Written Answers

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Written Answers To Questions

Thursday 17 July 1997

Social Security

Pensions Review

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will make a statement about the review of pensions which her Department is to undertake. [9606]

Our Election Manifesto promised a review of the central areas of insecurity for elderly people in this country. I have today launched a wide-ranging review of pensions.We have inherited a major pensions challenge. The failure over the last two decades to develop an adequate pensions strategy has resulted in widening inequalities amongst pensioners. Too many of our older citizens do not enjoy security in retirement.Only by achieving a sustainable consensus for change can the country meet the pensions challenge. We want everyone who can make a positive contribution to this review to do so.Our starting-point must be the health and success of the wider economy. We must give everyone a real opportunity to be able to participate in it. By establishing the conditions for stable, sustainable growth, we will build a stronger economy and provide the essential foundations for decent and secure pensions. By opening up fresh opportunities to come off welfare and into work, we will ensure that more people have the opportunity to contribute to their own pensions.The review will address nine fundamental challenges:

To achieve a sustainable consensus on pensions policy. We need to reach a broad-based agreement, which will allow people to plan for their long-term future and avoid the constant changes in pensions policy we have seen in the last 20 years.

To agree where the responsibility for funding pensions should lie and to establish the right balance between the public and private sectors.

To respond to demographic change. Talk of a demographic "time-bomb" is exaggerated, but there are real issues to address as the ratio of working age people to pensioners falls in the first half of the next century.

To respond to social and labour market change. The last 50 years have seen far-reaching changes in the way we live and work. The pension system needs to reflect this. It must be capable of responding to future change. We need to ensure it provides everyone—men and women, the self-employed, full and part-time workers, those in permanent jobs and those on short-term contracts—with the chance to build up better pensions in their own right.

To ensure resources devoted to pensions are used to maximum effect. We need to make sure that every penny available for pensions is used as efficiently and effecively as possible, whether it comes directly from individuals and employers, or indirectly from them through the tax system.

To get the regulation of pensions right. The personal pensions mis-selling scandal illustrates too clearly what can go wrong when pensions are not properly regulated. People need to have confidence in pensions and be sure their pensions are secure. We need to find a balance with provides an appropriate level of security, eliminates the scope of abuse and does not impose an undue burden on providers.

To raise awareness of pensions and improve the level of financial education so that people understand the importance of saving for retirement and make the right choice about which pension product is best for them.

To narrow the pensions gap between men and women so as to give women more security in retirement. Many pensions are simply not flexible enough to cope with women's working patterns. Women still earn less on average than men and are more likely to have caring responsibilities.

To strike the right balance between the generations. We face the challenge of providing for the future, but we must also look at the position of today's pensioners. The views and concerns of current pensioners will be at the heart of the review process. We will ensure that current pension costs are manageable and that excessive costs are not placed on future generations.

This is a formidable challenge and the Government has a key role in bringing change about. But it cannot tackle the issues on its own. We want to receive advice and hear new ideas from everyone with an interest in pensions.

We shall retain the basic state pension as the foundation of pension provision, and SERPS for those who wish to remain in it.

We will also build on the good quality second pensions that many employees enjoy by supporting and strengthening the existing framework of occupational pension provision where that is necessary. And we wish to consider with the pensions industry how an Investors in Pensions award could be established to set a benchmark against which employers, employees and trustees can measure the quality of their own scheme.

We recognise that, for many people, security in retirement can best be achieved by building up their own funded second pension. We shall therefore consult widely on how best to take forward our proposals for new Stakeholder Pensions. These will offer secure, flexible and value for money second pensions for those who cannot join an employer's occupational scheme, whose pay is low or intermittent, and for whom personal pensions are usually unsuitable.

The review will take forward consultation on the development of Citizenship Pensions for carers who are unable to contribute to pensions in their own right. As a result, carers can lose out on the pension entitlements they would otherwise acquire, and end up on means-tested benefits.

Both these proposals, which we plan to legislate for and implement in this Parliament, will be particularly good news for women.

As part of our consultative approach, I have invited Tom Ross, of Alexander Clay and vice-president of the National Association of Pension Funds, to chair a group of pensions experts to report to me on the current state of pension provision in the United Kingdom and on likely future trends. Their work will inform the development of our plans for a modern, responsive pensions system for the future.

Modernising the social security system is a key priority of the Government. Our long-term objective is to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to build up an adequate pension to guarantee security in retirement. We aim to build a society in which there is a wide consensus on the future for pensions, both now and tomorrow, and provide dignity in retirement for the whole nation.

Chief Adjudication Officer

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when she will publish the thirteenth annual report of the Chief Adjudication Officer; and if she will make a statement. [9607]

The report published today records some welcome improvement in the Benefits Agency and the Employment Service in standards of decision making. Whilst overall the improved performance of last year has been maintained, the report makes clear that there is still much to be done.The Social Security Bill introduced on 10 July is a key step towards building a modern welfare state using new technology to develop improved benefit processes. The Bill makes provision for the simplification of decision making and appeals.The report describes favourably the numerous initiatives that the Agencies have introduced to tackle weaknesses and improve their overall performance. But the decision making and appeals framework at present works against the decision makers. Despite the valuable help the Agencies get from the Chief Adjudication Officer and his staff, the system is too cumbersome, over-legalistic and prevents the use of modem technology.The Social Security Bill will create a framework which enables the Agencies to make decisions in a more straightforward way. The decisions made will be more accurate and easier for both the decision makers and customers to understand.

Social Fund

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when she intends to publish her annual report on the Social Fund for 1996–97 and the annual report of the Social Fund Commissioner. [9608]

The Secretary of State's annual report on the Social Fund for 1996–97 (CM 3667) was published today and has been laid before Parliament. The report records that the gross budget allocated to the discretionary part of the Fund during the year was £440.5 million.Total gross expenditure in 1996–97 was £539 million. This included almost 2 million non-repayable grants and interest free loans worth £432 million and Funeral, Maternity and Cold Weather Payments worth £107 million.The Secretary of State makes clear in the Report our commitment to modernising and improving welfare delivery. The current Social Security Bill will enable the decision-making process for budgeting loans to be made easier for applicants to understand, less time consuming for staff to operate and more cost effective to administer.

The Social Fund Commissioner's annual report has also been published today and copies placed in the Library.

Windfall Tax

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will ensure that social security entitlements are increased to match any increases in consumer charges due to the windfall tax. [2976]

Any increase in consumer charges will be a matter for the regulators. Representations from individual companies would have to be considered on their own merits, but we can see no reason for any price increases as a result of the windfall tax. Benefit amounts will be reviewed at the normal time in the normal way taking account of movements in the Retail Prices Index and Rossi indices.

Immunisation (Disability Compensation)

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will review the compensation available for people disabled by immunisation. [7238]

The Vaccine Damage Payment scheme is currently being considered.

Income Support

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will give a breakdown of the current numbers of people claiming and in receipt of income support by (a) duration, (b) client group and (c) local authority area. [8514]

The information has been placed in the Library.

Child Support Agency

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will make it her policy to abolish the Child Support Agency. [9020]

Children are entitled to the support of both parents wherever they live. The receipt of regular maintenance is a key part of our programme for helping lone parents into work and we are determined to ensure that all absent parents honour their responsibilities to their children. We intend to look closely at all aspects of the Child Support Agency to ensure that it provides an efficient and effective service. Our key objectives for the Agency during the coming year are to sort out cases faster, tackle the backlog of cases and pursue fathers who avoid paying.

Disability Living Allowances (Parkinson's Disease)

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will (a) list and (b) make a statement on recent amendments to the rules for Parkinson's disease sufferers' entitlement to disability living allowances. [9110]

Entitlement to Disability Living Allowance is based not on specific disabilities, but on the effects that a person's disability has on their need for help with personal care and/or mobility needs. There are no particular rules relating to the claims from people with Parkinson's Disease.

Treasury

Self-Employed Building Contractors

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what legislative changes affecting the tax status of self-employed building contractors (a) have been made since 1994 and (b) are planned for the future; when such changes will take effect; what penalties are provided for non-compliance; and if he will make a statement. [7458]

[holding answer 11 July 1997]: Legislation contained in the 1995 Finance Act introduces new rules governing entitlement to subcontractors' tax certificates. Further legislation in the 1996 Finance Act provides for the introduction of registration cards for those subcontractors who will not qualify for certificates under the new rules. The Inland Revenue are continuing to discuss with industry representatives the legislation which will contain more detailed arrangements for the scheme. An announcement will be made shortly about the implementation of these changes. Penalties of up to £3,000 will be chargeable for certain offences under the scheme.

Endowment Mortgages

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the changes in tax credit provisions in the Budget on the maturation of with-profits endowment mortgages; and if he will make a statement. [7896]

[holding answer 15 July 1997]: The changes to the tax credit provisions should have very little, if any, effect on the maturity benefits from ordinary life assurance policies, including those used to back mortgages. Tax credits are not generally paid to insurance companies in respect of the investments supporting this type of business.

Pocket Budget

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the cost of preparing, printing and distributing the pocket Budget edition of the Budget proposals. [8927]

The Treasury has for some years printed and distributed a "popular" short-form version of the Budget. The final cost for this year will depend on the demand for copies but is expected to be around £50,000.

Consumer Expenditure

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which of his Budget proposals he estimates will reduce consumer expenditure. [7578]

The Budget tightens fiscal policy in a balanced way and puts the public finances on a sound long-term footing.

Departmental Bud Gets

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, following the recent Budget, he will give his estimate of the total real level of his Department's budget, in 1995–96 prices, in (a) 1997–98 and (b) 1998–99; if he will estimate what such figures were for (1) 1997–98 and (2) 1998–99 following the November 1996 Budget on the basis of the estimates of the GDP deflator contained in that Budget; and if he will make a statement. [8321]

[holding answer 14 July 1997]: The figures requested for the spending plans of the Chancellors' Departments within the Control Total are as follows: (a) £3,000 million, (b) £2,949 million, (1) £3,027 million, (2) £2,999 million.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what new plans he has to introduce cuts and savings in his Department as a result of the effect on his Department's budgets for 1997–98 and 1998–99 of the upward revisions to the GDP deflators in the Budget on 2 July; and if he will make a statement. [8322]

[holding answer 14 July 1997]: All Departments are reallocating spending within their Departmental ceilings as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review.

Members' Pension Fund

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the effects of the Budget changes to ACT on the hon. Members' pension fund surplus or deficit; and if he will review the decision concerning whether the hon. Members' scheme should remain opted out of SERPS. [8477]

[holding answer 14 July 1997]: These are matters for the Scheme's trustees and the House Authorities in consultation with their professional advisers.

Stationery

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on stationery provision in respect of paper items in each of the last five years. [8865]

The amount spent on paper by the Treasury in each of the last five years was:

1992–93: £95,518
1993–94: £73,182
1994–95: £89,417
1995–96: £96,310
1996–97: £94,729.

In real terms, the amount spent has declined by 10 per cent. between 1992–93 and 1996–97.

Economic And Monetary Union

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his policy towards economic and monetary union. [9758]

Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) will have profound implications for British businesses and the British economy whether Britain is in or out. Britain's national interest demands a better informed and more reasoned debate than we have had in the past.

I have therefore announced the publication of a report on the pros and cons of EMU. Copies are available in the Vote Office. The report was first published by David Currie earlier this year for the Economist Intelligence Unit. The Government has republished it today, in a shorter and more accessible form.

I have also announced that the Treasury will publish on 24 July a practical guide for businesses on EMU. Copies of the guide will also be available from the Vote Office. The aim of this is to give businesses the information they need to make the preparations that are necessary whether or not we join EMU.

I announced today that I shall be establishing an advisory group with senior representatives from across the private sector, to discuss matters of common concern about the practical implications for business of EMU.

The Government's policy towards EMU has not changed. Those countries that choose to take part in EMU must do so on the basis of sustainable convergence as set out in the Maastricht Treaty. Any decision about Britain joining the single currency will be determined by a hard headed assessment of Britain's economic interests.

While nothing has been ruled out, there are still formidable obstacles to the UK joining the single currency in the first wave.

End-Year Flexibility

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the amounts for 1997–98 resulting from the carry forward of underspends allowed under the end-year flexibility schemes for capital, running costs, health, EU structural funds and nationalised industries expenditure. [9759]

A list of amounts for end-year flexibility totalling £198 million for capital expenditure; £387 million for running costs; £234 million for health expenditure; £499 million for EU structural funds and £63 million for Nationalised Industries expenditure is shown in tables that have been placed in the Library.Subject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimates, individual cash limits and running costs limits will be increased when end-year flexibility is taken up.The total increase in cash limits resulting from the take-up of end-year flexibility will be charged to the Reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.

Amounts for 1997–98 voted cash limits resulting from the carryover of capital underspends
Class vote	Vote title	£ thousands
II, 3	Foreign and Commonwealth Office BBC World Service	1,213
III, 1	Intervention Board—Executive Agency: CAP market support and administration	842

Amounts for 1997–98 voted cash limits resulting from the carryover of capital underspends
Class vote	Vote title	£ thousands
III, 2	Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food	8,000
IV, 1	Department of Trade and Industry: programmes and administration	539
IV, 2	Department of Trade and Industry: science	6,747
IV, 9	Office of Gas Supply	103
V, 1	Highways Agency	11,979
V, 2	Department of Transport: administration and transport services	2,000
V, 5	Roads and Local Transport	4,020
V, 6	Department of Transport: other transport agencies	177
V, 8	Office of the Rail Regulator	120
VI, 2	Regeneration and countryside and wildlife, England	10,125
VI, 3	Environmental protection and water	505
VI, 5	Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions: administration	5,427
VIII, 3	Public Record Office	2,000
VIII, 4	The Crown Prosecution Services	95
VIII, 6	HM Procurator General and Treasury Solicitor	307
VIII, 7	The Crown Office, Scotland and Lord Advocate's Department	1,821
IX, 1	Department for Education and Employment: programmes and central services	2,698
X, 1	Department of National Heritage: programme expenditure and administration	6,752
X, 3	Charity Commission	81
XII, 3	Department of Social Security	5,036
XIII, 1	Agriculture, fisheries and environmental services, Scotland	4,725
XIII,2	Local government, housing, transport, other environmental services and European funds, Scotland	3,623
XIII,3	Education, industry, arts and libraries, Scotland	7,435
XIII,5	Law, order and protective services, police grant and social work services, Scotland	1,047
XIII,6	Scottish Office: administration	1,151
XIII,7	General Register Office for Scotland	346
XIII,8	Scottish Record Office	450
XIII,9	Administration of justice, Scotland	1,055
XIV,1	Agriculture and fisheries, Wales	2,000
XIV,2	Industrial support, training and enterprise and education, Wales	6,880
XIV,3	Roads and transport, housing, other environmental services, Cadw, arts and libraries, health and personal social services, ERDF and Welsh Office administration, Wales	2,148
XV,1	Northern Ireland Office administration, law, order protective and miscellaneous services	2,198
XVI,1	HM Treasury	2,000
XVI,3	HM Customs and Excise: administration	1,248
XVI,4	Inland Revenue: administration	4,597
XVI,5	Inland Revenue: Valuation Office(Executive Agency): administration	534
XVI,8	National Savings	863

Amounts for 1997–98 voted cash limits resulting from the carryover of capital underspends
Class vote	Vote title	£ thousands
XVI,9	Registry of Friendly Societies	189
XVII,1	Cabinet Office: Office of Public Service	19,057
XVIII,2	Cabinet Office: security and intelligence services	3,698
Total voted capital end year flexibility		135,831

Amounts for 1997–98 non-voted cash limits resulting from the carryover of capital underspends
Cash block	Description of expenditure	£ thousands
DOE/HC	Department of the Environment	1,269
	Grants and capital expenditure financed by the Housing Corporation in England.
DOE/LACAP	Department of the Environment	4,676
	Basic credit approvals to local authorities in England for housing, transport (except passenger transport authorities), education, health, other services and (for counties only) fire service. Supplementary credit approvals, specified capital grants and certain other grants to local authorities in England for housing.
DOE/OES	Department of the Environment	227
	Supplementary credit approvals for other environmental services in England. Lee Valley Regional Park Authority and the Isles of Scilly (water and sewerage).
DOE/LACAP	Supplementary credit approvals for health in England	429
DOT/LACAP	Department of Transport	1,185
	Supplementary credit approvals for transport in England. Basic credit approvals for passenger transport authorities. Supplementary credit approvals to cover local authority expenditure which will be reimbursed by ERDF grant.
LCD/LACAP	Lord Chancellor's Department	347
	Supplementary credit approvals for magistrates' courts (England and Wales).
MAFF/LACAP	Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food	320
	Supplementary credit approvals for flood defence, coast protection and harbour improvements in England.
NID1	Northern Ireland Departments	13,994
	Services in Northern Ireland broadly analogous to services in Great Britain covered by cash limits but including family practitioner services.
NID4	Northern Ireland Departments	442
	Expenditure in Northern Ireland on national agriculture capital grant schemes, certain assistance for production, marketing and processing and the fishing industry.
SO/LA1	Scottish Office	22,150
	Net capital allocations and grants to local authorities in Scotland for roads and transport, non-HRA housing, police, education, social work services, general services and urban programme.

Amounts for 1997–98 non-voted cash limits resulting from the carryover of capital underspends
Cash block	Description of expenditure	£ thousands
SO/LA2	Scottish Office	4,298
	Net capital allocations and grants to local authorities in Scotland for HRA housing. Capital expenditure by New Towns in Scotland for housing and other environmental services.
WO/LACAP	Welsh Office	12,997
	Basic credit approvals for local authorities in Wales. Supplementary credit approvals for all services (except ERDF projects). Strategic Development Scheme grants both capital and current) and some housing grants.
Total non voted capital end year flexibility		62,334
Total capital end year flexibility		198,165

Amounts for 1997–98 cash limits and external finance limits resulting from the carryover of understands on health expenditure
Class, vote	Description of expenditure	£ thousands
XI, 1	Hospital, community health, family health and related services, England	91,218
XI, 2	Department of Health administration, miscellaneous health and personal social services, England	12,188
XIII, 4	Hospital, community health, family health, other health services and welfare food, Scotland	48,135
XIII, 5	Law, order and protective services, police grant and social work services, Scotland	699
XIII, 6	Scottish Office: administration	233
XIV, 3	Roads and transport, housing, other environmental services, Cadw, arts and libraries, health and personal social services, ERDF and Welsh Office administration, Wales431
XIV, 4	Hospital, community health, family health services and other health services (part), Wales	10,978
NHS Trusts (Scotland)	Scottish Office	19,167
NHS Trusts (Wales)	Welsh Office	15,442
NID 1	Northern Ireland Office Services in Northern Ireland broadly analogous to services in Great Britain covered by cash limits but including family practitioner services37,479
	Total health end year flexibility	235,970

Amounts for 1997–98 cash limits resulting form the carryover of underspends on structural funds expenditure
Cash limit	Vote title or description of expenditure	£ thousands
Class IV,	Department of Trade and Industry:	83,394
Vote 1	programmes and administration
Class V,	Department of Transport	5,106
Vote 3	Transport industries
DOE/ERDF	Supplementary credit approvals for capital expenditure by local authorities and payments to public and private sector bodies in England funded by ERDF grant	75,578

Amounts for 1997–98 cash limits resulting form the carryover of underspends on structural funds expenditure
Cash limit	Vote title or description of expenditure	£ thousands
Class IX, Vote 1	Department for Education and Employment: programmes and central services	202,655
DNH/ERDF	Payment of ERDF grants, including supplementary credit approvals in respect of capital expenditure by local authorities	14,517
Class XIII, Vote 2	Local government, housing, transport, other environmental services and European funds, Scotland	41,822
SO/ERDF	Payments of grants to local authorities and other bodies in Scotland on approved projects which match forecast European Regional Development Fund receipts	44,459
Class XIV, Vote 1	Agriculture, fisheries and environmental services, Wales	808
WO/ERDF	Payments of European Regional Development Fund grants in Wales including supplementary credit approvals in respect of capital expenditure by local authorities	23,789
NID 1	Services in Northern Ireland broadly analogous to services in Great Britain covered by cash limits but including family practitioner services	7,275
Total structural funds end year flexibility		499,403

Amounts for 1997–98 external finance limits resulting from the carryover of underspends on Nationalised Industries expenditure
	£ thousands
British Waterways Board	470
Civil Aviation Authority	3,800
London Transport	28,000
Jubilee Line	30,000
Caledonian Macbrayne	300
Highlands and Islands Airports	200
Total nationalised industries end year flexibility	62,770

Amounts for 1997–98 running costs limits resulting from the carryforward of running costs underspends
Department	£ thousands
International Development	5,245
Intervention Board—Executive Agency	4,062
Trade and Industry	5,244
Office of Fair Trading	694
Office of Telecommunications	280
Department of Transport	8,008
OPRAF	431
ORR	497
Department of the Environment	26,281
Health and Safety Executive	10,645
Home Office	1,400
Lord Chancellor's Department	1,960
Northern Ireland Court Service	805
Crown Prosecution Service	3,496
Public Record Office	1,066
Serious Fraud Office	751
Treasury Solicitor's Department	2,906
Crown Office	1,259
Department for Education and Employment	54,788
OFSTED	770
Department of National Heritage	527
OFLOT	727
Charity Commission	217

Amounts for 1997–98 running costs limits resulting from the carryforward of running costs underspends
Department	£ thousands
Department of Health	10,644
Department of Social Security	64,877
Scottish Office	10,968
Scottish Courts Administration	3,900
Scottish Record Office	664
General Register Office	545
Welsh Office	4,407
Office of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools in Wales	333
Northern Ireland Office and Departments	46,738
HM Treasury	16,109
Customs and Excise	19,682
Inland Revenue	56,275
Registry of Friendly Societies	595
National Savings	2,196
Office of National Statistics	3,392
Office of Public Service	10,515
Cabinet Office	1,123
Security and Intelligence Services	1,510
Privy Council Office	220
Total running costs end year flexibility	386,752

Wales

Welsh Assembly

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to have regular review of his relationship with a Welsh Assembly after its establishment. [8491]

The White Paper, which will be published later this month, will set out the Government's thinking on the role of the Secretary of State for Wales after the Welsh Assembly is established.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he expects to announce the date of the referendum to establish a Welsh Assembly. [9803]

Subject to the House of Commons approving a motion to disagree with the amendment on dates of referendums inserted into the Referendums (Scotland and Wales) Bill in another place, the referendum in Wales will be held on 18 September 1997.

