To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which five regions had (a) the lowest and (b) the highest employment rates in each year since 1997; and what their respective rates were. [110683]

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

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which 100 local authority words have (a) the lowest and (b) the highest employment rates; and what the rates are in each case. [110684]

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

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what change has taken place in the number of (a) physical and (b) verbal assaults on Inland Revenue staff the introduction of child tax credit. [111834]

The child tax credit was introduced on 6 April 2003 alongside working tax credit. Physical and verbal assaults on Inland Revenue staff have always been uncommon and remain so.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made in meeting targets for the proportion of people with disabilities in senior posts in the Department. [110520]

The proportion of people with disabilities in senior posts in the Treasury is 1.1 per cent. against the corporate Senior Civil Service (SCS) target on disabled staff of 3 per cent. by 2005.We are taking steps to increase the recruitment of people with disabilities across the whole of the department, including staff in senior posts. Particular actions include:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Customs and Excise staff have been deported under immigration law in the last two years. [111722]

Customs and Excise have no record of any staff leaving the service in the last two years by reason of "deportation".

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will support efforts to find solutions to the collapse in coffee prices at the forthcoming G8 summit; and if he will make a statement. [111569]

Coffee growers have been hit by low prices and deteriorating quality, the result of global over-supply and structural imbalances in the industry. The Government will support efforts to find solutions at the G8 summit and in follow-up work after the summit, notably for poor countries in Africa.There are a number of possibilities. The UK is already contributing to a sustainable coffee market by helping growers to diversify through its development programme; trying to expand the trade opportunities of commodity-dependent countries, cut tariffs and reduce the negative impact of the CAP. We are promoting foreign investment and good regulatory frameworks, increasing the aid budget to 0.40 per cent. of national income by 2005–06 and advocating more debt relief to highly indebted poor countries. A government-industry working group is currently looking at what more can be done to improve the livelihoods of poorer commodity producers in developing countries. The summit will consider what more can be done.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what agreement on unpaid tax the Inland Revenue has reached with each professional football club in administration in the last two years. [111572]

When any business seeks protection from its creditors by appointing an administrator, the Inland Revenue is bound by insolvency law just like any other creditors. Due to taxpayer confidentiality, information about dealings with individual professional football clubs cannot be provided: Exemption 15 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information applies.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints concerning income drawdown have been lodged in each year since 1996. [111445]

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

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what work has been undertaken (a) to assess the basic economic indicators in Iraq and (b) to overcome the failure by the Iraqi regime to supply figures to international economic institutions; [111453](2) whether the IMF has issued interim reports on the work of its Iraq task force; [111454](3) whether his Department is working with the World bank to provide it with primary economic information on Iraq. [111452]

Iraq's isolation from the international community, combined with the impact of two wars and 12 years of sanctions, means that reliable data on the Iraqi economy are extremely scarce. The World bank has not maintained active operations in Iraq (the last loan approved was in 1973) and regular reports by the international financial institutions on the economy, such as IMF Annual Article IV reports, have not been compiled for some years.In accordance with its guidelines for working with countries in conflict, the World Bank closely monitors developments in Iraq and maintains contacts with the United Nations and international donors to exchange information and build a knowledge base on the evolving socio-economic and humanitarian conditions on the ground.The UK Government are working with their international partners to ensure the effective engagement of the International Financial Institutions in the rehabilitation of post-conflict Iraq. The collection of accurate data and the preparation of a comprehensive needs assessment are key steps in that process. The UK Government are in regular contact with the World Bank and International Monetary Fund on these matters.In a communiqué issued following their spring meetings, both the International Monetary and Finance Committee of the IMF, chaired by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the Development Committee of the World bank have noted that 'the IMF and World Bank stand ready to play their normal role in Iraq's re-development at the appropriate time'. Staff in both institutions have begun initial preparations for these tasks. Beyond information available on their websites, neither the World Bank nor the IMF has so far published any recent reports on Iraq.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what tariffs exist on the importing of Iraqi goods to (a) the EU and (b) the UK. [111553]

All imports from Iraq remain prohibited without an import licence while United Nations sanctions remain in force. Prior to sanctions being imposed in 1990, imports from Iraq were eligible for reduced rates of customs duty under the Generalised System of Preferences.Customs duty rates of the EU and UK are one and the same. The HM Customs and Excise Tariff lists both full and preferential rates of duty and includes information on the Generalised System of Preferences. A copy is available in the Library of the House.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue was raised by the landfill tax in the UK in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03; and how much revenue he estimates will be raised in 2003–04. [111836]

Landfill tax receipts figures for the financial years 2001–02 to 2003–04 were published in the April 2003 Financial Statement and Budget Report (FSBR). The 2001–02 figure is an outturn figure, while that for 2002–03 is an estimate and that for 2003–04 is a forecast. The published rounded figures are:

	£ billion
2001–02	0.5
2002–03	0.5
2003–04	0.7

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to review the national insurance lower earnings limit. [111751]

None. The lower earnings limit is currently £77 per week and it is linked to the weekly rate of the basic state pension.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received regarding his decision to consult stakeholders before announcing decisions on fuel duty rates on road fuel gases. [112093]

Treasury Ministers have received no representations on this decision to consult.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints concerning the sale of stakeholder pensions have been received in each year since their introduction; and what broad categories these complaints fell into. [111440]

