To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will ensure that independent reporters used by the Director General of Water Services in his 1999 Review to challenge the cost and investment estimates of the water companies have no contractual arrangements with the water companies on which they are reporting. [14491]

The arrangements for reporters used by the Director General of Water Services in carrying out his statutory duties are a matter for him.The Director has consulted widely on the arrangements for reporters, firstly in his open letter ("MD126") issued on 20 March 1997 and more recently in his consultation paper about the business planning process for the 1999 Periodic Review. Both documents are in the Library. He has asked for comments on his proposals by Friday 14 November.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) how many household evictions from (a) local authority and (b) housing association properties involved (i) children and (ii) one or more children who were statemented as having special needs in each of the last three years; [14821](2) how many households were evicted from

The information requested is not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what representations his Department has received about the (a) Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 and (b) Town and Country Planning (Demolition-Description of Buildings) Direction 1995. [15157]

We have received representations seeking amendments to both the General Permitted Development Order and the Demolition Direction so that a planning application can in future be required to demolish various types of sports facilities. The Government are concerned to prevent the unnecessary loss of sports facilities, particularly where there are no clear proposals for redevelopment, and we will review the need for amendments to the relevant legislation once the courts have reached their decision on Robert Coppen and others v. Edward Ram and another, 20 January 1997.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to improve the safety of the A449 between Worcester and Kidderminster. [15603]

I have asked the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how often and on what dates he has met representatives of a (a) the Countryside Commission, (b) English Nature, (c) English Heritage, (d) the Ramblers Association, (e) the Country Landowners Association and (f) the National Farmers Union when the Government's proposals on right-to-roam legislation were discussed. [15324]

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not had any meetings with these organisations to discuss the Government's proposals on right-to-roam legislation. My hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment discussed the Government's proposals with the Countryside Commission on 9 July and 30 October, with the Ramblers Association on 23 June and 12 September, and with the Country Landowners Association on 14 July. He and I discussed the proposals with the National Farmers Union on 22 July.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what representations he has received on the impact of climate change on (a) natural habitats and wildlife, (b) water resources and water management and (c) coastal and estuarial flooding and erosion; and if he will make a statement. [15591]

From time to time the Government receive representations on the impacts of climate change on a wide range of sectors.The Government are concerned to understand better the potential impacts of climate change on all sectors. In this regard, they draw on the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and their own Climate Change Impacts Review Group. My Department has also established an office at the Environmental Change Unit at the University of Oxford to co-ordinate research on the impacts of climate change in the UK.

	All child pedestrians aged 0-14 killed					All pedestrians killed
Country	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995
Great Britain	210	170	153	147	120	1,496	1,347	1,241	1,124	1,038
United Kingdom	221	177	161	162	129	1,541	1,394	1,283	1,169	1,085
Austria	18	19	20	18	19	260	240	202	225	200
Belgium	31	39	14	21	—	280	233	199	197	—
Denmark	17	8	8	6	11	141	111	133	94	118
Finland	4	16	7	9	8	130	116	86	87	72
France	164	132	108	109	96	1,446	1,270	1,195	1.190	1,086
Germany	185	154	132	138	138	1,918	1,767	1,580	1,469	1,336
Greece	28	30	28	36	23	461	452	485	467	469
Ireland	23	17	17	15	—	114	115	136	121	—
Italy	82	60	47	69	—	1,241	1,148	997	1,024	—
Netherlands	26	21	16	15	24	67	56	48	41	46
Norway	10	3	9	8	5	144	152	146	123	142
Portugal	120	87	88	59	67	797	694	699	564	598
Spain	105	74	93	72	77	1,371	1,208	1,104	1,008	1,000
Sweden	7	14	6	13	6	125	138	94	86	71

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what resources he is making available for the promotion and improvement of cycling facilities (a) nationally, (b) in Staffordshire and (c) in Stoke-on-Trent. [15643]

In the current financial year a sum of £4 million has been allocated to the London Cycling Network; £79 million has also been allocated to local authorities outside London in 1997–98 for their integrated transport packages. Virtually all the packages include measures to promote cycling, but it is not possible to say how much local authorities will spend on cycling-related matters from their package allocations.A total of £800,000 has been allocated to the North Staffordshire package in 1997–98. Staffordshire County Council has received £124,000 of this total and the City of Stoke-on-Trent £676,000.The Department will continue to support these initiatives in future, as far as resources allow. It is not possible at this stage to predict the levels of funding that will be available in 1998–99 or in later years.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many (a) child and (b) total pedestrian fatalities there were in the United Kingdom and in each EU member state in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [15652]

The information requested is shown in the following table. It shows the improvement in child pedestrian fatalities in 1995 in the United Kingdom relative to other EU Member States. in 1995 the rate of child pedestrian fatalities per 100,000 population in United Kingdom was similar to that for all EU Member States.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will introduce orange badge parking permits for people temporarily disabled by accidents or operations. [15858]

I have no plans to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his letter of 8 October (MR/PSO/10894/97), what action is being taken in response to the call from Arctic countries for new international controls on mercury; and what progress is being made on a protocol concerning Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution. [14469]

