buildings. The first findings are due to be received shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) if the meetings of Green Ministers on (a) 30 July 1997 and (b) 18 December 1997 discussed the Green Transport Plan; and what conclusions were reached; [36633](2) what assessment he has made of the success of the Green Transport Plan in respect of the implementation of its recommendations by departments; [36634](3) what steps he is taking to secure implementation across Government of the recommendations in the Green Transport Plan; what monitoring of departments he has put in place; and if he will make a statement. [36635]

Green Transport Plans were discussed at the meetings of Green Ministers on 30 July and 18 December. All Departments were given copies of the "Guide to Green Transport Plans" in September last year and asked to prepare green transport plans. Discussions are proceeding on setting appropriate deadlines for producing these plans. Progress in drawing up and implementing plans is being monitored at meetings of Green Ministers.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the suitability of the Royal Ordnance Factory site in Chorley as the location for the headquarters of the planned Regional Development Agency for the North West. [36515]

Ministers have made no assessment of potential sites for the headquarters of the Regional Development Agency for the North West. This will be a matter for the RDA Board, when appointed later this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when information will be published about the location of the pathfinder areas for the New Deal for Communities; and if he will make a statement. [36502]

Detailed proposals for the New Deal for Communities are now being developed by the Deputy Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, working closely with other key Ministers and the Social Exclusion Unit. No decisions have yet been taken about the location of the pathfinder areas, or on the timing of any further announcements.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans the Environment Agency has for the disposal of Amersham's radioactive waste generated at Harwell, following its decision not to transport it to Cardiff; and if he will make a statement. [36510]

I understand that on 24 March the Environment Agency granted authorisation for the transfer of intermediate-level radioactive waste from Amersham's Harwell site to the company's site at Cardiff.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the performance of Great Western Trains in terms of (a) punctuality and (b) reliability in relation to its Charter targets in each year since it was awarded its franchise; and how much has been paid by Great Western in penalties, and on what occasions, for failing to meet such standards. [36732]

Great Western's performance details appear in the Franchising Director's quarterly bulletins which are in the Library of the House. Great Western have not paid any financial penalties for poor performance as there is no incentive regime in their Franchise Agreement. Following the offer by FirstGroup PLC to take over the franchise, the Franchising Director has agreed a regime of fixed penalties for Great Western in respect of cancellations and delays over 20 minutes.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when the consultation papers arising from the local government finance review will be published. [37050]

Three consulting papers will be published on Monday 30 March: Improving local financial accountability, Business Rates, and Capital Finance.Finance is the third element in the Government's programme to modernise local government. Many of the ideas floated in the finance papers draw on our earlier consultation papers on renewing local democracy and introducing best value. The finance papers include options for giving councils more discretion over local tax and spending decisions by ending crude and universal capping and providing a new power to set a local business rate.Copies of the consultation papers will be sent to every MP and placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he will make an announcement about the successful bids under Round Four of the Single Regeneration Budget Challenge Fund. [37051]

The detailed list of successful bids under Round 4 of the SRB Challenge Fund will be published on Monday, 30 March. In addition, brief descriptions of the successful bids in their region will be sent to hon. Members. Full copies of the bid documents for successful bids will be held for inspection at Government Offices for the Regions.I am today placing in the Library of the House summary information about Round 4, which operated under revised guidance issued by the Government in July 1997. Subject to finalising the details of the list of successful bids, to the availability of resources, and to the satisfactory agreement and implementation of Delivery Plans, the Government intend to make available financial support for some 120 successful bids, which include proposals to address key priorities such as social exclusion, education, employment and training, community safety and prevention of drug misuse.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 26 February 1998, Official Report, column 332, what further response he has had from London and Continental Railways in respect of revised financing proposals for the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. [37147]

I have received a progress report and further developed proposals from London and Continental Railways in conjunction with other companies, notably Railtrack, invited by the consortium to participate in trying to take forward the Channel Tunnel Rail Link under the existing Development Agreement. The parties' latest report on progress makes material inroads into the £1.2 billion additional subsidy which was sought by LCR in January, and which I rejected as unacceptable. LCR have proposed a transport operator to take responsibility for Eurostar services, and that the construction of the Rail Link be in two phases. These proposals do not yet meet the Government's requirements, a view which is accepted by LCR and by Railtrack. Both companies agree that further significant improvements can be achieved in each of three key areas: reducing the additional cost to the taxpayer; increasing the extent to which risk is retained in the private sector; and establishing an incentive sufficient to ensure the construction of the whole of the Rail Link.I am satisfied that sufficient progress has been made, and is in prospect, for the cure period available under the CTRL Development Agreement to be extended to 29 May 1998, in order to conclude a satisfactory agreement if one is achievable.