If the Treasury receives complaints about the sale of stakeholder pensions, it refers complainants to the firm concerned. Where it is evident that the complainant has already complained to the firm concerned, and is dissatisfied with the handling of his complaint, the complainant is generally referred to the Financial Ombudsman Service.The Financial Ombudsman Service tells me that, between 1 April 2002 and 31 March 2003, they received 115 complaints about stakeholder pensions.These complaints principally concerned administrative difficulties at the time of the initial purchase, in collecting premiums, in promptly transferring money into plans, and in providing information at the point of sale.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many persons previously on disabled persons tax credit are awaiting transfer to regular working tax credit payments. [111669]

Claim forms for working and child tax credits were sent to all individuals and couples who were receiving disabled person's tax credit. Awards are already being paid to all those who made their claims by 31 January 2003, except in a very few cases where further information is needed to make a decision on the claim. In these cases, the Inland Revenue should already have been in touch with claimants to ask for further information.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will post information on the Inland Revenue microsite for tax credits and on any reprints of tax credit application forms, stating that children may also be eligible for free school meals as a result of the credit; [111448](2) if he will ensure that more prominence is given in leaflets sent out with child tax credit awards to making parents aware of the free school meals entitlement for children. [111450]

There are a number of 'passported benefits' that may attach to the new tax credits, and the tax credits award notice and accompanying notes alert people to the fact they may qualify as a result of their award. In addition, a new Inland Revenue leaflet providing information and giving contact points for details on some of the more common benefits was published on the Inland Revenue website on 2 May 2003. It will soon also be available in paper format.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people resident in Buckinghamshire pay income tax at the top rate of 40 per cent. [111726]

Around 10,000 Buckinghamshire residents paid income tax at the 40 per cent. rate in the 2000–01 tax year. This estimate is based on the Survey of Personal Incomes. This is the latest year for which estimates are available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much he has given to the London borough of Wandsworth for education services in the borough in the last three years. [112051]

The following table shows the Department's total Education Standard Spending Assessment, recurrent and capital grant allocated to Wandsworth local education authority for the financial years 2000–01 to 2002–03. Complete figures for 2003–04 are not yet available.

£ million
	2000–01	2001–02	2002–03
SSA	101.9	105.2	102.9
Recurrent grant	8.8	14.2	22.2
Capital grant	7.4	7.0	12.3
Total	118.1	126.4	137.4

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to promote the benefits of (a) adult, (b) further and (c) higher education to school leavers, adults and those not in full-time employment; and if he will make a statement. [111148]

The Learning and Skills Council has specific legal responsibility for widening participation in learning across post-16 education and training in England. This Department supports the agenda to promote the benefits of learning across all sectors of education. This includes the "Aim Higher" campaign which promotes the benefits of higher education.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of pupils in England achieving A-levels in (a) mathematics and (b) English achieved grade A in (i) the best performing local education authority and (ii) the worst performing local education authority in the last year for which figures are available. [110191]

The information requested is given in the following table.

Percentage of A level passes that were grade A in 2002
	LEA	Percentage
Maths
Highest	Reading	58.5
Lowest	Lambeth	5.6
English
Highest	Reading	30.2
Lowest	Hackney	0.8

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of GCSE students in the London Borough of Havering achieved five or more C grades, or higher, last year; and what the proportion was in other London boroughs. [110581]

The percentage of 15-year-olds achieving five or more GCSE grades C and above or the GNVQ equivalent in the London Borough of Havering in 2001/02 was 57.3. The figures for the other London boroughs are as follows.

London Borough	Percentage of 15 year olds with 5 A*-C or better
Barking and Dagenham	42.3
Barnet	59.1
Bexley	52.6
Brent	49.6
Bromley	59.9
Camden	48.4
Croydon	48.9
Ealing	49.8
Enfield	46.2
Greenwich	33.3
Hackney	31.1
Hammersmith and Fulham	50.3
Haringey	35.4
Harrow	59.1
Hillingdon	46.0
Hounslow	49.5
Islington	32.9
Kensington and Chelsea	55.7
Kingston upon Thames	60.0
Lambeth	40.1
Lewisham	38.7
Merton	40.9
Newham	42.4
Redbridge	63.7
Richmond upon Thames	51.4
Southwark	35.7
Sutton	64.8
Tower Hamlets	43.6
Waltham Forest	44.3
Wandsworth	48.6
Westminster, city of	41.5

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to include small-scale learning providers within the ambit of a revised Individual Learning Account scheme. [111283]

For all its failings, ILA was successful in getting non-traditional learners back into learning, and that success was based in part on the role played by the best providers, many of them small scale, who were able to encourage learners to take the first step. This influence will be as important in the successor scheme as it was in the original programme. The scheme will promote high quality relevant learning, whether from small or large scale providers. Details of the scheme will be announced next month as part of the Skills Strategy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many, and what percentage, of (a) applicants and (b) successful applicants there were to (i) Oxford and (ii) Cambridge University from (A) fee paying schools, (B) local authority 11–18 comprehensive schools, (C) sixth form colleges, (D)