Press Releases

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department spends on biking press releases to (a) hon. Members and (b) other individuals or groups, each time his Department issues a press release; how many such press releases were issued by his Department (i) in the period 1 May to 1 July and (ii) in the period 1 January to 1 March; and if he will review his Department's use of couriers to deliver press releases and investigate the possibility of using fax or e-mail. [8811]

The Department does not use couriers to bike press releases. Press releases are sent to media outlets by fax where appropriate. Work is in hand to make press notices available publicly on the Internet.

Welsh Development Agency

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales in the targets set for the WDA, what are the boundaries of (a) the M4 corridor and (b) the A55 corridor; and what is the total population within each corridor. [8992]

For the purpose of Welsh Development Agency strategic guidance and targets, the eastern M4 corridor is defined as the coastal strip running from Chepstow in the east to Pyle in the west to the southern boundary of the programme for the valleys areas, extending east to include, broadly, the southern half of Monmouthshire. The total population is approximately 800,000.In north Wales the eastern A55 corridor is defined as the non-rural part of the Wrexham county borough council area, the whole of Flintshire and the northern part of Denbighshire, including the towns of St. Asaph, Rhyl and Prestatyn. The total population is approximately 320,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if the 50 per cent. target set for the WDA for new jobs outside the M4 and A55 corridors is based on full-time job equivalents. [8993]

The target for jobs created and safeguarded is on the basis of full-time equivalents.

Cadw

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what targets he has set for CADW Welsh Historic Monuments Executive Agency for 1997–98. [9761]

CADW has been set the following key targets for 1997–98:

1. To complete 90 per cent. of the approved conservation maintenance programme.

2. To complete 75 resurvey lists.

3. To resolve 75 per cent. of ad hoc listing cases within 17 weeks.

4. To complete 110 scheduling actions, of which at least 70 per cent. involve additional protection.

5. To resolve 75 per cent. of listed building consent cases within 4 weeks and 90 per cent. of cases in 6 weeks.

6. To resolve 75 per cent. of scheduled moment consent cases within 13 weeks and 90 per cent. of cases within 17 weeks.

7. To resolve 80 per cent. of historic building grant applications in 18 weeks.

8. To resolve 80 per cent. of ancient monument grant applications within 6 weeks.

9. To pay 90 per cent. of properly presented claims for historic buildings and ancient monuments grants within 5 weeks of receipt.

10. To achieve a market share of 63 per cent. of the number of visitors to the top twenty heritage sites in Wales.

11. To reduce direct net cost per visitor at Cadw's sites to an average of 32 pence.

Foreign And Commonwealth Affairs

Schengen Acquis

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the documents comprising the Schengen Acquis, giving (a) titles, (b) date adopted and by which body and (c) length and language of each document, indicating which of the documents are confidential; and if he will place copies in the Library. [6393]

[holding answer 3 July 1997]: I wrote to the hon. Member on 15 July and have placed a copy of the letter in the Libraries of the House.

Members' Interests

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) on what occasions (a) Ministers and (b) officials have refused to (i) arrange and (ii) attend meetings with hon. Members to discuss matters relating to interests registered by those hon. Members under categories 1, 2, 3, 4(b), 8 and 9 in the Register of Members' Interests; [8097](2) if he will ensure that

(a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department refuse requests from hon. Members to (i) arrange and (ii) attend meetings relating to interests held by those hon. Members under categories 1, 2, 3, 4(b), 8 and 9 of the Register of Members' Interests. [8094]

Commercial Lobbyists

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) on what dates since 1 May (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have met commercial lobbyists to discuss matters relating to the business of his Department; and if he will introduce a register of such meetings; [8095](2) on what dates since 1 May

(a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have attended meetings with organisations representing (i) commercial and (ii) non-commercial interests organised by commercial lobbying firms; and if he will introduce a register of such meetings. [8096]

As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister explained in response to the hon. Member for Newport, (Mr. Flynn) West on 2 June, column 99, Ministers and Officials will in the normal course of business receive deputations from many groups who are concerned to press their own interests or those of their clients, which Ministers and Officials take due care to consider within the wider public interest and Government policy. As it is not practicable to distinguish particular groups as lobbyists, we cannot keep a register of such meetings.

Amsterdam Treaty

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the representations he has received concerning the possible infringement of religious liberties under new article 6a of the proposed treaty of Amsterdam. [8788]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister today.

Press Releases

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department spends on biking press releases to (a) hon. Members and (b) other individuals or groups, each time his Department issues a press release; how many such press releases were issued by his Department (i) in the period 1 May to 1 July and (ii) in the period 1 January to 1 March; and if he will review his Department's use of couriers to deliver press releases and investigate the possibility of using fax or e-mail. [8820]

This Department does not deliver press releases by courier. They are distributed by fax or e-mail, and are also available on the Internet.

Islamabad Embassy

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements he has made for amending the opening hours for provision of visas to the public in the Islamabad embassy; on what date he anticipates it will be open for normal hours; what is the size of the backlog of visa applications; and what factors underlie the problems experienced. [9108]

The normal operation of the Entry Clearance Section in Islamabad has been disrupted over recent weeks by a number of crashes of the Section's computer equipment. I am pleased to say that the faults have been repaired. We also expect to install a new system within a few weeks.In the meantime, the Visa Section ended its restricted operation, and re-opened for normal business, on Monday 14 July. It is giving priority to Visit applications. New settlement applications will be accepted from 21 July, and the backlog of 1,200 settlement applications is being tackled as quickly as possible.

International Development

Press Releases

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much her Department spends on biking press releases to (a) hon. Members and (b) other individuals or groups, each time her Department issues a press release; how many such press releases were issued by her Department (i) in the period 1 May to 1 July and (ii) in the period 1 January to 1 March; and if she will review her Department's use of couriers to deliver press releases and investigate the possibility of using fax or e-mail. [8819]

My department does not use a biking service for any of its press releases. They are sent by fax, post and through the Central Office of Information's News Delivery Service. Nine press releases were issued in this way between 1 January and 1 March 1997 and 12 between 1 May and 1 July.

Trade And Industry

Oil And Gas Developments

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when she proposes to introduce regulations requiring environmental impact assessments for all oil and gas developments for which licenses are being sought. [7102]

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she plans to initiate an environmental impact assessment on the development of oil fields west of the Shetland Islands. [8049]

I have today published for consultation draft regulations which would implement the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive (85/377 EC) as it applies to offshore oil and gas activities on the United Kingdom Continental Shelf.Implementing the Directive for oil and gas projects will give the public improved rights of access to environmental information about projects likely to have significant effects on the environment and make the decision process more open than it is now. This should give people greater confidence that consent decisions are being made on the basis of proper science and thorough evaluation.Member States are required by the Directive to consider environmental information which the interested public has had an opportunity to see and comment on before consent can be given to projects which could have a significant effect on the environment.The draft Regulations would implement the Directive as it applies to consents for significant offshore oil and gas projects, including deep drillings, production developments and pipeline construction. They set out how the Secretary of State should decide which projects are likely to have significant effects on the environment and so require environmental assessments; the initial data companies must provide to permit that decision to be made; and, if one is required, the detailed information needed in any environmental statement.They also require applicants to place notices to inform the public that an environmental statement has been required for a particular project and that copies of the statement can be obtained from or inspected at public addresses so that the public's views may be taken into account in reaching any decision on consent.The proposed regulations would replace the Department's present procedures under which assessments have been required for developments within 25 miles of the coast or in other sensitive areas where recommended by the Government's statutory environmental advisers such as the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. These advisors will continue to be consulted under the new procedure.The draft regulations have been sent to other Government departments and to the organisations normally consulted on oil and gas licensing, including the Wildlife and Countryside Links' Oil and Gas Environmental Consortium—which represents Friends of the Earth, the Marine Conservation Society and other national and regional environmental interest groups—and a number of fishermen's organisations as well as oil and gas industry representatives. Copies have also been placed in the Libraries of both Houses of Parliament.Comments on the proposed Offshore Petroleum Production and Pipe-lines (Assessment of Environmental Effects) Regulations 1997 should be made to the Department of Trade and Industry by 1 October 1997.

Coal Board Property Sales

To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) how the sale of National Coal Board Estates was conducted; how many tenders were received; and what were the criteria which decided that National Coal Board Estates be sold to Fell Estates Ltd; [7235](2) what assurances were

(a) sought from and (b) given by Fell Estates Ltd. concerning the status of existing leaseholders; [7236]

(3) what assessment she had made of the sale of National Coal Board Estates to Fell Estates Ltd.; and if she will make a statement. [7234]

British Coal have undertaken a thorough trawl of their completed property sales and have been unable to find any record of selling any of their property to Fell Estates Ltd.

Information Technology

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the total spending in the United Kingdom on (a) computers, (b) telecommunications and (c) peripherals in 1996; what was the net monetary vale of United Kingdom exports of information technology for 1996; what is the sum of these figures as a percentage of total gross domestic product for that year; and if he will make a statement. [8715]

Figures for sales within the UK and of exports from the UK of the specified items in 1995 (the latest year for which complete information is available) are as follows:

£ million
	Total sales in UK	UK exports
Computers	10,362	7,540
Telecommunications equipment	3,749	1,859
Computer peripherals	1,061	417

The contribution of these industries to gross domestic product was 0.6 per cent.

Musical Instrument Industry

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will take steps to encourage the United Kingdom domestic musical instrument manufacturing industry; and if she will make a statement. [9004]

The Government acknowledges the continuing contribution to the economy of the UK's musical instrument industry. However a changing world environment and intensified competition pose new challenges which must be overcome if the sector is to maintain and improve its performance. The Government is in regular contact with the sector through its representatives and is keen to continue this partnership for the future benefit of the sector.

Nuclear Power Stations

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when the licences expire in respect of each operating nuclear power station; and if she will list the stations where the operating licence has been extended, indicating for each station listed the dates of the expiry of the original licence and the dates of renewals granted. [8911]

[holding answer 16 July 1997]: Nuclear site licences do not have set expiry dates. A licence remains in force until such time as either a new licence is granted for the site, the operator surrenders the licence, or it is revoked by the Health and Safety Executive.As explained in my answer of 10 July 1997,

Official Report, column 599, subject to nuclear power stations continuing to meet the high standards of safety demanded by the Health and Safety Executive, decision on their closure are a matter for the operators.

Debt Payments

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what consultations she has had with bodies representing industry, including small businesses, in preparation for the forthcoming Green Paper on the late payment of debt. [9102]

I have met the following bodies representing all sizes and types of business: the Forum of Private Business, the Federation of Small Businesses, the Confederation of British Industry, the British Chamber of Commerce, the Institute of Directors, the British Bankers Association, the Union of Independent Companies, the Country Landowners Association, and the National Farmers Union. In addition, my officials have met interested parties, including the Credit Services Association.We will continue to meet interested parties during the consultation period following the publication of the Green Paper.

Director General Of Fair Trading

To ask the President of the Board of Trade when she intends to publish the report by the Director General of Fair Trading for the year 1996. [9757]

The 23nd Annual Report by the Director General of Fair Trading has been published today. It covers the period from 1 January 1996 and 31 December 1996. Copies of the Report have been laid before Parliament.

Small Businesses

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is her Department's definition of small businesses. [9021]

There is no single definition of a small business, mainly because of the wide diversity of businesses.The question of an appropriate definition is meaningful only in the context of a specific measure for which it is considered necessary to separate one category of enterprises from another for reason of size.In practice, a variety of definitions are adopted depending on the objective of the schemes or initiative. Such definitions are normally based upon the number of employees, but may also refer to turnover or other factors such as growth potential.For statistical purposes the DTI usually uses the following definitions:

Micro firms: 0–9 employees
Small firms: 0–49 employees (includes micro businesses)
Medium firms: 50–249 employees
Large firms: 250+ employees.

Advice From Business

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what action she has taken to ensure that Ministers in her Department receive advice from business. [8974]

Ministers and officials are in regular contact with business people representing all sectors and sizes of firms from across the country. In addition to consulting business and other interested parties from time to time on specific policy proposals, my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade has initiated a more formal process of consultation with business on policies and priorities to improve competitiveness.This initiative—Competitiveness UK—will include establishing an Advisory Group of prominent business people to advise the President on all aspects of competitiveness; holding a Business Summit on 23 July to establish common ground on a range of areas for further discussion; and creating a number of Working Parties drawn mainly from business to advise on specific aspects of competitiveness. This will help inform the development of policies for a White Paper on Competitiveness to be published next year.

Arms Export Licences

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will give for the Review of Criteria for Assessing conventional Arms Export Licences (a) the expected completion date and (b) the cost of conducting the review. [8235]

I have been asked to reply.The review of criteria used in considering licence applications to export conventional arms is being taken forward as a matter of urgency. We expect to complete the review in the next few weeks. It is being conducted by officials in the relevant Government departments as part of their regular duties. The cost of the review could be calculated only at disproportionate cost.

Prime Minister

Amsterdam Treaty

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the representations he has received concerning the possible infringement of religious liberties under new article 6a of the proposed treaty of Amsterdam. [8789]

I have received a number of representations. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, who lead on European matters, have also received a number of representations on this matter.

Computers (50Th Anniversary)

To ask the Prime Minister what plans the Government have to commemorate the 50th anniversary on 21 June 1998 of the first running of a stored program on a computer at Manchester. [8285]

[holding answer 15 July 1997]: The Government recognises the significance of this anniversary. The original stored-program computer, known as The Baby, was created at Manchester's Computer Science Department, and ran the first computer program on 21 June 1948. The Government welcomes an initiative of the computer conservation specialist group of the British Computer Society, to build a replica of the original machine, to mark the event. The replica is being built at Manchester University, with sponsorship from ICL.

Ethnic Minorities

To ask the Prime Minister how many and what percentage of employees in his Policy Unit are (a) of Asian origin and (b) of Afro-Caribbean origin. [8970]

One Afro-Caribbean.

Lockerbie

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 14 July, Official Report, column 43, and the answer of 11 July, Official Report, column 626, if he will transfer responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing investigation to the Metropolitan police. [9023]

Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary have from the outset conducted the Lockerbie Criminal Investigation. There is no reason to depart from that. The investigation relates to the mass murder of 270 people committed in Scotland. My noble and learned Friend, the Lord Advocate has responsibility for ensuring that crimes in Scotland are properly investigated and Section 12 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 authorises him to issue instructions to any Chief Constable with regard to reporting offences alleged to have been committed in his area. The transfer of this inquiry to the Metropolitan police would remove that power from the Lord Advocate in this case and would impede the proper investigation of it.

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 14 July, Official Report, column 43, what steps he proposes to bring to a conclusion the Lockerbie issue. [9024]

As I told my hon. Friend on 18 June, Official Report, column 509, we will try every avenue to make progress in this matter, but the onus is on Libya to comply with the relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions.

Culture, Media And Sport

Departmental Budgets

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what new plans he has to introduce cuts and savings in his Department as a result of the effect on his Department's budgets for 1997–98 and 1998–99 of the upward revisions to the GDP deflators in the Budget on 2 July; and if he will make a statement. [8306]

[holding answer 14 July 1997]: All Departments are considering the case for reallocating spending within their Departmental ceilings as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if, following the recent Budget, he will give his estimate of the total real level of his Department's budget, in 1995–96 prices, in (a) 1997–98 and (b) 1998–99; if he will estimate what such figures were for (1) 1997–98 and (2) 1998–99 following the November 1996 Budget on the basis of the estimates of the GDP deflator contained in that Budget; and if he will make a statement. [8305]

[holding answer 14 July 1997]: The figures requested for my Department's spending plans within the Control Total are as follows: £875,285,000, £884,375,000, £883,977,000 and £899,727,000.

Stationery

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department spent on stationery provision in respect of paper items in each of the last five years. [8869]

My Department was created in April 1992 by transferring certain areas of responsibility from six Departments. The 1992–93 figures are not available as the costs were partly met by these Departments. Expenditure for the last four years was:

1993–94: £12,519.74
1994–95: £23,480.20
1995–96: £25,127.51
1996–97: £27,630.39.

Television Licences

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people received a television licence at the £5 discount price (a) at the latest date for which data are available, (b) 12 months before that date and (c) 24 months before that date; and in each case what was the total cost of the scheme calculated against a colour licence. [9013]

I understand from the BBC that the information is as follows:

March 1997–650,000 people; cost £54.9 million; colour licence fee—£89.50

March 1996–641,100 people; cost £52.2 million; colour licence fee—£86.50

March 1995–678,800 people; cost £54 million; colour licence fee—£84.50.

National Lottery

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he expects to publish his White Paper on his proposals for the national lottery. [9826]

The White Paper will be published on 21 July.

Tourism

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has to review the role of those of his Department's bodies with responsibility for tourist (a) promotion, (b) registration and (c) accommodation standards; and if he will make a statement. [7900]

As "Breaking New Ground" made clear, we shall conduct a thorough review before putting forward any proposals for change. The timing and scope of this are currently under consideration.

Press Releases

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department spends on biking press releases to (a) hon. Members and (b) other individuals or groups, each time his Department issues a press release; how many such press releases were issued by his Department (i) in the period 1 May to 1 July and (ii) in the period 1 January to 1 March; and if he will review his Department's use of couriers to deliver press releases and investigate the possibility of using fax or e-mail. [8816]

My Department does not bike press releases either to hon. Members or other recipients each time it issues a press release.None of the 61 press releases issued in the period 1 May to 1 July or of the 59 issued in the period 1 January to 1 March were distributed by bike or courier. My Department uses fax, the Internet and the Central Office of Information's News Distribution Service which, inter alia, supplies my Department's Press Releases to the Parliamentary Online Information Service (POLIS), which is available on line to all hon. Members.

Home Department

Huntingdon Life Sciences

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the results of the investigation into Huntingdon Life Sciences currently being undertaken by the Home Office Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspectorate will be made public with particular reference to any action taken against members of staff found guilty of cruelty to animals. [8337]

The personal licences of two individuals have been revoked. The police have charged these two individuals with offences under the Protection of Animals Act 1911.We expect to issue a public statement about the outcome of the Home Office investigation and are currently seeking legal advice on its extent, nature and timing. Section 24 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 prohibits the disclosure of information given in confidence and we must also avoid prejudicing the prosecutions being sought by the police.

Animal Experiments

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many licences for experimentation on animals in the field of microsurgery have been applied for under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. [8661]

Twenty-four. Applications for microsurgical training are referred to the Animal Procedures Committee and are noted in the Committee's annual report.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the members of the Animal Procedures Committee and their area of expertise. [8668]

The information requested is as follows:

	Age of expertise
Professor Margaret Brazier	Law
Professor Ronald Anderson	Animal husbandry
Professor Margaret Boden	Philosophy and psychology
Professor Barry Bridges	Histology
Professor Fiona Broughton Pipkin	Perinatal physiology
Dr. David Christopher	Regulatory toxicology
Dr. Yvonne Cripps	Law
Professor Robin Dunbar	Primate behaviour
Professor Paul Flecknell	Comparative biology
Mr. John Gregory	Laboratory animal science
Professor Susan Iversen	Experimental psychology
Mrs. Judy MacArthur Clark	Veterinary science
Miss Cindy Milburn	Animal welfare
Dr. Iain Purchase	Toxicology
Dr. Jacqueline Southee	In-vitro toxicology
Professor Michael Spyer	Physiology
Dr. Anthony Suckling	Animal welfare
Professor John Turner	Evolutionary genetics
Mr. Les Ward	Animal welfare

Perjury

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 10 July, Official Report, column 522, when he expects the police investigation into the alleged perjury of Jonathan Aitken in the discontinued libel action against The Guardian to be concluded. [8736]

The Commissioner informs me that the investigation is being pursued as expeditiously as possible. When the investigation is complete, a report will be sent to the Crown Prosecution Service. This investigation is an operational matter for the Commissioner.

Foxhunting

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will assess the impact on farmers' incomes of a ban on foxhunting. [7286]

A Private Member's Bill to ban hunting with hounds is currently before the House. This will provide the opportunity for Parliament to consider all the effects of a ban.

Press Releases

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much his Department spends on biking press releases to (a) hon. Members and (b) other individuals or groups, each time his Department issues a press release; how many such press releases were issued by his Department (i) in the period 1 May to 1 July and (ii) in the period 1 Janaury to 1 March; and if he will review his Department's use of couriers to deliver press releases and investigate the possibility of using fax or e-mail. [8818]

No Home Office press releases are sent out by courier. In the period of 1 May to 1 July, my Department issued 41 press releases. In the period 1 Janaury to 1 March the number was 55. The Home Office uses both electronic distribution and fax to deliver press releases speedily to the media. In addition, all releases are placed on the Internet.

