To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what plans his Department has to correspond electronically with (a) hon. Members and (b) members of the public. [49812]

[holding answer 13 July 1998]: A variety of different methods of replying electronically to Written Parliamentary Questions is being tested in consultation with the authorities of both Houses of Parliament. These tests are continuing, and we will report on the conclusions as soon as possible.

To ask the Prime Minister (1) if he will list the 10 longest-serving Lord-Lieutenants; [50258](2) how many Lord-Lieutenants he has appointed. [50364]

On my advice, Her Majesty has appointed 3 Lord-Lieutenants.The ten longest serving Lord-Lieutenants are:

To ask the President of the Council what plans she has to correspond electronically with (a) hon. Members and (b) members of the public. [49881]

[holding answer 13 July 1998]: Under plans for the development of the Government Secure Intranet (GSI), my office expects to be in a position to correspond electronically with hon. Members and the general public by the Autumn. I would also refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster gave today, Official Report, column 315.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what representations he has received concerning the Scriveners Company and the provision of notarial services in central London. [50131]

My Department wrote to interested parties on 29 May to ask for their views on whether the Government should seek to abolish the current statutory requirement that public notaries can practise in the City of London and the surrounding three miles only if they are members of the Scriveners Company. Representations on this subject have been received from a number of individuals and from:

• Messrs. Hartwig;
• Messrs. John Venn & Sons;
• The Association of Solicitor Notaries in Greater London;
• The Faculty Office of the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury;
• The Law Society of England and Wales;
• The Notaries' Society;
• The Office of Fair Trading;
• The Scriveners Company;
• The Society of Public Notaries of London.

The Lord Chancellor hopes to announce the Government's decision in due course.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to modify his Department's restrictions on deaf people serving as magistrates. [50073]

There is no absolute prohibition on deaf people serving as magistrates. The Lord Chancellor welcomes applications for the magistracy from deaf people who have the capacity, whether with technical aids or otherwise, to follow court proceedings and carry out the range of magisterial duties.

To ask the Minister without Portfolio what meetings he has held with individuals, companies or other organisations regarding sponsorship of zones within the Millennium Dome; if he will list them; and who was responsible for taking the notes at each meeting. [51276]

I attend meetings with individuals, companies and other organisations on sponsorship of the Millennium Experience on a regular basis in the course of my Ministerial duties.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how he plans to reduce the injury rate amongst (a) cyclists, (b) pedestrians and (c) motorcyclists in London; and if he will list his Department's advisers on accident reduction. [48191]

The emphasis in London, as for the rest of the country, will be on a continuing programme of initiatives co-ordinating education, enforcement and engineering.The Government are funding the London boroughs, the Highways Agency and the Traffic Director for London, to implement safety schemes. In addition, they are seeking ways to achieve further understanding of the causes, and co-ordinate that knowledge to promote good practice for the reduction of accidents among vulnerable road users, by working with the Association of London Government and the London Accident Analysis Unit. We will be bringing forward further measures to improve the safety of vulnerable road users as part of our new road safety strategy.The Department has the following external advisers on road accident research:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he expects the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Salisbury, dated 22 May, about delays on the A316 in Twickenham. [49873]

The Chief Executive of the Highways Agency replied on 6 July. I apologise for the length of the delay in replying to the hon. Member's letter.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many £500 grants have been made for the conversion of vehicles to cleaner fuels. [50332]

As announced in the Budget, on 17 March 1998, Official Report, columns 1097–1112, the Government intend to introduce from 1 January 1999, concessionary rates of vehicle excise duty (VED)—worth up to £500—for lorries and buses meeting stringent emissions standards. Thus no vehicles have yet benefited from this concession.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what grants the Government propose to make available for the conversion of taxi cabs to use road fuel gas. [50965]

The Government are funding the Energy Saving Trust's Powershift programme which provides grants towards the conversion of vehicles to run on alternative fuels. The duty on road fuel gases has been frozen for two successive Budgets with a commitment in the July 1997 Budget to maintain the differential that existed at that time between the duty on road fuel gases and the duty on diesel.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will introduce a pilot scheme to monitor the benefits of taxi cabs running on road fuel gas. [50966]