	Percentage of applications from maintained sector Year of entry			Percentage of acceptances from maintained sector Year of entry
Cambridge University	2000	2001	2002	2000	2001	2002
Christ's	55	58	61	37	51	54
Churchill	75	68	70	68	58	66
Clare	56	65	66	55	59	60
Corpus Christi	49	56	57	39	53	52
Downing	51	47	54	41	46	50
Emmanuel	61	59	57	54	53	54
Fitzwilliam	71	68	72	66	60	69
Girton	61	62	64	61	58	51
Gonville and Caius	48	46	52	48	36	46
Homerton1	—	—	76	—	—	72
Hughes Hall2	—	—	60	—	—	100
Jesus	57	53	53	54	56	56
King's	84	85	80	77	78	69
Lucy Cavendish2	—	—	89	—	—	100
Magdalene	42	42	48	36	44	55
New Hall	59	58	65	58	55	54
Newnham	58	64	62	49	59	61
Pembroke	55	57	59	50	50	51
Peterhouse	52	45	53	43	43	53
Queen's	60	60	57	55	53	47
Robinson	65	64	69	56	64	62
Selwyn	58	54	61	49	48	58
Sidney Sussex	55	58	58	45	52	58
St. Catherine's	58	52	59	52	51	57
St. Edmund's2	—	—	100	—	—	—
St. John's	52	55	50	45	49	45
Trinity	56	52	54	48	45	44
Trinity Hall	55	53	52	47	50	43
Wolfson2	—	—	83	—	—	83
All standard colleges	59	58	60	52	53	55
Mature student colleges (Hugh Hall, Lucy Cavendish, St. Edmunds and Wilfson)	86	86	—	87	87	—
1 Homerton College amalgamated with Cambridge on 1 April 2001
2 Prior to 2002, figures for these colleges were amalgamated.

	Percentage of applications from maintained sector Year of entry			Percentage of offers to maintained sector Year of entry
Oxford University	2001	2001	2002	2000	2001	2002
Balliol	—	50	61	56	53	51
Brasenose	—	40	40	44	44	49
Christ Church	—	43	49	47	39	47
Corpus Christi	—	57	60	56	52	58
Exeter	—	51	52	60	56	48
Harris Manchester	—	100	100	100	86	92
Hertford	—	69	76	61	67	71
Jesus	—	67	68	57	58	61
Keble	—	58	63	65	60	59
Lady Margaret Hall	—	46	51	47	41	52
Lincoln	—	52	63	46	57	64
Magdalene	—	56	57	46	52	52
Mansfield	—	71	81	75	67	75
Merton	—	61	59	61	54	53
New	—	54	53	48	49	55

[holding answer 10 March 2003]: The available information for the constituent colleges of Oxford and Cambridge is shown in the following tables. These figures are compiled by the institutions themselves, who are responsible for its accuracy. The tables cover all applicants, irrespective of their qualifications, and therefore take no account of any differential levels of A-level attainment between students from the maintained and independent school sectors.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent representations he has had with regard to the imposition of VAT on new school buildings used partly by the general public; and if he will make a statement. [111369]

My Department has received no representations recently with regard to the imposition of VAT on new school buildings used partly by the general public. Any specific correspondence on this issue would normally have been forwarded to Customs and Excise for their response, as they have policy responsibility for VAT.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what proportion of lessons inspected by Ofsted use pupil setting for (a) year 10 and (b) year 11; [111673](2) how many independent schools were inspected by Ofsted in 2002; [111674](3) what percentage of secondary state school lessons inspected by Ofsted in 2001–02 were judged satisfactory or better; and what percentage were judged poor; [111675](4) what percentage of state secondary schools inspected by Ofsted in 2001–02 have an obligatory school uniform policy; and what percentage have a school prefect system. [111676]

These are matters for Ofsted and I have asked HM Chief Inspector, David Bell, to write to the hon. member and to place a copy of his letter in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on skills shortages in the Oxfordshire, Milton Keynes and Buckinghamshire Local Learning and Skills area. [108486]

Revised figures from the Employers Skill Survey 2001, funded by the Department, showed that 6 per cent. of employers reported skill shortage vacancies in the Oxfordshire, Milton Keynes and

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what has been the cost of developing the new Teachernet emergency planning website; [109416](2) when his Department will set a date for the launch of the Teachernet emergency planning website; [109417](3) how many

Development of the Teachenet emergency planning website has cost approximately £60,000. My Department invited all local education authorities (LEAs) in England to identify staff and teachers who would like to test the site. 17 LEAs responded that they would like to take part. We have not yet received responses from all of them so we do not yet know how many individuals have been involved.I will set a date for launch of the website when I am satisfied that all responses have been received and properly considered, and consequent improvements to the site have been made.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress has been made in meeting targets for the proportion of people with disabilities in senior posts in the Department. [110524]

As at 29 April 2003 0.5 per cent. of staff at senior civil service level in the Cabinet Office are disabled. The Cabinet Office has a target to increase this proportion to 3 per cent. by 2005 and has put in place a number of initiatives to help achieve this. The Department is a member of the cross-departmental Disability Working Group, which is currently working to identify best practice in surveying staff on disability—a re-survey of Cabinet Office staff is planned once this work is complete.The Cabinet Office also supports its own departmental network for disabled staff (DISCO) and will be working with them to support a number of events throughout the coming year to promote the European Year of Disabled People. This includes hosting information meetings on various disabilities such as diabetes, epilepsy and ME.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what preparations he has made for the distribution of information to the general public in the event of a civil emergency. [111122]

