To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many letters per day his Department receives; how many staff are employed to answer these; what targets are set in respect of such letters; and what is the current performance against targets. [50685]

Few staff are solely employed to handle correspondence, and for most staff this is part of their normal duties. In respect of his other queries, I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Office of Public Service on 20 July 1998, Official Report, column 363.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will make a statement on the estimated timetable for the appointment of Ministers of the Northern Ireland Assembly and the transfer of responsibilities from her Department. [50404]

The right hon. Member for Upper Bann (Mr. Trimble) and the hon. Member for Newly and Armagh (Mr. Mallon) were elected as First Minister designate and Deputy First Minister designate of the New Northern Ireland Assembly at its first meeting, on 1 July. I expect the rest of the Shadow Executive Committee to be appointed by the autumn. A Bill to enable the transfer of legislative and Executive authority to the Assembly and to Northern Ireland Ministers is currently before Parliament. Subject to that, and to progress on other aspects of the Belfast Agreement, I would expect the transfer of powers to take place during the first quarter of 1999.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many letters per day her office receives; how many staff are employed to answer these; what targets are set in respect of such letters; and what is the current performance against targets. [50694]

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to him on 20 July 1998, Official Report, column 363, by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary at the Office of Public Service.With regards to the question of how many staff are employed to answer such letters, I can advise that this would be part of the normal duties of most staff and that few are solely employed to handle correspondence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the average primary school class size (a) by school and (b) by education and library board, in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years. [50729]

I shall write to the hon. Member on (a) and place a copy of the letter in the Library. The information on (b) is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the average class size for pupils in Key Stage 1 in primary schools in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years, by Education and Library Board. [50755]

The information is available only for 1997–98.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will estimate the amount by which DHSS spending in Northern Ireland would increase in (a) 1999–2000, (b) 2000–01, (c) 2001–02 and (d) 2002–03 if the real annual rate of increase were the same as the average rate of increase over the period 1978–79 to 1997–98. [51024]

If the real annual rate of increase were the same as the average rate of increase over the period 1978–79 to 1997–98, DHSS would get, in 1999–2000, an extra £316 million, in 2000–01, an extra £647 million, in 2001–02, an extra £999 million and in 2002–03, an extra £1,372 million, each compared to DHSS total net planned expenditure in 1998–99.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the policy of her Department towards income support applications from those currently involved in the Drumcree protest. [51220]

[holding answer 17 July 1998]: Responsibility for the subject has been delegated to the Social Security Agency under it's Chief Executive, Mr. Chris Thompson, and I have asked him to arrange for a response to be given.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will make a statement on the number of prison officers currently employed by the Northern Ireland Prison Service. [51081]

[holding answer 21 July 1998]: As at today's date there are 2,214 prison officers currently employed in the Northern Ireland Prison Service.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will list the main sources of energy for power generation in Northern Ireland, indicating the percentage of the market supplied by each source. [51088]

[holding answer 21 July 1998]: In 1997–98 the main sources of energy for power generation in Northern Ireland were natural gas (49.1 per cent), coal (45.0 per cent.) and heavy fuel oil (4.5 per cent.).

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list for (a) his Department and (b) bodies listed in the National Asset Register, how many vehicles are currently (i) owned and (ii) leased; if he will indicate their (A) fuel types and (B) engine cubic capacities; and how many vehicles are expected to fall due for replacement in each of the years (1) 1998–99, (2) 1999–2000 and (3) 2000–01. [49239]

[holding answer 6 July 1998]:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will introduce measures to enable individual local authorities to set their own level of fees for building regulations. [50881]

Draft regulations—"The Building (Local Authority Charges) Regulations 1998"—were issued for consultation on 5 June. They are designed to devolve the charge setting process for building control functions to individual local authorities.Responses to the consultation have been requested by 17 July. After I have considered these, I will decide whether it is appropriate to proceed to lay the regulations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list by bus company the subsidy paid by London Transport for franchised bus services operated in the London area for each of the last five years. [51188]

The information requested will take time to compile. I shall write to my hon. Friend and place a copy in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what actions his Department has undertaken since 1 May 1997 to reduce the incidence of car clocking. [51177]