My Department has already been involved in research on the environmental benefits of running a taxi on road fuel gases and we will continue to monitor developments in this area. In addition, the Public Carriage Office is working with manufacturers to encourage the development of alternative greener engines and fuels. The Cleaner Vehicles Task Force has also set up a sub-group to consider the merits of the potential for wider use of alternative fuels. The Energy Saving Trust's Powershift programme, funded by Government, provides grants towards alternatively fuelled vehicles, and the costs and performance of vehicles purchased under the scheme will be monitored and evaluated.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what measures he proposes to assist the conversion of buses to use road fuel gases. [51034]

The Government are funding the Energy Saving Trust's Powershift programme which provides grants towards the conversion of vehicles to run on alternative fuels. Operators of eligible bus services also receive 100 per cent. rebate on the duty they pay on road fuel gases. The Chancellor announced at the last Budget on 17 March 1998, Official Report, columns 1097–1112, that operators of buses and HGVs, meeting stringent emission standards, would receive a rebate of up to £500 on VED.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will introduce pilot schemes to monitor the advantages and disadvantages of converting buses to use road fuel gases. [51035]

My Department has kept closely in touch with the work that some operators have done on the advantages and disadvantages of converting buses to use road fuel gases, including a number of tests carried out by London Transport Buses.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what financial incentives exist to encourage the development of urban brownfield and derelict sites. [50333]

English Partnerships, the Government's regeneration agency, supports physical regeneration projects across England. An important part of their programme is the reclamation and development of brownfield and derelict sites. Applications to English Partnerships are handled within the framework of its single Investment Fund. The operation of this Fund emphasises flexible partnerships and funding mechanisms and seeks to maximise private investment. The Challenge Fund, which is part of the Single Regeneration Budget, is also available for local regeneration partnerships and operates in a similar manner to English Partnerships.In addition, The Government are committed to exploring the scope for using economic instruments to achieve our planning objectives, including modifications to VAT on housing, a greenfield tax, and reform of planning obligations. A key objective of all these options would be to discourage greenfield development and promote brownfield development.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what action he is taking to ensure that the fire risk posed by hydrocarbon refrigerant gases is minimised and that these gases are properly and safely disposed of after use. [50577]

The use of hydrocarbons as refrigerants is covered by the standards BS EN 60335-2–24 and BS4434. When hydrocarbons are used in refrigerators appropriate safety precautions must be taken, encompassing design, operational and maintenance procedures. The Health and Safety Executive also produce guidance on the safe handling of liquefied petroleum gases (LPG) including hydrocarbon gases used as refrigerants. The guidance, which can be applied to a wide variety of circumstances, gives practical advice on the safe storage and use of LPG and also offers advice on basic fire precautions to be taken when handling such gases.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to ensure that HFCs used in refrigerators are recycled or disposed of properly so that they are not released into the atmosphere. [50576]

Sections 33(1)(c) and 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 oblige the producers and holders of waste to prevent its release to atmosphere. The application of these controls to CFC refrigerants is explained in DOE Circular 11/94 paragraphs 4.95–4.103, but the guidance is also applicable to other waste refrigerants.The Government have also agreed a Declaration of intent with the refrigeration and air conditioning industry with the aim of reducing emissions of HFCs, which are global warming gases. The Declaration recommends that the servicing, maintenance and decommissioning of equipment containing HFCs are carried out only by competent persons. It also encourages all reasonably practicable precautionary measures to minimise refrigerant leakage, and recommends that refrigerants are recovered for re-use, reclamation or disposal during servicing and prior to equipment decommissioning. The Government will be issuing a consultation paper later in the summer on policy options for meeting their commitments to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, including HFCs.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what encouragement he is giving to local authorities to (a) maintain and preserve allotments and (b) provide replacement land where land formerly used for allotments has been subject to development. [50655]

The Government are currently considering the Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Committee's report into 'The Future for Allotments', and will produce a formal response in due course. Section 8 of the Allotments Act 1925 provides that the Secretary of State must consent to the disposal of statutory allotment land by a local authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps he is taking to encourage the use of allotments with particular reference to their potential for growing organic vegetables. [50651]

The Government are currently considering the Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Committee's report into the 'The Future for Allotments', and will produce a formal response in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many working days were lost in the last year for which figures are available as a result of occupational illness or injury, separately identifying self-certificated absences; and if he will make a statement. [50631]