Long-standing protocols exist for distributing information to the public in the event of a civil emergency. These arrangements are maintained by the Government Information and Communication Service within the Cabinet Office.The Emergency Services warn and advise those in the immediate vicinity of an incident, working closely with other bodies as appropriate.Away from the emergency the public will be advised, as appropriate, in line with the Government's 'Go In Stay In Tune In' doctrine. We have made arrangements

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec
1999									36	39	48	50
2000	51	51	53	54	56	56	54	52	56	57	60	60
2001	62	71	92	111	123	125	129	128	138	146	147	145
2002	148	145	143	142	138	141	140	134	139	140	144	145
2003	141	141	138

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when he has entertained Labour honourable Members at public expense in the last 12 months; and at what cost. [106257]

No such events have taken place.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the estimated value is of the property portfolio held by the Cabinet Office. [108367]

The estimated value of the total property portfolio held by the Cabinet Office on 31 March 2002 was £157.1 million.The above figure includes Downing Street and buildings that are owned by the Cabinet Office but are jointly occupied with other departments.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many staff in the Office were on long term sick leave in each of the last five years. [109255]

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many documents are held by his Office that are subject to security classification, broken down by category of classification. [107354]

The information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. My Department follows the Cabinet Office guidance on document marking and control.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) if he will make a statement on the Government's plans to change (a) the level of staffing and (b) the role of the Office of the e-Envoy; [105629](2) how many staff have worked in the Office of the e-Envoy in each month since its establishment; [105628](3) if he will make a statement on the work of the Office of the e-Envoy since its establishment. [105630]

The following table should have been used, pursuant to his answer of 3 April 2003, Official Report, columns 799W–80W:

There is no central definition of long term absence. Cabinet Office uses absence of at least 20 calendar days as a general guide. Numbers of staff with recorded absence above this level have been as follows:

Year	Numbers of staff with more than 20 calendar days absence	Number of staff in post
1999	73	1,560
2000	80	1,750
2001	126	1,840
2002	139	1,950

Records are not available for 1998.The Cabinet Office is committed to managing attendance effectively. We already have in place procedures recommended by the 1998 report "Working Well Together—Managing Attendance in the Public Sector"; and new procedures for proactive monitoring of attendance, where absence levels reach 10 calendar days in 12 months, will be introduced by the summer.Our target for overall levels of absence is no more than 6.1 days per staff year by the end of 2003.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to address the issue of age discrimination. [109441]

We have already implemented recommendations from the Performance and Innovation Unit Report, "Winning The Generation Game". The Department has already implemented policies to allow staff to stay on up to age 65, and we have delivered the Green Paper on Pensions. The Department has also taken steps to promote the provisions of the Government's Code of Practice on Age Diversity in Employment.We are currently developing our policy on age alongside new legislation from the EC Article 13 Employment and Race Directives. The legislation to outlaw unfair discrimination at work on the grounds of age is required to be in place by December 2006.The Department has taken age into consideration in its development and equality proofing of all human resource policies and processes and is committed to tackling any negative attitudes towards older staff. We are currently working with the Employers Forum on Age to progress age diversity policies by using their policy review toolkit 'One Step Ahead'. The toolkit sets out the framework to enable employers to undertake a comprehensive age equality review and to deliver age "neutrality" across the business. The toolkit will shortly be issued across the DWP HR community.The Department plays an active role in promoting age diversity to the wider employment market through the Age Positive Campaign. The campaign material can be

Research involving opinion polls
Title	Purpose	Cost
Welfare Reforms Omnibus Survey	Monitoring attitudes towards various aspects of the work areas covered by the Department.	£9,600
Disability and Carers Benefits Directorate (DCBD) Customer Satisfaction Survey 2001–02	The postal survey conducted in February 2001, provided Disability and Carers Service (DCS), which replaced the DCBD in April 2002, with valuable customer feedback and a baseline from which the DCS can measure future improvements in service delivery. The questionnaire asked customers to comment on their experiences when dealing with the DCBD by telephone, written correspondence or when visiting the offices and, additionally, when claiming one of the benefits DCBD administer.	£5,015 (postal charges only as survey was conducted in-house).
Jobcentre Plus Customer Satisfaction Survey	A large scale client survey undertaken to determine satisfaction with the level of service received from Jobcentre Plus. The survey involved 3,100 telephone interviews with a range of benefit recipients accessing a variety of Jobcentre Plus services.	£88,600
Appeals Service Customer Survey	To assess performance against Service First Standards which cannot be measured internally and to obtain information direct from customers about the service they have received. The survey also informs the work being undertaken by the Modernising Appeals Programme on the shape of future service including opening hours and tribunal session times.	£46,455
Attitudes and Awareness Survey	To obtain information on the level of awareness of the Disability Discrimination Act and the Disability Rights Commission.	£20,000
Young Disabled People Survey	To obtain information on the opinion and attitudes of young disabled people.	£94,000
Attitudes to Electronic Service Delivery	To explore public attitudes to providing DWP services on-line, and examine how to maximise take-up. This research included 20 mini focus groups, as part of a wider project.	£41,347

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what expenditure has been incurred by his (a) Department, (b) agencies and (c) non-departmental bodies in 2002 on (i) opinion polling, (ii) focus groups and (iii) other forms of market research; and if he will list the surveys commissioned and the purpose of each. [106274]