Homosexuals

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with regard to Application Number 28186/94 Euan Sutherland v. United Kingdom concerning the age of consent for homosexuals, if the United Kingdom's case includes the contention that such matters are within the margin of appreciation of each member state; in the event of the Government being minded to settle the case, what steps will be taken to ensure that the United Kingdom's rights in this respect are protected; and if he will make a statement. [8995]

The European Court of Human Rights recognises that states have a margin of appreciation in deciding, through a democratic process, how best to legislate in controversial areas. The Government welcome the Court's recognition of the importance of this doctrine in enabling countries to have distinctive, appropriate and fair controls that reflect genuine national differences. Social and moral questions, on which there can be widely differing opinions, will often fall within the margin of appreciation. In taking the view that the age of homosexual consent is a matter on which Parliament should decide what is appropriate for the United Kingdom, on the basis of a free vote, the Government again emphasise the importance of the margin of appreciation in such issues.

International Crimes

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will ensure that responsibility for the investigation of major international crimes involving (a) foreign Governments and (b) state prosecutors in other countries is devolved to the Metropolitan police. [9022]

The investigation of crime is primarily a matter for the police force in whose area the offence occurred. All chief officers may call for, and be asked to provide, assistance in such investigations, whether the offence was committed in this country or elsewhere. The Metropolitan police exceptionally takes the lead in providing assistance in respect of hostage situations involving British citizens abroad. As the present arrangements are tried and tested, I see no reason to change them.

Asylum Seekers

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for asylum were lodged (a) at the point of entry, (b) in country and (c) in total, in each month since January 1996; and how many asylum applications were awaiting an initial decision as at the end of each month since January 1996. [9756]

The information requested is given in the table and takes into account recent upward revisions to the number of in-country asylum applications lodged between September 1996 and May 1997. Due to an error in the method of calculation, certain in-country applications were not recorded in the monthly totals during this period.

Applications¹received for asylum in the United Kingdom, excluding dependants, by location of application, and applications awaiting an initial decision, January 1996 to May 1997
Principal applicants
Number of asylum applications
	Lodged at port	Lodged in-country	Total	Applications awaiting an initial decision²
1996
January	1,070	2,240	3,310	69,765
February	975	1,880	2,850	69,160
March	985	2,160	3,145	69,165
April	760	1,310	2,070	67,730
May	740	1,010	1,755	66,400
June	805	925	1,730	64,700
July	835	1,680	2,515	63,265
August	905	1,230	2,140	62,000
September	1,205	³980	³2,185	³60,455
October	1,270	³1,540	³2,810	³58,970
November	1,180	³1,270	³2,450	³57,415
December	1,710	³975	³2,685	³57,405
Total 1996	12,440	³17,205	³29,640	n/a
1997
January	1,210	³1,505	³2,715	³56,640
February	1,135	³1,340	³2,475	³55,820
March	1,210	³950	³2,160	³54,950
April	1,385	³1,280	³2,665	³54,020
May	1,365	³1,230	³2,590	³53,545
Total 1997 (January to May)	6,310	³6,300	³12,605	n/a
¹ Provisional figures rounded to the nearest 5.
² Number of applications awaiting an initial decision as at end of month.
³Revised.

n/a = not applicable.

Attorney-General

Crime Victims And Witnesses

32.

To ask the Attorney-General what discussions he has had with the Home Secretary about the care of victims of crime and of witnesses. [7311]

It is not my practice to give details of meetings with Ministerial colleagues on particular topics. I have frequent discussions with my right hon. Friend, the Home Secretary about Departmental matters of members interest. As regards fulfilment of our commitment to improving the position of victims and those who give evidence in court, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Home Secretary on 3 July, Official Report, columns 235–37.

Serious Fraud Office

33.

To ask the Attorney-General if he will make a statement on the work of the Serious Fraud Office. [7312]

The aim of the Serious Fraud Office remains to investigate and prosecute serious and complex fraud and so deter fraud and maintain confidence in the probity of business and financial services in the United Kingdom. To this end since 5 April 1996 the SFO has secured the conviction of 26 defendants out of 29 prosecuted.

Crown Prosecution Service

To ask the Attorney-General if he will give for the proposed review of the Crown Prosecution Service (a) the expected completion date and (b) the cost of conducting the review. [8250]

Sir Iain Glidewell is aiming to report by the end of the year.No firm estimate as to the likely cost is yet available.

Lenient Sentences

To ask the Attorney-General how many sentences considered unduly lenient he has sought leave to refer to the Court of Appeal since 1 May. [7313]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Christchurch (Mr. Chope).

Scotland

Nhs Operations (Cancellations)

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people were admitted to hospital for surgery and subsequently discharged without the operation having taken place in each NHS hospital trust or health board hospital in the period 1 October 1996 to 31 March 1997. [6854]

[holding answer 4 July 1997]: I regret that information on cancellations of operations in the level of detail requested is not collected. The figures for cancellations of planned admissions for in-patient and day case treatment during the period 1 October 1996 to 31 March 1997 are given in the table. The number of cancellations involved is very small in relation to the total number of admissions. The Government and the NHS in Scotland are working to reduce to as few as possible the number of occasions when patients have their operations cancelled.

Cancellation of planned admissions by NHS hospitals during the period 1 October 1996 to 31 March 1997¹
	Number
Aberdeen Royal Hospitals NHS Trust	670
Angus NHS Trust	25
Borders General Hospital NHS Trust	174
Caithness and Sutherland NHS Trust	11
Dumfries and Galloway Acute and Maternity Hospitals NHS Trust	20
Dundee Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust	374
East and Midlothian NHS Trust	126
Edinburgh Sick Children's NHS Trust	28
Falkirk and District Royal Infirmary NHS Trust	40
Glasgow Royal Infirmary University NHS Trust	354
Grampian Healthcare NHS Trust	12
Hairmyres and Stonehouse Hospitals NHS Trust	49
Highland Communities NHS Trust	13
Inverclyde Royal NHS Trust	110
Kirkcaldy Acute Hospitals NHS Trust	157
Law Hospital NHS Trust	7
Lomond Healthcare NHS Trust	68
Monklands and Bellshill Hospitals NHS Trust	64
Moray Health Services NHS Trust	136
North Ayrshire and Arran NHS Trust	24
Orkney Health Board Unit	13
Perth and Kinross Healthcare NHS Trust	52
Queen Margaret Hospital NHS Trust	291
Raigmore Hospital NHS Trust	434
Royal Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust	221
Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh NHS Trust	691
Shetland Hospitals and Community NHS Trust	9
South Ayrshire Hospitals NHS Trust	54
Southern General Hospital NHS Trust	72
Stirling Royal Infirmary NHS Trust	88
Stobhill NHS Trust	33
The Victoria Infirmary NHS Trust	153
The Yorkhill NHS Trust	39
West Glasgow Hospitals University NHS Trust	165
West Lothian NHS Trust	222
Western General Hospitals NHS Trust	241
Western Isles Health Unit	7
Scotland	5,247
¹ Provisional.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many patients awaiting operations were informed by letter of the cancellation of their hospital admission for the operation in respect of each NHS hospital trust and health board hospital during the period 1 October 1996 to 31 March 1997. [6855]

[holding answer 4 July 1997]: I regret that information on cancellations of operations in the level of detail requested is not collected. The figures for cancellations of planned admissions for in-patients and day case treatment during the period 1 October 1996 to 31 March 1997 are given in the table. The number of cancellations involved is very small in relation to the total number of admissions. The Government and the NHS in Scotland are working to reduce to as few as possible the number of occasions when patients have their operations cancelled. I would expect all hospitals to notify patients of the cancellation of their admission for treatment as soon as possible and by the most appropriate method.

Cancellation of planned admissions by SHS hospitals during the period 1 October 1996 to 31 March 1997¹
	Number
Aberdeen Royal Hospitals NHS Trust	670
Angus NHS Trust	25
Borders General Hospital NHS Trust	174
Caithness and Sutherland NHS Trust	11
Dumfries and Galloway Acute and Maternity Hospital NHS Trust	20
Dundee Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust	374
East and Midlothian NHS Trust	126
Edinburgh Sick Children's NHS Trust	28
Falkirk and District Royal Infirmary NHS Trust	40
Glasgow Royal Infirmary University NHS Trust	354
Grampian Healthcare NHS Trust	12
Hairmyres and Stonehouse Hospitals NHS Trust	49
Highland Communities NHS Trust	13
Inverclyde Royals NHS Trust	110
Kirkcaldy Acute Hospitals NHS Trust	157
Law Hospital NHS Trust	7
Lomond Healthcare NHS Trust	68
Monklands and Bellshill Hospitals NHS Trust	64
Moray Health Services NHS Trust	136
North Ayrshire and Arran NHS Trust	24
Orkney Health Board Unit	13
Perth and Kinross Healthcare NHS Trust	52
Queen Margaret Hospital NHS Trust	291
Raigmore Hospital NHS Trust	434
Royal Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust	221
Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh NHS Trust	691
Shetland Hospitals and Community NHS Trust	9
South Ayrshire Hospital NHS Trust	54
Southern General Hospital NHS Trust	72
Stirling Royal Infirmary NHS Trust	88
Stobhill NHS Trust	33
The Victoria Infirmary NHS Trust	153
The Yorkhill NHS Trust	39
West Glasgow Hospitals University NHS Trust	165
West Lothian NHS Trust	222
Western General Hospitals NHS Trust	241
Western Isles Health Unit	7
Scotland	5,247
¹ Provisional.

Local Authority Pension Funds

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make an assessment of the additional amounts that local authorities in Scotland will have to pay into their pension funds as a result of the proposed changes to advance corporation tax; and from where these moneys will be provided. [7342]

[holding answer 8 July 1997]: The funding of local authority pension funds is a matter for local authorities. Although the loss of tax credits will have some impact on the income of local authority pension funds, the extent to which these changes feed through to authorities' budgets will depend on the overall judgements made by the funds' actuaries as they undertake subsequent revaluations to the funds. In addition, pension funds should benefit from improved company performance as a result of the reduction in Corporation Tax and other measures in the Budget to encourage quality long term investment.

Scottish Parliament

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the date of the Scottish Assembly referendum. [7662]

The referendum on the establishment and tax-varying powers of a Scottish Parliament will be held by this Autumn. My noble Friend Lord Sewel gave an undertaking during Committee on the Referendums (Scotland and Wales) Bill in another place that the Government would announce the date of the referendum by Report. [House of Lords O.R. Volume 581 Number 25. Column 103]. On the currently envisaged timetable, the date will therefore be announced by 21 July.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the Minister of State's meeting with Professor J.D. Percy and colleagues of the Accounts Commission on arrangements and responsibilities for a Scottish Parliament. [9109]

I have agreed to meet with Professor Percy and the Accounts Commission but have yet to arrange a date.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the date of the referendum to be held in Scotland on the establishment of a Scottish Parliament. [9825]

Subject to the Referendums (Scotland and Wales) Bill receiving Royal Assent, the referendum on our proposals for a Scottish Parliament will be held on Thursday 11 September 1997.

Members' Interests

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland on what occasions (a) Ministers and (b) officials have refused to (i) arrange and (ii) attend meetings with hon. Members to discuss matters relating to interests registered by those Members under categories 1, 2, 3, 4(b), 8 and 9 in the Register of Members' Interests. [8065]

It would not be practicable for Ministers and officials, among their other duties, to check requests for meetings against the Register of Members' Interests. The First Report of the Nolan Committee made it clear that, when hon. Members are meeting Ministers on matters in which they have an interest, the onus is on the Member to declare that interest and not on the Minister to know of it (Cm 2850 paragraph 2.63).

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will ensure that (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department refuse requests from hon. Members to (i) arrange and (ii) attend meetings relating to interests held by those Members under categories 1, 2, 3, 4(b), 8 and 9 in the Register of Members' Interests. [8062]

The First Report of the Nolan Committee (Cm. 2850) recognised the value of enabling hon. Members to retain interests outside the House, provided these were properly declared, both in the Register of Members' Interests and on other occasions. Subject to these requirements, and to the Rules of the House relating to delegations to Ministers, hon. Members are free to seek meetings relative to such interests with Ministers and officials. Such requests are considered alongside the many other approaches from individuals and organisations concerned to press their own interests or those of others.

Commercial Lobbyists

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) on what dates since 1 May (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have met commercial lobbyists to discuss matters relating to the business of his Department; and if he will introduce a register of such meetings; [8063](2) on what dates since 1 May

As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister explained in response to the hon. Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn) on 2 June Official Report, column 99, Ministers and officials receive deputations from many groups who are concerned to press their own interests or those of their clients. These are considered in the context of the wider public interest and of Government policy. As it is not practicable to distinguish particular groups as lobbyists, I do not propose to introduce a register of such meetings.

Multi-Storey Flats (Glasgow)

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the total number of housing units in Glasgow classified as multi-storey flats; and how many of these are unoccupied at the last date for which figures are available. [8245]

Information on the number of dwellings by type and location is available only for dwellings owned by local authorities. At 1 April 1996, the latest date for which information is available, there were 23,145 local authority dwellings in Glasgow classified as high rise flats. Information on unoccupied dwellings (vacant stock) is collected from local authorities, but not specifically by type of dwelling.

Less-Favoured Areas

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to propose extension of less-favoured area status in Scotland. [7275]

My right hon. Friend has no plans to propose an extension to the less favoured areas in Scotland.

Beaufort's Dyke

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will provide details of the nature of material, quantity and degree of radioactivity of the radioactive material dumped in Beaufort's Dyke in the 1950s. [8721]

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland on 8 July 1997, Official Report, columns 427–28. As indicated therein copies of the relevant documentation, containing such information as is available, have been placed in the Library of the House.

Skye Bridge

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will institute an immediate review by a senior advocate of the Skye Bridge toll order. [9153]

The Invergarry-Kyle of Lochalsh Trunk Road (A87) Extension (Skye Bridge Crossing) Toll Order 1992 sets out the tolling regime for the bridge. My officials will consider the terms of the Toll Order in the light of the decision of the High Court in the appeal and my decision on toll levels for regular users set out in my reply to the hon. Member on 4 July, Official Report, columns 288–90. There is no case for the wider review suggested.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will review the costs to public funds of buying out the Skye Bridge contract. [9152]

The exit value of the contract is governed by the terms of the concession agreement with the operator. My Department calculated an estimate of the cost of termination of the contract on those terms as part of my delivery of our manifesto commitment to review the toll regime. All information relevant to that calculation is known to my Department and there would be no basis or purpose for a review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will suspend Skye Bridge toll collection pending the hearing of the appeal; and what powers he has to pay interim recompense to Skye Bridge Ltd. pending the outcome of the appeal. [9155]

No. Accordingly the question of paying interim recompense does not arise.

Agriculture, Fisheries And Food

Food Safety

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what measures his Department is taking to ensure higher standards of food safety. [7279]

Our top priority is the creation of a Food Standards Agency to raise standards of food safety. But we are not waiting for the creation of the Agency: we are reviewing all of the work of the Department to ensure we have in place the right policies and procedures to deliver the highest standards of food safety.

Farm Animal Welfare

15.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to improve farm animal welfare; and if he will make a statement. [7291]

We have already implemented new rules on welfare in transit, commissioned an urgent review of pre-export enforcement arrangements for live animals, and secured an amendment to the Treaty of Rome which recognises animals as sentient beings.We shall be announcing further initiatives shortly.

Beef Farmers

16.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has for additional assistance to beef farmers. [7292]

Substantial sums of money have already been spent on helping the industry. In the circumstances and in view of the need for tight control on public expenditure, I have no current plans to make additional payments to beef producers to compensate them for the relatively low level of beef prices.

Open Government

17.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to publish more information under the provisions of the open government code. [7293]

I am fully committed to maximising openness both under the Code of Practice and in the proposed Freedom of Information Bill and am making steps to improve availability of information.

Food Imports

18.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to introduce new controls on imported food. [7294]

I assume that this question refers to our proposals to extend existing UK rules on Specified Bovine Material (SBM) to bovine material that has been imported. SBM may not be used in human or animal food or in cosmetic, pharmaceutical or medical products. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend, the Member for Harrow, West (Mr. Thomas) on 5 June, Official Report, columns 227–228, by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

Cereal Growers (Green Pound)

19.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the impact of revaluations of the green pound on cereal growers. [7295]

Market prices for cereals have fallen significantly over the past twelve months but it is difficult to say how much of this is due to green pound revaluations and how much to other factors. Arable area payments to farmers in 1997 have been substantially protected from the effects of recent revaluations under arrangements agreed by the EU Agriculture Council in March this year.

Diet

20.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what role his Department plays in (a) compiling and (b) disseminating information about healthy diets. [7296]

In order to ensure that healthy eating advice is based on firm scientific grounds, the Ministry supports a programme of research and, together with the Department of Health, a surveillance programme of the diet of the population.

The Ministry, working closely with the Department of Health and the Health Education Authority, develops literature on healthy eating based on this information and on expert advice from the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition Policy (COMA), and disseminates a range of materials to the general public and to health professionals.

Agri-Environment Schemes

21.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what role the Government's plans for agri-environment schemes will play in its proposals for reform of the common agricultural policy. [7298]

In the forthcoming negotiations on CAP reform the Government will press for progressive cuts in production-related support and for a part of the resultant savings to be used for targeted measures to help rural areas, including through agri-environment schemes.

25.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the Government's policy in respect of agri-environment schemes. [7302]

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what economic measures he is assessing to direct United Kingdom agriculture towards more ecologically sustainable systems; and if he will make a statement. [8500]

I refer my hon. Friends to the reply given to my hon. Friend, the Member for Wolverhampton, North-East (Mr. Purchase) on 16 July, Official Report, column 184.

Sheepmeat And Goatmeat Imports

22.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will ban the import of sheepmeat and goatmeat form countries where there is no requirement for the removal of specified offals in ovines. [7299]

No. The specified materials of sheep and goats that are currently prohibited from sale for human consumption in the UK are the heads, excluding the tongue, unless from Australia or New Zealand.Following advice form the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee my right hon. Friend announced on 5 June proposals for legislation to extend the list of specified materials to include the spleen of all animals and the spinal cord of animals over 12 months of age. These additional measures would apply to animals slaughtered in the UK and to sheepmeat and goatmeat imported into the UK, other than from New Zealand and Australia.

Common Agricultural Policy

23.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has for speeding up change to the common agricultural policy; and what policy priorities he will promote in its place. [7300]

The Government's objective is to secure a more market-oriented Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) through the phasing out of production related support. The Commission is expected to produce legislative proposals for reform of several key sectors of the CAP later this year. Making progress on discussion of these will be a priority for the UK Presidency of the Agriculture Council.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on his discussions with his European Union counterparts about the reform of the common agricultural policy. [8722]

My right hon. Friend, the Minister, has had a number of discussions with the Commission and with Ministers of other Member States, in which he has made clear the need for early radical reform of the CAP. The strength of our argument has been broadly accepted by the Commission in its "Agenda 2000" paper which was published yesterday. We look forward to leading the debate on this and on the legislative proposals for reform which the Commission should produce later in the year.

Milk Quotas

26.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to reform the system of milk quotas. [7303]

Reforming the CAP dairy regime and its system of milk quotas is a high priority for the Government. I shall continue to press in the Agriculture Council for cuts in support prices and the removal of quotas, to be accompanied by time limited, degressive and non-discriminatory aid payments to dairy farmers, decoupled from production, in order to facilitate adjustment to these reforms.

Beef Export Ban

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he will next meet his European counterparts to discuss the next steps towards lifting the beef export ban. [7301]

I will be attending the Agriculture Council on 22–23 July. Although the lifting of the export ban is not on the agenda for this meeting, I will be taking every opportunity to raise this as appropriate in the informal discussions which take place in the margins of these meetings.

Fish Breeding

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he is taking to implement the recommendations on fish-breeding areas in the report chaired by Lord Perry. [7158]

The House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology recommended that consideration should be given to the establishment under the Common Fisheries Policy of a system requiring fishermen to report to the authorities if there is a high proportion of juvenile fish in their catch. Following receipt of such a report the area should be surveyed by the appropriate national authority and, providing that the report is verified, the area should be closed until the juvenile fish have dispersed.Following the Committee's report, the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) undertook a review of the feasibility of operating temporary closures of areas with large numbers of juvenile fish. They concluded that, where the nursery areas are large, permanent and contain high concentrations of juveniles that are discarded, then it is to the benefit of the fishery to close such areas on a permanent or temporary basis. This applies primarily to flatfish nursery grounds, for which there is already a closed area known as the Plaice Box, and the Government is seeking to improve the effectiveness of the Plaice Box in current negotiations on a European Commission proposal for new technical conservation measures.For the large stocks of roundfish, the juveniles are much more dispersed and their distribution is more dynamic. For these stocks CEFAS concluded that temporary closure of areas in the way proposed by the Committee does not appear to be a practical proposition, and monitoring and enforcement would be costly. However, there are a number of fixed areas which are closed to different types of fishing to protect young roundfish and pelagic fish. The Norway Pout Box, off eastern Scotland, protects young haddock and other gadoids from small mesh industrial fisheries. The Mackerel Box off south Cornwall protects juvenile mackerel. Many herring spawning grounds are protected as the vulnerable spawn are densely laid on the gravel seabed. The UK has also introduced restrictions on fishing in the estuarine nursery areas of bass.The scope for further measures to protect juvenile fish is being explored in the negotiations on new EC technical conservation rules.

Beef (Consumer Confidence)

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the level of consumer confidence in British beef in the United Kingdom; and if he will bring this information to the attention of the Council of Agriculture Ministers. [7297]

We have seen significant improvements in the level of beef consumption since March 1996. Most recently McDonald's and Burger King have announced that they will be using British beef again. We see this as further evidence that confidence in British beef is returning. The level of consumption will no doubt feature in discussion at future Councils of Agriculture Ministers.