In 1995 an estimated 19.5 million days were lost due to a work-related illness in Great Britain based on a five day week. There were an estimated 9.8 million days when workers were unavailable for work as a result of occupational injury in 1994–95, the latest year for which figures are available. This figure will include weekends and other days which are not workdays for some workers. The number of self-certified absences due to occupational illness or injury cannot be separately identified.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what proposals he has evaluated for the re-opening of the East London Line between Dalston and Shoreditch. [50713]

At the request of the Deputy Prime Minister, London Underground prepared a report on the options for extending the East London Line and submitted it to the Deputy Prime Minister in December 1997. The Government are considering with London Transport how best to take the project forward.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions on what date the official figures from London's local government elections and referendum held on 7 May were disseminated to libraries in London; and by whom this task was carried out. [50822]

I understand that the London Research Centre will publish "London Borough Council Elections 7 May 1998" (ISBN 1 85261 271 2), a publication containing details of voting figures in London local elections and the referendum, on 27 July, and that copies will be sent to, among others, the Chief Librarian in each London Borough.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the species of (i) flora and (ii) fauna identified as being in danger of extinction within the United Kingdom in (a) 1986, (b) 1991 and (c) 1996. [50931]

I will ensure that the information requested—which is of a complex nature—is made available to the hon. Member shortly. It will be placed in the House Library next week.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his policy in respect of foodstuffs containing oil derived from seals; and if he will make a statement. [50934]

The Department of Health report that there is no evidence that foodstuffs containing oil derived from seals are widely consumed in the United Kingdom.Monk seals (

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to improve the legal protection of sites of special scientific interest. [50929]

We are presently considering a number of means for improving the protection and management of Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Officials are preparing a consultative paper which we hope to publish later this year. If legislation proves necessary we will look for a suitable opportunity.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what factors underlie the rate of damage to SSSIs over the last five years.[50930]

The annual reports produced by English Nature summarise the key factors underlying damage to SSSIs. The number of incidents of damage has now decreased to well below 1 per cent. of SSSIs by area per year compared to 3 per cent. in the early 1990s. The main cause of damage is agricultural activities such as under and overgrazing, high levels of fertiliser application and the pollution of water courses. Other impacts include over-abstraction of water and 3rd party damage, such as the use of off-road vehicles. Occasional losses occur for housing, roads, and industrial development, although this has decreased considerably over the last five years.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what recent assessment he has made of the impact on wildlife of the present abstraction levels from rivers; and if he will make a statement. [50933]

The Environment Agency is responsible for licensing water abstraction in England and Wales, a function it exercises in conjunction with its other statutory duties which include the conservation of flora and fauna which are dependent on an aquatic environment. In its May 1998 submission to the Government entitled A Price Worth Paying, which is in the Library of the House, the Agency, in consultation with English Nature and the Countryside Council of Wales, has listed sites which are considered to be affected by abstractions. A number of these sites are designated for their international importance for birds or other wildlife. We shall take the Agency's advice on these sites into account in determining the guidance we give to the Director General of Water Services on the environmental obligations which water companies will be expected to meet through the Periodic Review of water prices.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 13 July 1998, Official Report, columns 9–10, concerning recycled land, what completion date he has set for local authorities undertaking the identification work. [50935]

Data collection from local authorities for phase one of the National Land Use Database, which covers vacant previously developed land which may be available for redevelopment, is scheduled to take place between August and October. This should enable English Partnerships to publish information on an initial set of sites suitable for redevelopment by the end of the year, and DETR to publish summary statistics based on information on all sites by March 1999.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will assess the recommendations of the Electoral Reform Society, contained in the report Predictable and Unaccountable, with reference to the electoral arrangements for the Greater London Authority. [50941]

Following extensive consultation, which included representations made by the Electoral Reform Society, we set our proposals for electoral arrangements for the Greater London Authority in the White Paper, "A Mayor and Assembly for London". The proposals were endorsed by the people of London in the Referendum held on 7 May. We intend to bring forward legislation to implement our proposals as soon as the legislative timetable permits.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many NHS employees in Wales were killed or injured at work in each year since 1991. [51236]

The information is as follows:

Injuries in Wales to employees in the NHS as reported to HSE 1991–92 to 1997–98
Year	Fatal	Major	Over 3 day	Total
1991–92	0	24	234	258
1992–93	0	29	298	327
1993–94	0	30	338	368
1994–95	0	32	440	472
1995–96	0	44	344	388
1996–97	0	74	495	569
1997–981	0	83	603	686
11997–98 figures are provisional