Details of expenditure incurred by this Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies, in 2002 in respect on opinion polls, focus groups and other forms of market research of opinion polls, are given in the following table.The cost information provided in the table is, in the main, that incurred in the financial year 2002–03. Financial information provided for the 2002–03 financial year is provisional and subject to final audit.Some of the projects listed may have been undertaken by a mixture of methodologies, for example, in-depth interviews and surveys, in addition to focus groups and opinion polls. In such instances, it has not always been possible to disaggregate costs for the individual elements.While this Department is keen to hear what people have to say about proposed new policies and ideas, we are committed to obtaining best value for money. Public opinion research, including focus groups and polling, is subject to the usual strict rules that spending must represent good value for the taxpayer and must not be used for party political purposes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the impact of the Part-time Workers Directive on staff in his Department. [109264]

The Part-time Workers Directive has not had a significant impact on staff in DWP. Existing policies already provided a range of working patterns for all our staff, both male and female. Full-time staff can work in non-traditional ways (e.g. compressed hours, informal home-working), and part-time staff can work part year, for example during school terms but not during school holidays.We also recognise that some part-time staff do not have children; they have simply made other life choices. Staff may take the opportunity to match their working arrangements with their personal lives and responsibilities as carers, to study, undertake voluntary work, or pursue other interests. More than 25 per cent. (see Table A) of DWP staff work part-time (source: DWP baseline map for year ending 30 September 2002) against a little over 15 per cent. in the Civil Service as a whole (Civil Service statistics October 2002).A recent survey of DWP staff indicated that 67 per cent. (see Table B) of staff were in agreement that "the organisation allowed people to adopt a work pattern to accommodate a work life balance" 22 per cent. did not have an opinion either way and only 11 per cent. felt that their work pattern conflicted with their home life (source: staff survey 2002).DWP ensures that part-time staff are not treated less favourably in their contractual terms and conditions than comparable full time staff; the 'pro rata principle' applies wherever appropriate.

Table A: Staff in post by work pattern and gender (DWP HR baseline map 30 September 2002)
	Full time	Part-time
Male	39,460	2,080
Female	62,424	33,020
Total	101,884	35,100
Percentage
Male	38.7	5.9
Female	61.3	94.1

Table B: The percentage of staff in DWP who feel that: "The organisation allows me to adopt a working pattern which helps me balance my work and home life" (Staff survey result 2002)
	Percentage
Strongly agree	14
Agree	53
Neither agree nor disagree	22
Disagree	9
Strongly disagree	2

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect on incentives to contribute to private pension schemes of the fact that student maintenance loans are paid from gross income. [111068]

The Government recognise the value of saving for retirement in providing people with security, comfort in retirement and long-term independence and security. To address the problems that may have discouraged people of all ages from saving in the past the Government are implementing a strategy designed to create the right environment for saving; provide incentives to save through favourable tax treatment; and ensure everyone has access to the financial information they need to make informed savings decisions.It also recognised that there will be times in many people's lives when they cannot afford both to contribute to a pension and meet their current needs, but it is important that people save when they can afford to do so. Student loans are repaid on an income contingent basis, which means that the amount repaid is affordable and does not prevent graduates from making other investments such as contributions to a pension scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if his Department will add projected life expectancy to the information available on government pension statements. [110406]

The pension forecast statements issued by the Department for Work and Pensions are to provide individuals with the information on state pensions to help them plan their incomes in retirement. The statements are personal to the individual and do not contain information on life expectancy of either the individual, or the general population.Customer research conducted on the information contained in these statements has not highlighted the need to provide such information and there are currently no plans to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the promotional material for the pensions credit will make clear that products such as equity release affect any tax credits available. [111067]

A Guide to Pension Credit will be published in September. This publication will provide detailed information about the way income and capital is treated in the calculation and will make it clear that money raised from a loan on property or through equity release counts as capital.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many responses he has received to the Green Paper on Pensions; and if he will place copies of the responses in the Library. [110904]

There have been over 800 responses to the consultation on the Green Paper, Simplicity, Security and Choice: Working and saving for retirement (Cm 5677).We are analysing responses and will respond to the consultation in due course. Copies of the responses will then be placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to increase the payment due under the caring allowance entitlement of the State Second Pension. [110858]

There are no plans to increase the level of State Second Pension for those who qualify through caring responsibilities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland will benefit from (a) the increased state pension and (b) the additional winter fuel payments for over-80s. [111250]

We increased the basic state pension by above inflation in April 2003. Everyone who is entitled to a basic state pension will benefit from the increase.Information relating to the additional payments to the over-80s is not available in the format requested. However. there are around 3,600 people in Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland constituency who are aged 80 or over. If they are entitled to a winter fuel payment, they will also be entitled to an additional payment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures are in place restricting companies from marketing products to children under 16 years of age; and if she will make a statement on the regulations in place for responsible advertising. [111149]

Non-broadcast advertising in the UK is controlled primarily by self-regulation under which the Advertising Standards Authority is responsible for ensuring compliance with the British Code of Advertising, Sales Promotion and Direct Marketing. The Code contains specific rules on advertising to children.For advertisements appearing on the television, the Independent Television Commission oversees compliance with its own Code of Advertising Standards and Practice. With regard to advertisements on the radio, the Radio Authority licences and regulates the independent radio industry, including radio advertising, in accordance with the statutory requirements of the Broadcasting Act 1990 and the Broadcasting Act 1996.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has received from the new owners of Arbre; and if she will make a statement on the sale of Arbre. [111194]