Press Releases

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much his Department spends on biking press releases to (a) hon. Members and (b) other individuals or groups, each time his Department issues a press release; how many such press releases were issued by his Department (i) in the period 1 May to 1 July and (ii) in the period 1 January to 1 March; and if he will review his Department's use of couriers to deliver press releases and investigate the possibility of using fax or e-mail. [8824]

MAFF does not use motor-cycle messengers to deliver press releases. These are made available to hon. Members, to the media and other interested parties via both the Central Office of Information's News Distribution Service (NDS) and direct mailing.The COI's NDS delivery mechanisms include a newswire service which supplies press releases to the Parliamentary Online Information Service (POLIS) [which can be accessed by all MPs and Lords], hand deliveries, fax and postal deliveries, online databases, and a widely accessed [World Wide] Web site on the Internet.MAFF also has a website containing its press notices which is updated daily and used by journalists and other individuals and organisations.The Department keeps a watching brief on new developments in information transmission to ensure the most cost-effective delivery mechanisms are used at all times.In the period 1 May to 1 July 1997, MAFF issued 65 press notices and in the period 1 January to 1 March issued 67 press notices.

Food (Chemical Contamination)

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what statistics his Department holds on chemical contamination incidents involving foodstuffs; and if they are available to the public. [9760]

The Department compiles annual reports on all such incidents reported to it. These reports are available to inquirers, free of charge. The latest report by the Department's Incident Response Team, entitled "Food Protection 1996" has been placed in the Library of the House.

Cattle Slaughter Scheme

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many cattle have been slaughtered to date under the Selective Cull scheme; and at what cost to public funds. [7379]

The total number of animals slaughtered under the Selective Cull scheme as at 9 July was 11,304.Scheme expenditure to 4 July 1997 was £9,063,800.77, which is broken down as follows:

	£
Compensation	8,106,720.82
Incineration	5,128.87
Slaughter fees	483,467.19
Rendering fees	241,821.69
Storage and transport	226,662.20

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many cattle have been slaughtered to date under the over 30 months scheme; and at what cost to public funds. [7380]

As at 30 June 1997, 1.533 million animals have been slaughtered under the Over Thirty Months Scheme, at a cost of:

	£ million
Compensation	751.780
Slaughter	91.735
Rendering, incineration and hides	89.806
Storage and Transport	56.357
Total	989.678

Old Documents

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the date and title of the oldest document or archival unit retained by his Department which has not been passed on to the Public Records Office for release for public inspection. [7201]

[holding answer 8 July 1997]: The earliest records held by my Department date from 1940 and consist of three documents which form part of Public Record Office Class MAF 152: Ministry of Food war history papers (1914 to 1962).

Rodent Control

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when the next national rodent survey will be undertaken. [8447]

Information on the level of rat and mice infestation is being collected as part of the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions' 1996 English House Condition Survey. The results of the survey are expected to be published towards the end of this year.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the recommendations of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health relating to Government responsibility for rodent control; and if he will make a statement. [8449]

The recommendations of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health were made following publication of the 1993 National Rodent Survey and they were fully considered at the time. The position will be reviewed after the results of the 1996 English House Condition Survey on rodent infestation are known later this year.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what requirements are placed upon local authorities to (a) record and (b) respond to incidents of rat infestation. [8442]

Under the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949, local authorities are required to keep their districts as free as practicable from rats and mice and to carry out such inspections as may be necessary for this purpose. The Act requires occupiers of land, other than agricultural land, to give notice in writing to the local authority of rodent infestations.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proposals he has to bring about a reduction in levels of rat infestation in domestic properties. [8452]

Although the results of the 1993 National Rodent Survey showed that there had been a small increase since the late 1970s in the level of rat infestation in properties used for domestic purposes, overall, the survey did not provide sufficient evidence to warrant a change in current rodent control policies. The situation will be reviewed in the light of the 1996 survey, the results of which are expected to be published towards the end of this year.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many rat infestations were recorded (a) in total and (b) by local authority for each year since 1990. [8443]

In 1993, 4.8 per cent. of properties were infested with rats. This information is not available at the level of local authority due to the small sample size. Figures are not available for other years.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the factors underlying the growth in the incidence of rat infestation in domestic properties. [8448]

Rodent numbers can be affected by a number of factors including climate, food availability, level and effectiveness of control, availability of breeding sites and levels of predators. The 1996 English House Condition Survey, the results of which will be available later this year, will provide more detailed information about levels of rodent infestation.

National Parks

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what specific grants are available to encourage the adoption of environmentally sound practices in agriculture in the national parks. [8507]

MAFF operates a wide-ranging package of voluntary incentive schemes which are available to farmers in the national parks. In addition, the national parks have their own schemes.

Departmental Budgets

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what new plans he has to introduce cuts and savings in his Department as a result of the effect on his Department's budgets for 1997–98 and 1998–99 of the upward revisions to the GDP deflators in the Budget on 2 July; and if he will make a statement. [8298]

[holding answer 14 July 1997]: All Departments are reallocating spending within their Departmental ceilings as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if, following the recent Budget, he will give his estimate of the total real level of his Department's budget, in 1995–96 prices, in (a) 1997–98 and (b) 1998–99; if he will estimate what such figures were for (1) 1997–98 and (2) 1998–99 following the November 1996 Budget on the basis of the estimates of the GDP deflator contained in that Budget; and if he will make a statement. [8295]

The figures requested for the Department's spending plans within the Control Total are as follows: £3,541 million, £3,149 million, £3,452 million and £3,201 million.

Bse

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the study from Oxford University on horizontal transmission of BSE, with particular regard to its relationship to stocking density; and if he will make a statement. [8695]

Professor Anderson, who heads the team at Oxford University, was a member of the epidemiology sub group of the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (SEAC) which advised Government on maternal transmission. That advice was made public through a MAFF press notice issued on 18 April 1997, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.I understand that Professor Anderson's team are shortly to publish further papers. Professor Anderson has recently been reported as saying that the higher incidents of BSE in larger herds, as compared with smaller herds, could be due to one of two factors, either:

(i) greater use of concentrated cattle feed in larger herds; or

(ii) horizontal transmission from cow to cow as opposed to maternal transmission which is from a cow to its own calf.

Professor Anderson went on to say that he was not able, on the basis of the information available to him, to distinguish between these two hypotheses.

The variation in risk according to herd size is one of a number of observations first published by scientists from the Central Veterinary Laboratory, Weybridge in the Veterinary Record in 1992. I am putting a copy of that paper in the Library of the House. The view of my own advisers is that the more likely explanation for the higher incidents in the larger herds is more intensive use of animal feed in such herds as this ties in with certain other epidemiological observations, including the fact that a number of large herds which had a high incidence of BSE have, as a result of changing feed patterns, eradicated BSE within those herds which had been free for some years. This explanation argues in favour of the feed rather than the horizontal transmission hypothesis.

I must emphasise that Professor Anderson was talking about research findings not yet published and I will of course look to the independent advisory committee, SEAC, for further analysis of this work.

Tuberculosis

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will review the compensation levels for farmers with cattle affected by tuberculosis. [8833]

It would be inappropriate to review compensation while Professor Krebs' Committee is looking at badgers and bovine tuberculosis.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects to receive the Krebs report on future policy in relation to badgers and tuberculosis. [8832]

Later this year.

Broiler Chickens

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received concerning the need for legislation to protect broiler chickens; and if he will make a statement. [8657]

The Government intends to ensure that the broiler industry works to high welfare standards. Work on a new welfare code is already in hand. I have received various representations that there is a case for further legislation and will consider this in the light of developments here and in Europe.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the number of broiler chickens which suffer from (a) leg disorders and (b) heart disease because of rapid body growth. [8658]

(a) It is not possible to give a simple estimate of the number of broiler chickens which suffer from leg disorders. Those that occur may be the result of one, or a combination of, a number of different factors. The severity of the effect on individual birds will also be subject to variation.

(b) I know of no scientific data which allows for conclusions to be drawn on any direct relationship between rate of growth and the incidence of heart disease in broiler chickens.

Hunting Ban (Disposal Of Stock)

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what alternative arrangements he is considering for the disposal of fallen stock and destruction of animal casualties if hunting were banned. [8843]

There are already arrangements for disposing of fallen stock and the destruction of animal casualties other than via hunt kennels. Disposal can be by rendering at an approved rendering plant, incineration or burial, in accordance with the provisions of the Animal By-Products Order 1992 (as amended). This Order also provides for certain premises to receive fallen stock, including knackers' yards: knackermen will usually be licensed slaughtermen for the purpose of killing animal casualties.

Environment, Transport And The Regions

Contaminated Land

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he expects to lay new regulations about contaminated land. [7874]

We hope shortly to be able to make an announcement of how we propose to proceed regarding the implementation of the contaminated land provisions in Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (inserted by section 57 of the Environment Act 1995).

Voluntary Sports Clubs

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his assessment of the cost of granting mandatory rate relief to voluntary sports clubs in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement. [7991]

We have insufficient data on which to make a reliable estimate of the cost of granting mandatory rate relief to voluntary sports clubs. However, we are currently reviewing the basis on which voluntary sports clubs are eligible for rate relief.

Water Companies

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list those water companies which offer lower drainage charges where a property does not drain surface water into a public sewer; and if he will ensure that all water companies are obliged to offer such a charge. [8462]

Lower drainage charges for customers who do not receive a surface water drainage service are offered by three water companies: North West Water, Severn Trent Water and (for customers with rateable values over £7000) Northumbrian Water. Customers are liable for sewerage service charges and companies are not obliged to offer this rebate. The Director General of Water Services, however, would not like to see customers charged for a service which is not provided, and has raised this matter in discussion with companies.

Construction Industry

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, if he will list the membership of each of his Department's non-departmental public bodies with responsibility for the construction industry, indicating their functions and terms of reference; and if he will make a statement on their role in respect of Government policy in the construction industry. [8458]

There are four such bodies.BUILDING REGULATIONS ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Chairman:

Professor Jack Anderson

Members:

Mr. Ken Blount
Mr. Norman Bright MBE
Mr. Graham Butler
Mr. James Carter
Mr. Henry Dawson
Mr. Michael Finn
Mr. Stuart Holt
Professor Patrick O'Sullivan OBE
Miss Pat Tindale
Professor John Wiltshire.

The Committee is established under Section 14 of the Building Act 1984 to advise the Secretary of State on the exercise of his power to make building regulations, and on other subjects connected with building regulations.

BRITISH BOARD OF AGRÉMENT

Chairman:

Mr. A. J. Jackson CBE

Members:

Mr. N. M. Chaldecott OBE

Mr. A. M. Cooper
Mrs. O. C. Dargan
Mr. R. F. Gainsford
Mr. D. J. Harper
Dr. P. C. Hewlett
Mr. T. Henney
Mr. D. W. Quinion
Mr. C. A. Rackcliffe
Miss. P. Tindale
Mr. J. W. Turner CBE
Mr. C. A. Wilson.

The British Board of Agrément (BBA), established in 1966, assesses and certifies the performance of construction products and materials which are new or innovative or for which no technical standards exist. Agrément Certificates are recognised within the Approved Document to Building Regulation 7 as a means of establishing a product's fitness for use.

BBA also provides important services in relation to implementation of the Construction Products Directive, representing the UK in the European Organisation for Technical Approvals (EOTA), and in the European Union of Agrément. BBA currently holds the Presidency of EOTA.

Although BBA is an executive NDPB, it also runs as a commercial organisation and is a company limited by guarantee.

ASSESSMENT PANEL FOR CONSTRUCTION RESEARCH

Chairman:

Professor Peter Dale

Members:

Professor Jack Anderson
Mr. Norman Bright MBE
Miss Pat Tindale
Mr. Don Leeper
Dr. Jack Chapman
Miss Judith Stammers
Dr. Dipesh Bhattacharya
Mrs. Sandi Rhys Jones.

The terms of reference of the Panel are to provide informed, strategic advice to the Department on trends in construction and the development of research strategies in relation to emerging technical issues relevant to the construction process and to the Department's statutory responsibilities and policy objectives; and to give informed, strategic advice on the value of past research—its appropriateness, relevance to policy, management, impact, achievement and transfer into effective application.

EXPORT ACTION GROUP FOR BUILDING MATERIALS

Chairman:

Mr. P. M. Rose CBE

Members:

Mr. J. Bonney
Mr. P. D. Marshall
Mr. J. Gill
Mr. C. Jarvis
Mr. J. R. Owens
Mr. A Lorentzen

Mr. D. Wilkinson
Mr. C. M. F. Newton
Ms A. Carew-Cox
Mr. K. Lambourne
Mr. M. Arndell.

The terms of reference of the Group are:

To provide timely and effective advice to DETR Ministers and Officials on methods and priorities for pursuing business opportunities overseas for UK suppliers of building materials and construction products.

To provide feedback more generally on the delivery and effectiveness of support mechanisms provided by government and other organisations and, where appropriate, to suggest improvements.

To provide advice on measures to improve co-ordination, communication and presentation of export opportunities and initiatives within the industry and between government and industry.

Sewerage Pipes

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will estimate the extent of damage being caused to plastic sewerage pipes by rats; and what assessment he has made of potential risks to public health from this. [8454]

I understand that the water industry is not aware of any documented evidence of a problem of rats chewing through sewer pipes and there are no indications that such damage to plastic pipes is causing risk to public health.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what regulations control the use of high pressure water jets to clean sewerage pipes; and if these take account of possible damage caused to the pipes. [8453]

No formal regulations exist to control the use of high pressure water jets to clean sewerage or drainage pipes. The Water Research Centre has prepared a Code of Practice on pressure jetting which has been accepted by the manufacturers of such equipment and contractors. I understand that water companies are likely to specify its use in pressure jetting contracts.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if standards for the manufacture of plastic sewerage pipes take account of the need to resist damage by rats. [8445]

Standards for plastic sewer pipes do not contain any particular provisions to take account of the need to resist damage by rats but my Department will ensure that the issue is raised with the British Standards Institution and organisations which test the suitability of plastic pipes to be used for drainage.

Environmental Task Force (Horticulture Training)

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will examine the potential role of horticultural training within the environmental task force; and if he will make a statement. [8487]

We want to see as wide a range of organisations as possible in the environmental field involved in constructing high quality programmes, projects and training for the environmental task force. We hope that horticultural projects will be included among these.

Planning Applications

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what percentage of local authority planning applications are currently dealt with under the delegated powers procedure (a) in total and (b) by local authority; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of these procedures for planning matters. [8461]

My Department is this year collecting, for the first time, statistics on the number of planning applications which were decided by planning officers under delegated powers by each local authority. This information should allow an assessment, over time, of the relationship between the numbers of applications decided by local authorities, their performance and their use of delegated powers. The first figures will be collated at the end of September. I will ensure the figures are forwarded to my honourable Friend as soon as possible after they have been compiled and checked.

Home Buyers

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will assess the adequacy of the protection afforded to new house buyers. [8455]

I am aware of criticisms of the protection afforded by the National House-Building Council's warranty scheme for new houses. The Council has announced a wide ranging review including insurance cover, inspection service, communications with consumers and house builders, and powers to discipline bad builders. I have recently met representatives of the Council and I have asked to be kept closely in touch with the progress of this review.My hon. Friend, the Minister for Local Government and Housing has also recently met the Council of Mortgage Lenders and the Association of British Insurers to discuss ways in which the mortgage lending and insurance industries can develop better mortgage protection products.

Climate Change

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what research his Department has evaluated into the relationship between agricultural production and global climate change; and if he will make a statement. [8488]

UK emissions of greenhouse gases from agriculture are evaluated using research sponsored by my Department and by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.We estimate that, in 1995, UK agricultural production was responsible for about 1 per cent, 30 per cent. and 10 per cent, of UK emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide respectively. Agricultural land use change resulted in the release of a further 4 per cent. of total emissions of carbon dioxide. Together these emissions were equivalent to about 7 per cent. of the climate change impact of all UK greenhouse gas emissions in 1995. Land set aside from agricultural production removed an amount of carbon from the atmosphere equivalent to about 1 per cent. of UK carbon dioxide emissions in 1995.Research evaluated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) indicates that emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide from global agricultural production and related land use change together account for about 34 per cent. of the climatic disturbance from current man-made greenhouse gas emissions.

Rat Infestation

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what responsibilities have been placed upon the water companies to control rat infestation of the sewerage system. [8451]

There is no specific duty on water and sewerage companies in relation to the control of rats in sewers. However, all sewerage undertakers have programmes to control and reduce the number of rats in their systems. This includes the use of baits in pumping stations and air vents to stop rats entering the system, or on ledges within sewers. In addition, I understand that the water industry will be undertaking some research into the issue of rats in sewers early next year.Local authorities have a long standing duty to keep themselves informed about the sufficiency of drainage systems in their area to ensure that they do not pose a threat to public health. Failure to control rat infestations on property could be enforceable by the Local Authority Environmental Health Officer under Part III of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, if it is judged to be a statutory nuisance.I have no plans at present to introduce legislation to regulate the performance of sewerage undertakers in this field.

"Household Growth"

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will publish the statistical assumptions behind the household composition growth figures contained in his Department's response to the consultation paper "Household Growth" with particular reference to Bradford metropolitan district council. [8457]

Descriptions of the methodology and main statistical assumptions underlying the household projections presented in the consultation paper "Household Growth: where shall we live?" are set out in the annexes of "Projections of Households in England to 2016", published by HMSO in March 1995, a copy of which is in the Library of the House. The projections for the Metropolitan District of Bradford are given in Table 9 of this publication.

Hedgerows

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many miles of hedgerow he estimates will be (a) planted and (b) cut down in the next three years. [8508]

The most recent statistics on hedgerow planting and removal come from a survey of hedgerow changes in England and Wales between the years 1990 to 1993, undertaken by the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology on behalf of the Department of the Environment. That survey estimated that on average some 4,400 km of hedgerows were newly planted each year, whilst an average of 3,600 km of hedgerows were removed each year.Estimates for future years have not been made. New planting is encouraged, in England, through the Countryside Stewardship and Environmentally Sensitive Areas Schemes administered by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and, in Wales, through Tir Cymen and the Hedgerow Renovation Scheme operated by the Countryside Council for Wales. Important hedgerows are protected from removal under the Hedgerows Regulations 1997.

Environmental Information Appeals Tribunal

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans the Government have to introduce an independent environmental information appeals tribunal. [8676]

The Government's proposals for appeals procedures relating to information in general, including environmental information, will be set out in our forthcoming White Paper on freedom of information.

Animal Furs

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps his Department has taken to (a) control and (b) prohibit the import of animal furs on conservation grounds. [8662]

The import of furs into the United Kingdom is controlled under European Council Regulation 338/97 which implements the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) within the European Union as a whole. A permit is required from the Department of the Environment to import the fur of any species listed in the CITES Appendices. Trade in furs from endangered species, such as leopards and tigers, is strictly prohibited. Trade in other less sensitive species is strictly controlled and monitored to ensure that they are not over-exploited. My Department is also responsible for the EU ban on the import of furs from harp and hooded seal pups under the EC Seals Directive 83/129. The Directive is implemented in the UK through the Import of Seal Skins Regulations 1996.

Housing

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many homes are (a) owner occupied, (b) privately rented without housing benefit, (c) privately rented with housing benefit, (d) rented from local authorities and (e) rented from housing trusts or housing associations (i) in England and Wales and (ii) in the Borough of Bournemouth; and if he will provide comparable figures for 1987. [8756]

[holding answer 15 July 1997]: The Department's estimates of the stock of dwellings in England as at December 1987 and December 1996 are shown in the table below.

England—stock of dwellings
(000s)
	Owner occupied	Rented privately or with job ¹	Rented from housing associations	Rented from local authorities	Total
December 1987	12,264	1,899	512	4,403	19,078
December 1996	13,865	2,116	946	3,586	20,514
¹ Notionally includes renting from other public sector.

The information used to compile these figures does not show how much of the privately rented stock contains people claiming housing benefit. However information from the Family Resources Survey (FRS) shows that during 1995–96 nearly one third of private renters (including those in rent free accommodation) were claiming housing benefit. Comparable figures for 1987 are not available.

Bournemouth—stock of dwellings
	Private	Rented from housing associations	Rented from local authorities	Rented from other public sector	Total
April 1987	60,644	638	6,591	375	68,248
April 1996	65,325	1,985	5,726	60	73,096

It is not possible to provide reliable information at local authority area level compatible with the FRS data quoted above.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many people have been living in houses in multiple occupation in each of the last five years; how many of them have been aged under 25 years and what proportion of those aged (a) under 25 years and (b) over 25 years have been (i) male and (ii) female. [8800]

Age and gender of occupiers of HMOs in England (percentage in brackets)
	Traditional HMOs (bedsits)	Shared houses/flats	Households with lodgers	Purpose Built HMO	Self-contained converted flats	Hostels, boarding houses etc	All HMOs
Number of People in HMO	631,467	343,187	106,645	246,354	1,533,597	237,717	3,098,967
Under 25¹	457,605 (72)	202,855 (59)	58,012 (54)	98,542 (40)	483,579 (32)	121,236 (51)	1,421,829
Male	283,743 (62)	115,322 (57)	41,338 (71)	n/a	242,861 (50)	67,607 (56)	—
Female	173,862 (38)	87,534 (43)	16,674 (29)	n/a	240,718 (50)	53,629 (44)	—
25 and over²	173,862 (28)	140,332 (41)	48,633 (46)	147,812 (60)	1,050,018 (68)	116,481 (49)	1,677,144
Male	150,217 (86)	79,197 (56)	27,443 (56)	n/a	496,437 (47)	86,469 (74)	—
Female	23,645 (14)	61,135 (44)	21,190 (44)	n/a	553,581 (53)	30,013 (26)	—

Source:

Totals from the Local Authority Houses in Multiple Occupation Survey 1995. Proportions from the English House Condition Survey 1991 and Census 1991.

