asked Her Majesty's Government:How many local co-ordinators have been appointed to implement the policy set out in the Social Exclusion Unit's teenage pregnancy report; and what training or guidance they will receive. [HL1290]

The Teenage Pregnancy Unit has to date received notification of 132 local co-ordinators, jointly identified by health and local authorities. The local co-ordinators are to work to local education authority/social services boundaries: there are 150 such authorities in England. The unit will follow up those areas that have not yet provided notification of their co-ordinator.The unit issued detailed advice on the role of the local co-ordinators to health and local authority chief executives on 7 January. The unit also held a conference for local co-ordinators on 1 March to facilitate networking and exchange of best practice. The unit will continue to provide practical support for the local co-ordinators, and will keep their training needs under review.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will publish the key targets for 2000–2001 for the Medical Devices Agency. [HL1459]

We have agreed the agency's key targets for 2000–2001 and copies have been placed in the Library.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether there are any changes in the composition of the United Kingdom delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Assembly of the Western European Union. [HL1134]

Mr Anthony Lloyd and Mr Alan Meale have been appointed as substitute members in place of Dr Tony Wright and Mr David Taylor.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many statutory instruments subject to the negative resolution procedure were laid before Parliament in each of the following years: (a) 1980; (b) 1985; (c) 1990; (d) 1995; and (e) 1999. [HL1209]

Some statutory instruments are laid before the House of Commons only. Accordingly the Answer refers to the number of instruments laid before that House. Records are kept on a sessional rather than an annual basis. The records for Session 1980–81 and 1985–86 indicate the number of the instruments considered by the Joint Committee and the Select Committee on Statutory Instruments rather than those laid, but this excludes only any Orders in Council or draft Orders in Council under paragraph 1 of Schedule 1 to the Northern Ireland Act 1974.Taking those Sessions which fall towards the middle of a Parliament, and so were of roughly equivalent length, the numbers were as follows:

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many statutory instruments subject to the affirmative resolution procedure were laid before Parliament in each of the following years: (a) 1980; (b) 1985; (c) 1990; (d) 1995; and (e) 1999. [HL1210]

Some statutory instruments are laid before the House of Commons only. Accordingly the Answer refers to the number of instruments laid before that House. Records are kept on a sessional rather than an annual basis. The records for Session 1980–81 and 1985–86 indicate the number of instruments considered by the Joint Committee and the Select Committee on Statutory Instruments rather than those laid, but this excludes only any Orders in Council or draft Orders in Council under paragraph 1 of Schedule 1 to the Northern Ireland Act 1974.Taking those Sessions which fall toward the middle of a Parliament, and so were of roughly equivalent length, the numbers were as follows:

asked Her Majesty's Government:On how many occasions statutory instruments have been debated on the floor of the House of Commons in each of the last 10 years. [HL1211]

Records are kept on a sessional rather than an annual basis, and several related instruments may be debated on a single occasion. The figures are as follows:

asked Her Majesty's Government:What guidelines, if any, exist to specify the period within which Ministers who, in debate, have offered to write to Members of the House should do so. [HL1270]

Individual Ministers are responsible for following up commitments to write to noble Lords and honourable Members. The time taken to write will normally depend on the complexity of the issue raised.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which Minister is responsible for the work of its e-Envoy. [HL1351]

The e-Envoy (Alex Allan) reports on a day-to-day basis through the e-Minister (Patricia Hewitt) and the Minister for e-Government (Ian McCartney) as appropriate, while also having a direct link to the Prime Minister.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the total value of the private finance initiative and partnership projects so far negotiated; and what, if any, part of these totals count against the Public Sector Borrowing Requirement. [HL1267]

The most recent figures were given by the Chief Secretary on 21 December, House of Commons Official Report, cols. 578–579W. These are being updated at present and will be published in the 2000 PSBR.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What are the estimates for the loss of revenue to the Treasury due to (a) smuggling and (b) increased personal allowances in respect of the import of tobacco and tobacco products and wines, spirits and other alcohol products from the Member States of the European Union. [HL1268]

HM Customs and Excise's latest estimates for smuggling of alcohol and tobacco were published in paragraph 5.99, table 5.1 of the Pre-Budget Report, published on 9 November 1999.Duty-free personal allowances in respect of the import of tobacco and tobacco products and wines, spirits and other alcohol products from the member states of the European Union were abolished on 1 July 1999. Estimates for revenue losses due to legitimate duty-paid cross-border shopping are also included in table 5.1 of the Pre-Budget Report.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When agreement was reached on the tax free limits of importing tobacco and alcohol products from the member states of the European Union; what were those quantified limits; what is the legal base for their observance; and what action the Government intend to take to reduce these limits. [HL1269]

The original agreement setting limits on the amounts of duty free tobacco and alcohol an individual can import from another EU member state was set by the EU Commission in Council Directive 69/169/EEC of 28 May 1969. This directive together with subsequent amendments have all been enacted into UK legislation.Until 31 December 1992, the quantified limits were:

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they will publish the report of the Tourism Summit held on 1 March. [HL1355]

A report of the Tourism Summit will be published in time for the next meeting of the Tourism Forum on 18 April.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, in the context of Internet and technology stocks, adequate procedures are in place to protect investors from "scalping" and "pumping and dumping". [HL1273]

There are already provisions in place to combat mischiefs of this sort. Rules governing the conduct of advisers currently prohibit "scalping", where an investment advisor holding shares does not disclose this fact to clients when advising them to buy the shares. These rules require advisers to treat investors fairly in their dealings with them. People engaged in "pumping and dumping", by issuing misleading information about a security in order to inflate the price and taking advantage of this by selling shares previously bought at a lower price, may be guilty of a criminal offence under Section 47 of the Financial Services Act 1986. This offence is carried forward in the Financial Services and Markets Bill. However, to complement the criminal powers, the Bill also contains a civil market abuse regime which will cover giving a false or misleading impression of supply of or demand for shares or of the price of investments.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are concerned at the proliferation of websites, particularly those beyond the scope of United Kingdom regulatory bodies, offering often unsubstantiated and inaccurate share tips; and, if so, what action they propose to take to protect investors from them. [HL1274]

The authorities are concerned that investors should be aware of the risks of trading solely on the information obtained from such sites. Education of investors so that they can determine the merits of information, from whatever source, is the best general defence against people seeking to mislead them. Earlier this month, the Financial Services Authority issued an investor alert about bulletin boards and chat rooms. In addition, making misleading statements can be a criminal offence under the Financial Services Act 1986. The new civil market abuse regime in the Financial Services and Markets Bill will also cover giving a false or misleading impression of supply of or demand for shares or of the price of investments.

asked Her Majesty's Government:To what extent United Kingdom taxpayers will be expected to pay for the difference between the original estimate and the total final cost of the proposed new Scottish Parliament buildings at Holyrood, Edinburgh, including site preparations and fees. [HL1309]

The costs of the Scottish Parliament buildings will be met from the Scottish Assigned Budget, the rules for the determination of which were published in the Statement of Funding Policy published by HM Treasury on 31 March 1999.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What action they propose to take in relation to the cost overruns for the new Scottish Parliament building at Holyrood in Edinburgh. [HL1350]

Funding of the new Scottish Parliament building at Holyrood is a matter for the Scottish Parliament.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Blackstone on 16 December 1999 (

DfEE officials met the Football Association on 17 January 2000. At that meeting the Football Association endorsed the need to encourage girls to participate more in sport generally, not just football. They also endorsed the changes to the National Curriculum for September 2000, which emphasise the health-related fitness aspects of physical education, as well as games. Their views have been taken on board in the Government's thinking on the future of sport and PE in schools and more generally. The FA will look further at how they can raise the profile of football for both girls and boys at school in this context.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the outcome of the investigation into the allegations made by the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection against Harlan-Hill Crest. [HL1458]

My honourable friend the Under-Secretary of State at the Home Office, Mr O'Brien, has today laid in the Library copies of the Home Office investigative report into allegations which were made available to the Home Office by the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV) on 29 June 1999. The BUAV's allegations were based on the evidence of a sympathiser working under cover at the establishment. The establishment is designated under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.My honourable friend the Under-Secretary of State at the Home Office, Mr O'Brien, received the Chief Inspector's report on 17 December after a thorough investigation into a complex series of allegations. Generally, the establishment was found to be well run and the level of compliance generally good. He did, however, take action against one breach of a condition of certification—that two animal rooms were not identified in documentation as having been checked as required on two dates during the last two years. The Certificate holder received an admonition for this apparent lapse and he sought reassurances from management about staffing levels. These have been given.Since Christmas 1999, officials have been arranging with the company, its customers and key staff, to lift confidentiality of material in the report whose disclosure would have been contrary to Section 24 of the 1986 Act as being provided in confidence. A small number of areas remain censored because they represent commercially sensitive or personnel information which cannot be disclosed.The greater number of blocked-out areas in the report stem from the BUAV not lifting the confidentiality of material stemming from the undercover investigator's videotapes, diary and interview with the Inspectorate in time for publication this week. When we indicated that we would publish the document in this form BUAV then indicated late yesterday that they might be prepared to lift the confidentiality restrictions on some parts of the report. My officials will contact them again today to ask them to lift their restrictions.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What progress has been made on the production of a code of practice in relation to the civil penalty provisions of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999; and when implementation of those provisions will commence. [HL1457]