My officials have had discussions with the company interested in purchasing Arbre. There are a number of issues to be resolved before any announcement can be made. I hope that this matter can be brought to a satisfactory conclusion very soon.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many homes and businesses in Shropshire have a broadband connection. [111661]

These data are not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the representation of the Government at the meetings of the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum being held on (a) 14 and 15 May in San Francisco and (b) 23 to 25 June in Washington DC. [110456]

The Government are considering their level of representation at these international meetings.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations have been made to her Department by organisations in the voluntary sector which have had problems in obtaining employer liability insurance. [111109]

The DTI have not had representations from the voluntary sector because formal representations on this issue have been directed to the Home Office which is responsible for the voluntary sector, and to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), which is leading a Government review of the employers' liability insurance system.The DWP-led review of the employers' liability insurance system aims to assess the case for reform and, if such a case is demonstrated, to identify the objectives and options for such reform. It is due to report in Spring 2003. Further details of the review are available at

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what meetings have taken place between the Minister of State for Energy and (a) the World Coal Institute and (b) the IEA Clean Coal Technology Centre in 2001, 2002 and so far in 2003; and what meetings are planned for the rest of 2003. [110457]

No meetings have taken place between the Minister and the World Coal Institute and the IEA Clean Coal Technology Centre in this period, and none are planned for the rest of 2003. However, close contact is maintained between the Department of Trade and Industry and these organisations. DTI Officials attend the twice-yearly Executive Committee meetings of the IEA Clean Coal Technology Centre, the most recent of which was on the 24–25 April, and both the IEA Clean Coal Technology Centre and the World Coal Institute actively participate in the DTI's cleaner coal technology programme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what additional resources will be required by trading standards departments in Buckinghamshire in respect of new fallen stock regulations. [110333]

I have been asked to reply.Allocation of resources for enforcement of the new rules on disposal of fallen stock is a matter for local authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has received about the Financial Assistance for Industry (Increase of Limit) Order. [111729]

No representations have been received.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many letters and submissions have been received by the DTI on the Higgs Report; and how many of these were in favour of its conclusions. [110398]

The Higgs review made a number of recommendations relating to the role effectiveness of non-executive directors, many of which are to be taken forward to advance best practice through amendments to the combined code. The FRC is responsible for changes to the code and therefore for consulting on the amendments proposed in the Higgs review. Responses were sought by the FRC by 14 April. It is for the FRC to report on the responses to that consultation, and on amendments to the combined code resulting from the review and consultation.The Department has received a number of letters on the recommendations in the report, many of which enclosed copies of responses to the FRC. It has also received letters in relation to the work of the group, which is being led by Professor Laura Tyson, Dean of the London Business school, which was set up as envisaged in the report to bring to greater prominence candidates from the non-commercial sector.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the value was of damages paid to sufferers of chronic bronchitis and emphysema and vibration white finger who live in the Easington constituency in (a) 2000, (b) 2001, and (c) 2002. [111203]

The figures are as follows:

£
Year	COPD	VWF
2000	1,575,226	9,801,475
2001	3,300,724	10,594,815
2002	7,020,245	7,723,689

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has received concerning the OFT report on Pharmacies from community based pharmacies; and if she will make a statement. [111205]

We have received numerous representations from community pharmacies and other stakeholders regarding the OFT report on the control of entry regulations and retail pharmacy services in the UK.In relation to England, the government has said that we favour change to open up the market and improve quality and access without diminishing the crucial role that pharmacies play, especially in poorer and rural areas. The Government intends to come forward with a balanced package of proposals for consultation before the summer recess.The regulations on pharmacy entry controls are devolved in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and the devolved administrations announced their responses to the OFT's recommendations on 26 March.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people are in receipt of the national minimum wage, broken down by (a) region, (b) county, (c) gender, (d) age group and (e) ethnic origin. [110313]

In Spring 2002 there were around 760,000 jobs in the UK that paid at or just above the level of the National Minimum Wage.The table provides a break down of this figure by region.

Number of jobs paying at or just above the NMW rate1 in Spring 2002; United Kingdom
North East	60,000
North West	120,000
Yorkshire and Humberside	90,000
East Midlands	70,000
West Midlands	80,000
Eastern	50,000
London	30,000
South East	60,000
South West	60,000
Wales	40,000
Scotland	70,000
Northern Ireland	2—
UK	760,000
1 Defined as paid at £4.10–£4.19 for 22 + and £3.50–3.59 for 18–21 year olds.
2 Sample size too small for reliable estimate.
Source:
ONS central estimates of Low Pay, Labour Force Survey & New Earnings Survey.

In Spring 2002, around 560,000 women were in jobs that paid at or just above the level of the NMW compared to around 200,000 men.Around 50,000 18–21 year olds were in jobs that paid at or just above the NMW compared to around 710,000 adults aged 22 and over.Estimates by country, and ethnicity are not available due to sample sizes being too small to provide reliable estimates.