¹ Under 30 years old for hostel residents.

² 30 and over for hostel residents.

Hostels

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) how many direct access hostel places in London currently cater for clients with partners; [9008](2) how many direct access hostel places in London cater for clients with pets. [9009]

This information is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many direct access hostel places there are currently in London. [9007]

The only information about the stock of dwellings in Bournemouth comes for the annual "Housing Investment Programme" (HIP) returns, which combine the owner occupied and rented privately groups together. The figures for April 1987 and April 1996 are as follows:

[holding answer 15 July 1997]: I regret that information in the form requested is not available. The following table shows the latest estimate of occupants of houses in multiple occupation by age and gender in England.

This information is not held centrally. The London Hostels Directory, published by Resource Information Service, and partly funded by my Department, gives details of more than 27,000 bedspaces in over 600 different buildings. It is not possible to say how many of these places are direct access. As part of the Rough Sleepers Initiative in London, my Department is funding 278 places in hostels and nightshelters. Most, though not all of these places will be direct access.

Council Tax

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what research his Department has conducted into the correlation between income levels and council tax bands. [9070]

None. The council tax is a property based tax and council tax benefit is available to help meet the bills of people on low incomes.

Press Releases

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much his Department spends on biking press releases to (a) hon. Members and (b) other individuals or groups, each time his Department issues a press release; how many such press releases were issued by his Department (i) in the period 1 May to 1 July and (ii) in the period 1 January to 1 March; and if he will review his Department's use of couriers to deliver press releases and investigate the possibility of using fax or e-mail. [8810]

The Department uses a courier for delivery of press releases to the Press Gallery. This is part of a general courier service for the Department as a whole and costs for these specific deliveries are not separately identified.With this exception, it is not normal practice for the Department to send press releases by courier to hon. Members, other individuals or groups.In common with other Departments, press releases are distributed to the media through the Central Office of Information's News Distribution Service, which utilises a combination of electronic and hard copy delivery methods. In addition to this, the Department issues releases to other interested parties by post, or exceptionally fax.

Roads Programme (Leicester)

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Transport and the Regions if orders have been submitted for (a) the Leicester Eastern district distributor road and (b) the Leicester A46–47 link road scheme stage 2. [8324]

(a) No; (b) Yes.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the funding considerations underlying his Department's advice to the city council to apply for funding through the 1998–99 TPP bid for the Leicester A46–47 trunk road. [8325]

My Department's advice was that if the City Council wished the A46–47 scheme to have any possibility of obtaining funding under the 1998–99 TPP settlement they must bid for it. In giving the advice it was made clear that there can be no guarantee of funding for this or any other project, ahead of the settlement.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his Department's policy on the construction of the Leicester A46–47 link road; and what priority it accords to (a) environmental issues and (b) economic benefit in determining this policy. [8326]

The policy on the construction of the A46–47 link road is the same as that for all road schemes presented to the Secretary of State. The overall merits are assessed in the context of the public interest.

The A46–47 forms part of the accepted package of transport proposals which constitute the Central Leicestershire Package. Advice on the appraisal of projects and on the preparation of package bids is issued to authorities each year. This covers, inter alia, environmental issues and economic benefit.

Red Routes

To ask the secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the red-route proposals under consideration by his Department for the London Borough of Wandsworth. [9098]

The roads in Wandsworth designated as red routs are the A3, A24, A205, A214, A217, A306, A3205 and A3220. We are currently consulting on whether the A214 should remain in the red route network. The implementation programme for other red routes in Wandsworth is set out in the Traffic Director for London's Annual Report and Accounts for 1996–97, a copy of which is in the Library.

Network Cards

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the decision by train operators to limit when network card holders can use their cards; and if he will make a statement. [8227]

The Government has no powers to prevent train operators changing the conditions applying to the Network Card. Train operators' participation in the Network Card scheme is entirely voluntary and there is no formal obligation on them to offer the Network Card.

Health

Closures

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the hospitals and health units currently subject to proposals for closure. [6824]

The information requested is not collected systematically. However, a recent survey carried out for management purposes identified the hospitals listed as having recently been, or are currently, the subject of consultation which could lead to the full closure. Closure is normally dependent on the reprovision of services elsewhere and/or are conditional on a successful Private Finance Initiative contract.

Anglia and Oxford

Chesterton Hospital
Fulbourn Hospital
Ida Darwin Hospital
St. Andrew's Hospital

Northern and Yorkshire

St. Mary's Hospital
Walkergate Hospitals
Winterton Hospitals.

North Western

Ulverston Hospital.

North Thames

Goodmayes Hospital
Horton Hospital
Napsbury Hospital
Queen Elizabeth Hospital Hackney¹
Queen Charlotte's Hospital¹
Runwell Hospital
St. Andrew's Hospital
St. Bartholomew's Hospital¹
Shenley Hospital
Warley Hospital.

South Thames

Battle Hospital
Bromley Hospital
Eversfield Hospital
Joyce Green Hospital (including the Orchard House Psychiatric Unit)
Sundridge Hospital
West Hill Hospital.

South Western

Belmont Hospital
Lynton Hospital²
Odiham Hospital
Ridley House
Winsford Hospital.²

Trent

Badsley Moor Lane Hospital

West Midlands

All Saints Hospital
Hereford Eye Hospital
Hereford General Hospital
Highcroft Hospital
Goscote Hospital
Monyhull Hospital
Northcroft Hospital
St. Edward's Hospital
Stanfield Hospital
Stallington Hospital
Westcliffe Hospital
Wordsley Hospital.

Notes:

¹ There is a moratorium on all hospital closures in London during the current review of the capital's health services.

² Temporary closures.

Nhs Expenditure

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the health authorities and trusts which have been deemed by the regional offices of the NHS Executive to have serious financial problems at the close of the 1996–97 financial year. [7758]

The names of health authorities and trusts assessed as having serious financial problems are disclosed in the following tables.

Health authorities with serious financial problems at Epsom Health Care Q4 1996–97

Barking and Havering
Barnet
Bedfordshire

Berkshire
Bexley and Greenwich
Bradford
Brent and Harrow
Buckinghamshire
Calderdale and Kirklees
Cambridge
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly
Dudley
Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow
East and North Hertfordshire
East London and City
East Norfolk
East Surrey
Enfield and Haringey
Isle of Wight
Kingston and Richmond
Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham
Leeds
Leicestershire
Lincolnshire
Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth
Newcastle
North and East Devon
North and Mid Hants
North Cumbria
North Essex
North West Anglia
North Yorkshire
Oxfordshire
Redbridge and Waltham Forest
Sandwell
Solihull
Somerest
Suffolk
Wakefeild
West Surrey
West Sussex
Wiltshire.

Trusts with serious financial problems at Q4 1996–97

Airedale
Alexandra Health Care
Anglian Harbours
Ashford Hospital
Brighton Health Care
Christie Hospital
City Hospitals
Countess of Chester Hospital
Derby City General Hospital
East Anglian Ambulance
East Cheshire
East Somerset
East Surrey Healthcare
Essex Rivers Healthcare
Forest Healthcare
George Eliot Hospital
Hillingdon Hospital

Ipswich Hospital
Lewisham Hospital
Mayday Healthcare
Mid Essex Hospital Services
Mount Vernon and Watford Hospitals
North East Lincolnshire
Northampton Community Healthcare
Northampton General Hospital
Northwick Park and St. Mark's
Oxford Radcliffe Hospital
Peterborough Hospitals
Pilgrim Health
Pinderfields Hospitals
Pontefract Hospitals
Preston Acute Hospitals
Queen Mary's Sidcup
Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham
Richmond, Twickenham and Roehampton Healthcare
Royal Berkshire and Battle Hospitals
Royal Devon and Exeter Healthcare
Royal Hospital of St. Bartholomew, the Royal London Hospital and London Chest Hospital
Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals
Royal Victoria Infirmary and Associated Hospitals
Scunthorpe and Goole Hospitals
South Buckinghamshire
St. Albans and Hemel Hempstead
St. James's and Seacroft University Hospital
St. Mary's
Stockport Acute Services
Stoke Mandeville Hospital
The Horton General Hospital
The King's Mill Centre for Health Care Services
The Poole Hospital
United Leeds Teaching Hospitals
University College London Hospitals
West Middlesex University Hospital.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the NHS trusts which have non-technical deficits indicating the amount of their (a) technical and (b) non-technical deficits. [7760]

The information requested for 1996–97 non-technical deficits is available in the following table. The deficit disclosed for these trusts may contain an element of technical deficit but the total cannot be further analysed into technical elements and non-technical elements from information available.

Trusts with non-technical deficits at Q4 1996–97
Trust	Deficit 1996–97 £000
Addenbrooke's	-285
Airedale	-1,700
Alexandra Health Care	-1,814
Avalon, Somerset	-155
Avon Ambulance Service	-57
Bassetlaw Hospital and Community Services	-391
Bedford Hospital	-281
Bournewood Community and Mental Health	-2
Brighton Health Care	-2,006
Carlisle Hospitals	-1,223

Trusts with non-technical deficits at Q4 1996–97
Trust	Deficit 1996–97 £000
Central Middlesex Hospital	-2,920
City Hospitals	-622
Community Health Sheffield	-220
Countess of Chester Hospital	-1,792
Derby City General Hospital	-1,194
Dorset Community	-1,633
East Anglian Ambulance	-200
East Cheshire	-393
East Somerset	-400
East Suffolk Local Health Services	-422
East Surrey Priority Care	-1,519
East Wiltshire Health Care	-518
Eastbourne Hospitals	-589
Epsom Health Care	-1,492
Essex Rivers Healthcare	-1,450
Forest Healthcare	-4,418
Furness Hospitals	-137
George Eliot Hospital	-1,436
Glenfield Hospital	-277
Gloucestershire Ambulance Service	-98
Harrow and Hillingdon Healthcare	-1,072
Heathlands Mental Health	-547
Hereford Hospitals	-78
Hillingdon Hospital	-1,569
Ipswich Hospital	-1,298
Leicester Royal Infirmary	-917
Lewisham Hospital	-2,866
Luton and Dunstable Hospital Trust	-469
Mayday Healthcare	-903
Mid Anglia Community Health	-279
Mid Essex Hospital Services	-1,154
Mid Kent Healthcare	-226
Milton Keynes General	-157
Mount Vernon and Watford Hospitals	-2,232
Newham Healthcare	-713
North-east Lincolnshire	-4,327
North Hampshire Hospitals	-135
North Hertfordshire	-244
North-west Anglia Health Care	-551
Northampton Community Healthcare	-237
Northampton General Hospital	-1,361
Northwick Park and St. Mark's	-3,969
Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre	-135
Oxford Radcliffe Hospital	-792
Oxfordshire Mental Healthcare	-175
Phoenix	-512
Pinderfields Hospitals	-780
Pontefract Hospitals	-669
Premier Health	-594
Princess Alexandra Hospital	-250
Rockingham Forest	-129
Royal Berkshire and Battle Hospitals	-1,513
Royal Devon and Exeter Healthcare	-532
Royal Hospital of St. Bartholomew, the Royal London Hospital and London Chest Hospital	-4,744
Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals	-3,688
Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital	-54
Royal United Hospital, Bath	-778
Royal Victoria Infirmary and Associated Hospitals	-7,079
Scunthorpe and Goole Hospitals	-1,145
South Buckinghamshire	-1,350
South Devon Health Care	-2,530
South Kent Community Healthcare	-216
Southampton University Hospitals	-250
Southend Community Care Services	-585
St. Albans and Hemel Hempstead	-1,383
St. James's and Seacroft University Hospital	-4,894
St. Mary's	-945
St. Mary's Hospital	-307
St. Peter's Hospital	-292

Trusts with non-technical deficits at Q4 1996–97
Trust	Deficit 1996–97 £000
Stockport Acute Services	-627
Swindon and Marlborough	-744
The Horton General Hospital	-461
The King's Mill Centre for Health Care Services	-1,400
The Poole Hospital	-1,801
The Radcliffe Infirmary	-27
The Royal Surrey County and St. Luke's Hospitals	-576
The Royal West Sussex	-224
The West Dorset General Hospitals	-1,379
United Leeds Teaching Hospitals	-8,273
University College London Hospitals	-2,246
Warrington Hospital	-357
Wellhouse	-400
West Middlesex University Hospital	-1,796
Whittington Hospital	-374
Wiltshire Health Care	-430

Nhs Pay

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the additional costs to the NHS in England if pay rates were set at hourly rates (a) £2.75, (b) £3.00, (c) £3.25, (d) £3.50, (e) £3.75, (f) £4.00, (g) £4.25, and (h) £4.50 for (i) 1996–97 and (ii) 1997–98. [7447]

I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Romsey (Mr. Colvin) on 2 June at column 37, and also to the reply I gave to the right hon. Member for Bridgwater (Mr. King) on 9 June at column 421.

Commercial Lobbyists

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) on what dates since 1 May (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have met commercial lobbyists to discuss matters relating to the business of his Department; and if he will introduce a register of such meetings; [8091](2) on what dates since 1 May

As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister explained in response to my hon. Friend the Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn) on 2 June 1997 at column 99, Ministers and officials in the Department receive deputations from many groups who are concerned to press their own interests or those of their clients, which Ministers and officials take due care to consider within the wider public interest and Government policy. As it is not practicable to distinguish particular groups as lobbyists, the Department cannot keep a register of such meetings.

Benzodiazepines

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what quantity of each individual type of benzodiazepine was prescribed via community pharmacists in England and Wales in (a) 1995 and (b) 1996. [8497]

The available information is shown in the tables.

Table 1: Benzodiazepines: number of prescription items dispensed (thousands), 1995 and 1996
England
Drug group	1995	1996
Temazepam	6,063	5,540
Diazepam	3,411	3,600
Nitrazepam	2,582	2,539
Lorazepam	818	785
Chlordiazepoxide	438	428
Oxazepam	300	304
Lormetazepam	201	234
Loprazolam	213	221
Clonazepam	168	180
Clobazam	70	74
Triazolam	0	0
Totals	14,266	13,905

1. Data cover all prescriptions dispensed by community pharmacists and appliance contractors, dispensing doctors and prescriptions submitted by prescribing doctors for items personally administered.2. A "0" indicates less than 500 prescription items.3. Figures may not add up due to rounding.

Table 2: Benzodiazepines: number of prescription items dispensed (thousands), 1995 and 1996
Wales
Drug group	April 1995 to March 1996	April 1996 to March 1997
Temazepam	588	548
Diazepam	371	416
Nitrazepam	245	243
Lorazepam	78	76
Chlordiazepoxide	35	37
Oxazepam	35	35
Lormetazepam	21	24
Loprazolam	21	23
Clonazepam	12	14
Clobazam	1	3
Midazolam Hydrochloride	1	1
Totals	1,411	1,420

Note: These figures were obtained from the Welsh Office.

Day And Domiciliary Care

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures his Department is taking to ensure that local authorities monitor the effect of changes to charging policies for day and domiciliary care service take-up and use. [8509]

Currently local authorities are not required to keep the Department informed about their charging policies, nor when they introduce charging for the first time or when revising their charges.Local authorities are, however, expected to monitor the effect of charges themselves as suggested in the Advice Note issued by the Social Services Inspectorate in January 1994.

Long-Term Care (Elderly People)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when he expects his Department to have determined the form of its examination into the future funding of the long-term care of the elderly; and if he will make a statement; [8532](2) what is his Department's policy on establishing a Royal Commission on the funding of long-term care for the elderly; and if he will make a statement. [8501]

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to him and the hon. Member for Tewkesbury (Mr. Robertson) on 30 June at columns 28–29.

Erb's Palsy

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will require hospital trusts to collate statistics on the incidence of Erb's palsy in new born babies. [8327]

Erb's Palsy and brachial plexus injuries are, fortunately, rare occurrences. Most babies with Erb's Palsy recover spontaneously within a few months.We do not intend to require the collection of information on incidence.

Tamworth Primary Care Project

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the Tamworth Primary Care Organisation project. [8434]

None. There are two stages to the application process—an expression of interest followed by a formal application. Everyone who has submitted an expression of interest to pilot the new arrangements under the NHS (Primary Care) Act 1997 will receive feedback on their proposal from their local health authority and will be given the opportunity to re-visit their proposal in light of the comments made. Formal applications to enter the Primary Care Act Pilot scheme have to be with Health Authorities by 1 November and applicants will be notified as to whether their application has been approved before the end of December.

Rat Infestation

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his policy for reducing public health problems arising through rat infestation. [8441]

Statutory responsibility for the control of rat infestations rests with local authorities. There is no evidence that the levels of infestation found in the 1993 National Rodent Survey were associated with detectable effects on public health. Officials from the Department of Health, in discussion with officials from other government departments, will continue to monitor trends in infestation and the adequacy of current control measures.

Private Finance Initiative

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 3 July, Official Report, column 230, relating to PFI schemes, how many of these schemes contain an element of service provision; and what services are to be provided under PFI in each case. [8460]

Of the 14 major hospital Private Finance Initiative schemes selected for prioritisation, two, at Dartford and Gravesham National Health Service Trust and Norfolk and Norwich Health Care NHS Trust, have reached agreement to proceed to financial close. Both trusts will continue to provide a full range of NHS services to NHS patients under their respective PFI schemes. The following support services have been transferred to, and will be managed and operated by, the trusts' private sector partners:

Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust

Estate maintenance
Domestic services
Catering
Laundry
Portering
Security
Non-emergency patient transport.

Norfolk and Norwich Healthcare NHS Trust

IM&T Systems
Grounds and Estate Maintenance
Domestic services
Portering
Financial services
Catering
Waste disposal and Laundry
Car parking
Non-emergency patient transport
Security
Telecommunications
Energy and Utilities.

The other 12 NHS trusts with major hospital PFI schemes selected for prioritisation are at various stages of negotiation with their private sector partners.

Waiting Times

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in the North Staffordshire Hospital NHS Trust area were awaiting non-emergency treatment for (a) up to 12 months, (b) up to 18 months and (c) over 18 months. [8874]

Information about patients waiting for admission to National Health Service trusts on either an in-patient or day case basis is published twice yearly in "Hospital Waiting List Statistics: England". The latest available shows the position on 31 March 1997. Similar information is given on a health authority basis in the quarterly "Hospital Waiting List Statistics: England (Resident Based)". The latest available information gives the position on 31 December 1996. Copies of both documents are available in the Library.

General Practitioners

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on his plans to improve the recruitment and retention of general practitioners in the NHS in Stoke-on-Trent, North. [8872]

We are aware that in some areas recruitment and retention difficulties are occurring and are talking to the profession about ways in which some of the difficulties might be overcome.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioners are trained to deal with people with learning difficulties. [8876]

All general practitioners practising as principals have had to undergo vocational training. During this period of vocational training the general practitioner will be exposed to the variety of patients who present in Primary Care. As most people with learning difficulties are living at home, they will be included in this training. EL(96)109 stated that the Government intends to take steps to improve the vocational training scheme for GPs to allow those starting constructed schemes after 1997 to spend a greater proportion of training time in general practice from April 1998. This will result in greater exposure to such patients.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioners were working in the NHS for each of the last five years in Stoke-on-Trent, North. [8873]

The available information is shown in the table.

Number of General Practitioners in Staffordshire FHSA
	1992	1993	1994	1995	¹1996
Restricted principals	3	3	3	2	0
Unrestricted principals	502	511	515	504	239
Assistants	5	5	6	10	4
Trainees	31	33	22	26	6
All practitioners	541	552	546	542	249
Note:
¹ North Staffordshire Health Authority.

Source:

General Practitioner Census 1 October.

Data for Stoke-on-Trent is not held centrally.

Health Action Zones

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will make a statement on the criteria he is planning to use in the selection of health action zones; [8880](2) if he will list the number of areas he intends to designate as health action zones. [8881]

The Government intends to set out criteria and arrangements for selecting areas as health action zones in due course.

Health Provision (Variation)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the variation in health provision nationally; and if he will make a statement. [8882]

Purchasers are responsible for funding those services which are clinically effective and meet the needs of local people in light of the resources available.

Energy Efficiency

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to encourage hospitals to be more energy efficient; and if he will make a statement. [8738]

The Department of Health is committed to encouraging hospitals to be more energy efficient. The Department will be requesting all National Health Service trusts to comply with the new target level as made by the Secretary of State for the Environment on 17 March 1997 at columns 457–459, of an overall 20 per cent. improvement by March 2000.NHS trusts are required to provide data on energy consumption which is analysed by NHS Estates, an Executive Agency of the Department of Health. NHS trusts receive detailed information on energy usage in the NHS which they can use to effectively monitor their efficiency performance.To assist energy efficiency performance management, NHS trusts are encouraged to participate in benchmarking networks to enable them to compare their performance relative to other similar trusts.

Foreign Doctors

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what investigations are carried out into the backgrounds of foreign doctors, with particular reference to previous human rights violations, prior to employment by the NHS, and if he will make a statement. [8731]

No routine investigations are carried out into the background of foreign doctors specifically in respect of previous human rights violations. However, such doctors are subject to a number of checks as part of immigration control and prior to registration with the General Medical Council and employment within the National Health Service. If as a result of these investigations doubts were raised in relation to possible human rights violations, these would be pursued.

Hospital Discharge Procedures

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to review hospital discharge procedures. [8879]

We wish to encourage a collaborative and co-operative approach to hospital discharge from all agencies. In order to support this, we are exploring proposals to address the difficulties around hospital discharge procedures and the problems which are caused by ensuing delays.

Medicines Control Agency

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the Annual Report and Accounts of the Medicines Control Agency. [9806]

We have received the report and copies have today been laid before both Houses of Parliament in accordance with the requirements of section 5(2) and 5(3) of the Exchequer and Audit Departments Act 1921. Copies have also been placed in the Library.