To ask the Prime Minister what arrangements he has made to transfer responsibility for day care policy under the Children Act 1989 from the Department of Health to the Department for Education and Employment. [37149]

The Government set out before the election their intention to transfer responsibility for policy and the regulation of day care under Sections 18 and 19 and Part X of the Children Act from the Department of Health to the Department for Education and Employment. I am able to announce today that this transfer will take place on 1 April 1998. We recognise that it is increasingly difficult to make a distinction between day care and education, and we must integrate the two if we are to meet fully the needs of young children and their parents. The Department of Health will retain responsibility for the provision of day care for children in need under Section 18(1) and 18(5) as part of family support services, as well as other social care duties, such as child protection, outside these parts of the Act. This transfer of responsibilities between central Government Departments does not directly affect the way local authorities may organise their functions. The responsibility for services and regulation through the Children Act remains a function of the Social Services Committee under existing statutory requirements but this may change as policy in this area develops.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what have been the legal aid costs in the last three years arising from the cases of women seeking compensation for injuries caused by radiotherapy treatment after breast cancer. [35708]

Over the last three years, a total of £1,727,812 has been paid in legal aid costs under a contract between the Legal Aid Board and the firm of solicitors representing women seeking compensation for injuries caused by radiotherapy treatment after breast cancer. The final costs will not be known until the cases are finished and the court's decision is known.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many cases have been taken to the small claims courts in each of the last five years; how many judgments in favour of the claimants were made in each year as a result of these cases; and in how many cases in each year the orders have been successfully enforced. [36340]

The figures requested are as follows:

Year	Cases heard	Judgment for plaintiff
1993	105,843	—
1994	87,885	—
1995	88,170	—
1996	94,050	181,720
1997	97,813	180,680
1 Figures are derived from a three month sample.

Figures on judgments for plaintiffs before 1996 and on successfully enforced cases are not collected centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department on what date he plans to introduce a green commuting plan. [36668]

A publication date for the introduction of a green commuter plan has not yet been finalised. Raising staff awareness of the cost of the journey to work, and developing a package of measures to encourage the use of alternatives, forms part of our revised Environment Strategy and Green Transport Plan about which we are currently consulting.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what specific changes to departmental transport arrangements have to date been implemented following the receipt of the Green Transport Plan. [36639]

No specific changes have been made to our transport arrangements, following receipt of the Guide to Green Transport Plan. The guide has assisted the Department to draft a Green Transport Plan about which we are currently consulting.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, pursuant to his answer of 2 March 1998, Official Report, column 450, on

Conference	Purpose	Estimated costs (£)
Anglo-German Judicial Conference on Family Law 18 to 20 May 1997. The conference was jointly organised by the Cardiff Law School, the President of the Family Division's International Committee, the German Federal Ministry of Justice and the Lord Chancellor's Department.	To improve mutual understanding of the operation of each country's legal system particularly in the area of child abduction and discussion of legal problems of mutual interest. There were 53 participants including judges, lawyers, academics and judges from both Germany and the UK.	2,700 (contribution)

I have been told that a letter will be sent today.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many cases have been taken to immigration appeals tribunals in each of the last five years; and what has been the administrative cost of the appeal tribunals system in each of the last five years. [36341]

The number of cases¹which have been taken to the Immigration Appeal Tribunal in each of the last five years is:

£
1993–94	6,551
1994–95	27,792
1995–96	8,549
1996–97	11,720
1997–98	313,368

It is not possible to separate the administrative costs of the Immigration Appeal Tribunal alone but I can provide the following information for the Immigration Appellate Authority as a whole:

£
1994–95	6,965,344
1995–96	8,404,699
1996–97	11,388,311
1997–98	312,513,282
1These figures relate to initial applications. Only a proportion of this figure will be allowed and will then proceed to full hearing as an 'appeal'.
2This is an estimate as accurate historical data are not available for this year
3Projected figure.