There are already a range of measures in place to reduce emissions of mercury in the UK. Because of these and the fact that wider international action is required to deal with the problem, no specific UK response to the call from the Arctic countries is envisaged. The UK is, however, actively participating in the negotiations to develop a protocol under the UNECE's Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution to reduce European emissions of mercury and other heavy metals. Negotiations are at an advanced stage. It is expected that the protocol will be opened for signing at the Fourth Pan-European Conference of Environment Ministers on "Environment for Europe" in Aarhus, Denmark from 23 to 25 June 1998.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he will publish the White Paper on the Regions. [15830]

We are aiming to publish a White Paper on the English Regions within the next few weeks.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what measures he is pursuing to reduce growth in the number of households in England and Wales.[15768]

Household growth reflects demographic factors, changes in age structure and deep-seated social trends. There is therefore little scope for the Government to influence the numbers even if they believed it was appropriate to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what representations he has received contesting his Department's projections for household growth set out in Command Paper 2901. [15770]

Command 2901, the last Administration's Housing White Paper, did not contain household projections. I assume that the question refers to my Department's document "Projections of Households in England to 2016", published in 1995. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to his hon. Friend the Member for Peterborough (Mrs. Brinton) on 3 November, Official Report, column 56.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to update the British zoo licensing system; and if he will make a statement.[16049]

British zoos have a deservedly high reputation for their progressive approach; the way in which their animals are kept and cared for; and the contribution they make to the conservation of endangered species through scientific research and captive breeding programmes. They have also played an important part in increasing public awareness of, and interest in, species conservation issues. It is now more than 10 years since the Zoo Licensing Act 1981 came into operation, and we believe it is time to update the system to reflect the changes in the role management of zoos which have taken place during this time, and to ensure that consistently high standards are maintained in all British zoos.We have therefore undertaken a review of the Act. Having considered the views of a wide range of organisations concerned with zoos, we have concluded that the system is fundamentally sound and generally working well. However, we believe that there are some areas in which improvements can be made.We propose to make a number of changes to modernise the system. The main elements are:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he expects to consult appropriate organisations on the text of the draft revision of the Highway Code. [16170]

We have today in accordance with section 38(3) of the Road Traffic Act 1988 sent copies of the draft revision of the Highway Code for consultation to representative organisations, requesting responses by 31 January 1988. We shall welcome constructive comments on the style and the content of the draft. Copies will be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he has set targets for the proportion of new housing to be built on brown land within existing conurbations and settlements; and if he will make a statement. [15769]

The current target for England is for 50 per cent. of new housing to be built on previously used sites, most of which will be in existing settlements.

To ask the President of the Council pursuant to the answer of 10 November from the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Official Report, column 441, if she will list the e-mail addresses of herself and her senior officials. [15870]

The Director of the Central Drugs Co-ordination Unit is able to receive e-mail at the following address: cdcu@gtnet.gov.uk. No other of my officials has an external e-mail facility, nor do I have one myself.

To ask the President of the Council when she plans to move to establish an Environmental Audit Committee; and if she will make a statement. [15565]

I am pleased to inform the hon. Gentleman that this was moved on Monday 10 November.In addition the Members were announced yesterday.

To ask the Chairman of the Information Committee pursuant to the answer of 10 November from the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Official Report, column 441, if he will arrange for all ministers' e-mail addresses to be included in the House of Commons telephone directory or made available to Right hon. and hon. Members in some other form. [15846]

The question of whether or not Ministers' e-mail addresses are made publicly available is not a matter for the Committee.

To ask the Minister without Portfolio, how much has been spent so far on (a) consultants and (b) advertisers in relation to the Millennium Dome at Greenwich; and if he will make a statement. [13278]

[holding answer 6 November 1997]: The New Millennium Experience Company has employed, and continues to employ, a range of consultants in a number of specialist fields appropriate to a project of this scale and nature, including engineering, planning and transport. In all cases the procedures adopted with such companies, including advertising agents, meet the requirements which apply to all non-departmental public bodies for the purchase of goods, services and equipment. Details of individual contracts are commercially confidential but the NMEC has been involved in 51 (completed and current) contracts with third parties to date.

To ask the Minister without Portfolio if he will estimate how much has been spent on policing the Millennium Dome site in each month since the start of construction; what is the projected expenditure for the remaining months prior to completion; and if he will make a statement. [14235]

[holding answer 7 November 1997]: In June 1997, and after open competition, the New Millennium Experience Company contracted with a local Greenwich company to provide security on the Millennium Experience site. The terms of the contract are commercial in confidence. The site security work has recently been the subject of a new competitive tender exercise following normal procedures for contract renewal. NMEC is now completing its consideration of the bids. English Partnerships have separate contract arrangements to fulfil their responsibilities for security to the whole peninsula site during the construction stage.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many locomotives at the National Railway Museum in York are still capable of running; and if he will encourage the exhibition of them in use. [15486]

There are seven locomotives at the National Railway Museum in York still in full running order and two under repair, and twelve other locomotives from the national collection currently operating elsewhere. It is for the Trustees of the Museum to decide how best to display these engines, but it is their policy to retain a proportion of the National Railway Collection in full running order for public demonstration.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he made of the total number of performances in London by English National Opera, English National Ballet, the Royal Ballet and the Royal Opera before making his proposal that all these companies should share one venue. [15607]

