To ask the Prime Minister on how many occasions since 1 May 1997 Cabinet Ministers have instructed their permanent secretary to investigate matters involving the Secretary of State's personal, family or constituency interests. [34529]

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much of her overall bilateral aid budget in (a) 1997–98, (b) 1998–99 and (c) 1999–2000 will be delivered through local co-operative, mutual or community-owned organisations. [35104]

I regret that my Department does not allocate or record expenditure in this way. Many bilateral aid projects work with and through local NGOs, groups and people.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list planned expenditure on hospitality for April and May, indicating the date, location and purpose of each event. [35126]

Neither I nor the Under-Secretary of State has planned any major events which will involve hospitality for April or May.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the assistance her Department is providing to projects in Burundi. [35205]

Since October 1993, the UK has provided over £38.6 million in humanitarian assistance to Burundi; including our share of assistance provided through the European Commission. Our bilateral assistance is channelled through UN agencies and international Non-Governmental Organisations. We also continue to be a major supporter of human rights work in Burundi. This month, we pledged a further £0.8 million to the UN's human rights operation.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to review the enforcement of compensation orders; and what assessment he has made of the advantages of establishing a victim compensation fund. [35064]

The Government have implemented provisions in the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997, currently being piloted in Norfolk and Manchester, which will allow courts to impose community service orders, curfew orders or a disqualification from driving for up to 12 months on those in default of paying fines or compensation orders. This Act also enables courts to impose an attendance centre order on such a defaulter aged under 25 where this had previously been possible only for those under 21. The Working Group on the Enforcement of Financial Penalties, set up by the Lord Chancellor's Department, continues to look for improvements in the enforcement of financial penalties and has issued good practice guidance to magistrates' courts on the subject.The question of whether those awarded compensation by the courts should receive payment from some sort of central compensation fund is being reconsidered as part of the current comprehensive spending review.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he discussed with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland his consideration of the case for refusal of extradition in respect of Ms R. McAliskey. [34531]

No such discussion took place.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will agree to set in motion consideration of a prosecution of Ms R. McAliskey if requested to do so by the German authorities; [34536](2) if he will list the matters he will take into consideration before deciding whether a prosecution of Ms R. McAliskey in this country is justified. [34535]

Article 7 of the European Convention on the Suppression of Terrorism requires that any such matter be referred to the United Kingdom prosecuting authorities for consideration. Article 7 also requires that their decision to prosecute be taken in the same manner as in the case of an offence of comparable seriousness alleged to have been committed in the United Kingdom.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department at what precise time on 9 March the Irish Government (a) Ministers and (b) officials were informed that he had decided not to extradite Ms R. McAliskey to Germany. [34538]

I spoke to the Irish Minister of Justice at 5.30pm on 9 March, and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland spoke to the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs at 6pm. Irish officials were also informed.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department at what precise time on 9 March he released to the press his decision not to extradite Ms R. McAliskey to Germany. [34537]

A Home Office press statement was issued at 6pm on 9 March.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the medical advice on which he based his decision not to extradite Ms R. McAliskey. [34530]

No. It is confidential material.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what account he took of the Pre-Budget report of the Environmental Audit Committee Session 1997–98, HC 547 in framing the proposals for his Budget. [35034]

[holding answer 18 March 1998]: The Environmental Audit Committee's report was published on 10 March. It was not possible to give detailed consideration to the Committee's recommendations at that late stage of the Budget preparations. The Government will, however, formally respond to the Committee's report in due course.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proposals he has received from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for improvements to the efficiency with which that Department conducts its business and delivers services to the public, including the scope for extending the use of public and private partnerships. [35138]

[holding answer 19 March 1998]: Proposals for efficiency improvement in all departments are being addressed in the context of the Comprehensive Spending Review. The results of this review will be announced this summer.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what factors governed the length of time taken to answer the letter from the hon. Member for North Essex of 28 November 1997 relating to Government policy on EMU. [35417]