The Government are keen to see better information made available to consumers. DETR and DVLA meet regularly with representatives of the motor industry and the police to discuss this and other issues of concern to the motorist. In particular, as announced in the Integrated Transport White Paper published on 20 July, my right hon. Friend, the Deputy Prime Minister, has asked the DVLA to consider ways of introducing new services to help the motorist. These would include the provision of further information on second-hand vehicles.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what proportion of local authority and housing association dwellings in Gloucestershire, by district, was earmarked for the elderly in the most recent five years for which records are available. [51128]

The available information on numbers of local authority and housing associations dwellings in the district councils of Gloucestershire as at 1 April, together with the percentages for use by the elderly, is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what changes in the subsidy arrangements for housing benefit for council tenants have been brought about as a result of the Comprehensive Spending Review. [51510]

From 1999–2000, we propose to introduce a change to the system of rent rebate subsidy limitation to help authorities that rebate more than the average proportion of rental income from their own tenants. We will consult authorities on this proposed change in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many car driving tests were conducted during the last five years for which figures are available. [51277]

The numbers of car driving tests conducted during the last five financial years are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to introduce energy performance testing of buildings occupied by Government departments and to evaluate and publish their environmental performance. [51437]

As part of the continuing energy efficiency campaign on the Government estate, new benchmark targets are being developed to be based on the standard of the top quartile of buildings of a particular type, such as naturally-ventilated offices. These will be settled once pilot studies have been completed. The reporting of environmental performance will be further considered by Ministers in the light of the recent report of the Environmental Audit Committee.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his policy towards levels of fines for companies that persistently pollute the environment; what discussions he has had with (a) other Government Departments and (b) outside bodies about the advantages of imposing higher fines on such companies; and if he will make a statement. [51634]

The Courts are independent of the Government, and it is for them to exercise their discretion in sentencing. It is up to them to ensure that the penalties they impose on conviction fully reflect the gravity of offences which damage the environment, and the seriousness with which society views them. The maximum penalties fixed by Parliament are there to be used in appropriate cases. People who blatantly or persistently damage or risk damaging the environment, and who show little or no regard for the law, need to be stopped. My Department has had discussions with officials of the Lord Chancellor's Department and the Judicial Studies Board about fines imposed for environmental and certain other offences, and will be meeting the Magistrates' Association.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will provide a breakdown by collecting authority of the money collected under the unified business rate; and how it was redistributed via Government grant for each of the last three years. [51315]

I have today placed in the Library of the House a table showing the amounts calculated by billing authorities as their final contributions to the non-domestic rates pool for 1996–97, and their calculations of the provisional contributions for 1997–98 and 1998–99. I have also placed a table showing the amounts of redistributed non-domestic rates payable to each receiving authority in England for 1996–97, 1997–98 and 1998–99.The two tables cannot be compared directly because (i) contributions to the non-domestic rates pool are made by billing authorities—for example London boroughs and district councils, whereas redistributed non-domestic rates are paid to all receiving authorities (including preceptors such as county councils and police authorities); (ii) the total redistributed from the pool includes amounts other than those received from billing authorities—that is payments in lieu of rates from Crown properties, payments from properties on the Central List, and Exchequer contributions to compensate the pool for income foregone as a result of transitional schemes.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what representations he has received with regard to spacing in the new format of vehicle registration plates; and if he will make a statement. [51583]

The Department has received a number of representations from one number plate manufacturer expressing concern about the proposed spacing of characters in the new vehicle registration format. As explained in the answer I have to the hon. Member for Bournemouth, East (Mr. Atkinson) on 7 July 1998, Official Report, column 470, the Department will be considering these detailed aspects as part of its further research into the memorability of the new format.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many reports under the reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1985 were received each year since 1991 in respect of NHS employees in Wales. [51585]

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to her question on 17 July 1998, Official Report, columns 323–24.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will allow local authorities an extension of the time allowed for them to submit their transport policies and programme bids for 1999–2000 to enable them to take account of the contents of the Integrated Transport White Paper. [52152]

The guidance we issued to local authorities in April on the submission of their bids is consistent with the main messages in the White Paper. If authorities wish to take some time to ensure that their TPPs reflect those messages they will not be penalised. Under the TPP procedures they are always allowed a period in which to amend their TPPs. This year authorities have until 10 October to make changes to their bids.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will publish details of his public expenditure plans for his Department's environmental protection programmes. [52015]