Medicine Commission

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to receive the annual report of the Medicine Commission for 1996. [9609]

We have received the report, and copies have been laid before both Houses of Parliament today in accordance with the requirements of section 5(2) of the Medicines Act 1968.Bound volumes have been placed in the Library containing the 1996 reports of the Medicines Commission, the Committee on Safety of Medicines, the Advisory Board on the registration of Homeopathic Products, the British Pharmacopoeia Commission and the Veterinary Products Committee.We are glad to acknowledge the valuable work done by the distinguished members of the Medicines Act Advisory Bodies and thank them for the time and effort dedicated in the public interest to this important work.

Hepatitis C

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what contingency plans have been made for meeting projected increases in the incidence of Hepatitis C; and if he will make a statement. [7898]

There is little reliable data on the prevalence and likely future incidence of Hepatitis C in the population. The Department of Health made £1 million available to fund research into the natural history, transmission and prevalence of Hepatitis C. To date nine studies have been commissioned and the results of this research will become available over the next three years. A further £0.5 million has been allocated this year to expand this research programme. Once we have a clearer picture, we will be able to plan accordingly and make sure that the National Health Service is equipped to deliver the services required based on the best scientific evidence available about the disease.

Drugs

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provision is being made in respect of places on fast track and stabilisation programmes for drug users; and if he will make a statement. [7901]

It is for health authorities and local authority social services departments to determine the needs of their local population for treatment and rehabilitation for drug misusers and to commission services to meet those needs.The Task Force to Review the Effectiveness of Services for Drug Misusers, whose report was published in May 1996, found that treatment and care services were effective in reducing the level of criminal activity amongst the drug misusing population. Guidance to health and local authorities issued in March this year asked them to prioritise the needs of drug misusers who are involved in, or at risk of, criminal activity when commissioning services.We are committed in our Manifesto to introducing a Testing and Treatment order to break the link between drugs and crime. My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary will be responsible for the introduction of this order.

Press Releases

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spends on biking press releases to (a) hon. Members and (b) other individuals or groups, each time his Department issues a press release; how many such press releases were issued by his Department (i) in the period 1 May to 1 July and (ii) in the period 1 January to 1 March; and if he will review his Department's use of couriers to deliver press releases and investigate the possibility of using fax or e-mail. [8821]

The Department of Health's press releases are made available to hon. Members and to the media via the Central Office of Information's News Distribution Service (NDS).NDS's delivery mechanisms include a newswire service which, among others, supplies press releases to the Parliamentary Online Information Service (POLIS), which can be accessed by all Members of Parliament and Peers, hand deliveries, fax and postal deliveries, online databases, and a widely accessed World Wide Web site on the Internet.These mechanisms are used either singly or in combination to ensure the most cost-effective methods are used to reach the relevant target audiences and to suit the nature of the documents; eg whether press releases are despatched on their own, or accompanied by reports or consultation documents. No separate costing is available for the hand delivery service alone.

Press releases issued	Number
1 January 1997 to 1 March 1997	50
1 May 1997 to 1 July 1997	63

The Department and the COI keep a watching brief on new developments to ensure the most cost-effective delivery mechanisms are used.

Secondary Care Services (East Kent)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what priority will be accorded to the medical needs of the population of east Kent in the East Kent Authority's Review of Secondary Care Services in East Kent. [9101]

We understand that the review is taking full account of local health needs. My hon. Friend may wish to contact the chairman of East Kent Health Authority for further information.

Mercury Fillings

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what statistics he has collated about how many dentists are using mercury in teeth fillings; what studies he has made of the toxic side effects of mercury fillings on children; and if he will make a statement. [9103]

Out of 14,512 dentists who received payment under the General Dental Services for at least one filling in the quarter April to June 1997, we estimate that 13,600 received a payment for at least one amalgam filling. Evaluation of relevant, scientific research by authoritative national and international expert committees has indicated no risk of systemic toxicity and only a few cases of hypersensitivity. The Department continues to monitor and evaluate research in this area.

Departmental Budgets

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if, following the recent Budget, he will give his estimate of the total real level of his Department's budget, in 1995–96 prices, in (a) 1997–98 and (b) 1998–99; if he will estimate what such figures were for (1) 1997–98 and (2) 1998–99 following the November 1996 Budget on the basis of the estimates of the GDP deflator contained in that Budget; and if he will make a statement. [8303]

[holding answer 14 July 1997]: The figures requested for the Department of Health's spending plans within the Control Total are as follows: (a) £33,079 million, (b) £33,516 million, (1) £33,422 million and (2) £33,174 million. (Source: Treasury)On the new estimate of the GDP deflator announced in the Budget on 2 July, the health budget will increase from £34,928 million in 1997–98 to £36,362 million in 1998–99. For the NHS, this means a real terms increase in resources of 2.35 per cent. in 1998–99.

Education And Employment

Schools (Capital Investment)

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what mechanism will be used to allocate funds for capital investment to (a) local education authority schools and (b) grant-maintained schools; [7254](2) what proportion of capital investment in schools will go to

(a) local education authority schools and (b) grant-maintained schools in (i) 1997–98 and (ii) 1998–99; [7255]

(3) how much money will be made available for capital investment in (a) local education authority schools and (b) grant-maintained schools in (i) 1997–98 and (ii) 1998–99. [7256]

Under plans originally announced by the previous Administration last December, central government support for schools capital investment in 1997–98 has been set at £396 million for local authority county and controlled schools, £145 million for grant-maintained schools, and £104.2 million for voluntary aided schools. Their plans for 1998–99 were £363 million for local authority county and controlled schools, £141 million for grant-maintained schools, and £102 million for voluntary aided schools.Taking account of estimated local authority capital receipts and revenue and governors' contributions to voluntary aided schools, we would expect some £672 million to be devoted to projects at county and voluntary controlled schools, £145 million in grant-maintained schools and £117 million in voluntary aided schools in 1997–98, and on the same basis some £656 million in county and voluntary controlled schools, £141 million in grant-maintained schools and £115 million for voluntary aided schools in 1998–99.As to the allocation mechanism, in the financial year 1997–98, it is for the relevant local authority to determine capital programmes in county and voluntary controlled schools, and for the Funding Agency for Schools to allocate capital to grant-maintained schools. For voluntary aided schools, the Department pays grant of up to 85 per cent. on capital and repair projects.On 2 July, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that a further £83 million will be made available for schools capital work in 1997–98, and £250 million for 1998–99. Guidance on the allocation will be issued shortly.

Assisted Places Scheme

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if funds released by the abolition of the assisted places scheme will be distributed according to the Barnett Formula. [7566]

The method of distributing these funds is being considered but they will be allocated across the United Kingdom.

Leas (Inspections)

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the timetable for the inspection of local education authorities outlined in the Education Bill; how the local education authorities will be chosen; how many are to be inspected; and on what basis they will be reviewed. [7565]

As announced in the White Paper "Excellence in Schools", the programme of LEA inspections under the 1997 Education Act will begin in January 1998. The inspections will be led by OFSTED assisted by the Audit Commission. Announcements about the selection of LEAs and the framework of inspection, will be made in the autumn.

Lifelong Learning

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when he expects to publish his White Paper on Lifelong Learning. [7572]

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Employment plans to publish his White Paper on Lifelong Learning in the autumn.

New Deal

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the estimated cost to public funds per capita, for each of the options, over their six months on the New Deal. [8212]

Average costs will be determined by the detailed contracting process which will take place in the autumn.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many private sector employers have indicated their willingness to participate in the New Deal scheme. [8210]

Following the seminar at No. 11 Downing St., 30 of the country's top companies have expressed their wish to be involved. We have also received, and continue to receive, expressions of interest from other employers, both small and large.

There will be a major campaign to win the commitment of the business community. At national level, we are creating an Advisory Task Force, chaired by Sir Peter Davis, to carry out a national effort to win support for New Deal from the top 500 companies.

At regional level in England, ES and Government Offices will hold a series of events—including conferences, roadshows and visits to employers' to win support, and each ES district will work with local partners to contact local firms to gain their commitment.

Similar campaigns will run in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Members' Interests

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will ensure that (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department refuse requests from hon. Members to (i) arrange and (ii) attend meetings relating to interests held by those hon. Members under categories 1, 2, 3, 4(b), 8 and 9 in the Register of Members' Interests. [8102]

The First Report from the Committee on Standards in Public Life (Cm 2850) recognised the value of enabling Members to retain interests outside the House, provided these were properly declared, both in the Register of Members' Interests and on other occasions. Subject to these requirements, and to the rules of the House relating to delegations to Ministers, Members are free to seek meetings with Ministers and officials, who will consider such requests alongside the many other approaches from individuals and organisations concerned to press their own interests or those of others.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment on what occasions (a) Ministers and (b) officials have refused to (i) arrange and (ii) attend meetings with hon. Members to discuss matters relating to interests registered by those hon. Members under categories 1, 2, 3 4(b), 8 and 9 in the Register of Members' Interests. [8105]

The First Report from the Committee on Standards in Public Life (Cm 2850) made it clear, that, when Members are meeting Ministers or others on topics in which they have an interest, the onus is on the Member to declare that interest not the Minister to know (paragraph 63 of Cm 2850). It is not practicable for Ministers and officials, amongst their other duties, to vet requests for meetings against the Register of Members' Interests. Should evidence of non-declaration emerge, or contravention of the Resolution of the House relating to delegations to Ministers, the matter would be brought to the attention of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.

Commercial Lobbyists

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) on what dates since 1 May (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have attended meetings with organisations representing (i) commercial and (ii) non-commercial interests organised by commercial lobbying firms; and if he will introduce a register of such meetings; [8104]

(2) on what dates since 1 May (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have met commercial lobbyists to discuss matters relating to the business of his Department; and if he will introduce a register of such meetings. [8103]

As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister explained in response to my hon. Friend the Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn), Official Report, 2 June 1997, column 99, Ministers and officials in the Department receive deputations from many groups who are concerned to press their own interests or those of their clients, which Ministers and officials take due care to consider within the wider public interest and Government policy. As it is not practicable to distinguish particular groups as lobbyists, the Department cannot keep a register of such meetings.

Playing Fields

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what plans he has to stop the sale of playing fields; and if he will make a statement; [8000](2) if he will make a statement on current guidelines and standards relating to school playing fields; [8001](3) what plans he has to review current guidelines on the provision of school playing field facilities; and if he will make a statement. [8002]

We intend to make sure that those playing fields which schools and their local communities need are not sold in future. My right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Education and Employment and for Culture, Media and Sport are discussing this as a matter of urgency. We are looking at a wide range of options to ensure that all school pupils will have access to proper sports facilities.The Education (School Premises) Regulations 1996 set out statutory minimum areas of grassed playing field, or equivalent sports facilities, for all state schools with pupils aged 8 years or older.My Department has published guidance on the size of school grounds in Building Bulletin 82 "Area Guidelines for Schools".A new Building Bulletin, "School Grounds—a guide to good practice", which is in preparation now for publication this Autumn, will include detailed, practical advice on playing fields.

Employment Service

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if there will be any increase in staffing levels at the Employment Service to implement (i) The New Deal and (ii) The Gateway. [8203]

Responsibility for the subject of the questions has been delegated to the Employment Service agency under its Chief Executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from Leigh Lewis to Mrs. Teresa Gorman, dated 17 July 1997:

The Secretary of State has asked me to respond to your question about staffing levels in the Employment Service as a result of implementing the New Deal. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency. This reply refers to the New Deal including the "Gateway" process for young people which we see as an integral part of the New Deal programme rather than as a separate entity.

For the New Deal to operate successfully it is clear that there will need to be additional staff in Jobcentres to support each of the elements and options of the programme. We are in the process of assessing how these activities will be delivered together with their associated staffing requirements. The net impact on staffing in Jobcentres will need to take into account other factors such as changing levels of unemployment.

I hope this is helpful.

Physical Education Teachers

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to introduce flexible contracts for teachers of physical education; and if he will make a statement. [8003]

It is for school governing bodies to negotiate contracts of employment with teachers of physical education. My right hon. Friend has no plans to change the statutory conditions of employment of those teachers.

Education Funding

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps he is taking to apply his policy of fair funding of education to the county of Hereford and Worcester. [7826]

We are reviewing the education SSA methodology on which the distribution of revenue support grant to local education authorities will be based in 1998–99. Consultative meetings between central and local government representatives are taking place over the summer leading up to the compilation of a report on options for possible SSA changes in the autumn.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what additional amount would need to be spent (a) by each local education authority and (b) in total if the rate at which grants for education support and training are payable changed from 60 per cent. to 50 per cent. without change in his Department's planned expenditure for 1998-99; and if he will make a statement. [8886]

[holding answer 15 July 1997]: Plans for 1998–99 GEST programme and its funding have yet to be finalised. The following table shows the increase in each LEA's contribution for the 1997–98 programme if grants currently paid at 60 per cent. were paid at 50 per cent. and the DfEE's contribution remained the same.

GEST 1997–98 Comparison of 60 per cent. grant rate with 50 per cent. grant rate
Local education authority	LEA's additional contribution £000s
City of London	6.6
Caraden	179.2
Greenwich	272.4
Hackney	272.7
Hammersmith	130.4
Islington	286.0
Kensington and Chelsea	108.6
Lambeth	212.6
Lewisham	339.8
Southwark	314.9
Tower Hamlets	373.4
Wandsworth	253.5
Westminster	147.1
Barking	212.6
Barnet	188.1
Bexley	197.2
Brent	257.3
Bromley	185.1
Croydon	266.6
Ealing	276.9
Enfield	348.8
Haringey	299.6
Harrow	157.9
Havering	196.6
Hillingdon	164.5
Hounslow	240.9
Kingston upon Thames	103.0
Merton	185.8
Newham	355.6
Redbridge	221.8
Richmond upon Thames	129.4
Sutton	146.7
Waltham Forest	276.5
Birmingham	1,158.3
Coventry	477.3
Dudley	316.4
Sandwell	359.5
Solihull	229.9
Walsall	372.6
Wolverhampton	382.1
Knowsley	212.7
Liverpool	683.2
St. Helens	194.8
Sefton	238.2
Wirral	408.0
Bolton	334.3
Bury	191.2
Manchester	588.1
Oldham	262.4
Rochdale	251.6
Salford	249.2
Stockport	303.2
Tameside	248.1
Trafford	224.5
Wigan	383.9
Barnsley	308.3
Doncaster	361.2
Rotherham	302.7
Sheffield	514.0
Bradford	642.6
Calderdale	197.9
Kirklees	514.4
Leeds	877.3
Wakefield	388.3
Gateshead	225.7
Newcastle upon Tyne	368.5
North Tyneside	280.4
South Tyneside	188.3
Sunderland	310.5
Isles of Scilly	10.4

GEST 1997–98 Comparison of 60 per cent. grant rate with 50 per cent. grant rate
Local education authority	LEA's additional contribution £000s
Bath and North-east Somerset	93.7
City of Bristol	350.9
North-west Somerset	206.5
South Gloucestershire	301.1
Hartlepool	144.9
Middlesbrough	181.4
Redcar and Cleveland	205.9
Stockton on Tees	223.9
City of Kingston upon Hull	351.4
East Riding of Yorkshire	359.1
North-east Lincolnshire	181.4
North Lincolnshire	179.5
North Yorkshire	647.6
York	227.4
Bedfordshire	455.9
Luton	191.3
Buckinghamshire	479.6
Milton Keynes	228.1
Derbyshire	863.5
Derby	203.2
Dorset	347.7
Poole	103.9
Bournemouth	121.2
Durham	652.0
Darlington	105.8
East Sussex	438.5
Brighton and Hove	203.2
Hampshire	1,126.3
Portsmouth	147.7
Southampton	184.2
Leicestershire	547.2
Leicester	309.2
Rutland	32.0
Staffordshire	875.1
Stoke on Trent	323.9
Wiltshire	378.7
Swindon (Thamesdown)	190.8
Berkshire	722.4
Cambridgeshire	678.6
Cheshire	1,086.5
Cornwall	520.4
Cumbria	550.7
Devon	1,118.1
Essex	1,131.9
Gloucestershire	445.8
Hereford and Worcester	676.1
Hertfordshire	1,012.2
Isle of Wight	177.2
Kent	1,362.9
Lancashire	1,624.9
Lincolnshire	531.4
Norfolk	818.3
Northamptonshire	626.9
Northumberland	358.4
Nottinghamshire	997.3
Oxfordshire	613.8
Shropshire	453.4
Somerset	491.9
Suffolk	673.1
Surrey	724.7
Warwickshire	506.5
West Sussex	678.9
England	51,578.1

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what estimate he has made of the level in constant prices of education spending per school pupil in (a) England and (b) each English LEA for (i) 1997–98, (ii) 1998–99 and (iii) 1999–00 assuming that all of the additional funding allocated to education in the Budget is spent on education. [8584]

[holding answer 15 July 1997]: For 1997–98, net Education Standard Spending (ESS) for England equates to £2,382 per pupil. In 1998–99, at constant prices, this will rise to £2,499. Allocations for each LEA in the form of Standard Spending Assessments for 1988–89 will be made in the Autumn. Figures for 1999–00 will be determined nearer the time. ESS is not prescriptive: LEAs are free to spend more or less, in the light of their own view of priorities.

Schools (Windfall Tax)

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) when the criteria for qualifying for help from the funds for schools set aside from the windfall tax will be produced; [8018](2) what proposals he has to give areas with a larger percentage of old school buildings priority when the funds for schools from the windfall tax are distributed. [8019]

We shall shortly be writing to Schools, Local Education Authorities, the Funding Agency for Schools and the representatives of Voluntary Aided Schools with details of how New Deal for Schools capital will be distributed.

Income Support

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) how many claimants had their income support reduced in each of the first two quarters of 1996–97 for non-attendance or failure to complete (i) jobplan workshops, (ii) restart courses, (iii) workwise and worklink and (iv) 1–2–1; [7730](2) how many claimants had income support reduced for

(a) two weeks and (b) four weeks for non-attendance or failure to complete project work in the first two quarters of 1996–97. [7729]

[holding answer 10 July 1997]: Responsibility for the subject of the questions has been delegated to the Employment Service agency under its Chief Executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from Leigh Lewis to Mr. Terry Rooney, dated 17 July 1997:

The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions about how many claimants had their Income Support reduced in each of the first two quarters of 1996–97 for non-attendance or failure to complete (i) Jobplan Workshops, (ii) Restart Courses, (iii) Workwise and Worklink and (iv) 1–2–1, and how many claimants had Income Support reduced for (a) two weeks and (b) four weeks for non attendance or failure to complete Project Work in the first two quarters of 1996–97. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.

Unfortunately, the information is not available in the form you require. It may help if I explain that decisions on Income Support for non attendance on or failure to complete Project Work are based on opinions given by Employment Service adjudication officers. In the period April 1996 to September 1996. Employment Service adjudication officers gave 43 opinions which may have led to a reduction in the amount of Income Support payable. The information available does not show whether this would have been for two weeks or four weeks. Not all adverse opinions will necessarily have resulted in a reduction of Income Support.

Information on the number of claimants whose Income Support was reduced during the same period for non attendance on or failure to complete Jobplan Workshops, Restart Courses, Workwise, Worklink, and 1–2–1 was not collated centrally and unfortunately can not therefore be provided.

I hope this helps to clarify the situation.

School Performance Tables

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is his Department's assessment of the (a) advantages and (b) disadvantages of league tables for public examination results; and what assessment he has made of the utility to parents of data contained in these reports. [8438]

Performance tables of examination results inform the debate on standards and focus attention on the areas where action is needed. Most parents are aware that the information is available and find it valuable when making decisions. But they need to have a fuller picture. Secondary tables this November will show how schools have improved over time. We aim to include value-added measurements the following year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the advantages of taking account of secondary school intake in school performance tables. [8440]

Secondary school performance tables need to show the progress pupils have made, from their different starting points, as well as success in public examinations. The School Curriculum and Assessment Authority have reported that it is possible to measure value added in schools. I have asked them to take forward this work with the aim of including such measures in secondary tables in 1998. We shall consult fully on this.

Further Education (Mentally Ill People)

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when his departmental officials last met representatives of the Further Education Funding Council regarding the provision of further education services to patients detained under the Mental Health Act 1983. [8504]

Officials have not held any meetings with FEFC officers on this issue, but there has been contact with FEFC, by telephone and correspondence, on this matter.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to ensure that further education services are available to patients detained under the Mental Health Act 1983; and if he will make a statement. [8503]

Section 60 of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 debars the Further Education Funding Council from funding the education of patients detained under the Mental Health Act 1983. The Government has no plans for amending the legislation in this area.

Excluded Pupils

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will ensure that pupils permanently excluded from particular schools have places at other schools. [8439]

Local education authorities have a statutory duty to arrange suitable education for children of compulsory school age who are out of school by reason of exclusion or otherwise.

Departmental Publications

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was the cost of producing the White Paper "Excellence in Schools"; and how many copies have been printed. [8639]

The cost of printing the White Paper was met by the publishers, The Stationery Office. The Department met the cost of design, photography and typesetting which amounted to some £78,700 including VAT. Sixty thousand copies have been printed but I understand that a reprint of a further 1,500 copies has now been put in hand by The Stationery Office.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was the cost of producing the video accompanying the White Paper, "Excellence in Schools"; and how many copies have been produced. [8646]

The cost of producing the video and reproducing 30,000 copies, 28,000 of which will be distributed in September to all schools in England, is expected to cost £131,300 including VAT.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many organisations have been sent a copy of the White Paper, "Excellence in Schools". [8637]

The White Paper has been sent to all schools, with separate copies to headteachers and chairs of governing bodies, all Further Education institutions, all local education authorities, all MPs and a wide range of other interested organisations and individuals.