Inquiries have revealed that the hon. Member's letter was mislaid during an accommodation move in the Treasury and only recently came to light. This is regrettable; steps have been taken to ensure no other correspondence has been affected in this way.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what proposals he has to permit credit unions greater control over the definition of their common bond and to permit the merger of credit unions; and if he will make a statement; [35048]

I have met with the Association of British Credit Unions. The Government support fully the credit unions' ethos of self help and thrift, and the encouragement they give people to save. We are currently examining ways—including some of those which the hon. Member has raised—to promote further growth, whilst continuing the movement's current focus on poorer communities. We will announce our intentions once the deliberations are complete.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he intends to undertake a review of the Defence Bills Agency. [35892]

The Defence Bills Agency, DBA, which was launched in 1995, is responsible for:

(a) paying and accounting for bills submitted by MOD's suppliers and contractors;

(b) raising invoices and pursuing moneys receivable for goods and services sold by MOD;

(c) maintaining accounting records for the MOD central ledger;

(d) providing accounting and management information on all these activities to MOD managers.

In accordance with the DBA's framework document, a periodic review of the Agency is underway. The performance of the DBA since its launch will be evaluated and a review of the options for the best management of its functions will be undertaken. Comments and contributions from those with an interest in DBA and its work will be welcomed. They should be sent by 31 May 1998 to:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his policy in respect of selecting national champions from amongst United Kingdom suppliers bidding for defence export orders; and if he will make a statement. [34710]

As a general policy the Ministry of Defence, by means of the Defence Export Services Organisation, DESO, provides equal support to all United Kingdom suppliers bidding for defence export orders. However, both Government and industry accept that, where there is a likelihood of competing British firms damaging each others' prospects and thereby jeopardising British success, DESO should concentrate its support on the company most likely to win.In adopting this approach we aim to work by mutual agreement with industry and the following general principles are applied:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the cost of the refurbishment of his official residence since 1 May. [25183]

[holding answer 23 January 1998]: The total amount paid for the repair and refurbishment of my official residence in Admiralty House was £16,546.53.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has (a) to reduce the number of car parking spaces available for use by staff and (b) to introduce charges for staff using workplace car parking spaces. [32457]

[holding answer 3 March 1998]: In line with the Guide to green transport plans circulated last September by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, my Department will be considering this issue in preparing Green Transport Plans for its key buildings.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has receiving concerning a pardon for service personnel executed in the First World War; and if he will make a statement. [35141]

I have received a number of written representations and am holding meetings with a number of leading contributors to the debate as part of my ongoing consideration of this matter. It was in this context that, on Wednesday 18 March, I met at my request, two of the foremost experts in the field, Judge Anthony Babington and Julian Putkowski.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he intends to publish his review of the cases involving the execution of soldiers during the First World War; and if he will make a statement. [35401]

The review is in progress. No final decisions have yet been taken. I will announce my conclusions when the review is complete.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what factors led his Department's personnel to donate a tour of RAF Leeming to the British Field Sports Society; what guidance his Department issues on such matters; and if he will ensure that similar tours are provided on request for groups opposed to field sports. [35222]

[holding answer 19 March 1998]: Visits to RAF Stations by local organisations and local residents are made generally at the discretion of station commanders. They are designed primarily to maintain and promote good relations with the local communities and to raise awareness and understanding of the Royal Air Force, and particularly of the functions of a station and the reasons why its operational activities, which can be intrusive, are nevertheless necessary. All requests for such visits should and will be judged in this overall context.It is in this context that RAF Leeming donated a tour of the Station as a prize for a charity auction being run by a local landowner, the proceeds of which went to the British Field Sports Society.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of the armed forces are from the ethnic minorities, broken down into percentage figures for (a) officers and (b) other ranks for each of the following categories (i) RN/RM, (ii) Regular Army, (iii) RAF, (iv) RNR/RMR, (v) Territorial Army and (vi) RAAF. [35552]