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if the forthcoming Roads Review will announce the completion of the dualling of the A 11. [50959]

We shall be announcing the conclusions of the Roads Review shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what was the number of registered British fishing vessels (a) under 12 metres and (b) over 12 metres in length and the number of fishermen's lives lost from each in each of the last five years. [46477]

[pursuant to her reply, 23 June 1998, c. 434]: The number of vessels on the UK fishing vessel register at 31 December in each of the last 5 years, both under 12 metres and 12 metres and over in length, and the numbers of fishermen's lives lost from vessels in those length ranges in each year are as follows:

	Fishing vessels under 12 metres		Fishing vessels 12 metres and over
year	Vessels on Register	Lives lost	Vessels on Register	Lives lost
1993	9,219	10	1,871	8
1994	8,470	12	1,729	14
19951	7,499	8	1,652	11
1996	6,583	9	1,493	11
1997	6,354	8	1,425	21
1The total figure for the number of deaths for 1995 is reported as 16 in the MAIB Annual Report 1995 but has since been revised to 19 following the assumption of 3 deaths aboard the missing fishing vessel Provider

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on his objectives at the forthcoming Oslo-Paris convention in Lisbon. [49322]

The main purposes of this first Ministerial Meeting of the Commission established by the 1992 OSPAR Convention for the protection of the marine environment of the North East Atlantic are to round off certain aspects left unresolved by the 1992 Convention and to set the strategies for the Commission over the next generation.When the OSPAR Convention was negotiated in 1992, the then French and UK Governments insisted that the Convention should preserve a potential future option for France and the UK to re-start the dumping at sea of low-and intermediate-level radioactive waste. Last September the UK and France announced that they would give up that option. The Ministerial Meeting is expected to approve a formal instrument to terminate the option. There will thus be a complete ban on dumping radioactive waste.In 1992, there was insufficient support for extending the competence of the OSPAR Commission beyond land-based discharges, dumping, the offshore oil and gas industry and the monitoring and assessment of the marine environment. Largely as a result of UK initiatives, the Ministerial meeting is expected to approve a new Annexe to the Convention on the protection of marine wildlife and habitats. This will fill an important lacuna.The Ministerial Meeting will also aim to adopt new rules on the disposal of disused offshore installations. The UK is committed to returning all disused offshore installations to land wherever it is safe and practicable to do so. The problem is to settle how to deal with the exceptions.There is substantial agreement to a regime which would provide for a general ban on dumping such installations or leaving them in place, subject to:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will make a statement on the estimated timetable for setting up the consultative Civic Forum to work with members of the Northern Ireland Assembly. [50403]

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has referred the establishment of the Civic Forum to the shadow Northern Ireland Assembly. In the period before devolution the Government intend to consult with the First Minister, the Deputy First Minister and the Assembly so that arrangements can be put in hand to help secure its earliest appropriate establishment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will ensure that papers produced by the New Northern Ireland Assembly are made available to hon. Members through the Vote Office; and if she will make a statement. [50419]

Copies of the Official Record will be laid in the Library at Westminster, but the circulation of other papers produced by the Assembly should be a matter, initially, for the Assembly itself to determine.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate she has made of the capital expenditure needed to develop the cancer treatment facilities at the Belfast City Hospital; and when the developments are planned to be completed. [50133]

The preliminary estimate of the capital cost of the proposed Cancer Centre is £28 million, including equipment. The current aim is to have the Centre constructed within 5 years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans she has for the closure of cancer treatment services at Belvoir Park Hospital; and when the final transfer of such services to the Belfast City Hospital is expected to take place. [50135]

The cancer treatment services at Belvoir Park Hospital will continue until a new Cancer Centre at the Belfast City Hospital site has been completed. The transfer is expected to take place within five years. In the meantime management responsibility for cancer services at Belvoir Park Hospital will transfer to Belfast City Hospital HSS Trust later this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what were the (a) number, (b) type and (c) age of ambulances in service with the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service in each of the last five years. [50326]

The information is given in the tables.