In the 1996–97 financial year the total number of performances in London by the English National Opera, English National Ballet, the Royal Ballet and the Royal Opera was as follows:

Company	Performances in London 1996–97
English National Opera	185
English National Ballet	62
Royal Opera	143
Royal Ballet	111

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the rationalisation of the Army's storage estate. [16281]

Work has now been completed on a study, initiated by the previous Administration, on the potential for further rationalisation of the Army Base Storage and Distribution Agency's storage estate. The analysis has show that there are likely to be some increases in aspects of the Army storage task, for example some equipment and stores return from Bosnia, but the overall balance of factors, including the likely impact of the new Government's Strategic Defence Review, indicates that there will be significant reductions in ABSDA's future storage requirement. This reflects the need to drive down the overall size of the Army storage inventory to reflect changes in Defence planning assumptions and to reduce the costs of our storeholdings. Obtaining greater efficiency from Defence spending is a central part of the Strategic Defence Review. All support activities are being rigorously scrutinised against the benchmark of value for money and the need to ensure that we retain only those assets that are essential for Defence needs.I have, therefore, decided to accept, as the basis for consultation with the Trades Unions and other interested parties, the recommendation that the ABSDA sub-depots at Thatcham in Berkshire, and Old Dalby in Leicestershire, should close. This would realise savings of some £35 million in net present value terms over a ten-year period. I also intend to suspend the ABSDA stores division CFQ study for the time being.Final decisions will be taken in the light of representations made during the consultation period. A copy of the Consultation Document is being placed in the library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements are being made for the future delivery of pay, pensions and personnel administration services for the armed forces. [16282]

My predecessor announced on 20 February this year, Official Report, column 720 that the Armed Forces Personnel Administration Agency was to be launched as a tri-Service organisation on 1 April, and that plans were in hand to appoint a commercial partner to deliver most of the Agency's services on its behalf. AFPAA was launched on the due date, and the necessary evaluation and approval processes for its partnering contract have now been completed. I have agreed that the contract should be awarded to Electronic Data Systems (Defence) Ltd.As part of the modernisation of our Armed Forces for the 21st Century, this public-private partnering contract is the beginning of a comprehensive programme of improvement and redevelopment in the delivery of pay, pensions and personnel administrative services. It will bring new skills and technology to this area of work, and, importantly, it will provide the necessary capital, under private finance arrangements, at a level which could not be expected from the Defence budget. The contract will run for up to 12 years at an estimated cost of over £30 million. The effective date for transfer of responsibility to EDS, including staff and capital assets, is planned for 1 January next year. About 900 civilian staff will move permanently to EDS, with 100 military personnel being placed with the company in the first instance.In about three years' time, elements of the Army Personnel Centre in Glasgow will come under AFPAA's responsibility. This will mean the transfer of a further 500 civilian staff to EDS. There are no plans to relocate these jobs from Glasgow and any proposals would need Ministerial approval.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if his Department plans to send inspectors to COPEX events which are eligible for Government joint venture support; [14369](2) if he will list the visits to the visits to the 1997 Contingency and Operational Procurement Exhibition by Ministry of Defence inspectors; and what criteria were used to assess the types of equipment and services. [14368]

Because COPEX 1997 was held on Ministry of Defence land, two MOD inspectors visited the exhibition while it was being set up and during the first open day to assess the suitability for export of the equipment and services on offer. The criteria used were those announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on 28 July 1997, Official Report, columns 26–29.The MOD plays no part in the organisation of COPEX exhibitions and has no plans at the present time to send inspectors to future COPEX events.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the support provided by his Department and DESO to private military, security and police exhibitions in the last year.[14364]

The Ministry of Defence has provided the following support for defence equipment exhibitions organised by private companies during the past year, all of which attracted host Government support:

Exhibition	Dates	Type of support
IMDEX Asia 97, Singapore	6 to 9 May 1997	Attended by the Military Deputy to the Head of Defence Export Services. HM Ships Richmond and Illustrious also visited, and DESO had its own exhibition stand.
Paris Air Show	10 to 18 June 1997	Attended by the Minister of State for Defence Procurement, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence, the Chief of Defence Procurement, and the Head of Defence Export Services. DESO also had its own exhibition stand.

Exhibition	Dates	Type of support
IDEF 97, Turkey	23 to 26 September 1997	Attended by the Head of Defence Export Services. DESO also had its own exhibition stand.
IMDEX 97, Greenwich	7 to 10 October 1997	Opened by the First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff. Keynote address given by the Chief of Defence Procurement. HMS Lancaster also visited.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the list of names of employers who have been found to have breached the anti-discrimination legislation at an industrial tribunal and the amount of compensation awarded. [15014]

Figures for industrial tribunal applications are held centrally only for those brought by members of the Armed Forces. Figures for cases brought by civilian employees of the Department are not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.All cases brought before an industrial tribunal name the Ministry of Defence as the main respondent but separate figures for each of the Armed forces can be identified. The cost of awards made by industrial tribunals against the Armed Forces for discrimination, excluding those made to women who received compensation arising out of their unlawful dismissal on grounds of pregnancy, are as follows:

	£
Royal Navy	65,000
Army	Nil
Royal Air Force	10,000

In addition, the Ministry of Defence has settled a number of claims either prior to or during industrial tribunal hearings as follows:

	£
Royal Navy	191,000
Army	777,300
Royal Air Force	31,944

In the case of those women unlawfully dismissed from the Services on grounds of pregnancy the average award was £11,445. The overall figures were as follows:

	£
Royal Navy	13,898,746.38
Army	21,760,119.65
Royal Air Force	21,612,724.84

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will place in the Library the background note that accompanied the draft answer to the question by the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent, 11 July, Official Report, column 436, on organophosphate pesticide use; [14764](2) if he will place in the Library a copy of the fax dated 18 July 1994, sent by the Department of Entomology at the Royal Medical College, London to the Department of Health concerning insecticides used in the Gulf war cited in his Department's recent memorandum relating to provision of advice to Ministers between 1994 and 1996 on organophsphate pesticide use during the Gulf War. [14708]

No. The information contained within these documents is advice to Ministers and as such is covered by exemption 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. On an exceptional basis, the information from these documents relating to organophosphate pesticides has already been made available in the Further Memorandum on the provision of advice to Ministers on the use of OP pesticides during the Gulf War, a copy of which is in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assistance the Ministry of Defence and its agencies gave to the organisers of the Offset exhibition at the North Wales Centre, Aberconwy; and what was the cost to public funds. [15295]

Officials attended this exhibition in the course of their normal duties, but the Ministry of Defence gave no financial support to the organisers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many defence companies have sought his Department's assistance over the Government's ethical code on defence exports.[15543]

As part of their normal daily business, officials in the Defence Export Services Organisation provide advice to defence companies on the criteria used by the Government in considering licence applications for the export of conventional arms. It is not practical to identify every company that has sought this advice.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of the defence budget in (a) cash and (b) percentage terms is allocated to information warfare. [15335]

Information warfare is a broad term which covers all aspects of the security of information and communications systems from front line weapons to office IT equipment. Measures to counter information warfare are integral features of most systems and it is not therefore possible to identify their costs separately.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to introduce non-lethal disabling weapons for peacekeeping and battlefield use.[14415]

[holding answer 7 November 1997]: Research is conducted into non-lethal weapon technologies to assess technical options to meet endorsed military capability requirements, but we have no present plans for the procurement of further NLWs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his Department's estimate of the cost of the Eurofighter programme to the United Kingdom and to the participating states as a whole; and how many aircraft are due to be ordered by (a) the United Kingdom and (b) participating states. [14679]

[holding answer 10 November 1997]: The latest estimated procurement cost of the Eurofighter programme is £42.8 billion, £15.9 billion of which is the estimated cost to the UK. The participating nations have declared a total requirement for 620 Eurofighter aircraft, 232 of which are for the UK.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the medium-term implications of US Commerce Department report "Offsets in Defense Trade 1997".[15294]

The US Department of Commerce report "Offsets in Defense Trade 1997" is still under consideration by the Ministry of Defence. I will write to the hon. Member in due course.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will provide a current list of all (a) paid and (b) unpaid special advisers to Ministers. [14837]

The following are employed as paid Special Advisers:

Appointing Minister	Name of appointee
The Prime Minister	Jonathan Powell
	Alastair Campbell
	Anji Hunter
	Kate Garvey
	Tim Allan
	Hilary Coffman
	David Miliband
	Roger Liddle
	James Purnell
	Derek Scott
	Robert Hill
	Geoff Mulgan
	Geoffrey Norris
	Pat Macfadden

Appointing Minister	Name of appointee
	Peter Hyman
	Liz Lloyd
	Roz Preston (part-time)
	Fiona Miller (part-time)
Chief Whip	Tom Greatrex
	Kieran Simpson
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food	Cathy McGlynn Tim Walker
	Tim Walker
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport	Julian Eccles
	(Part-time)
	John Newbiggin
Secretary of State for Defence	Bernard Gray
	Alasdair McGowan
Secretary of State for Education and Employment 1	Conor Ryan
	Hilary Benn
	Sophie Linden
	(part-time)
	Lisa Barclay (part-time)
Deputy Prime Minister	Joe Irvin
	Paul Hackett (part-time)
	Joan Hammell
	Darren Murphy
	(Part-time)
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs	David Clark
	Andrew Hood
Secretary of State for Health	Joe McCrea
	Simon Stevens
Secretary of State for the Home Department	Ed Owen
	Norman Warner
	Ruth Allen (part-time)2
Secretary of State for International Development	Jessica Crowe
	Daniel Harris
Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Lords	Marianne Morris
	Damien Welfare
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland	Anna Healy
	Nigel Warner
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster	Andrew Lappin
	James Cornford
President of the Council3	Ian McKenzie
Secretary of State for Scotland	Wendy Alexander
	Murray Elder
Secretary of State for Social Security	Juhn McTernan
	Liz Kendall
President of the Board of Trade	Dan Corry
	Sheila Watson
Minister of Transport	Kate Davies
	Tony Grayling
Chancellor of the Exchequer4	Ed Balls
	Charles Whelan
Chief Secretary	Andrew Maugham
	Edward Miliband
Secretary of State for Wales	John Adams
	Huw Roberts