Information for 1993–94 is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the conferences held by his Department since 1 May 1997, giving in each case the (a) purpose and (b) estimated cost. [27794]

The conferences held by this Department since 1 May, or which we have funded or part funded, or have otherwise helped to organise are shown in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what date has been set for the release of the 1996 drug arrest and seizure statistics. [36482]

It is hoped to publish the Home Office "Statistics of Drug Seizures and Offenders dealt with, United Kingdom, 1996" during the first half of April 1998.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) if he will instruct the Lottery Regulator to investigate the ergonomic design of lottery ticket machines issuing lottery tickets to customers of Camelot, with particular reference to the absence of a visual display that can be seen by the customer at the point of sale; [36078](2) what assessment he has made of the means by which the numbers on lucky dip option tickets are selected; and if he will make a statement; [36080](3) if he will request the Lottery Regulator to investigate the method by which Camelot issues lucky dip tickets to customers, with special reference to allowing for verbal commission of tickets. [36079]

[holding answer 24 March 1998]: I have asked the Acting Director-General of the National Lottery to consider the issues my hon. Friend has raised and to write to me. Once I have received his reply I will write to my hon. Friend and place copies of my reply in the Libraries of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) if he will list the initiatives to be paid for from the New Opportunities Fund and the amounts they will receive during the lifetime of the current National Lottery operating licence; [360651(2) how much money from the New Opportunities Fund will be used to fund the national childcare strategy during the lifetime of the current National Lottery licence. [36066]

Subject to Parliamentary approval of the National Lottery Bill, the first three initiatives to be supported by the New Opportunities Fund will be information and communications technology training for teachers and librarians, including creation of content, healthy living centres and out of school hours activities, including childcare. As my hon. Friend Lord McIntosh announced on Second Reading of the National Lottery Bill on 18 December 1997, Official Report, House of Lords, columns 729–37, funds will be allocated as follows:

£300 million for information and communications technology training for teachers and librarians, including £50 million for creation of content, by 2001;

£200 million for healthy living centres by 2001, with a further £100 million thereafter; and

£300 million for out of school hours activities by 2001, with a further £100 million thereafter. Of this £400 million, £180 million will support out of school hours learning activities and, as part of the national childcare strategy, £200 million will support out of school childcare and £20 million will support integrated childcare and learning schemes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the (a) location of, (b) running costs of, (c) salary costs of and (d) number of staff based at the head office of the Great Britain Sports Council, the percentage of total staff based (i) at head office, (ii) in London and (iii) in Scotland and the percentage of salary and running costs incurred in (1) London and (2) Scotland. [36116]

[holding answer 25 March 1998]: The United Kingdom Sports Council (UKSC) assumed the UK-wide responsibilities of the Great Britain Sports Council on 1 January 1997. The information requested is as follows: (a) London; (b) £0.991 million in 1997–98 (forecast outturn); (c) £1,037 million in 1997–98 (forecast outturn); and, (d) 33. All UKSC staff are based at the organisation's office in London.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement on the responsibilities of the Great Britain Sports Council in Scotland. [36115]

[holding answer 25 March 1998]: The responsibilities and functions of the GB Sports Council were transferred to the United Kingdom and the English Sports Councils from 1 January 1997. The United Kingdom Sports Council's (UKSC) responsibilities are under review as part of the Government's Comprehensive Spending Review.The UKSC is responsible for fostering, supporting and encouraging the development of sport and physical recreation, the achievement of excellence, and the provision of sporting facilities at a UK level. In addition, the UKSC takes a lead among the Sports Councils on issues which require strategic planning, co-ordination and representation where they are for the benefit of the UK as a whole.The functions of the UKSC in respect of the whole United Kingdom are:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement on the removal of books from the King's Library in the British Museum and their transfer to the new British Library in St. Pancras. [36385]

In 1972, the British Library Act established the national library of the United Kingdom, incorporating the library of the British Museum and including the King's Library. The collections have remained at the British Museum until completion of their new home in the British Library building at St. Pancras. Separation of the King's Library from the rest of the Library's printed archive would be detrimental to the integrity and cohesiveness of the national collections. Plans for its move have been in the public domain for the past thirty years.In the new building, the King's Library will be housed in the best possible conditions for access, preservation and use. It will stand in a specially designed glass tower at the physical heart of the library, making it more visible and accessible to the public. It will also be more secure and in an improved environment. The glass tower is fully air-conditioned to control temperature, humidity and atmospheric pollutants and the glass is especially constructed to provide fire protection and heat resistance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the number of staff employed at the head office of the Royal Parks Agency; what percentage this represents of total staff; what the salary and running costs are of the head office; and what percentage of total salary and running costs this represents. [36144]