To a ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many prosecutions concerning the illegal import of meat have been initiated as a result of the detector dogs experiment at Heathrow. [109853]

[holding answer 28 April 2003]. No prosecutions have been undertaken as a result of seizures made by the detector dogs.A decision to bring a prosecution before the courts would take into account a number of factors, including the weight of evidence to prove intent to break the laws in question and the ability to bring the offender before the British courts. These criteria may not be easy to satisfy in the case of air passengers bringing in meat illegally, especially where small quantities are seized.The six-month detector dog pilot resulted in just under 10 tonnes of illegal products of animal origin being seized.Responsibility for the detector dogs was fully transferred to HM Customs and Excise on 1 May, as part of a wider transfer of anti-smuggling controls for products of animal origin.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her assessment is of the number of incinerators using (a) over and (b) under 50 kg/fuel per hour available to the UK farming industry. [108962]

Prior to the introduction of the EU Animal By-Products Regulation on 1 May 2003, the Department was not responsible for the approval of animal carcase incinerator, with the exception of incinerators which dispose of Specified Risk Material. A central register of operators currently approved to operate SRM incinerators indicates that as at 29 April 2003 there were 306 approved incinerators in Great Britain.However, we believe the number of low capacity animal carcase incinerator—those operating at less than 50kg/hour—to be around 2,500. 20 high-capacity incinerators are currently contracted to the Over-30-Months and Fallen Stock Survey schemes. No assessment has been made of the number of other high-capacity animal carcase incinerators in the country.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact of agricultural market price support on UK income distribution. [108816]

Agricultural market support measures under the CAP are estimated to have increased the cost of food for a notional family of four by about £5 to £6 per week. As food represents a higher proportion of the total expenditure for low income households, the impact will be more severe for these households. There are no estimates of the impact of market price support on the income distribution of UK farmers. However, the OECD's provisional estimates for 2001 show that market price support in the EU accounted for nearly 60 per cent. of total support to agriculture and represented 24 per cent. of the value of production at the farm gate. OECD estimates for individual commodities show that market price support represented 3 per cent. of the value of production of cereals, 37 per cent. for milk, 44 per cent. for sugar and 84 per cent. for beef and veal.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) how she recommends horse owners who have opted under the horse passport scheme not to put their horse into the human food chain should dispose of their carcasses; [107916](2) whether it is her policy that the Animal By-Products Regulations will result in a ban on the burial of horses on private land. [107914]

Current legislation permits a number of disposal routes for fallen stock, including horses. These include rendering, incineration, sending the carcases to a knacker or hunt kennel, or, in restricted circumstances only, burial or on-farm burning.The new EU Animal By-Products Regulation will be directly applicable in the UK and will ban the routine burial or open burning of animal carcases when it applies in member states from 1 May 2003. The other disposal routes can still be used.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) how long it will take to assess the responses from farmers on her Department's proposed scheme for the removal of carcases from farms after 1 May 2003;[111278](2) when she expects her proposed scheme to remove animal carcases from farms to be operational; and how farmers should deal with carcases until the scheme is operational. [111276]

[holding answer 6 May 2003]: The closing date for responses is 6 May 2003. The time taken to then assess the viability of the scheme will be dependent on the number of responses and the type/size of holdings which have expressed an interest in the scheme. However, we would expect to have completed such an assessment by the end of May 2003.Assuming that the scheme is viable we anticipate that it will take a minimum of three months from the date when the decision is taken on whether to proceed to get the scheme operational.An infrastructure of approved knacker yards, hunt kennels, rendering plants and incinerators already exists to allow farmers to comply with the new rules. However, if farmers do not know who provides these services locally they can ring a help line on 0845 8507070 which has been set up to provide advice on collection and disposal facilities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many herds under movement restrictions to control the spread of bovine tuberculosis have been subject to such controls for (a) more than two years, (b) between one and two years, (c) between six months and one year and (d) less than six months. [110755]

Information on the number of herds under movement restrictions in categories (a) to (b) is not available. However, preliminary information, in the form of herds in each category as a percentage of unconfirmed and confirmed incidents resolved in Great Britain in 2002, is given in the following table.

Duration of TB movement restrictions as a percentage of all unconfirmed/confirmed TB incidents in GB ending in 2002
Duration of movement restrictions	1As percentage of all unconfirmed TB incidents	1As percentage of all confirmed TB incidents
(a) more than two years	Data not available	Data not available
(b) between one and two years	11	48
(c) between six months and one year	8	20
(d) less than six months	81	32
1 Preliminary figures produced by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency from the Vetnet database

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in how many of those herds suffering a breakdown following testing for bovine tuberculosis were (a) lesions found at the post mortem of any animal from the herd and (b) tissue samples taken which proved positive for Mycobacterium bovis in each of the last five years. [110756]

The number of confirmed new TB breakdowns is given in the following table.A confirmed TB incident is one in which (i) visible lesions are found in at least one of the slaughtered animals at postmortem examination, and/or (ii) Mycobacterium bovis is cultured from the tissue samples of at least one reactor animal. Separate data on the two categories can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

TB incidents in Great Britain 1998–2002—herds
Year	Number of confirmed new herd incidents
1997	503
1998	720
1999	875
2000	1,044
2001	511
2002	11,837–1,962
1 Provisional figures.
Note:
Data will remain provisional until all culture results are available and data validation has been carried out.
Source:
Vetnet

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects to publish the results of the present research into the impact of TB in badgers on cattle. [111016]