Accident and emergency vehicles
Age (years)	1998	1997	1996	1995	1994
0–1	18	0	13	4	36
1–2	0	13	4	36	7
2–3	13	4	36	7	4
3–4	4	36	7	4	22
4–5	36	7	4	22	14
5–6	7	4	22	14	25
6–7	4	22	14	25	14
7–8	22	14	25	14	9
8–9	14	25	1	5	1
9–10	15	1	5	1	0
10–11	0	5	1	0	1
11–12	0	1	0	1	0
12–13	0	0	1	0	0
13–14	0	1	0	0	0

Patient car service vehicles
Age (years)	1998	1997	1996	1995	1994
0–1	9	5	0	0	5
1–2	5	0	0	5	8
2–3	0	0	5	8	1
3–4	0	5	8	1	12
4–5	5	8	1	12	17
5–6	8	1	12	17	16
6–7	1	12	17	16	10
7–8	12	17	16	10	5
8–9	17	16	10	5	7
9–10	16	10	5	7	0
10–11	8	5	7	0	0
11–12	0	2	0	0	0

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessments she has made of the effect of the introduction of the national minimum wage in terms of (a) the total number of people employed and (b) the numbers employed in each sector of the economy. [50151]

Current estimates indicate that a total of approximately 66,000 employees in employment in Northern Ireland will be directly affected when the national minimum wage is introduced in April 1999. The majority of these work in service sector industries. Current data sources are not robust enough to provide reliable detailed sectoral estimates.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) new stations will be constructed and (b) old stations re-opened and at what estimated cost, on the railway line between Antrim and Bleach Green. [50137]

The upgrading of 2 former railway halts, at Templepatrick and Mossely West, is planned as part of the reinstatement of the Antrim to Bleach Green line at an estimated cost of £1.4 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which services will be provided in the proposed new Downe Hospital. [50325]

I announced my decision on 28 May to support the development of a new modern hospital for Downpatrick. To that end I have asked the Down Lisburn Health and Social Services Trust, in conjunction with the Eastern Health and Social Services Board and local GPs, to develop a proposal for a new hospital which will build on developments in treatments and technology and treat patients in the most appropriate setting locally while continuing to have access to a considerable range of acute services supported by the necessary specialist services and back-up facilities available from larger acute centres in Belfast.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland made road accident injury claims, and how much was paid by the Government for such claims, in each of the last five years. [50146]

The following personal injury claims were made against the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland Roads Services and the total expenditure on all personal injury claims concluded in the last 5 years has been:

£
Year	New claims	Total expenditure
1997–98	1,985	3,805,957.45
1996–97	1,712	2,823,289.50
1995–96	1,789	2,967,018.60
1994–95	1,701	4,302,311.40
1993–94	1,622	3,908,445.69

The figures include claims arising from footpath incidents. It is not possible, without disproportionate cost, to distinguish those claims related specifically to road accidents.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what has been the cost to public funds of expenses for Lord-Lieutenants in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years. [50265]

Expenditure incurred by the Northern Ireland Office on Lord-Lieutenants' expenses in each of the last 10 years is as follows:

Year	Amount (£)1
1988–89	4,000
1989–90	6,000
1990–91	4,000
1991–92	8,000
1992–93	5,000
1993–94	6,000
1994–95	10,000
1995–96	6,000
1996–97	14,000
1997–98	9,000
1Figures rounded to the nearest £1,000

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Lord-Lieutenants currently serve Northern Ireland. [50266]

The number of Lord-Lieutenants currently serving in Northern Ireland is 8.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what cash savings his Department will achieve through restructuring the TA; what proportion of those savings will (a) be re-allocated to the regular army and (b) form part of his Department's efficiency savings. [51036]

I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list those properties and lands identified for disposal by his Department. [51037]

My Department has a large number of properties which have been identified as surplus and are now in the process of disposal. These range from major establishments and airfields, to smaller plots and single houses. A list of sites currently in disposal was placed in the Library earlier this year, on 23 February 1998, Official Report, column 41. That list is now being updated. As part of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) we have identified further sites for disposal some of which are listed in Supporting Essay 11 to the SDR White Paper, and on some of which final discussions have not yet been reached.To provide our assessment of the open market value of individual sites might prejudice the eventual sale and I am therefore withholding the information under Exemptions 7 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Strategic Defence Review, if he will make a statement on the basis of his Department's assumptions that receipts from sales of properties and land from the Defence Estate will double over the next four years.[50963]