Clandestine entry into the United Kingdom, particularly in road haulage vehicles, has become a major abuse of the immigration control in recent years. The number of clandestine entrants identified is currently running at about 2,000 each month and the Government are determined to take action to tackle this growing problem.Part II of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 provides for a penalty for each clandestine entrant carried to be levied on the person or persons responsible. It also provides for the detention in certain circumstances of the transporter or vehicle in which the clandestine entrants arrived against payment of the penalty.The civil penalty is an important measure to enable us to deal effectively with an escalating problem. It will be implemented on 3 April 2000 in relation to clandestine entrants arriving in road vehicles.We have consulted widely with a number of representative bodies on a Code of Practice for vehicles to prevent the carriage of clandestine entrants. The draft Code of Practice for Vehicles, which has been amended to take account of comments expressed during the consultation process, was laid before Parliament on 3 March and will come into force on 3 April.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will give details of accommodation so far identified for use by the Home Office to house asylum-seekers under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999; and, in particular, what offers of property for this purpose have been made by the Ministry of Defence Housing Executive. [HL1169]

Details of the tenders to provide accommodation under the new asylum support scheme are commercially confidential. I am, therefore, unable to provide the information requested.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is their policy on the sharing of cells by prisoners segregated either for their own protection or for reasons of good order and discipline; and how many prisoners are sharing cells in segregation units, in what prisons. [HL1284]

The policy is that all prisoners segregated in their own interest or for reasons of good order or discipline should be located in single cells. There are no statistics held centrally but a survey of all prisons on 2 March 2000 revealed that there were no prisoners sharing cells in segregation units who have been segregated for reasons of good order or discipline.On the same date there were 74 prisoners segregated in their own interest sharing cells in segregation units in eight prisons as follows:

asked Her Majesty's Government:In what prisons the Kainos Community is allowed to operate, under what contractual or other arrangements and at what cost to the Prison Service; whether they intend to measure the recidivism rates of prisoners who have been through courses run by the Kainos Community; and, if so, with what control groups such prisoners will be compared. [HL1285]

The Kainos Community is currently operating in three establishments, The Verne, Swaleside, and Highpoint, in order to enable an independent evaluation to take place of the programme. The Kainos Trust and the Prison Service are drawing up a joint memorandum of understanding for the period of this evaluation. The Prison Service is providing no funding for the programme. As with any voluntary group that operates in a prison, there are some minimal costs in providing facilities.The measurement of the recidivism rates of prisoners who have been through the programme will be part of the evaluation of the Kainos programme. The evaluation will include an assessment of the extent to which those rates vary from the normal rate for such offenders. It will be for the researchers to propose the best way of doing this—for example, by a control group or by comparison of actual and predicted rates.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Country Assessment Unit of the Home Office has studied the reports of the Special Rapporteurs and Working Groups of the United Nations Human Rights Commission; and which country assessments have been amended so far in the light of this information. [HL1286]

Officials in the Country Information and Policy Unit draw on a wide range of material in preparing all the country assessments, including the reports of the United Nations' Special Rapporteurs and Working Groups. These reports carry significant weight and are studied as a matter of course. An index that forms part of each assessment identifies the documents from which the assessment has been sourced. In a few instances, the reports may not feature as a source reference—for example, when the issues reported on are not commonly raised by asylum seekers in the United Kingdom or where the information they contain is reflected in other material in the public domain.Amendments are made every six months and take account of all the latest information and comments. It is not possible to ascribe particular changes to particular publications or comments.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many comments have been received about the proposal contained in

We shall make an announcement about the results of the consultation process on the design of a pilot study for financial bonds in due course, covering both the White Paper proposal and the specific consultation paper.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many cases of applicants for visitors' visas in the last 12 months have involved the difficult decisions referred to in

No figures are available for family visits (the category that the bond scheme is intended for) involving decisions of this kind. The proposal arose not from statistics on refusals but from representations to Ministers from members of ethnic minority communities who expressed concern that some relatives might have had their entry clearance applications refused because of doubts as to their intention to leave the United Kingdom at the end of their visit.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many people in a full year they expect to be deterred from visiting the United Kingdom as a result of the scheme to require financial bonds from certain visitors; and how many people they expect to be able to visit the United Kingdom, a bond having been supplied, who would not otherwise have been given a visa. [HL1294]

We do not expect that anybody will be deterred from visiting the United Kingdom as a result of the bond scheme; its purpose is to facilitate the grant of entry clearance in borderline cases where there are doubts as to the intention of the visitors to leave the United Kingdom at end of their visit. The number of extra grants is expected to be small, with most cases (as now) being clear grants or refusals of entry clearance.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What criteria they will use to determine whether the financial bond scheme proposed in

The criteria for assessing whether a bond has been requested in a genuinely borderline case, and for ensuring that the scheme is not operated in a discriminatory way, have yet to be decided, but we expect to compare pre-pilot family visitor entry clearance application, grant and refusal figures with those arising during the pilot, together with random checking of a selection of applications where a bond has been requested.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which Embassies or High Commissions are likely to be included in the proposed pilot scheme envisaged in the consultation document Financial

We have not yet decided where to run the pilot scheme.

asked Her Majesty's Government:For each year since 1990, how many asylum seekers from each of Turkey, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India, Ghana, Nigeria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Romania were refused asylum and exceptional leave to remain after full consideration; how many were refused under paragraph 340 of the Immigration Rules; how many were refused on safe third country grounds; and how many were removed from the United Kingdom. [HL1308]

The available information is given in the tables.