Appointing Minister	Name of appointee
The following have been appointed as unpaid Advisers:
Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Education and Employment	Dennis Stevenson
Deputy Prime Minister	David Taylor
President of the Board of Trade	Lord Hollick
Minister without Portfolio	Benjamin Wegg-Prosser
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs	David Mathieson
Chancellor of the Exchequer	Sue Nye
1In addition, Professor Michael Barber has been appointed as Standards and Effectiveness Adviser to the Secretary of State for Education and Employment.
2Appointment is time limited to the life of the Task Force on Youth Justice.
3In addition, the President of the Council has appointed Keith Hellawell as the UK Anti-Drugs Co-ordinator (from 5 January 1998) and Michael Trace as the Deputy UK Anti-Drugs Co-ordinator on special adviser terms.
4In addition the Chancellor of the Exchequer has appointed Chris Wales and Paul Gregg as members of the Council of Economic Advisers on special adviser terms.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list (a) the nature and value of contracts his office has entered into and (b) discussions Ministers or officials have held with the Monitor Consultancy since 1990. [14944]

[holding answer 7 November 1997]: For this purpose my Department is the Cabinet Office. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Office of Public Service on 11 November 1997, Official Report, columns 463–64.

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to the oral Statement by the Secretary of State for International Development, Official Report, 5 November, column 332, if he will instruct officials to serve coffee and tea furnished by suppliers who adhere to fair trade standards in his Office. [15487]

No. Individual Government Departments are responsible for taking decisions on the goods and services they acquire, taking into account the Government's policy of seeking value for money for the benefit of the taxpayer. However, as my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development has made clear, the Government are also committed to promoting and supporting ethical trading wherever possible.

To ask the Prime Minister what was the total cost, including incidental expenses, of preparing and furnishing the rooms in Canary Wharf used for the Anglo-French Summit; and if he will break this down into the main items of expenditure. [15658]

[holding answer 12 November 1997]: Canary Wharf was provided for the Summit free of charge. Final figures for the cost of other items are not yet available.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information his Department has collated on the number of live animals exported since 1 May; and if he will make a statement. [13964]

The most up-to-date information available to the Department is recorded on the Animal Movement electronic data system. From May to October 1997 inclusive, approximately 263,00 sheep/goats and 93,900 pigs were exported from Great Britain to other EU Member States. This information is provisional and subject to change. There was a significant increase in the number of sheep exported from August to October. This is consistent with normal trade patterns.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many live sheep were exported in each of the five years up to 1997; how many have been exported so far this year; what was their final destination; and if he will make a statement. [13968]

Official Overseas Trade Statistics show that the following number of sheep were exported from the United Kingdom:

	Number
1992	1,422,000
1993	830,000
1994	989,000
1995	756,000
1996	547,000
January-July 1997	53,000

These figures are provisional and subject to amendment. Certified destinations were principally France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and the Republic of Ireland.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to the oral statement by the Secretary of State for International Development, Official Report, 5 November, column 332, if he will instruct officials to serve coffee and tea furnished by suppliers who adhere to fair trade standards in his Department. [15502]

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer which the Prime Minister has given today. All procurement decisions in the Department are based on the Government's policy of value for money.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to continue the long-term experiments at Rothamsted Experimental station. [15854]

Rothamsted is one of the three research sites making up the Institute of Arable Crops Research. MAFF is a major customer for research at IACR and will spend over —7 million in the current year. Rothamsted runs several long-term experiments, some of which have contributed information to the main MAFF research programmes at the site dealing with nutrient loss, soil organic matter and biodiversity. However, this core long-term work is funded by BBSRC and other funders and is not the direct responsibility of MAFF.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his letter of 8 October concerning the agri-environment programme and farmland birds (108634), when he expects to respond to the three-year BTO project interim report. [14468]

I expect to respond when final results of the British Trust for Ornithology project, due in October 1998, are available and have been assessed.Meanwhile, steps taken to help reserve the decline in farmland birds were outlined by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions on 27 October,

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on his plans for the incineration of meat and bone meal produced from the cull of animals under the over 30-months-scheme. [15766]

The Government are considering a number of options for the disposal of meat and bone meal arising from the over 30-months-scheme. Revelant elements of the Intervention Board's on-going tender exercise have been suspended to allow time for reflection on the full range of options presenting themselves. While some MBM is being burnt in a high temperature waste incinerator at Fawley, no decision has yet been taken on any other disposal option, or options, for the stored material, including burning MBM for energy recovery in power stations. In reaching a decision, full weight will be given to the protection of human health and the environment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he has met representatives of Welsh business to explain the Government's policy on the sale and supply of military, security and police equipment to oppressive regimes. [15298]

No. I refer my hon. Friend to the statement given by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary on 28 July 1997, Official Report, columns 26–29, which sets out the Government's policy on this subject.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the significance to the Welsh economy of the manufacture, sale and supply of military, security and police equipment; and if he will place a copy of his assessment in the Library. [15292]

The Department of Trade and Industry has been studying the value of the defence industry to the UK but its emphasis has been national and has not included production of detailed figures on a regional basis.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the medium-term implications of US Commerce Department report, "Offsets in Defence Trade 1997". [15293]

The US Department of Commerce report "Offsets in Defence Trade 1997" is under consideration by the Ministry of Defence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to encourage the use of bicycles as an alternative to cars in Welsh cities and towns; and if he will make a statement.[15304]