Yes. I am today publishing details of the provision for my environmental protection programmes, as agreed in the context of the Comprehensive Spending Review. In addition to the extra £174 million for energy efficiency announced by my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on 14 July 1998, Official Report, columns 187–211, provision for my other environmental protection programmes is being increased by £80 million over the next three years.£150 million of the new energy efficiency money is added to the existing £75 million a year expenditure on the Home Energy Efficiency Scheme creating a new expanded fuel poverty programme to help another 1,000,000 vulnerable households whose homes cannot be heated to the minimum level for good health.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library Support for the Energy Saving Trust is increased from £19 million this year, to £22 million for 1999–2000, and to £25 million for each of the later years. An extra £1.5 million is provided for Energy Efficiency Best Practice Programme in 1999–2000 and further increases are planned to provide, among other things, new programmes of advice to businesses to help improve energy efficiency.The extra £80 million for environmental protection will enable me to:

We are not aware of any awards by the European Commission Office in London to organisations promoting the concept of Europe. The relevant budget lines—established by the Council and the European Parliament—are administered by the Commission headquarters in Brussels.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will introduce measures to enable residents of the Cayman Islands to have the same freedom of movement throughout the European Union as is available to citizens of French and Dutch overseas territories; and if he will make a statement. [51553]

The possibility of granting citizenship to the citizens of the Overseas Territories, thereby conferring on them freedom of movement throughout the European Union, is under active discussion between all Departments involved. We are looking at the issue sympathetically, but more work needs to be done before any announcement can be made. The result of this review will be made public in the forthcoming White Paper on the Overseas Territories.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 21 May 1998, Official Report, columns 520–22, on support for the police and military forces, if he will provide a breakdown of the expenditure in 1997–98 under the United Kingdom military training assistance scheme in support of the armed forces in Sri Lanka; and if he will list the training establishments involved and the nature of the training. [51801]

In 1997–98 the United Kingdom Military Training Assistance Scheme was used to fund the following military training for the Sri Lankan armed forces:

Military officers sent on UK training courses at Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst and the Royal College of Defence Studies (£27,741).

Assistance in setting up and running an Army Staff College (£54,645) aimed at middle ranking officers.

Advisory visit (£4,535) by military instructors to assess the suitability of the Sri Lankan Armed Command Regiment to receive VIP protection assistance.

Drill training (£1,085) for the Sri Lankan Army in preparation for the 50th Anniversary of Independence Parades.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans his Department has to correspond electronically with (a) hon. Members and (b) members of the public. [49806]

[holding answer 13 July 1998]: The Department currently has only a limited facility for the handling of correspondence from hon. Members and members of the public on stand-alone work stations. There is a limited e-mail facility on the Department's main Information Technology Network.The Department is putting plans in place to connect selected parts of the office to the Government Secure Internet (GSI) at the end of 1998, followed by full interconnection between the core network and the GSI in the first half of 1999. That will enable a full e-mail between the office, Members of both Houses and members of the public.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many letters per day his office receives; how many staff are employed to answer these; what targets are set in respect of such letters; and what is the current performance against targets. [50680]

On the targets, performance and volume of letters I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to him by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 20 July 1998, Official Report, column 363.It is not possible to say how many staff are involved in answering correspondence in my Department because it is part of the normal duties of a large number of them.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the chemicals used for (a) gardening and (b) farming at Elmley Prison, Eastchurch, Isle of Sheppey. [50481]

The following five commercial chemical products are used in gardening at Elmley prison: Casoron G; Mosstox; Roundup Biactive; Supertox 30; and Trik. These products are used for the control of weeds and moss within the prison perimeter wall as flower and shrub beds, lawns and paths, and the base of the perimeter fence. Most of these products are used on an annual basis and in relatively small quantities. There is no farming conducted at Elmley.>All three Isle of Sheppey prisons have a "good neighbour policy", and would be happy to discuss any environmental issues with interested parties.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to ensure that the Probation Service provides an equal level of service in urban and rural areas; and if he will make a statement. [51028]