The latest available figures show that at 1 January 1998, personnel from the ethnic minorities represented about 1 per cent. of the total Regular Armed Forces strength. Ethnic minorities represented: 0.94 per cent. officers and 0.72 per cent. other ranks in the Naval Service; 0.94 per cent. officers and 1.05 per cent. other ranks in the Army; and 1.12 per cent. officers and 1.27 per cent. other ranks in the RAF. No information is collected at present about the number of people from ethnic minorities in any of the Reserve Forces. I hope, however, to be able to make an announcement shortly about the introduction of ethnic monitoring among the Reserve Forces.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what stocks of anti-personnel mines the United Kingdom holds outside United Kingdom territories. [35070]

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is the source of the thallium cited in tables 4.65–4.66 of the Government Agency's volume, "Monitoring at Castle Cement"; what was the total thallium content, gas phase and particulate phase of emissions to air on 28 and 29 October 1996; and what factors underlie the difference in thallium inputs and outputs between the No. 5, No. 6 and No. 7 stacks. [34455]

The Environment Agency has advised my officials that some 75–80% of thallium emitted in the cement manufacture process comes from the raw material used, with the remainder emanating from the fuel. The Agency further advises that Tables 4.65 and 4.66 of the Air Quality Monitoring Report indicate that the total amount of thallium released to air from kilns 5 and 6 was 0.02kg on each of 28 and 29 October 1996, with 95% being emitted in the particulate phase. The Environment Agency has explained that kilns 5 and 6 use the "wet" production process, whilst kiln 7 use the "dry" process. The two types of process differ in many characteristics including releases. Differences in thallium releases are a feature of the difference in process technology and are higher in the "dry" process. A wet scrubber due to be installed on kiln 7 in April will reduce emissions of thallium from that kiln. The Environment Agency has advised that it is in the process of making further investigations into thallium and that it would be happy to provide further information direct.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is the Government's policy on the designation of footways for the use of shared facilities in respect of pedestrians and cyclists. [34547]

Shared use facilities do not offer a ubiquitous solution to providing better conditions for cyclists. They are very much a last resort measure, where there is a safety problem which cannot be solved on the road.Conversion of a footway to a cycle track may be feasible in ensuring the continuity of a cycle route where numbers of pedestrians are low, or where there is a road safety problem which cannot be solved on the carriageway. Decisions on what is appropriate in particular cases fall to individual local highway authorities, who are able to take account of local circumstances.The Department intends to review existing guidance to local authorities, and to update it so that it fully reflects policies for promoting both cycling and walking. The review process will involve consultation with interested organisations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is the timescale for completion of the informal review of the Single Regeneration Budget; and if he will make a statement. [35090]

The review of regeneration policy, including the Single Regeneration Budget, is part of the input to the Government's comprehensive spending review. The outcome of the comprehensive spending review is expected to be announced in the summer.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if the concession agreement between the Highways Agency and Midland Expressway contains provisions relating to the M6 and M6 widening; and if he will make a statement. [35053]

No, except to the extent that the agreement deals with the engineering and operational links of the BNRR to the M6.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what are (a) the number of staff employed at, (b) the salary bill for and (c) the administrative costs of (i) the Marine Accident Investigation Branch and (ii) the Air Accident Investigation Branch at each office in (1) London, (2) the South East of England and (3) Scotland. [34777]

[holding answer 18 March 1998]: The information requested is as follows:

	1996–97 outturn	1997–98 outturn forecast
Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB)1
Number of staff	20	20
Pay costs	618,000	650,000
Non-pay costs	153,000	180,000
Programme costs	71,000	180,000
Total costs	842,000	1,010,000
Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB)2
Number of staff	43	43
Pay costs	2,116,000	2,160,000
Non-pay costs	851,000	474,000
Programme costs	447,000	474,000
Total costs	3,414,000	3,549,000
1The MAIB are located at a single site in Southampton
2The AAIB are located at a single site in Farnborough

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what would be the saving in construction costs if the planned split-level roundabout proposal for the western end of the A27 Polegate bypass were to be replaced by an at-grade one. [35223]

[holding answer 19 March 1998]: 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 if he will discuss (a) human rights and (b) Tibet with the Chinese Government during his visit in June; and if he will report the results of his visit to the House on his return. [35543]