The Government are considering the role of cycling, alongside that of all transport modes, as part of their development of an integrated transport policy to be set out in a White Paper next year. I intend to publish a Welsh Transport Policy Statement at around the same time.I have already taken one practical step to give local authorities more scope to promote cycling through the changes to the Welsh Transport Grant regime which I announced in June. These will allow support to be given in future to "integrated transport packages" which can, among other things, include measures to promote cycling.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate in cash terms in 1995–96 prices the changes for 1997–98 and 1998–99 in NHS expenditure between (a) the 1996 budget plans and (b) the Government's latest plans. [13189]

[holding answer 30 October 1997]: In the July Budget an additional £1.2 billion was allocated for the NHS in 1998–99, and on 14 October a further package of £300 million was announced for patient care in 1997£98. These figures can be converted into 1995–;96 prices using the current forecasts for the GDP deflator which are 2.76 per cent. for 1996–97, 2.75 per cent. for 1997–98 and 2.75 per cent. for 1998–99.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the effect on the number of people of working age who face combined marginal rates of withdrawal of tax, national insurance contributions and means-tested benefits of (a) under 50 per cent., (b) 50–59 per cent., (c) 60–69 per cent., (d) 70–79 per cent., (e) 80–89 per cent. and (f) 90 per cent. or above of introducing a lop starting rate of income tax on (i) the first £1,000, (ii) the first £1,500 or (iii) the first £2,000 of taxable income. [14016]

The effect of introducing a 10p tax rate on marginal deduction rates, and on disposable income, would depend on what other changes were made to the tax and benefit system at the time of its introduction.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which Departments overspent their allocated budget in financial year 1996–97; by how much each overspent its allocated budget; which Departments have had to reduce their budgets in financial year 1997–98 as a consequence; which Departments were allowed a claim on the reserve for all or part of their overspend; and how much each Department was allowed to claim from the reserve. [14026]

[holding answer 3 November 1997]: The Ministry of Defence breached its overall cash limit for 1996–97 by £246 million. It was the only Department to do so. No claim on the Reserve was agreed in respect of the overspend in 1996–97, but the overspend did increase the control total outturn for 1996–97. Following an investigation into the causes of the breach it was decided that the Ministry of Defence should reduce its overall cash limit for 1997–98 by £168 million.The reduction in 1997–98 is less than the overspend for two reasons. The first is that the Ministry of Defence received £40 million of extra receipts in 1996–97 which could not be appropriated in aid of the Ministry's Votes, because no provision had been made for them in the Estimates presented to Parliament. These receipts had to be surrendered by the Ministry directly to the Consolidated Fund, and so they could not be included in calculating the Ministry's overspend against the cash limit on its votes. Allowance was made for this in determining the size of the reduction in the cash limit in 1997–98. Secondly, allowance was also made for certain technical adjustments made during the course of 1996–97 in connection with the sale of the married quarters estate. These amounted to £38 million.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will publish the action plan, due by 1 October 1997, for resolving the computer millennium problem in his Department, its agencies and other public bodies for which he is responsible; if such was fully completed on time; and if he will make a statement; [13562](2) what is his latest estimate of the total cost of resolving the computer millennium problem in

[holding answer 4 November 1997]: The majority of my Departments and agencies have submitted their costed plans to the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency on schedule. Those that have not will be doing so shortly.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when his Department, its agencies and other public bodies for which he is responsible completed the millennium computer compliance audits of systems; and if he will make a statement. [13565]

[holding answer 4 November 1997]: Year 2000 system audits and inventories were completed by my departments and agencies as follows:

	Date
Treasury	September 1996
Inland Revenue	November 1996 (January 1997 for Valuation Office agency)
Customs and Excise	December 1996
Royal Mint1	September 1997
National Savings	July 1997
Office for National Statistics	September 1997
1Systems are regularly reviewed. Date given is for last review.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which (a) Minister and (b) civil servant has overall responsibility for ensuring millennium computer compliance in his Department and its associated public bodies. [13566]

[holding answer 4 November 1997]: In view of the importance we are giving to the Year 2000 issue, I will be taking overall responsibility for ensuring that my departments' and agencies' IT systems are compliant. At official level, those with overall responsibility are as follows:

	Responsibility
Treasury	Head of IT services
Inland Revenue1	Deputy Director for the Business and Management Services division
Customs and Excise	Head of Corporate Development group
Royal Mint	Head of IT
National Savings	Director of Operations
Office for National Statistics	Director of Survey and Statistical Services division
1Includes Valuation Office.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if it is his policy for 1997–98 and 1998–99 that savings achieved in one Department can be switched to another Department; and if he will make a statement. [13645]

[holding answer 5 November 1997]: The Government are committed to holding to the Control Totals for 1997–98 and 1998–99. Within that it may be appropriate on occasions to find savings from one Department to cover increases in another as was done with the NHS this year. Minor transfers will continue in the normal course of business-for example, to meet the costs of new policy initiatives which fall outside the originating Department.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to make further allocations of expenditure to the National Health Service in 1997–98; and if he will make a statement. [13292]