The funding formula used by the Home Office to allocate specific current grant to each of the 54 English and Welsh probation services takes account of demographic factors, including the sparsity of population. The formula is now subject to review, in consultation with the Association of Chief Probation Officers, Central Probation Council and the Local Government Association. Once the allocation has been made, it is for the responsible probation committee in each area to decide how its service's budget should be spent.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what assessment he has made of the cost-effectiveness of national use of virtual reality simulations for operational command training in the fire service; [50900](2) what assessement he has made of the national requirements for operational command training in the fire service; [50902](3) what assessment he has made of national trials of virtual reality operational command training in the fire service. [50901]

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Portsmouth, North (Mr. Rapson), on 21 July 1998, Official Report, columns 435–36.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the London Fire Service has spent on the services of lobbying companies in (a) the last and (b) the current financial year; and which companies have been engaged. [51467]

I understand from the London Fire and Civil Defence Authority that they spent £11,326 on the services of a Parliamentary Adviser in 1997–98, and have spent £4,659 on such services in the current financial year. The services are provided by GJW Government Relations Limited.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will refer the issue of lenient sentences for road traffic offences to the new Sentencing Advisory Council. [51407]

The Court of Appeal has already established detailed sentencing guidelines for serious road traffic offences, in the cases of R. v. Boswell (1984) and AG Ref. 14 and 24 of 1993. Once the new Sentencing Advisory Panel has been established, we will consider whether there are particular categories of offences which should be referred to it and with what degree of priority.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the number and rank of (a) police officers and (b) civilian staff employed in the administration support units of (i) the Metropolitan Police and (ii) each other police force in England and Wales. [51468]

The information collected annually by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary on the numbers of police and civilian staff deployed to various duties is not at a level which allows the identification of the number or rank of staff assigned to Administration Support Units. This information could be obtained from the 43 forces only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the article in Council Magazine by Julian Malins QC on candidates at general elections. [51485]

The article by the hon. Member's brother gives a useful account of the problem of misleading candidates' descriptions on ballot papers. Since the article was written, the Registration of Political Parties Bill has been introduced. The Bill provides that only a candidate authorised by a registered political party may include a description on the ballot paper which is likely to lead voters to associate the candidate with that party. It also enables candidates representing registered parties to include the party's emblem on the ballot paper.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received about provisions contained in the Crime and Disorder Bill [Lords] relating to maximum sentences in magistrates' courts. [49901]

[holding answer 21 July 1998]: There are no provisions in the Crime and Disorder Bill [Lords] to change the current maximum sentences available to the magistrates' courts (six months custody for a single offence or 24 months in a Secure Training Centre for 12–14 year olds). The new Detention and Training Order (DTO) will enable magistrates to impose a maximum custodial DTO sentence of 24 months for 12–17 year olds.The Magistrates' Association have written to me on the question of increasing the general maximum penalty of six months available to the magistrates' courts. They have been invited to supply further information.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the outcome of the investigation into his officials' handling of the Mary Bell case. [52075]