Defra has a wide-ranging bovine TB research programme, comprised of many individual research projects. Once individual projects are complete final reports are published on the Defra website. Some of the projects currently underway are not scheduled to end until 2006.The Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB is reviewing the effect of the Foot and Mouth disease outbreak on the badger culling trial and is expected to provide advice to Ministers on the likely completion date shortly. In addition, an independent audit panel has just been set up to look at the progress of the trial and the likely timescale to which it will produce results.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of those herds with a breakdown confirmed by a positive laboratory test for Mycrobacterium bovis, how many are vaccinated against bovine viral diarrhoea. [1107541]

These data are not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total annual dioxin emissions produced by cement kilns were in each year for 1997 to 2002. [110222]

The estimated total annual emissions of dioxins produced by cement kilns were as follows: 1997, 2.829 grams; 1998, 2.883 grams; 1999, 8.511 grams; 2000, 4.715 grams; and 2001, 5.684 grams. Data are not yet available for 2002.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made in meeting targets for the proportion of people with disabilities in senior posts in her Department. [110517]

In common with other Government Departments, Defra has a target for increasing the number of disabled civil servants to 3 per cent. by 2005. Currently, 1 per cent. of Defra's Senior Civil Servants have declared a disability. At grades below SCS the figure is 6 per cent.Defra is taking steps to address the low number of disabled Senior Civil Servants. In addition to running the 'Two Ticks' guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants, the Department participates in central schemes targeted at disabled staff including the civil service bursary scheme and fast stream summer placements for disabled graduates.We encourage members of staff to declare their disability but this is voluntary and there may be a degree of under-reporting. The Department is considering what we can do to improve the response rate. We are also represented on the Cabinet Office's Disability Working Group which is looking at this issue for Government Department's in general.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) if she will publish the critical findings of the use of dolphin friendly fishing gear; [108190]

Research by the Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU) carried out in 2002 on behalf of the Department into the use of exclusion devices to reduce the by-catch of cetaceans in the offshore bass fishery has been published on my Department's website at: www://defraweb/science/project_data/Document Library/MF0733 A report on further research carried out during the 2003 spring bass fishery will be published later this year and I will ensure the hon. Member receives a copy.Since 2000, SMRU, under contract to Defra, has carried out a number of surveys to estimate the level of by-catch in UK pelagic fisheries. Surveys of the bass fishery in 2001 and 2002 recorded 62 common dolphins caught in 182 hauls observed. This information has been published in the UK by-catch response strategy, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government are taking to prevent the death of dolphins caused by bass fishing in the English Channel. [111212]

Action to address the issue of dolphin and porpoise by-catch needs to be taken internationally, as fishing vessels from many countries are involved. We have been pressing for such action within the EU and have commissioned a programme of research and development to reinforce our arguments. Urgent action is needed in the pair trawl fishery for bass off south west England, which involves a substantial number of vessels from other member states. Our research programme identified a by-catch problem in this fishery and is now trialling a possible gear solution. This looks promising, and I am determined to achieve a solution by this or other means. The second urgent need is to deploy EU observers to identify and assess other problem fisheries. I have followed up action in the Council of Agriculture and Fisheries Ministers, by writing to Commissioner Fischler and the French Fisheries Minister in support of effective measures. In addition, with the devolved administrations, I have issued a consultation document outlining a UK by-catch response strategy, copies of which have been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what progress is being made by the Secretary of State in discussion with European Commissioners to introduce an EU-wide observer programme to broaden information on by-catch of dolphins in EU fisheries; [108199](2) what progress the Government have made in their discussions with the French Government to carry observers on French trawlers to ascertain the numbers of dolphins being caught in French nets; [108191](3) what proposals she has to ask the European Commission for a seasonal closure of fisheries to protect dolphins; [108189](4) what estimates her Department has made of the numbers of French trawlers involved in pair-trawling for sea bass in the English Channel; and if she will make a statement; [108200]

We highlighted the need for urgent action on the issue of cetacean by-catch at the January meeting of the Council of Agriculture and Fisheries Ministers. I have also pursued this issue with Commissioner Fischler on a number of occasions, both in writing and in personal contacts.I have recently written to the Commission to press for urgent action to widen observer coverage off the south-west coast where a number of other member states' vessels fish. I was pleased that the Commission included a commitment to take action in this area in papers produced as part of the recent reform of the Common Fisheries Policy. Commissioner Fischler has sent an encouraging reply sharing the UK's concern and agreeing a need to act at Community level, but I will follow up our recent approaches and continue to press for concrete proposals for positive action.I have also recently written to Hervé Gaymard, the French Fisheries Minister, stressing the need for effective action, and requesting his support for measures to widen observer coverage with a view to the reduction of cetacean by-catch. Action by France is particularly important as French pair trawlers play a substantial part in the offshore bass fishery; estimates are that some 30 to 40 French pairs are involved in this fishery.Defra has committed some £140,000 for trialling the use of exclusion devices developed by the Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU) to reduce the by-catch of cetaceans in the offshore bass fishery. If SMRU's trials do not identify the use of the separator grids as a viable solution, we will look at other measures. I do not rule out any approach at this stage including arguing for restrictions on fishing, the gear that can be used or seasonal closures.In the meantime, I, along with the Devolved Administrations, have issued a consultation document outlining a UK by-catch response strategy. This sets out the extent of our knowledge of by-catch in UK waters and makes proposals for action to address the by-catch problem. The document has been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the bio-security risk of fallen wildlife in the countryside. [108800]