[holding answer 6 November 1997]: My right hon. Friend the Chancellor has no plans to make further allocations of expenditure to the National Health Service in 1997–98. An extra £300 million for patient care this winter was announced on 14 October 1997, which has been made available by a reallocation of £270 million from other Department's budgets, plus £30 million in new administrative savings identified within the NHS in England.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if it is his policy that the existing departmental spending totals for 1998–99 will be adhered to; what is his policy on the transfer of expenditure savings from one Department to another for 1998–99; and if he will make a statement.[13286]

[holding answer 6 November 1997]: The Government are committed to holding to the Control Total for 1998–99. Departments known their baselines for 1998–99 and are planning spending accordingly. There are no current plans to reallocate spending between Departments but it may be appropriate on occasion to find savings from one Department to cover increases in another as was done with the NHS this year. Minor transfers will continue in the normal course of business—for example, to meet the cost of new policy initiatives which fall outside the originating Departments.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the additional annual revenue which would accrue to the Treasury if the inheritance tax threshold was returned to the former rate of £150,000. [14704]

The full-year effect in 1997–98 of lowering the inheritance tax threshold from £215,000 to £150,00 is estimated to be an increase of £575 million in inheritance tax liability.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what differences in taxation methods apply between bets placed in (a) casinos and (b) betting shops; and if he will make a statement. [14911]

The gross gaming yield duty of a casino is liable to gaming duty. The gross gaming yield consists of the total value of stakes, minus players' winnings, on games in which the house is banker and participation charges on games in which the bank is shared by players.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to review the system of taxation of casinos. [14912]

Gaming duty replaced gaming licence duty on 1 October 1997. A post-implementation review will be conducted after 12 months to evaluate the impact of the changes.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the current licence fee paid by casinos; and if he will make a statement. [14913]

The requirement for a revenue gaming licence for casinos was removed when gaming duty replaced gaming licence duty on 1 October 1997.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was, in each of the last three years (a) the total amount taken by the casino industry across gaming tables and (b) the total amount paid by the casino industry by way of gaming licence duty in (i) Greater London and (ii) the United Kingdom excluding Greater London. [14914]

Customs do not record gaming licence duty receipts in a manner which allows for regional analysis. The annual receipts for the last three years are shown below.

Gaming licence duty receipts
(£'000s)
	Number
1994–95	72,263
1995–96	84,087
1996–97	79,407

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of people becoming unemployed cease to be unemployed within a year (a) in total and (b) broken down into (i) under-25s, (ii) those aged 25 to 44 and (iii) those over 44 years. [14939]

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Chief Executive of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the oral Statement by the Secretary of State for International Development, Official Report, 5 November, column 332, if he will instruct officials to serve coffee and tea furnished by suppliers who adhere to fair trade standards in his Department. [15499]

I refer to the answer which the Prime Minister has given today. All procurement decisions in the Treasury are based on the Government's policy of value for money.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Treasury review on reducing VAT on energy-saving materials will be published. [15620]

Customs have completed their review and are now preparing their report.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measurements of currency of invoice he makes in assessing the short-run impact of exchange rates changes on the economy; and if he will publish the data for the last five years. [15457]

[holding answer 11 November 1997]: Publication of regular data on currency of invoice ceased in 1988. Data for 1984–88 were provided to the hon. Member on 4 November 1997, Official Report, columns 101-02 in response to previous questions and the available evidence suggests that use of foreign currency is fairly stable over time.These data are used to inform the Treasury's assessment of the short-run impact of exchange rate changes on the economy.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what arrangements he has made for receiving observations on the document "UK Membership of the Single Currency: An Assessment of the Five Economic Tests"; and if he will publish a document containing the comments and conclusions of her Majesty's Government to any material received by them in relation to potential advantages and disadvantages of economic and monetary union. [15747]

Observations on the document in question can be addressed to Treasury Ministers. The Treasury has already published a report on the pros and cons of EMU by David Currie. There are no plans to publish a further document containing comments and conclusions on that report or on the assessment of the five economic tests. The Chancellor has said that a period of preparation is needed now, to address the practical steps that government and business will need to take before a final decision to join the single currency.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what progress has been made on Rolls-Royce's application for launch aid for the new Trent engine. [16392]

I am pleased to announce that the Government have agreed to provide a long-term investment of up to £200 million over the next four years to Rolls-Royce plc. towards the design and development of its important new range of Trent engines. This will extend the Trent family to enable it to power all the world's new large aircraft. For example, the Trent 500 has been selected by Airbus Industrie as the powerplant for the new A340-500/600, in a privileged partnership announced at the Paris Air Show in June 1997.The Government's support reflects the importance of this project to the UK economy and the clearly established need for public funds to enable it to go ahead. The agreement with Rolls-Royce embodies the Government's commitment to public-private partnerships and is a marked departure from the previous administration's approach to the civil aviation industry.The investment is genuinely commercial, and reflects the risk that the taxpayer has been asked to share. The Government and Rolls-Royce will share, as partners, in the future rewards from this engine programme. The Government intend that this approach will inform the consideration of any future applications for support from the civil aviation industry.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if Government Departments have now reported on their preparedness for the year 2000 problem; and when the results will be published. [14994]