School Premises Regulations

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to re-introduce the School Premises Regulations; and when the Regulations will be introduced to cover three to five-year-olds within the new proposals for early years education. [8649]

There are already school premises regulations in place: currently these are the Education (School Premises) Regulations 1996, which replaced the Education (School Premises) Regulations 1981 last September.The Regulations set minimum standards for school premises and facilities, and apply to all state sector schools, including those with pupils aged from three to five years.

Workskill Pilot Schemes

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the current workskill pilot schemes in respect of their contribution towards education and training opportunities for unemployed adults. [8640]

It is too early to make an assessment of the existing Workskill pilots at this stage. They have been operating in four areas since April this year. The pilots will be fully evaluated to provide us with valuable information on the extent to which allowing people to study on benefits affects their chances of gaining and remaining in employment. The first evaluation findings are expected to be available in early 1998.

Low Pay

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the lowest hourly rate paid for full-time employment that has been advertised in a jobcentre over the last 12 months. [8641]

Responsibility for the subject of the questions has been delegated to the Employment Service agency under its Chief Executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from Leigh Lewis to Mr. Gordon Prentice, dated 17 July 1997:

The Secretary of State has asked me to write to you direct in reply to your question about the lowest hourly rate paid for full time employment that has been advertised in a Jobcentre over the last 12 months. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.

I regret that I am unable to provide the information you have requested. The Employment Service does not collect statistical information on the wage rates on offer for vacancies advertised in Jobcentres.

I am sorry I cannot be more helpful.

Teachers (Early Retirement)

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the number of (a) headteachers, (b) deputy headteachers and (c) other teachers taking (i) premature retirement and (ii) normal age retirement in the academic years 1996–96 and 1996–97; and if he will make a statement. [8734]

The information requested is available for financial rather than academic years and, before 1996–97, such information on Heads and Deputy Heads is readily available only in relation to premature retirements. The following table shows the available information.

	Heads	Deputy heads	Others	Total
Age (1996–97)	283	162	4,005	4,450
Premature (1996–97)	1,283	1,089	13,627	15,999
Premature (1995–96)	992	944	11,119	13,055

1. The total number of normal age retirements in 1995–96 was 4,497.2. The figures for others include all other members of the Teachers' Superannuation Scheme.

Foundation Schools

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment in what circumstances it is his policy in cases where a majority of parents wish an existing county school to become a foundation school, to support their wishes. [8647]

The White Paper "Excellence in Schools" set out our plans for introducing a new framework of community, aided and foundation schools to replace the existing categories of schools. Chapter 7 proposes that, in order to minimise disruption for schools, the necessary legislation should be framed in terms of a set of assumptions that schools in an existing category will generally move to a specified new category. But the governing body will be able to choose a different legal category if they wish, and parental ballots will be available as a mechanism for parents to express their views.

Private Schools

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to paragraph 10, of page 10 of the White Paper, "Excellence in Schools", what is the statistical basis for the statement in respect of the Government's reliance on private schools to provide elite entry to universities and the professions. [8773]

Unlike today, there was no systemic national collection of statistics on the entry to universities in the 19th century. However the view that most historians of education take of the position of higher education in England at the turn of the century would support the statement in the White Paper. For example, V. H. H. Green in The Universities (Penguin, 1969) on page 125 states that, "Oxford and Cambridge still remained in 1900 the principal finishing schools of the upper and middle classes, recruiting most of their undergraduates from the independent public schools".

Project Work

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) how many contracts for Project Work have been awarded to date in the Dudley and Sandwell Employment Service area; and if he will make a statement; [8793](2) who is responsible for awarding Project Work contracts in the Dudley and Sandwell area; [8794](3) what outputs have been achieved to date by the Project Work pilot in Dudley and Sandwell. [8795]

[holding answer 16 July 1997]: Responsibility for the subject of the questions has been delegated to the Employment Service agency under its Chief Executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from Leigh Lewis to Mr. Ian Pearson, dated 17 July 1997:

The Secretary of State has asked me to respond to your questions about the current status of Project Work contracts in the Dudley and Sandwell Employment Service area, who is responsible for awarding the contracts, and what outputs have been achieved to date by the pilot.

It may be helpful if I first give some background to the Project Work pilots. Project Work provides jobsearch help and practical work experience for very long-term unemployed people (2 years + and aged between 18 and 50), with the aim of helping them into work.

The pilots have two phases. Following their Restart interview, participants enter a period of structured jobsearch help, during which they are offered a series of interviews with Employment Service advisers, and are made aware of a wide range of programmes designed to help people get work. If participants remain unemployed for 3 months they are required to attend a 13-week period of work experience of benefit to the local community. The 13-week period normally involves 18 hours of work experience and 3 hours of jobsearch each week.

In answer to the specific questions you asked about the pilots in Dudley and Sandwell, four contracts have been awarded to operate the work experience element; two have been awarded to the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV), one to the Black Country Employment Training Association, and one to Dudley Chamber Training. The contracts were awarded during week commencing 14 July 1997 by the Regional Resources Manager for the Employment Service West Midlands Region.

Outputs to date relating to the Dudley and Sandwell Project Work pilot cover only the period of intensive jobsearch help, which began on 24 February 1997. Outputs up to and including 10 July 1997 are as follows:

Clients interviewed:

2,396

Clients leaving the register:

of whom:

179 left to go into employment
79 left to go into Training for Work
271 left as a direct result of adviser action
134 left for other reasons
118 transferred to other benefits.

In addition, 61 participants have started on Work Trials, 57 have started on Jobclub, and 62 applications have been received for the Workstart subsidy.

I hope this is helpful.

Higher Education

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many part-time students in higher education have to contribute to all or part of their tuition fees. [8720]

Data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency for the academic year 1996–97 showed that 234,300, that is some 60 per cent., of the 384,600 part-time student enrolments for which the source of fees were known received no financial backing, and so fees were met by the students concerned. Over 30 per cent. of the remaining enrolments were paid by employers or other organisations and in just over 5 per cent. of cases no fee was paid.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what proposals he has to encourage students from poorer homes to enter higher education. [8717]

The Government recognises that participation in higher education by students from poorer homes is closely related to educational achievement up to 18 years of age. The policies set out in our White Paper "Excellence in Schools" should greatly improve the educational opportunities for all children. In developing our policy to widen participation among students from poorer backgrounds, we shall consider carefully the recommendations of the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education, which is expected to report shortly.

Press Releases

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how much his Department spends on biking press releases to (a) hon. Members and (b) other individuals or groups, each time his Department issues a press release; how many such press releases were issued by his Department (i) in the period 1 May to 1 July and (ii) in the period 1 January to 1 March; and if he will review his Department's use of couriers to deliver press releases and investigate the possibility of using fax or e-mail. [8823]

The Department's press releases are made available to hon. Members and to the media via the Central Office of Information's News Distribution Service (NDS).NDS's delivery mechanisms include a newswire service which, among others, supplies press releases to the Parliamentary Online Information Service (POLIS) which can be accessed by all MPs and Lords. Other methods include a van service to all national media, fax retrieval system and a widely accessed Web site on the internet.These mechanisms are used either singly or in combination to ensure the most cost-effective methods are used to reach the media and to suit the nature of the documents e.g. whether press releases are despatched on their own, or accompanied by reports, consultation documents etc; no separate costing is available for the van delivery service alone.My Department issued 57 press releases between 1 January and 1 March and 86 press releases between 1 May and 1 July.My Media Relations Division and COI keep a watching brief on new developments to ensure the most cost-effective delivery mechanisms are used at all times.

Access Funds

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what resources will be available for access funds for students in further and higher education institutions in England in 1997–98; and when he proposes to issue new guidance on the use of the funds. [9801]

The Department is making available £27.733 million for Access Funds for students in further and higher education in England for the academic year 1997–98. The total sum is being allocated between the two Funding Councils for England as follows:

	£ million
(i) Higher Education Funding Council for England to be allocated as follows:	21.693
Undergraduate Fund	15.953
Postgraduate Fund	5.40
Further Education Fund	0.34
(ii) Further Education Funding Council	6.04
Total	27.733

The Department will shortly be writing to the two Funding Councils with guidance to be given to institutions about allocation and use of the Funds for 1997–98.

Education (Student Loans) Act 1990

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will place in the Library a copy of the Education (Student Loans) Act 1990, showing the proposed amendments contained in the new Education (Student Loans) Bill 1997. [9802]

For the assistance of Members, I have today placed in the Library a copy of a consolidation of the 1990 Act, showing the proposed amendments.

Northern Ireland

Members' Interests

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on what occasions (a) Ministers and (b) officials have refused to (i) arrange and (ii) attend meetings with hon. Members to discuss matters relating to interests registered by those Members under categories 1, 2, 3, 4(b), 8 and 9 in the Register of Members' Interests. [8073]

The First Report from the Committee on Standards in Public Life (Cm 2850) made it clear that, when Members are meeting Ministers or others on topics in which they have an interest, the onus is on the Member to declare that interest, not the Minister to know (paragraph 63 of Cm 2850). It is not practicable for Ministers and officials, amongst their other duties, to vet requests for meetings against the Register of Members' Interests. Should evidence of non-declaration emerge, or contravention of the Resolution of the House relating to delegations to Ministers, the matter would be brought to the attention of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will ensure that (a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department refuse requests from hon. Members to (i) arrange and (ii) attend meetings relating to interests held by those Member under categories 1, 2, 3, 4(b), 8 and 9 in the Register of Members' Interests. [8070]

Commercial Lobbyists

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) on what dates since 1 May (a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department have met commercial lobbyists to discuss matters relating to the business of her Department; and if she will introduce a register of such meetings; [8071](2) on what dates since 1 May

(a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department have attended meetings with organisations representing (i) commercial and (ii) non-commercial interests organised by commercial lobbying firms; and if she will introduce a register of such meetings. [8072]

As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister explained in response to the hon. Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn), Official Report, 2 June 1997, column 99, Ministers and officials receive deputations from many groups who are concerned to press their own interests or those of their clients, which Ministers and officials take due care to consider within the wider public interest and Government policy. As it is not practicable to distinguish particular groups as lobbyists, the Departments cannot keep a register of such meetings.

Voluntary Sports Clubs

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the estimated cost of granting mandatory rate relief to voluntary sports clubs in Northern Ireland; and if she will make a statement. [8008]

The estimated cost of granting mandatory rate relief to sports and recreation facilities in Northern Ireland in terms of rate revenue forgone is approximately £1.3 million in the year 1997–98.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what Government proposals exist to harmonise rate relief for voluntary sports clubs in Northern Ireland; and if she will make a statement. [8007]

Rate relief for voluntary sports clubs is harmonised throughout Northern Ireland by virtue of the provisions set out in Article 31 of the 1977 Rates (NI) Order as amended by the Article 3 of the 1979 Rates (NI) Amendment Order.

Judicial Reviews

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) on how many occasions since 1994–95 legislation has been introduced by the department (a) to remove effects of judicial review decisions and (b) to implement them; [7840](2) how many decisions by her Department were challenged by way of judicial review in each Parliamentary session since 1994–95; and if she will list in how many cases

(a) the Department's decision was upheld, (b) the court found for the applicant, (c) the Department submitted to the judgment and (d) the Department appealed successfully against the judicial review decision. [7868]

This information is not readily available in the Northern Ireland Office and Northern Ireland Departments as no central record is kept of applications for judicial reviews.

Sean Quinn Glass Factory

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to her oral answer to the hon. Member for Barnsley, Central (Mr. Illsley) of 9 July, Official Report, column 927, on what date the decision was taken to agree to award industrial development grant to the Sean Quinn Group; and which Minister took the decision. [8466]

[holding answer 14 July 1997]: The decision was taken on 17 April 1997 by the then Minister for Economy and Agriculture.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on what date the contract to give industrial development grant to the Sean Quinn Group was signed. [8467]

[holding answer 14 July 1997]: On 1 May 1997.

Ordnance Survey

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what performance targets have been set for the Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland in 1997–98. [9804]

For 1997–98, the following performance targets have been set for OSNI:

Output

To complete the digital conversion programme by 1999–2000 financial year by converting 1,700 large scale map sheets to digital format.

To survey 50,000 survey units.

To update the digital topographic database with 24,000 survey units of change.

Quality of Service

To complete 95 per cent. of specific customer requests for up to 10 surveyed units of change within three working days of customer request.

To dispatch within seven working days 96 per cent. of customers' orders for small and large scale basic format maps.

Efficiency

To reduce unit costs so that the weighted mean percentage reduction of selected representative activities is 2 per cent.

Financial

To recover from the sale of goods and services 28 per cent. of the total costs incurred by the Agency.

Tradeable Services Projects

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the controls on the levels of selective financial assistance that can be made available to tradeable services projects in Northern Ireland. [9805]

The controls are the same as for manufacturing projects, except that the ceiling on percentage contribution does not apply. This change allows for the different financial profile of tradable services projects which normally do not involve the substantial expenditure on capital items that is typical of manufacturing projects.

Child Support Agency

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans she has to publish details of the targets for the Child Support Agency; and if she will make a statement. [9837]

The Child Support Agency will publish its 1997–98 Business Plan and Strategic Plan 1997–2000 today. Copies will be placed in the Library.The targets that I have set for the Child Support Agency for 1997–98 are set out below.

£11.2 million of maintenance to be collected, or arranged for direct payment from absent parents with care.¹

98 per cent. of payments made to parents with care to be made within 10 working days of receipt from the absent parent.

The cash value of all assessments checked in the year to be correct in at least 85 per cent. of cases.

Where a client is dissatisfied with a child support officer's decision and requests a review, 60 per cent. to be cleared within 13 weeks and 95 per cent. to be cleared in 26 weeks.

70 per cent. of new maintenance applications to be cleared within 26 weeks and as at 31 March 1998 no more than 1 per cent. of maintenance applications received by the Agency to be over 12 months old.²

To manage the Agency's resource so as to deliver its Business Plan within the gross allocation as adjusted during the course of the year; this includes the administration of the Belfast CSAC.

The targets in the Business Plan represent a sizeable challenge to the Agency and provide a firm basis for taking the business forward. The targets include measures of accuracy and of the time taken to provide services. This underlines the Agency's continuing focus on quality and client services in 1997–98.

¹This target includes cases where maintenance is paid direct by the absent parent to the parent with care.

²For this target, applications include all cases received via the Social Security Agency or from private clients.

Health And Social Services Estates Agency

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what performance targets have been set for the Northern Ireland Health and Social Services Estates Agency. [9838]

The targets below have been set for the Northern Ireland Health and Social Services Estates Agency for 1997–98. The targets are in line with the Government's policy of seeking to improve the service provided to clients in terms of both quality and value for money. I am satisfied that the targets present a demanding challenge for the Agency. They are as follows:-

Delivery of services

Provide the Agency's services in accordance with the requirements of the Service Level Agreements agreed with clients.

Develop the management process for the Retained Estate in support of the HSS-E by March 1998.

Provide HSS-E with a Defects Centre in relation to the HPSS Estate.

Investigate and clear 60 per cent. of all adverse incidents within six months of notification of Health Estates.

Provide support and advice to the HSS-E on environmental and energy issues and establish an annual environmental award for best environmental practice within the HPSS estate.

Review Firecode in the light of the impending Places of Work Regulations and deliver to the HSS-E the annual Fire Report on the HPSS estate by March 1998.

Complete for HSS Trust clients nine Outline Business Cases of total estimated capital value £29.15 million.

Complete planning and design team briefing for one scheme, estimated capital value £1.3 million.

Complete tender process and move to construction stage five schemes of estimated capital value £99.44 million.

Project Manage to completion on site 13 schemes of estimated total capital value £12.57 million.

Complete design and/or achieve Practical Completion in respect of 15 schemes (value £4 million), these to include feasibility studies and Planning Supervision in compliance with CDM Regulations.

Arrange for the Completion of Defects Certificates to be issued for 85 per cent. of all schemes completed in the previous year. Issue Final Certificates after the agreement on Final Account of 60 per cent. of outstanding contracts.

Provide lead Clerks of Works Inspection Services on Craigavon Hospital, Causeway Hospital, Altnagelvin Hospital and the Royal Group of Hospitals on projects valued at £98 million.

Complete 85 per cent. of periodic specialist equipment tests by their programmed date and remainder within six weeks of that date. Complete 75 per cent. of specialist and diagnostic equipment acceptance tests, equipment evaluations and other tests within six weeks of receipt of request and the remainder within 10 weeks.

Complete Electricity At Work Regulation compliance surveys and issue recommendations for one Trust and two Hospital Sites.

Provide High Voltage, Low Voltage and Medical Gas Pressure Systems Authorising Engineer services to 23 locations.

Efficiency of service

Achieve an in-house 5 per cent. efficiency saving.

Complete the implementation of an enhanced management information and project costing system which will permit greater control of resources against client service needs.

Financial management and performance

Manage the Agency's resources so as to deliver its Business Plan within the gross budget allocation ad adjusted during the course of the year.

Ensure that the Agency's management accounting and information systems are adequate to support the preparation of auditable accounts for 1997–98, thereby ensuring the issue of an Accounts Direction by the Department of Finance and Personnel.

A copy of the targets is being placed in the Library of the House.

Defence

Members' Interests

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what occasions (a) Ministers and (b) officials have refused to (i) arrange and (ii) attend meetings with hon. Members to discuss matters relating to interests registered by those hon. Members under categories 1, 2, 3, 4(b), 8 and 9 in the Register of Members' Interests. [8109]

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will ensure that (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department refuse requests from hon. Members to (i) arrange and (ii) attend meetings relating to interests held by those hon. Members under categories 1, 2, 3, 4(b), 8 and 9 in the Register of Members' Interests. [8106]

Procurement Executive

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the administrative costs of his Department's Procurement Executive at Abbey Wood are (a) in cash terms and (b) as a percentage of the defence budget in the current financial year. [8215]

The internal operating cost budget (i.e. excluding extramural research, non-Abbey Wood capital works and equipment procurement expenditure) of the Procurement Executive at Abbey Wood and elsewhere is some £325 million or 1.5 per cent. of the Defence budget in the current financial year.

Administrative Costs

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the administrative costs of his Department (a) in cash terms and (b) as a percentage of the defence budget. [8130]

The defence budget for 1997–98 is £21.822 billion, which reflects a reduction of over 25 per cent. in real terms over the past 10 years. Within this, the Ministry of Defence does not distinguish between costs incurred in delivering its objectives and costs incurred in administering the delivery of those objectives. Responsibility for expenditure on all elements of defence operating costs, which include the costs of administration as well as those of delivering most aspects of military capability, is delegated to thirteen Top Level Budget holders. Planned expenditure by them for 1997–98 is £16,382 million, or 75.1 per cent. of the defence budget.

Operational Effectiveness

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his Department's definition of operational effectiveness. [7827]

Operational effectiveness is defined differently according to the context. At the highest level it is the ability of the UK's forces successfully to carry out their missions. At the operational level, it is evaluated by measuring operational capabilities against those of potential adversaries in particular sets of circumstances.

Casual Employees

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to eliminate the category of casual employee. [7925]

No. Recruitment to posts in the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Recruitment Code which permits the recruitment of staff on permanent, short term or casual contracts. This depends on the nature of the employment offered. Where a job is clearly temporary, or there is genuine uncertainty about work requirements, casual appointments for periods of up to 12 months are permitted.

Commercial Lobbyists

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) on what dates since 1 May (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have attended meetings with organisations representing (i) commercial and (ii) non-commercial interests organised by commercial lobbying firms; and if he will introduce a register of such meetings. [8108](2) on what dates since 1 May

(a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have met commercial lobbyists to discuss matters relating to the business of his Department; and if he will introduce a register of such meetings. [8107]

As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister explained on 2 June 1997 in response to the hon. Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn), Official Report, column 99, Ministers and officials in the Department receive deputations from many groups who are concerned to press their own interests or those of their clients, which Ministers and officials take due care to consider within the wider public interest and Government policy. As it is not practicable to distinguish particular groups as lobbyists, the Department cannot keep a register of such meetings.

Offset Obligations

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what offset obligations have been made over the last 10 years by (a) year and (b) company; how compliance with them has been monitored; and what proportion of the obligations have been fulfilled to date. [8665]

Over the past ten years, 42 industrial participation agreements have been recorded as follows:

Year	Company
1987	CAE Electronics
	Evans and Sutherland
1988	Westinghouse
	Boeing Helicopters
	Cummins

Year	Company
1989	Sperry-Marine
1990	McDonnell Douglas
1991	—
	E-Systems
	Hughes Aircraft
	Raytheon
	SAAB
1992	Westinghouse
1993	—
	CAE Electronics
	Lockheed Martin
1994	Texas Instruments
	Alliant Tech Systems
	Boeing Helicopters
	CAE Electronics
	Computing Devices (Canada)
	Hughes Danbury
	ITT Avionics
	Loral
	McDonnell Douglas (2)
	Parker Bertea
1995	TAAS
	BMW Rolls-Royce
	Boeing Defence and Space Group
	Boeing NA Inc.
	Bristol Aerospace
	ETC
	Lockheed Martin (2)
	Lockheed Martin Federal Systems
	Longbow Int.
	Rockwell Int.
	Sextant Avionique
	Smiths Ind. Aerospace
1996	Telephonics Corp.
	Bell Textron
	Eurocopter
1997	BAe-Matra

Companies with industrial participation obligations are required every six months to reports detailing the work placed in the UK. A 100 per cent. audit of these reports is carried out to ensure that obligations are fully met.

To date, 11 of the agreements have been concluded successfully. Those remaining are the more recent ones and they are on course for successful completion.