The figure for estimated disposal receipts included in the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) White Paper is based upon our assessment of the open market value of the properties currently identified for disposal. In some cases this is based on in-house valuations carried out by professional surveyors, and in others on valuations carried out by consultants. The figure also allows for receipts from sites which are likely to come forward as a result of studies and further rationalisation of the estate following SDR.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what long-term financial savings his Department will achieve through the reduction of (a) military and (b) civilian manpower. [50957]

I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Strategic Defence Review, on what basis his Department estimated that the defence share of GDP will fall from 2.7 to 2.4 per cent. in 2002. [50962]

The assumptions which have been used to calculate that the defence share of GDP will fall from 2.7 per cent. to 2.4 per cent. are taken from the Economic Assumptions for Public Finance Projections contained within Table B1 of the "Financial Statement and Budget Report", March 1998, HC Paper No. 620.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what provision his Department makes to assist service leavers in their transition to civilian life; and if he will make a statement. [51645]

My Department is laying the foundations of a modern resettlement service, by introducing improvements to match the changing employment market and aspirations of Service leavers. A contract has been awarded today to Coutts Consulting Group plc to work with my Department in establishing a Career Transition Partnership. The new arrangements will provide a focused individual service, including counselling, workshops and nationwide job finding support. The contract will run, initially, for a period of five years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the cost to public funds of expenses for Lord-Lieutenants in England in each of the last 10 years. [50261]

I have been asked to reply.Expenditure incurred by the Home Office and the Department of Trade and Industry

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what criteria he will take into account in the renegotiations of the Pharmaceutical Pricing Scheme; and if he will make a statement. [49565]

I will write to my hon. Friend as soon as possible and place a copy of my reply in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) how many medical and nursing staff have worked in occupational health in the NHS in Wales in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and what were the grades of those employees; [51235](2) how many unfilled consultant or approved training posts there are in occupational health in Wales; [51234](3) how many whole-time-equivalent NHS consultants there are in post in Wales in occupational health; and how many are

Information on medical staff employed by the NHS in Wales is collected by means of an annual census of staff in post at 30 September. Information on those staff with a specialty of occupational medicine in given in the table.

Medical staff in post at 30 September with a main specialty of occupational health (whole-time equivalent number)
	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997
Consultant	4.1	4.5	4.5	3.7	3.2
Senior registrar	1.0	—	—	—	—
Hospital practitioner	0.2	0.2	—	—	—
Clinical assistant	1.6	1.1	1.3	1.6	1.5

As part of the census information is sought on vacant posts. Data collected from NHS Trusts and Health Authorities for the 1997 census indicated that there were no vacant posts in occupational health at that time.The 3.2 whole-time equivalent consultant staff in 1997 related to 5 consultants in number, 2 full-time and 3 part-time.Information on nursing staff is not collected on the basis of individual specialties and, therefore, the number of nurses working in occupational health is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps his Department takes to ensure that NHS trusts have adequate arrangements for recording accidents on NHS premises; what encouragement is given to staff to report accidents; and what steps the NHS Executive takes to monitor the safety performance of NHS trusts. [51238]

All employers, including NHS Trusts, have a legal obligation to report accidents to the Health and Safety Executive under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995. It is for individual employers to encourage their employees to report incidents. Monitoring the safety performance of employers is a matter for the Health and Safety Executive.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give details and dates of occasions when (a) the Welsh Development Agency, (b) the Development Board for Rural Wales and (c) the Land Authority for Wales have sought consent either before the event or retrospectively for land development acquisitions and deals without planning permission; and if he will make a statement. [51222]

I will write to my hon. Friend as soon as possible and place a copy of my reply in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what has been the cost to public funds of expenses for Lord-Lieutenants in Wales in each of the last 10 years. [50263]

Expenditure incurred by the Welsh Office on Lord-Lieutenants' expenses in each of the last 10 years is as follows:

Year	Amount (£)
1998–89	19,000
1989–90	113,000
1990–91	114,000
1991–92	114,000
1992–93	17,000
1993–94	18,000
1994–95	15,000
1995–96	19,000
1996–97	20,000
1997–98	21,000
1Stationery figures are not included, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many Lord-Lieutenants currently serve Wales. [50264]

The number of Lord-Lieutenants currently serving Wales is 8.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what amount of asset sales have been realised (a) by each local authority and (b) in total by local authorities in each of the last five years. [48759]