[holding answer 26 March 1998]: Responsibility for the subject of this question has been delegated to the Royal Parks Agency under its Chief Executive, Mr. David Welch. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.Letter from David Welch to Mr. John Swinney, dated 27 March 1998:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff are employed at the head office of the Historic Royal Palaces agency; what percentage this represents of total staff; what percentage of staff are based in the south-east of England; what are running costs of the head office; and what percentage of total salary and running costs this figure represents. [36145]

100 staff are employed at head office which is 19.8 per cent. of the total staff, all of whom are based in the south-east of England. The running costs of the head office are expected to be £2.62 million in 1997–98 which is 22.9 per cent. of the total running costs. Head office comprises the Chief Executive's office, Central Finance, and Personnel Services, and the Curatorial and Surveyor of the Fabric's Departments. Running costs comprise pay, recruitment, training, travel and expenses, consultancies and the employment of agency staff.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he will publish his Government's policy for rural areas. [36029]

The Government have made very clear their commitment to opportunity, fairness and prosperity for all, whether they live in country or city. Our policies

Member state	Date	Effect of legislation
Austria	December 1990	Feeding to ruminants of MBM, meat, bone, blood, liver and similar meals banned
Denmark	1990	Ban on ruminant derived feed being fed to ruminants
Finland	1990	Feeding of imported animal protein banned
France	1990	MBM banned from bovine feed
Italy	November 1989	Ban on import of ruminant MBM from UK and Republic of Ireland
Netherlands	August 1989	Ban on feeding ruminant MBM, meat meal, bonemeal and blood to ruminants
	1994	Ban extended to cover mammalian MBM fed to ruminants
Republic of Ireland	August 1990	Ban on feeding ruminants with protein derived from ruminants
Sweden	December 1990	Meat and bone products from ruminants banned from ruminant feed
	December 1993	Ban extended to all products from ruminants except fats, milk and milk products

We believe that Belgium, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, Portugal and Spain had no national measures in places prior to the introduction of EU-wide measures.We are not aware of any rules prohibiting the feeding of mammalian protein to non-ruminant livestock except for those in place in the UK.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what tonnage of meat and bone meal was used in animal rations in each of the five years preceding its prohibition. [36691]

The tonnages of meat and bone meal used by the Great Britain animal feed compound industry in the years preceding its prohibition were:

Year	Thousand tonnes
1991	Not readily available
1992	212
1993	211
1994	212
1995	209

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in which year each member state of the EU banned the feeding of animal protein to (a) ruminants and (b) other meat animals. [36690]

An EU-wide ban of the feeding of mammalian protein to ruminants was introduced by Commission Decision 94/381/EC on 27 June 1994. Some Member States introduced national provisions before the Commission Decision came into force. Those which we know about are as follows:Figures for usage by the Northern Ireland compound feed industry are available only from 1993 onwards and are as follows:

Year	Thousand tonnes
1993	23
1994	24
1995	26

These figures do not take account of any meat and bone meal which may be used directly by farmers for animal feed.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects the double ear tagging systems for cattle to be fully operational; and if he will make a statement. [36602]

Double ear tagging of cattle became a requirement from 1 January 1998 as part of the measures included within Council Regulation (EC) No. 820/97. Insofar as ear tag supplies have allowed, it has been fully operational from that date.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he will take to ensure that the grant given to the Environment Agency for vital flood defence work will be made available for that purpose. [35942]

Grant payments to the Environment Agency by this Department for flood defence capital works are made in respect of specific approved schemes so can be used only for that purpose. For approval for grant aid schemes must meet technical, economic and environmental criteria, and achieve an appropriate priority score based on Ministerial priorities, urgency and benefit:cost ratio.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what tonnage of beef bones are currently being