I have been asked to reply.Within Government itself, Departments and Agencies are responsible for their own systems. The Central Information Technology Unit, through its agent the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency supports the public sector. As part of that support CITU and CCTA have identified a programme of action to ensure that Government's response to the year 2000 problem is co-ordinated and coherent. This involves each Government Department providing me with detailed and costed plans for dealing with the year 2000 date change problem as soon as possible after 1 October 1997.I am awaiting an analysis and report on these plans from the CITU and the CCTA so that I can form an overall picture of progress, costs and future plans. Once I have done so I will inform Parliament.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment she has made of the medium-term implications of US Commerce Department report "Offsets in Defence Trade 1997 [15290]

I have been asked to reply as responsibility for the subject matter falls to the Ministry of Defence.The US Department of Commerce report "Offsets in Defence Trade 1997" is still under consideration by the Ministry of Defence. I will write to my hon. Friend in due course.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what estimate she has made of the expenditure by (a) her Department, (b) its agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies, on (i) tax consultants and (ii) other external tax advice in (1) 1995–96, (2) 1996–97 and (3) 1997–98; and if she will make a statement.[13263]

[holding answer 5 November 1997]: Expenditure on external tax advice is undertaken in accordance with Treasury guidance. Information relating to expenditure on specific external advice is not held centrally and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.Chief Executives of the Department's Executive Agencies have been asked to respond separately.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what progress has been made in pressing for the Multilateral Agreement on Investment to include a legal requirement for parties not to lower environmental or labour standards in order to attract foreign investment.[15474]

Draft text on this issue has been discussed at the negotiations of the Multilateral Agreement on Investment in Paris. The UK is at the forefront of widespread but not universal support for such a legal requirement. We will continue to press the case up to the conclusion of the negotiations in April 1998.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans she has to make the use of animal testing a criterion for product labelling; and if she will make a statement. [13688]

[holding answer 4 November 1997]: The only animal testing issues for which my Department is responsible arise from regulations governing the supply of cosmetic products. This legislation, the Cosmetic Products (Safety) Regulations 1996, requires that where claims are made about the animal testing status of cosmetic products they should state clearly whether the tests carried out involved the product itself or its ingredients.The Cosmetics Directive (76/768/EEC), which the Regulations implement, is unsatisfactory in its treatment of animal testing issues. In particular, the ban on using ingredients which have been tested on animals (currently deferred until 30 June 2000) does not in any case apply to finished products which may have been tested on animals. I intend to press the Commission to bring forward proposals to amend the Directive and would expect other related issues, such as compulsory labelling of animal testing, to be raised by animal welfare groups at the same time. I shall, of course, consult the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection and other interested parties.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will list the number of export licences refused in respect of defence exports in each of the years 1979 to 1996. [15181]

[holding answer 10 November 1997]: I refer the hon. Member to my letter of 3 September to the hon. Member for Westbury (Mr. Faber) pursuant to my answer to him of 31 July, Official Report, column 627. A copy of that letter has been placed in the Library of the House.This answer should be read in the context of my answer to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Don Valley (Caroline Flint) on 30 October 1997,

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will make a statement on the safeguards training assistance currently being conducted by British Nuclear Fuels in the former Soviet Union. [14716]

My Department has in recent years funded a range of collaborative activities designed to help improve nuclear safeguards and nuclear materials accountancy and control arrangements in the former Soviet Union. Details have been provided in papers presented at a number of international safeguards symposia, copies of which have been placed in the Library of the House.Work involving safeguards experts from BNFL and their counterparts from the Mayak reprocessing plant in Russia has been a particularly important aspect of these activities. This has yielded improvements in nuclear materials accountancy practices at Mayak and also recommendations on further work necessary to bring these practices into line with those at more modern reprocessing plants. The substantial funding necessary to implement fully the recommended programme of nuclear materials accountancy improvements at Mayak is being sought from the European Union's TACIS programme.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will make a statement on the current level of trade between Britain and China. [14692]

The latest information on the level of trade between the UK and China is given in the table.

UK trade with China—current prices, balance of payments basis
£ million
	Goods			Services
	Exports	Imports	Total trade	Exports	Imports	Total trade
1990	451	539	990	197	67	264
1991	311	651	962	187	74	261
1992	420	883	1,303	142	82	224
1993	748	1,272	2,020	163	126	289
1994	861	1,582	2,443	180	152	332
1995	826	1,829	2,655	200	160	360
1996	740	2,087	2.827	225	150	375

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will make a statement on the current level of trade between Britain and Yemen. [14973]

The latest information on the level of trade between the UK and Yemen is given in the table.

UK trade in goods with Yemen—current prices, overseas trade statistics basis
£ million
	Goods
	Exports	Imports	Total
1990	70·8	36·2	107·1
1991	65·2	16·8	82·0
1992	78·4	56·9	135·3
1993	85·5	16·1	101·5
1994	74·6	5·1	79·6
1995	66·8	4·1	70·9
1996	74·2	8·4	82·6

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage of claims for disability living allowance have been (a) refused and (b) granted after appeal in each month since April 1996 in (i) Great Britain and (ii) each region. [14737]

[holding answer 7 November 1997]: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is set out in the table.Disability Living Allowance statistics do not distinguish between reviews and appeals relating to first claims, and reviews and appeals relating to existing awards. A claim may be successful on review or appeal for a variety of reasons, for example because additional information has been received or the claimant's condition has deteriorated.