I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 3 March 1998, Official Report, column 546.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when the Government will announce the submission of further areas to the European Commission as candidate special areas of conservation. [36013]

A further list of UK proposals has today been sent to the European Commission. This consists of 24 new candidate Special Areas of Conservation, boundary extensions to 13 existing sites already submitted to the Commission as candidate SACs and the addition of further qualifying interests on another 10 candidate SACs. This represents a significant step forward in the implementation of the Natura 2000 network in the UK.Consideration continues to be given to the few remaining sites included in the two consultation exercises carried out in March 1995 and October 1997 which have not yet been submitted to the Commission. I hope to announce the submission of further sites in the near future.The list of proposals sent to the Commission is as follows.

New Sites	Boundary changes to existing sites	Changes to interest of existing sites (within existing boundary)
England
Lower Bostraze and Leswidden	Isles of Scilly Complex	Dartmoor
Newlyn downs	The Lizard	Chesil and the Fleet Asby Complex
South Devon Shore Dock	Rooksmoor	Roudsea Woods and Mosses
River Ehen	St. Albans Head to Durlston Head	Norfolk Valley Fens
Wast Water	Border Mires (Kielder to Butterburn)	Wasdale Screes
Rook Clift	Morecambe Bay Pavements
Grimsthorpe	Blean Complex
Barnack Hills and Holes	East Hampshire Hangers
Devils Dyke	North Northumberland Dunes

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will list the financial assistance provided in each of the last three years to groups interested in the welfare of (a) prisoners and (b) victims of crime. [33791]

The information requested is as follows.The Department of the Environment provides the following support to prisoners and victims of crime all of which are supported by the 26 EU district partnerships.

Project	Grant amount £
(a) Prisoners
Armagh Ex-prisoners Association	1,875.00
Ex-prisoners Interpretative Centre	3,750.00
Prison Arts Foundation	3,084.00
South Belfast Prisoners Enterprise Project	2,250.00
Prisoners Aid Post Conflict Resettlement Group	2,250.00
Tar Anall Drop-in-Centre	3,750.00
Tar Anall Drop-in-Centre	1,500.00
North Belfast Prisoners Aid	3,750.00
Prison Arts Foundation	750.00
Teacht Na Failte, Prisoner Dependent Welfare	1,500.00
Prison Arts Foundation	3,750.00
NIACRO Omagh Workshop	19,332.00
NIACRO	19,382.00
NIACRO	19,932.00
Derry Taxi Association	18,000.00
Lisburn Enterprise Organisation Ltd	7,050.00
Prison Arts Foundation	60,000.00
LINC Resource Centre	13,750.00

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to her answer of 26 February 1998, Official Report, columns 336–37, on what statutory authority she authorised to the Standing Advisory Commission on Human Rights to provide advice on issues beyond those set out in its statutory remit; and on what statutory basis it is permitted to expend moneys in such circumstances. [34615]

Given the broad terms in which it is cast, the advisory role which the Standing Advisory Commission on Human Rights has under section 20 of the Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973 is wide. Successive Governments have acted on this basis, but have also sought advice on other issues from SACHR on an extra-statutory basis. All of SACHR's functions are paid for by moneys provided by Parliament from the Northern Ireland Office Administrative, Law, Order, Protective and Miscellaneous Services, Class XV Vote 1.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if it is the Government's policy to encourage Wimbledon football club to relocate to Northern Ireland. [35270]

[holding answer 19 March 1998]: I believe that, in general, major sporting and cultural events can bring significant direct and indirect economic benefits to Northern Ireland, help to bring the two sides of the community together, and assist in projecting a more positive image of the area to an international audience. The relocation of any football or other sporting club to Northern Ireland is, however, a matter for that club and the relevant governing bodies in the sport concerned.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which Minister authorised civil servants in her Department to seek to persuade Wimbledon football club to relocate to Northern Ireland. [35269]