I have now received the Permanent Secretary's report into the circumstances in which Home Office officials had for some time known of the possibility of a book from which Mary Bell would profit financially, but had not informed Ministers. This was, at my request, an investigation to identify lessons for the future, not a disciplinary inquiry.Since her release in 1980, Mary Bell has remained under life licence under the supervision of the probation service. Throughout this period, officials in my Department's Lifer Review Unit have received regular reports from the probation officers responsible for her supervision. These have frequently included accounts of attempts by literary agents and the media to induce her for substantial sums to tell her story. Indeed, there are records of such approaches to her even before she left prison.The probation service is responsible for supervising those subject to life licence and for reporting, on a regular basis, on each individual to the Lifer Unit on their progress. The service has a particular responsibility to ensure that the public is protected from people who have previously committed very serious offences. Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Probation has received a copy of the report of the investigation carried out by the Chief Probation Officer of the Durham Probation Service into their handling of Mary Bell's case, and offered me his own independent assessment of it. In the light of this, I am satisfied that the probation service kept my officials properly informed of the plans to publish a book. Given the exceptional difficulties of the case, it is also clear that the service has played a major and positive role in helping Mary Bell keep to the conditions of her licence in the 18 years since her release.Between 1984 and 1987, my officials were informed that Mary Bell had become interested in producing her own account and had spent some time preparing a manuscript. The supervising probation officer notified them of discussions with a literary agent in 1985 about a possible autobiography. Officials advised the probation officer that the Home Office did not favour publication but had no power to prevent it and would not attempt to put pressure on Mary Bell. Ministers were not informed of these developments and, in the event, the project foundered. Officials heard no more about the possibility of a book until August 1995, when they were informed of her renewed interest in producing her own account.The probation service notified officials in January 1996 that serious negotiations were under way between Mary Bell, Gitta Sereny and a literary agent. In July, there were informed that a contract had been signed and an advance payment made. Officials responded to these developments along the same lines as their predecessors more than a decade previously, namely by questioning the wisdom of the venture but confirming, correctly, that they had no power to prevent it. Great care was taken throughout to try to protect, through maintenance of an injunction long in force, the anonymity of Mary Bell and her family, in the interests of her young daughter.Following a probation service letter of 6 March this year, advising that the book would appear shortly and was likely to arouse controversy, officials recognised the need to forewarn Ministers. Because their information was that serialisation of the book would not begin until 2 May they did not, in the event, do so until 23 April, by which time (unbeknown to them) news of the book was already emerging. The initial briefing to Ministers concentrated on the contents of the book, and did not make it clear that officials and the probation service had known about the contract from the outset. Ministers were given a full brief on the history of the case only on 30 April, the day after newspaper serialisation had started and some days after widespread controversy had arisen over the financial benefit to Mary Bell.The Lifer Unit of the Prison Service Headquarters is responsible for casework on nearly 4,000 life sentence prisoners and around a further 800 lifers now on supervision under licence in the community. Their primary task is to ensure that the lifer system operates in a way which minimises risk to the public. They bear a heavy load and I am satisfied that I have been very well served—as, I believe, have my predecessors—by the conscientious advice they provide on the exercise of my statutory powers in individual cases. The possibility of financial benefit to Mary Bell for a book about her crimes did not involve questions of public risk or any breach of the law or the terms of her life licence. Officials accordingly concluded, as early as 1985, that there was nothing they could do to prevent it and did not therefore believe it necessary to submit to Ministers.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will make a statement on the report by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary on Number 2 Area (North West) of the Metropolitan Police; [52076](2) if he will make a statement on the report by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary on Number 1 Area (Central) of the Metropolitan Police. [52077]

Yes. I have today placed in the Library a note of the recommendations from the report, together with the Commissioner's response and the police authority responses, which take into account the advice my right hon. Friend and I have received from the Metropolitan Police Committee.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the outcome of the review of arrangements for the release on temporary licence of prisoners. [52078]

Following a review initiated by the Director General of the Prison Service, I have decided to make a number of changes to the arrangements for release of prisoners on temporary licence, to support the Government's policy of developing constructive regimes for prisoners. The current system, put in place in 1995, has significantly reduced the numbers of temporary release failures, and the stringent risk assessment process will remain in place in order to ensure protection of the public. The Prisoners (Return to Custody) Act 1995 made it an offence to fail to return to custody after a period of temporary release. However, the current system places too great a limit on opportunities for governors to develop activities aimed at supporting constructive regimes and preparing prisoners for resettlement in the community.From 1 September, governors will be able to develop challenging activities for young offenders outside the establishment, including schemes such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. Young offenders will be allowed limited participation in team sports in the community, where they are able to represent the establishment and build local contacts. Many establishments already undertake reparational and community work, and overnight stays away from the establishment will be permitted for selected young offenders where this is necessary to support such projects.A number of measures will assist prisoners in finding work or training on release and in maintaining family ties, factors central to reducing reoffending. Short-term young offenders will be eligible for release on facility licence for interviews to obtain housing or employment on release, and for hostel assessments. Prisoners aged 18–24 will be eligible for release on facility licence, including overnight stays where necessary, for employment related interviews under the Government's New Deal scheme. Further opportunities will be made available, for both adult prisoners and young offenders, to gain experience of employment prior to release. The current restrictions on prisoners obtaining paid work in the community will be amended to allow governors greater freedom to develop "working out" schemes, to allow prisoners experience of regular employment. Release on resettlement licence will also be extended for young offenders, once they have reached the latter stages of their sentences, to assist in their resettlement in the community.Consideration will be given to extending some of these changes to all adult prisoners if the evaluation suggests it is safe to do so. These changes will be carefully evaluated.A copy of the relevant Prison Service Instruction, giving full details of the changes, will be placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the instructions to Immigration and Nationality Directorate staff dealing with asylum applications. [52201]