UK imports of flours, meals and pellets, of meat or meat offal (inc.tankage) unfit for human consumption: greave
Unit: tones
	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997
EC
Belgium-Luxembourg	172	337	312	275	447	—	5	138	891	2,191
Denmark	2,177	2,139	1,164	654	1,456	1,014	987	6,558	419	105
France	325	320	371	—	299	274	1	32	365	1,630
Germany	203	31	1,362	2,514	2,813	2,200	2,812	3,351	2,466	2,078
Greece	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	631	—	—
Irish Republic	28,189	13,058	17,594	15,219	21,989	13,885	17,745	15,329	9,863	4,088
Italy	120	60	16	—	—	—	—	0	—	2,155
Netherlands	4,358	4,743	3,143	2,806	2,890	1,871	1,414	3,854	1,344	3,250
Spain	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	727	0	1,470
EC total	35,544	20,689	23,962	21,468	29,895	19,244	22,964	30,621	15,349	16,968
Non-EC
Sweden	2,894	4,310	1,575	—	19	—	—	—	—	—
New Zealand	176	139	68	63	66	194	563	725	1,001	1,029
Iceland	—	—	450	—	—	—	—	884	—	—
USA	164	—	1	215	195	60	57	88	107	79
Canary Islands	—	—	—	—	—	502	—	—	—	—
Switzerland	—	—	—	—	—	—	0	2	86	141
Canada	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	3	219
Indonesia	21	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	129	—
Australia	18	—	—	—	—	—	40	—	—	—
Israel	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	43	—
Brazil	—	—	—	—	—	—	23	—	—	—
Taiwan	—	—	3	15	—	—	—	—	—	—
Poland	—	—	—	—	—	6	4	7	—	—
South Africa	—	—	—	—	—	—	0	—	—	—
Chile	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	0	—	—
Non-EC total	3,272	4,449	2,097	293	279	763	687	1,706	1,368	1,467
Grand total	38,816	25,138	26,059	21,761	30,174	20,007	23,651	32,326	16,717	18,435
Notes:
0 = small values which round down to zero.
1996 and 1997 data are provisional and subject to amendment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 11 March 1998, Official Report, column 257, on export licences, how many applications in each of the stated four week periods his Department recommended for refusal. [36738]

Beef bones are not separately identified in the Combined Nomenclature. Imports of greaves, flours and meals, of meat or meat offal (including tankage), unfit for human consumption, are shown in the table. The tonnages from each country for the last ten years of these exports are taken from the Official Overseas Trade Statistics.The data will be subject to a degree of statistical error. The overall level of errors will be low, but these errors will have a much greater proportional effect on countries with small values or volumes of trade. Therefore great care is needed when interpreting the data in the table as the data will inevitably include a number of errors.

Licences to export strategic goods are issued by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, and the Export Control Organisation of the DTI is the licensing authority. All relevant individual licence applications are circulated by DTI to other Government departments with a policy interest. These include the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Ministry of Defence and the Department for International Development. The advice that is given by these departments to DTI falls into the category of internal discussion and advice, the disclosure of which would harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion and which is being withheld under exemption number 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff are employed in Scotland by his Department, or executive agencies responsible to his Department; and where those staff are located. [36211]

There are no staff in this Department, or in executive agencies responsible to this Department, employed in Scotland.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 17 March 1998, Official Report, column 555, on EU Common Foreign and Security Policy if he will make it his policy to place in the Library the minutes of the working groups' meetings. [36085]

We are committed to ensuring more effective parliamentary scrutiny of, and greater openness in EU business, including Common Foreign and Security Policy. We have made proposals accordingly both in the EU and at a national level.We do not, however, have discretion unilaterally to disclose documents that reveal the negotiating position of individual Member States or which could damage the conduct of our national relations. We do not therefore propose to place records of Common Foreign and Security Policy working group meetings in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 17 March 1998, Official Report, columns 555–57, on EU Common Foreign and Security Policy, when the working groups on (a) armaments policy, (b) conventional arms exports, (c) human rights, (d) the Middle East/Gulf, (e) Middle East Peace Process and (f) nuclear non-proliferation, last met and what subjects were discussed. [36086]

The Working Group on Armaments Policy last met on 9 March; the Conventional Arms Exports one on 26 March; the Human Rights one on 2 March; the Middle East/Gulf one on 12 March; the Middle East Peace Process one on 12 March; and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation one on 19 March.On the matter of what was discussed at the meetings I refer the hon. and learned Member to my answer to his previous question (36085).

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 23 March 1998, Official Report, column 31, what was the purpose of the meeting of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Baroness Symons, with the Ambassador of Israel on 18 March; and if he will make a statement on the meeting. [36734]

The meeting between my noble Friend Baroness Symons and Ambassador Zeigerman was a long-standing engagement. They discussed the Middle East Peace Process and bilateral relations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he made to the foreign secretary of Croatia concerning recent speeches by President Tudjman. [36735]

We have made clear to the Croatian Government, bilaterally and in our capacity as Presidency of the European Union, that we deplore the tone and content of President Tudjman's recent speech to the HDZ National Congress. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has written to President Tudjman to say that Croatia will not move closer to the European Union without demonstrating a clear, long-term commitment to the Dayton and Erdut peace Agreements, a two-way refugee return process, ethnic reconciliation and democratic reform.