[holding answer 19 March 1998]: There has been some exploratory correspondence and discussion at both Ministerial and official level initiated by a group of Northern Ireland business people about their outline concept for building a new sports stadium in Belfast. There has been no contact between civil servants and Wimbledon football club seeking to persuade that club to relocate to Northern Ireland.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will list the number of (a) claims brought and (b) occasions when compensation was paid, by courts in Northern Ireland in respect of injuries received at work in each of the last five years indicating the number of injuries recorded per 100,000 persons at work in Northern Ireland in each year or as much information as is readily available to her. [34574]

I have asked to reply. The information requested is not immediately available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is his current estimate of the expenditure of his Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies on hospitality since 1 May 1997. [27785]

[holding answer 5 February 1998]: Expenditure by the Department, and reported by its agency and non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) on hospitality since May 1997 is shown in the table:

	£
DfEE	12,000
Employment Service	3,000
NDPBs
Educational Communications and Technology Agency	1500
Centre for Information on Language Teaching & Research	0
Construction Industry Training Board	12,000
Education Assets Board	0
Engineering Construction Industry Training Board	115,000
Equal Opportunities Commission	12,700
Funding Agency for Schools	0
Further Education Funding Council	16,300
Higher Education Funding Council	18,000
Investors in People UK	1200
Qualifications and Curriculum Authority	10,000
Remploy Ltd	45,000
Students Loan Company	0
Teacher Training Agency	500
Special Educational Needs Tribunal	0
1NDPBs that could provide only estimated figures are highlighted.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the conferences held by his Department since 1 May 1997, giving in each case the (a) purpose and (b) estimated cost. [27784]

[holding answer 5 February 1998]: Details of the conferences held by the Department since 1 May 1997, giving (a) their purpose and (b) their estimated cost, are shown in the table.

Title	Purpose	Cost (£)
Employment Service—Way	A planning conference for ES	27,280
Ahead Conference (May	staff
1997)
Launch of White Paper	The national launch of the	15,386
'Excellence in Schools'	Excellence in Schools'
(7 July 1997)	White Paper
Skills and Enterprise Network	To disseminate information	7,100
Conference (9–10 July	and network with those
1997)	working in the field of
	labour market information
Excellence in Schools—White	A series of seven regional	129,000
Paper (9–18 September)	conferences held in
	London, Birmingham,
	Newcastle, Sheffield,
	Bristol and Manchester to
	consult on the proposals
	contained in the Excellence
	in Schools White Paper
Disabilities Services National	To promote Employment	550
Conference (August 1997)	Service disability services
New Deal—Consultation	A series of consultation	88335
Conferences (August 1997)	conferences for potential
	'New Deal' partners
Additional New Deal—	A further consultation	27,000
Consultation Conference	conference for potential
(September 1997)	'New Deal' partners
Employment Service—Way	A further series of planning	47,335
Ahead Conference	conferences for ES staff
(September 1997)
Emotional and Behavioural	A series of regional	12,000
Difficulties	workshops for practitioners
(September-October 1997)	and specialists in emotional
	and behavioural difficulties,
	to disseminate good
	practice
National Literacy Strategy	To encourage Local Education	49,888
Conference (20 October	Authorities and the
1997)	Department of Education
	and Employment to work
	together on the national
	literacy strategy and to
	launch the bidding guidance
	and discuss content
Special Educational Needs—	Series of regional consultation	31,000
Green Paper Conferences	conferences
(October 1997)
Disability Discrimination Act	Series of regional conferences	32,000
(October-November 1997)	covering disability in the
	context of the Disability
	Discrimination Act
Early Years Development	A series of conferences to	35,000
Plans—Conferences	advise Local Educational
(October-November 1997)	Authorities on developing
	Early Years Development
	Plans
Qualifying for Success	A series of conferences to	115,000
(October-December 1997)	consult schools and Higher
	Educational Institutions on
	the proposals for reforming
	16–19 qualifications

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is his estimate of the cost of theft and fraud to (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies in (i) 1995–96, (ii) 1996–97 and (iii)1997–98 to date. [27782]