I am pleased to announce that a copy of the Asylum Directorate's Instructions (ADIs) is being placed in the Library. The material is subject to periodic review and revision. We shall arrange to provide the Library with any necessary amendments or new instructions as they become available.The ADIs contain internal guidance to staff on the handling of asylum and related casework. They are being made available in accordance with the principles of openness in the White Paper on Freedom of Information and in the existing Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. A small amount of material cannot be disclosed, either on grounds of national security or because disclosure would prejudice the effective operation of immigration controls.As with the Immigration Directorates' Instructions (IDIs), this information will be made available on the Internet as soon as possible. Consideration is also being given to other suitable ways of making this information available and members of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate's After Entry User Panel will be consulted about this.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many letters per day his office receives; how many staff are employed to answer these; what targets are set in respect of such letters; and what is the current performance against targets. [50687]

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Office of Public Service on 20 July 1998, Official Report, column 363.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement on the impact of reforms of the National Lottery on access to projects by disabled people. [50762]

New Policy Directions given to the Lottery distributors on 1 June require them to take into account the need to promote access for people from all sections of society. Distributors must produce strategic plans which show how they intend to do this, and these will include measures taken to encourage access for disabled people.The National Lottery Act 1998 creates a new distributor, the New Opportunities Fund, one of whose first initiatives is to provide money to establish a network of healthy living centres, which will be of particular interest to disabled people.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which Minister is the head of the task force on alternatives to tobacco sponsorship announced on 25 November 1997; who are its members; on what dates it has met; what meetings are currently planned; and if he will make a statement on its progress to date. [50703]

The EU Tobacco Directive provides up to three years for domestic legislation to be implemented, and a further two years for the ban on sports sponsorship by tobacco companies to be enforced. Up to a further three years may be allowed in exceptional circumstances for existing sponsorship of events organised at a global level, provided sponsorship levels and associated advertising are reduced.With this timescale in mind, I will chair a Task Force to help sports in receipt of tobacco sponsorship to identify alternative sponsors. The Task Force has not yet been formally constituted, although I have had an initial informal meeting with sports and business interests, and will hold a further meeting in the autumn when the current exercise to collect sponsorship information from the sports concerned should be completed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the directorships and other declarable interests in sports-related companies held by Sir Rodney Walker, Chairman of the UK Sports Council. [50741]

[holding answer 16 July 1998]: Sir Rodney Walker has the following directorships and other declarable interests in sports-related companies:

• Chairman: Rugby Football League
• Chairman: Leicester City Plc
• Chairman: Brands Hatch Leisure Plc
• Trustee: London Marathon Charitable Trust
• Governor: Sports Aid Foundation
• Vice President: Youth Charter for Sport.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the number of people in the United Kingdom regularly playing cricket. [51318]

[holding answer 20 July 1998]: According to the England and Wales Cricket Board, there were more than 2 million cricket participants at 6,500 affiliated clubs in 1997 throughout this country, including some 150,000 junior club members. The Government, through the English Sports Council, actively encourage all governing bodies of sport to have programmes in place which promote our policy of "sport for all" and increase participation levels in all sports, from grass roots through to elite competitors.