Foreign Military Personnel (Training)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 16 June, Official Report, columns 87–88, in which years students from Libya attended military training courses in the United Kingdom; how many students were involved; and what were their ranks and the subject matter of their courses. [8767]

Further examination of Departmental records indicates that no training has been provided to Libya in the past ten years. Both Libya and Iran were regrettably included in error in my previous answer of 16 June, Official Report, columns 87–88, as both countries had requested training which was not in fact provided. I am grateful to the hon. Member for providing this opportunity to set the record straight.

Press Releases

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spends on biking press releases to (a) hon. Members and (b) other individuals or groups, each time his Department issues a press release; how many such press releases were issued by his Department (i) in the period 1 May to 1 July and (ii) in the period 1 January to 1 March; and if he will review his Department's use of couriers to deliver press releases and investigate the possibility of using fax or e-mail. [8822]

Delivery of Press Notices to hon. Members and to the media is undertaken on our behalf via the Central Office of Information's News Distribution Service (NDS). My Department issued 27 press releases during the period 1 May to 1 July 1997, and 13 during the period 1 January to 1 March 1997.NDS's delivery mechanisms include a newswire service which, among others, supplies press releases to the Parliamentary Online Information Service (POLIS), hand deliveries, fax and postal deliveries, online databases, and a widely accessed Web site on the Internet.The mechanisms employed are used either singly or in combination to reach target audiences in the most cost-effective way, and to suit the nature of the documents.My Department and the COI keep a watching brief on new developments to ensure the most cost-effective delivery mechanisms are used.

Harrier Jet Crash, Kirkcudbrightshire

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the cost of the recovery and clean-up operation following the recent crash of a Harrier jet near Gelston, Kirkcudbrightshire. [8716]

The extra costs incurred by my Department in recovering the aircraft and during the environmental clean-up operation are estimated to be in the order of £53,000. This figure does not include the cost of any claims received as a result of the accident.

Low Flying

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will list the avoidance sites for operational low flying in Low Flying Area 20T which lie within the Galloway and Upper Nithsdale constituency; [8718](2) if he will list the avoidance sites for low flying in Low Flying Area 16 which lie within the Galloway and Upper Nithsdale constituency. [8719]

No. The Government has to strike a balance between providing information on how the UK Low Flying System operates and retaining the freedom to manage an essentially dynamic system efficiently. I am therefore withholding the information requested under exemption 7b of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Raf Menwith Hill

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he proposes to give a further 21-year assurance to United States forces at Royal Air Force Menwith Hill in respect of site availability. [9130]

The US authorities have not sought any renewal of the previous assurances. Their use of the site continues under general arrangements between the two Governments concerning the stationing of forces.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date in 1997 the assurance given in 1976 to United States forces in respect of the making available of Royal Air Force Menwith Hill to United States forces expires. [9131]

The assurance, which was given in order to facilitate US funding commitments, covered the period up to 30 May 1997. It was not, nor was it ever envisaged to be, any form of renewable lease.

Atomic Weapons Establishment

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 30 June, Official Report, column 63, relating to the Atomic Weapons Establishment site at Llanishen, how long he estimates it will take to decontaminate the site. [9111]

It is never possible at the outset of such a process to give a reliable estimate of how long it will take, because the extent of decontamination work must depend upon precisely what is encountered. During the process of decommissioning and decontaminating the Llanishen site, Land Quality Statements will be produced which will determine what measures are required to render the site fit for subsequent use. Given these circumstances we would not expect the process to be completed in less than five years.

Cabinet Office

Millennium Experience

To ask the Minister without Portfolio what representations he has received about the commission to be paid to Mr. Mark McCormack in connection with the Millennium Experience. [6464]

I have received a number of representations following reports in the press that International Management Group's commission for raising sponsorship of £150 million would be in the order of £27 to £30 million. In fact, if IMG reach the target set by the New Millennium Experience Company, they will receive in the order of £9 million, a substantial discount on their normal commission.

To ask the Minister without Portfolio what estimate he has made of the cost of tickets for the Millennium Experience. [6467]

To ask the Minister without Portfolio how much visitors will be charged to attend the Greenwich Exhibition. [8022]

The New Millennium Experience Company have advised that it is too early to produce a detailed ticketing structure for an event taking place in the year 2000. However, they have clearly stated that the price will be competitive in relation to other comparable attractions.

To ask the Minister without Portfolio if he will set out the remit and the salary and bonuses package of the right hon. Member for Henley (Mr. Heseltine) with regard to the promotion of the Millennium Dome project. [6128]

[holding answer 3 July 1997]: The right hon. Member for Henley (Mr. Heseltine) is a member of the Millennium Commission. None of the Commissioners received remuneration for their position, other than out-of-pocket expenses.

To ask the Minister without Portfolio how many staff are involved in the Millennium Dome project; and what are the (i) designation and (ii) salary and bonuses of the principal staff involved in the project. [6131]

[holding answer 3 July 1997]: The New Millennium Experience Company—the operating company for the Millennium Experience at Greenwich—currently has 40 staff, ranging from the Chief Executive through to IT and administrative staff. The details of senior staff remuneration packages will be published in the accounts of the New Millennium Experience Company in the usual way.

To ask the Minister without Portfolio (1) what is the total budget for the Greenwich Exhibition; [8023](2) how much of the Greenwich Exhibition's budget will be financed through national lottery money; how much will be raised through corporate sponsorship; and how much will be generated through ticket sales. [8024]

To ask the Minister without Portfolio what estimate he has made of the commission to be paid to Mr. Mark McCormack in connection with the Millennium Experience. [6465]

To ask the Minister without Portfolio what estimate he has made of the total cost of Millennium Experience; and if he will indicate the sources from which the money is to be raised. [6475]

To ask the Minister without Portfolio if payments to Mark McCormack in respect of the Millennium Experience will be in ratio to the amount of sponsorship raised if this sum fails to reach £150 million. [6904]

I refer my hon. Friend, the right hon. Member and hon. Members to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Perth (Ms Cunningham) today.

To ask the Minister without Portfolio what is the maximum amount of public money not including that from national lottery sources that will be deployed on the Millennium Experience. [6899]

To ask the Minister without Portfolio how much public money the Government intends to spend on the Millennium Exhibition at Greenwich. [8031]

[holding answer 7 July 1997]: The only taxpayers' money to be spent on the Millennium Experience is that which is already committed to English Partnerships to prepare the site. The total budget to prepare the site is £130 million. All other public support will come from the Lottery.

To ask the Minister without Portfolio what advice he has sought from the London Fire Brigade in respect of the materials identified for construction of the Millennium Dome; and if he will make a statement. [6905]

[holding answer 7 July 1997/: The New Millennium Experience Company Ltd. have worked closely with the London Fire Brigade to ensure that the design and construction of the Dome is safe and they will continue to do so. The first priority of all those involved in the Millennium Experience must be to ensure public safety.

To ask the Minister without Portfolio how much money Lord Rogers is being paid for his work on the dome at Greenwich. [8033]

This is commercially confidential information. The New Millennium Experience Company will publish full accounts in due course.

To ask the Minister without Portfolio what companies are planning to stage displays in the dome at Greenwich. [8025]

The New Millennium Experience at Greenwich will not be a trade show. Sponsorship arrangements will be announced in due course.

To ask the Minister without Portfolio how many jobs will be created in the course of building the dome at Greenwich. [8029]

The New Millennium Experience is expected to create 2,000 new jobs during the construction, and a further 5,000 during the life of the project.

To ask the Minister without Portfolio how much money the Millennium Commission needs to raise from the private sector to help stage the exhibition at Greenwich. [8030]

This is the responsibility of the New Millennium Experience Company. NMEC aims to raise £175 million from the private sector in sponsorship.

To ask the Minister without Portfolio how much public money to date has been spent on the Millennium exhibition at Greenwich. [8044]

[holding answer 14 July 1997]: The only taxpayers' money to be spent on the project is that which is already committed to English Partnerships to prepare the site for regeneration. To date £44 million has been spent on the site.

To ask the Minister without Portfolio if he will make a statement on the demonstrations and displays that will be held inside the dome at Greenwich. [8045]

[holding answer 14 July 1997]: It is our aim to make the contents of the Dome a truly exciting experience, appealing to all sections of the UK population as well as to visitors from overseas. The New Millennium Experience Company—the operating company for the Greenwich project—is putting together a first class creative team. Their ideas will crystallise over the coming months.

To ask the Minister without Portfolio when he expects to reply to the question from the hon. Member for Hertsmere of 2 July, relating to the Millennium Experience. [9017]

I have replied to three of the hon. Member's questions today. The one question still outstanding will be answered as soon as possible.

To ask the Minister without Portfolio who the shareholders are in the company established in respect of the Millennium Experience. [9311]

I am sole shareholder in the New Millennium Experience Company.

Mark Mccormack

To ask the Minister without Portfolio (1) what fee Mark McCormack of International Management Group will receive from the Millennium Commission; [8026](2) if he will make a statement on the provisions of the contract which he recently signed with Mr. McCormack of International Management Group to raise money for the Millennium Exhibition at Greenwich. [8027]

None. His contract is with the New Millennium Experience Company. The fees paid to Mark McCormack's International Management Group (IMG) will be on a sliding scale of 4 per cent. to 15 per cent. of the sponsorship raised, reflecting the fact that their task will become more difficult as the sponsorship total rises. All IMG's fees will be success related and they will bear all their own costs: i.e. no sponsorship, no fee.

Jenny Page

To ask the Minister without Portfolio what salary Jenny Page is being paid as chief executive of Millennium Central. [8032]

Miss Page's remuneration package includes a salary of £150,000 p.a., a pension of 15 per cent. and a bonus of up to 30 per cent. dependent on completing the term of the contract and subject to meeting performance targets set by the Board of the operating company, which is now called the New Millennium Experience Company.

Lord Chancellor's Department

Corruption

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list for the review of the Law Commission proposal for reform of the law on corruption (a) the expected completion date and (b) the cost of conducting the review. [8257]

The Law Commission issued consultation paper No. 145 "Legislating the Criminal Code—Corruption" on 18 March 1997. The closing date for responses was 30 June 1997. Work began on the project in May 1996 and the Law Commission expects to produce a report by June 1998. The cost of the project to date is not available.

Legal Aid (Transaction Audit)

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what are the 10 transaction criteria questions in audits of legal aid firms which most often result in non-compliance; and what proportion of firms fail to comply with each. [8118]

This information is not available and could be derived only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many auditors the Legal Aid Board currently employs to carry out transaction criteria audits on legal aid firms; what was the estimated cost of employing (a) these auditors and (b) all Board staff concerned with franchising, including auditors and liaison managers in 1996–97; and what are the projected costs for 1997–98. [7908]

The Legal Aid Board currently employs the full-time equivalent of 39.38 quality Auditors to carry out franchise related duties, including transaction criteria audits, with a current annual budget of approximately £600,000. In 1996–97, the cost of all aspects of franchising to the Legal Aid Board was approximately £4,000,000.Planned expenditure for the maintenance and expansion of franchising in 1997–98 is £5,000,000.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department in how many instances the results of transaction criteria audits on legal aid firms have led to quality concerns being registered against the firm. [8119]

The Legal Aid Board uses transaction criteria as the process measure of service delivery in a specific case or proceeding type, and would use evidence of systematic omissions of information recorded, advice given, or steps taken, to raise quality concerns with the organisation, with a view to improving service provision. Since 1 April 1995 (when a new system was installed to provide details of all non-compliancies) 86 major (d) non-compliancies (this is where the organisation is not able to comply with one of number of mandatory franchise requirements) have been recorded as a result of transaction criteria audits.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many transaction audits have been conducted for each of the Legal Aid Board's franchise categories; what is (a) the average number of files read and (b) the average number of person hours spent in respect of each audit; in how many instances the raw data have revealed a compliance rate below the minimum compliance rate established by the Legal Aid Board; and in how many instances the compliance rate has fallen below the established minima once the appropriate statistical significance test has been applied. [7905]

(a) The Legal Aid Board has informed me that during the financial year 1996–97, the relevant information was as follows:

Franchise category	Audits conducted	Average number of files audited
Consumer and general conduct	300	2.3
Crime	958	5.2
Debt	266	2.8
Employment	235	2.7
Housing	382	3.2
Immigration	55	3.0
Matrimonial and family	1,498	5.1
Personal injury	1,279	4.5
Welfare benefits	95	2.7

(b) The average length of time spent auditing case files against the transaction criteria was 9.6 hours per audit. This was the time taken to conduct the actual transaction criteria audit only, and did not include selection of files, recording results, producing reports, providing feedback to the organisation, or any other time which is associated with the audit.

In 691 audits, the average compliance rate of the sample of case files was found to fall below the standard compliance for that franchise category.

Following the application of the statistical technique used during the transaction criteria audit, 70 audits were found to have a compliance range which the upper confidence interval fell below the standard compliance rate for that franchise category.

Members' Interests

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department on what occasions (a) Ministers and (b) officials have refused to (i) arrange and (ii) attend meetings with hon. Members to discuss matters relating to interests registered by those Members under categories 1, 2, 3, 4(b), 8 and 9 in the Register of Members' Interests. [8081]

The first report from the Committee on Standards in Public Life (Cm 2850) made it clear that when Members are meeting Ministers or others on topics on which they have an interest, the onus is on the Member to declare that interest not the Minister to know (paragraph 63 of Cm 2850). It is not practicable for Ministers and officials, amongst their other duties, to vet requests for meetings against the Register of Members' Interests. Should evidence of non-declaration, or contravention of the Resolution of the House relating to delegations to Ministers emerge the matter would be brought to the attention of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will ensure that (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department refuse requests from hon. Members to (i) arrange and (ii) attend meetings relating to interests held by those Members under categories 1, 2, 3, 4(b), 8 and 9 in the Register of Members' Interests. [8078]

The first report from the Committee on Standards in Public Life (Cm 2850) recognised the value of enabling members to retain interests outside the House, provided that these were properly declared, both in the Register of Members' Interests and on other occasions. Subject to these requirements, and to the rules of the House relating to delegations to Ministers, Members are free to seek meetings with Ministers and officials, who will consider such requests alongside the many other approaches from individuals and organisations concerned to press their own interests and those of others.

Civil Justice And Legal Aid (Review)

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will give for the Review of Civil Justice and Legal Aid Reforms (a) the expected completion date and (b) the cost of conducting the Review. [8232]

The Lord Chancellor has asked Sir Peter Middleton to produce a preliminary report by the end of September. Any further work will depend on the terms of that preliminary report. The Review is expected to cost around £75,000 to the end of September.

Gazumping

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to outlaw the practice known as gazumping; and if he will make a statement. [7996]

Work has now begun across a number of Government Departments co-operating together which will, amongst other things, look closely at the problem of gazumping and will lead to detailed proposals which will be in the interests of everybody involved in the sale and purchase of homes. A ministerial task group will steer the work to ensure that it is carried through efficiently and effectively.

Commercial Lobbyists

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department (1) on what dates since 1 May (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have met commercial lobbyists to discuss matters relating to the business of his Department; and if he will introduce a register of such meetings; [8079](2) on what dates since 1 May

As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister explained in response to the hon. Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn) Official Report, 2 June 1997 column 99, Ministers and officials in the Department receive deputations from many groups who are concerned to press their own interests of those of their clients, which Ministers and officials take due care to consider within the wider public interest and Government policy. As it is not practicable to distinguish particular groups as lobbyists, the Department can not keep a register of such meetings.

Keighley Magistrates Court

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when building work will begin on the new magistrates court house in Keighley. [7851]

The provision of a new magistrates court in Keighley is in our Private Finance Initiative (Public/Private Partnership) building programme but I cannot say, at this time, when building work will commence.

Wills

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to introduce regulations to govern the qualifications and registration of those persons practising the writing of wills. [7873]

The Government has no current intention to regulate the practice of will-writing. We are aware that there have been complaints about some firms providing will-writing services and are keeping the matter under review.

Crown Prosecution Service

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if it is his policy that the Crown Prosecution Service shall have rights of audience in Court. [7304]

Barristers and solicitors in the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) have full rights of audience in the magistrates' courts where the vast majority of criminal cases are dealt with. The Government is addressing the issue of whether it would be in the interests of justice to extend rights of audience to include CPS lawyers. The Government is considering the existing statutory procedures in this area.

Court Fees

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to extend automatic exemption from the requirements to pay fees (a) in (i) county court and (ii) High Court proceedings to litigants in receipt of (1) income-based jobseeker's allowance, (2) family credit and (3) disability working allowance and (b) in family proceedings to litigants in receipt of (x) family credit and (y) disability working allowance; and if he will make a statement. [9154]

The Lord Chancellor has announced his intention to review the structure of civil court fees. As part of that review, he intends to examine the basis on which remissions are granted and to consider whether it would be appropriate for other categories of benefit to give rise to an automatic exemption from the liability to pay court fees. In Family Proceedings exemption from fees is already granted automatically to those in receipt of family credit as well as those in receipt of income support or of advice and assistance under the Green Form scheme. Other forms of benefit are in practice taken into account by court staff, to whom the day-to-day exercise of the Lord Chancellor's power to reduce or remit fees is delegated.

Duchy Of Lancaster

Members' Interests

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on what occasions (a) Ministers and (b) officials have refused to (i) arrange and (ii) attend meetings with hon. Members to discuss matters relating to interests registered by those Members under categories 1, 2, 3, 4(b), 8 and 9 in the Register of Members' Interests. [8069]

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will ensure that (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department refuse requests from hon. Members to (i) arrange and (ii) attend meetings relating to interests held by those Members under categories 1, 2, 3, 4(b), 8 and 9 in the Register of Members' Interests. [8066]

The First Report from the Committee on Standards in Public Life (Cm 2850) recognised the value of enabling Ministers to retain interests outside the House, provided these were properly declared, both in the Register of Members' Interests and on other occasions. Subject to these requirements, and to the rules of the House relating to delegations to Ministers, Members are free to seek meetings with Ministers and officials, who will consider such requests alongside the many other approaches from individuals and organisations concerned to press their own interests or those of others.

Commercial Lobbyists

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) on what dates since 1 May (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have met commercial lobbyists to discuss matters relating to the business of his Department; and if he will introduce a register of such meetings; [8067](2) on what dates since 1 May

(a) Ministers and

(b) officials in his Department have attended meetings with organisations representing (i) commercial and (ii) non-commercial interests organised by commercial lobbying firms; and if he will introduce a register of such meetings. [8068]

As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister explained in response to the hon. Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn) 2 June, column 99, Ministers and officials in the Department receive deputations from many groups who are concerned to press their own interests or those of their clients, which Ministers and officials take due care to consider within the wider public interest and Government policy. As it is not practicable to distinguish particular groups as lobbyists, the Department cannot keep a register of such meetings.

Freedom Of Information

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he intends to publish the White Paper on Freedom of Information; and if he will make a statement. [8908]

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he expects to publish his White Paper on Freedom of Information. [9088]

I hope to publish the White Paper on Freedom of Information later this year.

Yorkshire

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which areas of Yorkshire are in the ownership of the Duchy. [6981]

[holding answer 16 July 1997]: The Duchy of Lancaster has approximately 18,125 acres of land in Yorkshire in its possession. These include areas of Pontefract, Pickering, Goathland, Cloughton, Scalby and Tickhill which are ancient inheritances and mainly consist of farmland and woodland. The Duchy also owns property in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Press Releases

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much his Department spends on biking press releases to (a) hon. Members and (b) other individuals or groups, each time his Department issues a press release; how many such press releases were issued by his Department (i) in the period 1 May to 1 July and (ii) in the period 1 January to 1 March; and if he will review his Department's use of couriers to deliver press releases and investigate the possibility of using fax or e-mail. [8825]

Cabinet Office does not use couriers to bike press notices to hon. Members or to individuals or groups.The Department issued 40 press releases in the period from 1 May to 1 July 1997 and 16 press releases from 1 January to 1 March.My Department distributes press notices electronically, by fax and by post to ensure that they reach the media on time while ensuring value for money for the taxpayer.

Volume 298: debated on Thursday 17 July 1997

Written Answers To Questions

Social Security

Pensions Review

Chief Adjudication Officer

Social Fund

Windfall Tax

Immunisation (Disability Compensation)

Income Support

Child Support Agency

Disability Living Allowances (Parkinson's Disease)

Treasury

Self-Employed Building Contractors

Endowment Mortgages

Pocket Budget

Consumer Expenditure

Departmental Bud Gets

Members' Pension Fund

Stationery

Economic And Monetary Union

End-Year Flexibility

Wales

Welsh Assembly

Press Releases

Welsh Development Agency

Cadw

Foreign And Commonwealth Affairs

Schengen Acquis

Members' Interests

Commercial Lobbyists

Amsterdam Treaty

Press Releases

Islamabad Embassy

International Development

Press Releases

Trade And Industry

Oil And Gas Developments

Coal Board Property Sales

Information Technology

Musical Instrument Industry

Nuclear Power Stations

Debt Payments

Director General Of Fair Trading

Small Businesses

Advice From Business

Arms Export Licences

Prime Minister

Amsterdam Treaty

Computers (50Th Anniversary)

Ethnic Minorities

Lockerbie

Culture, Media And Sport

Departmental Budgets

Stationery

Television Licences

National Lottery

Tourism

Press Releases

Home Department

Huntingdon Life Sciences

Animal Experiments

Perjury

Foxhunting

Press Releases

Homosexuals

International Crimes

Asylum Seekers

Attorney-General

Crime Victims And Witnesses

Serious Fraud Office

Crown Prosecution Service

Lenient Sentences

Scotland

Nhs Operations (Cancellations)

Local Authority Pension Funds

Scottish Parliament

Members' Interests

Commercial Lobbyists

Multi-Storey Flats (Glasgow)