Estimates for total local authority capital receipts in each of the last five years were published in Table 6.10 of Public Expenditure: Statistical Analyses 1998–99(Cm 3901). The same document also includes, in Table 1.6, figures over the period in question for the proceeds from the sale of fixed assets. I will write shortly to my hon. Friend with a breakdown of total capital receipts by individual local authority.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his Department's average response time to correspondence from members of the public; and how such response times are monitored. [48671]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Office of Public Service on 14 July 1998, Official Report, column 159.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the occasions upon which Ministers and officials have met Tesco plc or their representatives or advisers since 1 May 1997. [50156]

[holding answer 13 July 1998]: Treasury Ministers, special advisers and other officials have extensive dealings with organisations in both the public and private sectors as part of their official duties. It would be impracticable to maintain a central record of meetings with representatives of external bodies.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the cash value of the illegal drugs trade within the United Kingdom; and what assessment he has made of its impact on the United Kingdom economy. [50658]

[holding answer 16 July 1998]: The Office for National Statistics published an article in the July 1998 edition of Economic Trends which provides some illustrative estimates of the value of illegal economic activities, including trade in drugs. A copy of this publication is available in the House of Commons Library. The estimates are not yet sufficiently developed to give a reliable account of the impact on the UK economy.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received about competition in the financial securities sector. [49370]

[holding answer 16 July 1998]: To date, the Treasury has received 143 responses to its consultation document about proposals to benchmark Individual Savings Accounts, "Making Saving Easy". Some of these responses have raised competition issues.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what expenditure on promoting the euro is planned for (a) 1998–99 and (b) 1999–2000; [50422](2) what EU funding he has applied for to promote the euro in

[holding answer 13 July 1998]: The Government's communication campaign on the euro is aimed not at promoting the euro but at ensuring that UK businesses are aware of the implications of the introduction of the single currency from 1 January 1999, and to provide them with the information they need.To this end the Treasury Euro Preparations Unit has received Summer Supplementary Estimate provision of £7.5 million to help raise business awareness of the implications of the launch of the euro, and to provide business with practical help during 1998–99. No expenditure has been authorised beyond this.To date the Commission has agreed to provide £21,000 from the Community funds towards the costs of the publication and distribution of the Treasury booklet "EMU: Practical Information for Business", published last July. We will continue to talk to the Commission about the scope for further help with our campaign for raising business awareness for 1 January 1999.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the assets identified in the National Asset Register which are located in the city of Norwich. [50823]

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 4 December 1997, Official Report, column 279.The Government propose to consider, in the light of the reaction to the version published in November 1997, whether to produce further editions of the National Asset Register. As part of this exercise we will also consider what the appropriate level of detail of any future editions should be in the light of user's information needs and the cost implications of these.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will consider the case for reform of the law and practice of compulsory purchase and blight in Scotland; and if he will make a statement. [51646]

The Scottish Office is looking closely at the case for reform of Scots law and practice in this area. In addition to Scottish based work, there will be Scottish participation in the review of the general principles being undertaken by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. This will ensure that any proposals for legislative change will take the separate Scottish context fully into account. Such change for Scotland will, of course, be a matter for the Scottish Parliament to consider.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the cost to public funds of expenses for Lord-Lieutenants in Scotland in each of the last 10 years. [50259]

Expenditure incurred by The Scottish Office on Lord-Lieutenants' expenses in each of the last 10 years is set out. Some local authorities also support lieutenancy activities. Information on any costs incurred is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

£000
Year	Amount1
1988–89	9
1998–90	10
1990–91	10
1991–92	12
1992–93	13
1993–94	14
1994–95	25
1995–96	243
1996–97	27
1997–98	24
1Figures rounded to the nearest £1,000
2Includes the cost of changes to lieutenancy boundaries resulting from local government reorganisation

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many Lord-Lieutenants currently serve Scotland. [50260]

The number of Lord-Lieutenants currently serving Scotland is 35.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will update tables 1.3 and 1.4 in Serving Scotland's Needs, published in April, to take account of changes in and projections of expenditure consequent on the Comprehensive Spending Review. [51050]

Tables 1.3 and 1.4 were prepared in accordance with the previous public expenditure arrangements. The change in these arrangements announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 11 June 1998, Official Report, columns 1195–1201, has required some amendment to this form of presentation. The tables, therefore, present information updated to take account of the financial settlement for the financial years 1999–2000 to 2001–02, in the revised format. In accordance with normal practice, the tables have been rolled forward by one year.