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what plans he has to publish the efficiency review on managing attendance in the public sector. [52204]

This report was commissioned as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review, and copies have today been placed in the libraries of both Houses. The report's findings on best practice will be used to develop a programme to help improve attendance across the public sector.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many letters per day her office receives; how many staff are employed to answer these; what targets are set in respect of such letters; and what is the current performance against targets. [50690]

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Office of Public Service on 20 July 1998, Official Report, Column 363.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans she has to include a parliamentarian in the delegation to the five year assessment conference, Cairo+5, on Population and Development, in The Hague in February 1999. [51623]

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) which is responsible for organising the forum and issuing invitations, has not yet formally announced the arrangements for the composition of delegations. We fully expect that the contribution of parliamentarians to the review will be reflected in UNFPA's plans for the meeting.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she is taking to involve voluntary organisations in the issues to be raised at the five year assessment conference, Cairo+5, on Population and Development, in The Hague in February 1999. [51624]

We will work closely with civil society organisations (CSOs) throughout the quinquennial review of the Cairo International Conference on Population and Development. A meeting of Department for International Development's sexual and reproductive health forum has already been held and we will shortly be establishing a joint DFID/CSO working group to co-ordinate in detail the UK's contribution to the review.

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 25 June 1998, Official Report, column 598, if, during his discussions with the US Government, he was informed of their wish to transport to Dounreay the additional quantity of nine kilograms of low enriched uranium; and if he will make a statement. [48805]

[holding answer 6 July 1998]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to her by my hon. Friend, the Minister for Science, Energy and Industry on 6 July 1998, Official Report, column 371.

To ask the Prime Minister when he was first notified of the recommendation to close the commercial reprocessing facility at Dounreay; when the Government received the report recommending the closure; which (a) ministers and (b) officials received this report; and if he will place a copy of the report in the Library. [46262]

[holding answer 16 June 1998]: On 17 March 1998, the UKAEA Board considered the future of reprocessing at Dounreay and recommended that no new commercial work be accepted as part of a phased rundown to a complete cessation of reprocessing. The Chief Executive of UKAEA advised officials in the Department of Trade and Industry of the Board's proposed course of action by letter on 19 March 1998. DTI officials then had a number of discussions with UKAEA to check points in the analysis, and they submitted advice to DTI Ministers on 1 May 1998. I was first notified when the President of the Board of Trade consulted colleagues by letter on 29 May. The Government made the announcement on 5 June that UKAEA would accept no new contracts for commercial reprocessing at Dounreay.The Minister for Industry, Energy and Science has asked the Chairman of UKAEA to supply the information and analysis that went into the decision announced on 5 June, and he will place the Chairman's response in the Library.

To ask the Prime Minister what plans his Office has to correspond electronically with (a) hon. Members and (b) members of the public. [49821]

[holding answer 13 July 1998]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to him on 20 July 1998, Official Report, column 389. I also refer the

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what were the number and percentage of children in primary (1) one, (2) two and (3) three who were taught in classes of 31 or more in the years (a) 1991–92, hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 17 July 1998, Official Report, column 315.My office is taking part in the pilot study of the development of the Government Secure Intranet (GSI).

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what were the number and percentage of primary school children who were taught in classes of 31 or more in the years (a) 1991–92, (b) 1992–93, (c) 1993–94, (d) 1994–95, (e) 1995–96 and (f) 1996–97 in each local authority area. [50249]

[holding answer 13 July 1998]: The information available is given in the table.

[holding answer 13 July 1998]: The information available is given in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the amounts paid by each local authority to COSLA in 1997. [50869]

The information requested is not held by The Scottish Office.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received regarding the impact of current levels of imports of timber from the Baltic states on the United Kingdom timber processing industry. [50815]

My right hon. Friend and his ministerial colleagues have received several representations from individuals and from representative groups about the effect of imports of timber from the Baltic states on the forestry and timber processing industries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received from the Forestry Industry Committee of Great Britain regarding the current level of supply of sawn timber. [50819]

My right hon. Friend received a letter from the Forestry Industry Council of Great Britain in February this year about current factors affecting the forestry industry, including the level of supply of sawn timber.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the average selling price of softwoods harvested in the United Kingdom in each of the last 10 years. [50816]

The average selling prices of conifers sold standing by the Forestry Commission in Britain over each of the last 10 years are given in the table. Information on sales by the private sector is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the acreage of softwoods (a) planted and (b) harvested in each of the last 10 years. [50818]

The areas of conifers planted and felled or approved for felling in Britain in each of the last 10 years are given in the table. All areas are in thousands of hectares.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, (1) pursuant to the oral statement by the Minister for Education and Industry of 13 July 1998, Official Report, column 155, if he will place in the Library the legal advice he received that European students from the United Kingdom may be charged more for university fees in Scotland than mainland continental EU students; [50907](2) if he will make a statement on the external legal advice his Department received on university fees in Scotland. [50908]