[holding answer 5 February 1998]: Details of the information provided to compile the Department's 1995–96 and 1996–97 annual returns to Treasury and that collected for 1997–98 to date is as follows:

£
	1995–96	1996–97	1997–98 to date
DfEE
Internal	41,147	21,195	18,750
External	201,000	8,600	118,931
Its agencies
Internal	26,144	549,729	3,900
External	1,020,000	275,500	25,800
NDBP
Internal	22,995	3,254	11,886
External	463,964	149,245	127,150

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list those items valued at more than £25 stolen or lost from his Department since 1 May 1997; and if he will make a statement. [27783]

[holding answer 5 February 1998]: Details of items stolen or lost from this Department since 1 May 1997 which have been reported for recording in the losses register are as follows:

Items	Circumstances	Value (£)
Lap top computers (2)	Lost/stolen in the post	2,531
Lap top	Stolen from car of visiting officer	2,200
All thefts from Sanctuary Buildings
Palm top computer		400
Lap top computers (3)		3,900
Answering Machine		30
Portable Printer		300
Lap top computer		1,200
Notebook computer		1,200
Hayes Optima		80
Lap top computers		4,000
Flat bed scanner		680
Total		18,021

The level of reported thefts from Sanctuary Buildings has given cause for concern. As a result guidance has been issued by the Director of PSSD to all staff on increased vigilance in the safeguarding of assets. If the thefts continue, further security measures will be considered.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many applications from mature students were received in the year 1997–98; and how many there are for the forthcoming year. [35413]

Centrally held information on applications to higher education courses covers only those applying through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) for full-time and sandwich degree, DipHE and HND courses. It therefore excludes those applying for part-time and post-graduate courses and also those who apply direct to the institutions rather than through UCAS.The UCAS data for the 1997–98 academic year show that 97,400 or 24% of home applicants to full-time and sandwich undergraduate courses in the UK were mature students. Final figures for the 1998–99 academic year will not be available until the autumn, but the latest figures published by UCAS show that, as at 15 December, the number of applications from mature students was 18% down compared with the same point in 1997–98. This fall in part reflects trends in demographics and the numbers of potential entrants with the relevant entry qualifications. Even so, these figures are not a particularly good guide to final numbers for mature applicants as typically only 50% apply as at that date. More recent evidence suggests some recovery in mature applicant numbers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what provision will be made for childcare for children of mature students whose spouses are in full-time work. [35414]

FE Colleges are often ideally placed to help parents, including those who are taking vocational and other courses to further their employment prospects, by providing on-site childcare. The Government have allocated £5 million to the Further Education Funding Council for 1998–99 to increase the out of school childcare provision available in FE colleges.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was the ratio of mature students to non-mature students in higher education in each of the past five years; and what are the figures for the forthcoming year. [35412]

The figures for the five years up to 1996–97 are given in the table. Figures for 1997–98 are not yet available. Although the Department produces projections of total student numbers these are not disaggregated by age.

Full-time and part-time home postgraduate and undergraduate students in Great Britain (excluding the Open University)
Academic year	All students (000)	Percentage mature1
1992–93	1,197.4	55
1993–94	1,305.6	57
1994–95	1,423.2	58
1995–96	1,473.2	60
1996–97	1,521.2	60
1Mature undergraduates are defined as those aged 21 or over. Mature postgraduates are defined as those aged 25 and over.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to change the repayment schedules of existing student loans. [35415]

We have no plans to change the repayment schedules of loans taken out under the existing scheme. The Education (Student Loans) Act 1998 which came into force on 1 March 1998 fixed the repayment terms of existing loans and they cannot unilaterally be changed by the Government or any other party involved in the administration of student loans.The Education (Student Loans) Regulations 1998 have improved the repayment terms for some disabled borrowers who can now qualify for an extended repayment schedule or deferment period if they are in receipt of certain disability benefits.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many people are employed at each of the offices of the Funding Agency for Schools; and on what contractual terms. [35544]

The information requested is presented in tabular form:

Head count by contract type (as at 28 February 1998)
	York	Darlington	London	Total
Permanent	146	88	8	242
Loan	14	32	0	46
Fixed Term contract	27	24	0	51
Casual/Long Term temps	12	14	0	26
Total	199	158	8	365

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what targets he has set for the New Deal in the Colchester Employment Service District; and if he will estimate the cost of achieving them. [35416]

National targets for the New Deal will be included in the 1998–99 Annual Performance Agreement with the Employment Service, which will be published soon. The ES will then set its own targets at District level to reflect local circumstances. The programme has been designed to meet the individual needs of unemployed people within each locality and as a result it is not possible to predict what type of help will be most suitable for everyone, or what its cost will be.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has to publish the report of the Review Committee on Listed Events. [35715]

The independent advisory group under the chairmanship of Lord Gordon of Strathblane has completed its deliberations and submitted its report to me. I have today placed copies in the Libraries of the House. The final decision on what changes, if any, to make to the current list is mine, and I expect to announce that decision within the next few weeks.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what grants have been given to the England and Wales Cricket Board in each of the last five years from (a) the Sports Council, (b) the National Lottery and (c) other public funds. [35329]

[holding answer 19 March 1998]: The information requested is as follows:

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Lewes (Mr. Baker) of 19 February 1998, Official Report, column 851, on ministerial travel, what was the purpose of his visit to Leigh Day & Co., Solicitors, London on 15 January; what has been the outcome; and if he will make a statement. [34540]

I was invited on 4 November by Leigh Day & Co. solicitors to visit their firm to discuss the Government's proposals regarding legal aid. As with all visits to practitioners, I found the discussion very useful.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor' s Department what was the largest sum of money granted towards legal aid costs in a single case in 1997. [34713]

It is not possible to answer the question in the form requested as our records contain only closed cases. The most expensive closed case in 1996/97 financial year was R. v. Maxwell & Others which concluded in September 1996. The costs to the Legal Aid fund of this case to date are £14.85 million. Although all claims have now been determined, eight bills remain to be re-determined and therefore it is not yet possible to give the final cost of the case.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what was the total amount of money granted in legal aid in 1997. [34714]

The total of Gross payments (including payments on account) made during 1996/97, the last full year for which records are available, from the Legal Aid Fund for Criminal Legal Aid in the Higher Courts was £1,923.54 million. Over the same period, receipts totalled £447.87 million. Net expenditure (including payments on account) was £1,475.67 million.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the number of (a) claims brought and (b) occasions when compensation was paid, by English courts in respect of injuries received at work in each of the last five years indicating the number of injuries recorded per 100,000 persons at work in England in each year or as much information as is readily available to him. [34573]

For the county courts, information is collected centrally only on the total number of personal injury claims issued and cases heard in England and Wales. It is not broken down into the number of claims brought or occasions when compensation was paid in respect of injuries received at work. The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. In the High Court, the only information available is the number of personal injury cases disposed of after being set down for trial. Again, these data are not available by type of claim or by region and could also be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans she has to hold, during the British presidency bilateral meetings with EU member and applicant states to discuss the need for computer systems to be millennium compliant; and if she will make a statement. [33864]

The century date change was on the agenda at the 26 February Telecommunications Council and will be discussed again at the next Telecommunications Council on 19 May. It was also raised at the European Conference in London on 12 March, and I will be discussing the matter at all suitable opportunities with my Ministerial counterparts. The UK will also be hosting an EU Millennium Bug Conference in May.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will list the bodies within the responsibility of her Department currently required by legislation to lay a report before Parliament. [33564]

[holding answer 9 March 1998]: I am not aware of any bodies within the responsibility of my Department which are currently required by legislation to lay a report before Parliament in their own right. However, a number report to me and I am then required to lay their report before Parliament. They are:

• Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS)
• Atomic Energy Authority
• British Shipbuilders
• British Steel Corporation
• Certification Officer
• Coal Authority
• Commissioner for Protection against Unlawful Industrial Action
• Commissioner for the Rights of Trade Union Members
• Director General of Electricity Supply (OFFER)
• Director General of Fair Trading (OFT)
• Director General of Gas Supply (OFGAS)
• Director General of Telecommunications (OFTEL)
• Monopolies and Mergers Commission
• National Research and Development Council
• Post Office
• Post Office Users' Councils.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will publish a list of non-departmental public bodies (a) she has abolished since 1 May 1997 and (b) she has established since 1 May 1997; and what are the planned annual running costs of those that have been established since 1 May 1997. [34832]

[holding answer 17 March 1998]: Since 1 May 1997, my Department has abolished one non-departmental public body—the Advisory Committee for the Joint Environment Markets Units. It has also established one—the Spectrum Management Advisory Group. This Group is an advisory body and will not need running costs provision.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many times the Taskforce on Vertical Agreements has met since its inception. [35209]

There have been five meetings of the working group of the task force and one meeting of the review group.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans she has to bring mobile phone companies under OFTEL. [34524]

[holding answer 16 March 1998]: Mobile phone companies, like all other telecommunications operators, are licensed under the Telecommunications Act 1984 and regulated by OFTEL. In regulating the provision of licensed telecommunication services, the Director of Telecommunications may refer matters which he considers operate or may be expected to operate against the public interest to the MMC and ask whether any effects adverse to the public interest could be remedied by way of licence modification.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans the Government have to subsidise the generators to burn additional volumes of coal. [35228]

[holding answer 19 March 1998]: Choice of energy sources for power stations is currently the subject of a Government Review. I refer the right hon. Gentleman to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Rugby and Kenilworth (Mr. King) of 22 December 1997, Official Report, columns 519–20.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment she has made of the additional electricity demand that will arise from the introduction of digital television; and if she will calculate the additional Carbon Dioxide emissions that will arise based on different estimates of the use of digital television. [34417]

I understand that the power rating of different digital set top boxes are currently expected to be in the range of 10–30 Watts; equivalent to a low power light-bulb. It is expected that this will fall as refinements are made to designs. How much this adds to electricity demand and Carbon Dioxide emissions will depend, as with current analogue decoders, on how long consumers leave their decoders switched on, and how quickly they adopt digital television services. It is not possible to predict either of these factors with any certainty at this stage. The net impact in the longer-term will also be affected by the savings in energy consumption, estimated at roughly 5 Mega Watts, from eventual closure of the analogue transmitters which are always on and which run at significantly higher power levels than their digital replacements.

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will ensure that the MMC inquiry into the milk market will investigate margins and returns earned by major dairy firms. [33739]

The reference into the supply of raw milk in Great Britain was made by the Director General of Fair Trading (DGFT) under the Fair Trading Act 1973. He asked the Monopolies and Mergers Commission (MMC) to investigate because of concerns he has about the competitiveness of the milk market in Great Britain. The reference was framed by the DGFT to enable the MMC to look at all aspects of the supply of raw milk in England, Wales and Scotland. It is for the MMC to decide what factors they will take into consideration in the course of their inquiry, within the framework of the reference.The hon. Member should submit his views on margins and returns earned by major dairies to the MMC (The Reference Secretary, Milk), MMC, New Court, Carey Street, London WC2A 2JT.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what initiatives his Department is taking to increase the recruitment and retention of medical staff in the rural areas of Wales. [34356]

General practitioners working in rural areas are able to obtain assistance under their remuneration system by claiming Rural Practice payments, an Associate allowance and an Inducement allowance if eligible.In July 1997 I announced the setting up of an Equity Fund of £0.5 million to help address local recruitment and retention problems. Additionally, the Government identified in the Primary Care Act 1997 a range of flexibilities for addressing local service needs and recruitment difficulties.In 1998–99, health authorities in Wales will receive an additional £3.9 million increase to their cash limited budget for GP practice staff and premises. This is a 7.8 per cent. cash increase on last year or a 5.0 per cent. increase in real terms growth. The budget includes provision, at health authority discretion, to reimburse GPs a proportion of practice staff costs which may include the employment of salaried doctors and practice nurses.