To ask the Attorney-General how many appeals against (a) sentence and (b) conviction were made to the Court of Appeal in each of the last three years; and how many of those were successful. [35717]

I have been asked to reply. The figures requested are as follows:

Year	Appeals against sentence made	Appeals against sentence allowed	Appeals against conviction made	Appeals against conviction allowed
1995	5,794	1,222	2,393	253
1996	6,436	1,379	2,288	250
1997	6,357	1,331	2,318	186

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which scientific establishments are carrying out the research programme announced in July 1997 into the possible health effects of the combination of vaccines and NAPS tablets given to troops in the Gulf War to protect them against chemical and biological attack; when this work is expected to finish; when the results of this research are expected to be made public; and who has been appointed to the independent panel of experts to review the research. [33794]

Preliminary work on the programme of research to investigate the possible health effects of the combination of vaccines and NAPS tablets given to troops in the Gulf War has commenced at CBD Porton Down. However, only some elements of the overall programme will be carried out at CBD. The National Institute for Biological Standards and Control have also been invited to participate and it is intended that a number of other scientific and academic bodies will contribute to the research in due course.It was originally estimated that the programme would take some two and a half years to complete. However, this was always subject to the advice of the Independent Panel which has been appointed to oversee the research. On the advice of the Independent Panel, additional work will now be carried out at the start of the programme to determine appropriate vaccine doses for use in animals in the subsequent studies. As a result, the programme as a whole is now expected to take some three and a half years to complete, although interim results will become available at various stages within this period. We expect that, subject to a number of factors, including Home Office approval for the necessary animal tests, it should be possible to publish results from the first phase of work at the end of 1998 or in early 1999.The Independent Panel is chaired by Professor Harrison C. Spencer, Dean of The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The other members of the Panel are: Professor J. E. Banatvala, St. Thomas's Hospital, London; Professor P. Beverley, The Edward Jenner Institute for Vaccine Research; Dr. J. Bird, Burden Neurological Hospital; Dr. A. Boylston, Molecular Medicine Unit, St. James's Hospital, Leeds; Dr. P. Fawcett, Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Newcastle General Hospital; Professor A. Grossman, Department of Endocrinology, St. Bartholomew's Hospital; Professor M. Hooper, University of Sunderland; Dr. N. Jones, Royal British Legion, London; Professor S. Lightman, Department of Medicine, Bristol Royal Infirmary; Dr. C. Martyn, MRC Environmental Epidemiology Unit, Southampton; Dr. E. Miller, Communicable Diseases Surveillance Centre, Colindale; Dr. D. Ray, Centre for Mechanisms of Human Toxicity, University of Leicester; Professor Sedgwick, Wessex Neurological Centre, Southampton; Professor A. Silman, ARC Epidemiology Research Unit, Manchester University Medical School. Professor Hooper and Dr. Jones were nominated to the panel by Gulf veterans themselves acting through the Royal British Legion.Dr. Geoffrey Schild, the Director of NIBSC, has also been invited to join the Panel, in view of his expertise in relation to vaccines. In order to avoid a conflict of interest, he will not be present at any discussions regarding NIBSC participation in the programme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what specific changes to departmental transport arrangements have to date been implemented following the receipt of the green transport plan. [36650]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave to him on Friday on 20 March 1998, Official Report, column 745. Guidance has been promulgated but Green Transport Plans have still to be formulated and introduced by my Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date he plans to introduce a green commuting plan. [36666]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave him on Thursday 19 March 1998, Official Report, columns 722–23, and Friday 20 March 1998, Official Report, column 745. Transport plans have not yet been completed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the latest manning figures for the infantry, listed by regiment and regional divisions. [36636]

The total trained officer and soldier Infantry strengths, broken down by regional Divisions, as at 1 February 1998, is detailed in the table:

	Strength
Regional Division
Household	3,522
Scottish	3,674
Queens	3,953
Kings	4,047
Prince of Wales	4,681
Light	2,676
Parachute	1,999
Royal Irish	691
Brigade of Gurkhas	2,510
Total	27,753

The soldier strengths broken down by Divisions and down to Infantry unit levels are detailed in the following table. The figures show only those soldiers serving at Regimental Duty with their Battalions.

Strength
Household Division
1st Battalion, Grenadier Guards	427
N Company, Grenadier Guards	99
1 st Battalion, Coldstream Guards	570
7 Company, Coldstream Guards	104
1st Battalion Scots Guards	427
F Company, Scots Guards	90
1st Battalion, Irish Guards	471
1st Battalion, Welsh Guards	500
Total	2,688
Scottish Division
1st Battalion, Royal Scots	1429
1st Battalion, Royal Highland Fusiliers	524
1st Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers	486
1st Battalion, Black Watch	465
1st Battalion, Highlanders	490
1st Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders	516
Total	2,910
Queens Division
1st Battalion, The Princess of Wales's Royal
Regiment	1408
2nd Battalion, The Princess of Wales's Royal
Regiment	494
1st Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers	535
2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers	600
1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian	485
2nd Battalion, The Royal Anglian	577
Total	3,099

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the management of UK plutonium stocks. [36637]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to him on Friday 13 March 1998, Official Report, columns 431–32.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 11 March 1998, Official Report, column 195, on export licences, how many applications in each of the stated four week periods his Department recommended for refusal. [36737]

Licences to export strategic goods are issued by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, and the Export Control Organisation of the DTI is the licensing authority. All relevant individual licence applications are circulated by DTI to other Government departments with an interest, as determined by them in line with their policy responsibilities. These include the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Ministry of Defence and the Department for International Development. The advice given by these departments to the DTI falls into the category of internal discussion and advice, the disclosure of which would harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion and which is being withheld under Exemption number 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what are her plans for the implementation of the council tax benefit changes for people in properties in bands F, G and H from April 1998. [37186]

We gave a firm commitment to work in partnership with Local Government to monitor the implementation of the changes to Council Tax Benefit to be introduced from 1 April. During consultation with Local Government representatives we listened carefully to their concerns. In light of this we have decided that as an integral part of implementation existing Council Tax Benefit recipients should be protected so that there are no losers at the point of change.Our proposals are that existing recipients of Council Tax Benefit will not be affected by the restriction and will continue to be unaffected as long as they remain in the same property and do not have a break in Council Tax Benefit entitlement of more than twelve weeks.The proposals mean that some 65,000 recipients would not be subject to a reduction in benefit at the point of change.We are consulting the Local Authority Associations urgently on proposals to achieve this. We plan to lay regulations very shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what gross budget will be set for the Discretionary Social Fund in 1998–99. [37190]

I am pleased to announce that the Social Fund gross discretionary budget for 1998–99 will be £501.2 million. £98 million will be allocated to Community Care Grants, £402.7 million to loans and £0.5 million will be set aside as a contingency reserve. The new allocation represents an increase of £33.7 million over the total gross budget for 1997–98.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will list the numbers of incapacity benefit claimants within each three digit code diagnosis group of the International Classification of Diseases for the latest available period. [36180]

The information is set out in the table titled "Incapacity Benefit Claimants by International Classification of Diseases Code at 31 August 1997" copies of which have been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) on what date she plans to introduce a green commuting plan; [36662](2) what specific changes to departmental transport arrangements have to date been implemented following the receipt of the Green Transport Plan. [36641]

The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions circulated to all Department's in September last year a "Guide to Green Transport Plans". The Department has started to consider how to respond to its recommendations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what action she is taking concerning the present difference in the age that a man and a woman can claim a state pension. [35943]

Although currently the State pension age for men is 65 and for women is 60, from 2010 the State pension age for women will be gradually increased so that by 2020 the age is equalised at 65.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many pensioners in the UK have annual incomes in excess of (a) £25,000, (b) £30,000 and (c) £40,000. [36512]

The information is set out in the table.

Annual incomes of UK pensioners in 1997–98
Annual total income	Pensioners
Over £25,000	292,000
Over £30,000	186,000
Over £40,000	82,300

Notes:1. This estimate has been provided by Inland Revenue, based on the 1995/96 Survey of Personal Incomes projected forward to 1997/98 levels of earnings and prices.2. Annual total income is defined as the sum of all income sources that are subject to tax. It excludes certain incomes that are paid gross such as some National Savings products.3. Figures rounded to the nearest hundred.