No. It is not usual practice to disclose legal advice obtained.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland in what circumstances his Department discloses the contents of external legal advice which it has received. [50909]

It is not normal practice to disclose the contents of legal advice received, and it is not possible to comment in abstract on any exceptional circumstances in which that practice might be departed from.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many whole-time equivalent NHS consultants there are in post in occupational health, and how many of these are (i) full and (ii) part-time in (a) each health board and (b) Scotland. [51110]

The information requested is shown in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many unfilled NHS consultant or approved training posts there are in occupational health in (a) each health board and (b) Scotland. [51114]

There were no unfilled NHS consultant posts in occupational health in Scotland at 30 September 1997.Vacancy data for approved training posts are not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list those NHS trusts which have access to an occupational health service, and which of those services are led by a consultant in occupational health. [51111]

Current guidance (updated 1995) requires that Health Boards, Trusts and independent contractors ensure that all their staff should have access to Occupational Health Services either provided by the employer or obtainable from another provider. In addition, arrangements should be made to provide every Occupational Health Team with access to and advice from a consultant occupational physician as required.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list his duties in respect of the safety of (i) staff employed in the NHS, (ii) patients and (iii) visitors to NHS premises. [51105]

There is no statutory duty which places responsibility on the Secretary of State for Scotland to ensure that Trusts meet the provisions of the health and safety legislation. Staff employed in the NHS have the same statutory protection as all employees to whom the Health and Safety at Work legislation applies.In so far as patients and visitors to NHS premises are concerned, both in terms of statute and at common law, the obligation is placed on the "occupier" of the premises to ensure their safety. The Occupiers Liability (Scotland) Act 1960 requires the occupier to show such care as is reasonable in order that a person entering the premises will not suffer injury or damage by reasons of the state of the premises. The obligations and duties are thus placed on the legal entity occupying/controlling the premises and not the Secretary of State for Scotland.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many working days were lost through sickness, ill health or injury by NHS staff in (a) each health board and (b) Scotland in the last year for which figures are available; and what was the estimated total cost of those lost days. [51102]

The answer could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps the NHS Management Executive in Scotland is taking to monitor the compliance with health and safety legislation of NHS trusts. [51097]

The NHS in Scotland Management Executive is reviewing Occupational Health and Safety Services for NHS and associated staff in Scotland with a view to implementing recommendations early in 1999.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps have been taken to ensure that NHS trusts have adequate arrangements for recording accidents at NHS premises; what encouragement is given to staff to report accidents; and what steps the NHS Management Executive in Scotland has taken to improve the safety performance of NHS trusts. [51103]

The NHS in Scotland Management Executive has regularly reminded NHS Trusts of their responsibilities in ensuring they are taking steps to meet fully their statutory Health and Safety obligations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps are being taken to make occupational health services available to staff working in primary care. [51113]

Current guidance (updated 1995) requires that Health Boards, Trusts and independent contractors ensure that all their staff should have access to Occupational Health Services either provided by the employer or obtainable from another provider.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what responsibility the NHS Management Executive in Scotland has for ensuring that trusts meet the provisions of health and safety legislation. [51109]

There is no statutory duty which places responsibility on the NHS Management Executive to ensure that Trusts meet the provisions of the health and safety legislation. The ME does, however, issue directions/guidance to Trusts on health and safety issues.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many and what percentage of NHS staff have access to an occupational health service in (a) each health board and (b) Scotland. [51112]

Current guidance (updated 1995) requires that Health Boards, Trusts and independent contractors ensure that all their staff should have access to Occupational Health Services either provided by the employer or obtainable from another provider.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps are being taken to protect staff against violence on health care premises. [51098]

The first HR Strategy for the NHS in Scotland "Towards a New Way of Working" gives an undertaking to develop practical measures aimed at improving the personal safety and security of staff.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many NHS employees were killed or injured at work in (a) each health board and (b) Scotland in each year since 1991; [51101](2) how many reports under the reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1985 were received in each year since 1991 in respect of NHS employees in

I have been asked to reply: