Written Answers

                    The text on this page has been created from Hansard archive content, it may contain typographical errors.
                

Written Answers To Questions

Wednesday 21 October 1998

Environment, Transport And The Regions

Detrunking Roads

44.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what representations he has received in response to his proposals for detrunking trunk roads. [54374]

We have received representations seeking clarification of the detrunking proposals, in particular resource transfers and timing. Concern has been expressed about detrunking certain routes, but we have also had some informal indications from local highway authorities of a willingness to take over routes proposed for detrunking. Officials have recently held constructive discussions with the Local Government Association about the proposals and there will be further consultations with the Association and individual local highway authorities.

Communication Masts

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to ensure that planning permission is required from a local authority to erect (a) a radio and (b) a mobile phone mast under 15 metres high. [55657]

The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 grants a general planning permission for certain telecommunications masts providing that

the mast is erected by a telecommunications code system operator licensed by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry under the Telecommunications Act 1984;

the mast does not exceed 15m in height;

the mast is not erected in a National Park, Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, conservation area, or the Broads; and

the mast is not refused prior approval by the local planning authority within the period allowed under the Order. The authority must be given the opportunity to say whether they wish to approve, within 28 days, details of the mast's siting and appearance. The authority may refuse approval if they consider there to be a serious threat to amenity.

A full application for planning permission is normally required for any mast which does not meet these criteria. We have recently consulted on a proposal to make masts erected within a site of special scientific interest subject to a full planning application and are currently considering the responses received. Apart from this proposal, we have no plans to extend the current requirements for full applications for planning permission for telecommunications masts.

Country Landowners Association

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will request the Countryside Commission to make it a condition of future grant aid to the CLA in respect of access to the countryside that the new access land is posted on the CLA's website. [55412]

Publicity for new access opportunities is an essential element in opening up the countryside for public enjoyment. The Countryside Commission recognises the importance of publicity—through a range of media—and I am asking them to take this into account when setting grant conditions. Access land identified through the Country Landowners Association (CLA) Access 2000 scheme is already being posted on to the CLA's website.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps he has taken to verify independently the nature and extent of the new public access to the countryside offered by the CLA under its Access 2000 scheme. [55417]

None. The register on the CLA's website contains many details of the access involved and the CLA is responsible for the accuracy. We would expect it to verify information before it is made public on a website.

House Repossessions

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions in how many cases where income support was paid on interest payments on mortgages houses were repossessed by the mortgage lender in the last year for which figures are available. [55662]

This information is not available.

Rail Freight

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what proposals he has to promote piggy-back rail freight services in the West Midlands; and if he will make a statement. [55600]

Railtrack has for some time been considering an upgrade of the west coast main line to accommodate "piggyback" rail freight. The project would be likely to require substantial Government grant. Railtrack has not yet made an application.

Greater London Authority

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he has decided which of the seven locations currently being considered will provide accommodation for the Greater London Authority; and if he will make a statement. [56048]

Following a detailed assessment of the initial proposals for our seven short-listed buildings and sites we have selected two first-class options to study further. These are:

London Bridge City, SE1—a new building to be constructed on the site between Tower Bridge and London Bridge on the South Bank of the River Thames; and

Victoria House in Bloomsbury Square, WC1—a major refurbishment of an existing building first constructed in the 1920s.

There was keen competition among all the short-listed teams to produce high quality ideas for housing the Mayor and Assembly in London. The architects associated with the two chosen projects—Will Alsop of Alsop and Stormer for Victoria House and Sir Norman Foster of Foster Associates for London Bridge City—are leading British architects with international reputations for innovation and excellence. I am confident that, with the teams associated with these two options, we will be able to ensure that the proposed new Greater London Authority is housed in a landmark building worthy of its status and one of which Londoners can be proud.

I would like to thank all those Londoners who took the time to visit the exhibition at Oxo Tower Wharf where the ideas for the seven short-listed locations were on display. Nearly 1,000 people called in and the views expressed were carefully considered before coming to a decision. In fact, the two options I have chosen to take forward were the people's choice as well. Other factors such as finance, design, location and technical feasibility were also taken into account.

The next step will be to work with the teams from the two selected options and with our expert advisers to explore the ideas in greater detail and see how well they will meet the needs of the new Greater London Authority. We also want these buildings to contribute to their local area and intend to work closely with the local authorities to ensure that this happens. I expect to announce a final decision in the new year.

Wales

Drug And Alcohol Rehabilitation

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the drug and alcohol rehabilitation services in Gwynedd which are funded in (a) part and (b) whole by his Department. [55597]

In the current financial year the Department is providing funding, under the Department's grant scheme for residential services providing care for drug and alcohol misusers, to Cyngor Alcohol Information Services (CAIS) towards the core costs of the Ty'n Rodyn residential unit at Lower Penrallt, Glanrafon Hill, Bangor, Gwynedd.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps his Department is taking to improve drug and alcohol rehabilitation services in Wales. [55599]

One of the aims of the Welsh drug and alcohol strategy "Forward Together" is to improve the effectiveness of treatment and rehabilitation services for those who misuse. The Welsh Drug and Alcohol Unit (WDAU), which works to and is funded by the Department, provides technical advice and support to those in the field including drug and alcohol rehabilitation services in Wales.As part of their contract the WDAU has produced a Directory of Service Providers in Wales to ensure that commissioners are aware of the range of services available within localities. Guidance has also been produced for health and social service commissioners on the purchasing of drug and alcohol treatment services. The Directory and the Guidance have been given a wide distribution in Wales.Earlier this year the Department commissioned a review of the purchasing requirements for, and the provision of, residential and community services in Wales for people with drug and alcohol problems. The final report has recently been produced and the Department is considering how its grant scheme for residential services providing care for drug and alcohol misusers can best be utilised to support residential treatment and rehabilitation units.

Waiting Lists

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many people in Wales had been on hospital waiting lists for over one year at the latest available date. [55619]

At 31 August 1998, some 9,573 residents in Wales had been on hospital waiting lists for over 1 year for treatment as an in-patient or daycase.

Hill Farming

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent assessment he has made of the effect of current hill farming incomes on the rural Welsh economy. [55595]

Welsh Office officials are currently preparing income forecasts for hill farming as part of the annual review of economic conditions in the hills and uplands. This is an exercise to which we attach great importance. An assessment of the impact of recent trends in farm income on rural employment will also be made.Agriculture is estimated to contribute directly about 8 per cent. to total employment in the Less Favoured Areas (LFA). Agriculture also indirectly supports jobs in other industries; and published studies suggest that in the LFA every 10 full-time jobs in agriculture support approximately a further four jobs in related industries.

Homelessness

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps the Welsh Office has undertaken in the past year to reduce homelessness in Wales. [55594]

We have made regulations giving local authorities powers to allocate permanent accommodation to homeless people; we have assisted various voluntary bodies concerned with preventing and alleviating homelessness and rough sleeping; we have seconded an officer from the voluntary sector to advise local authorities on measures to deal with rough sleeping.Our other housing programmes are designed to increase the supply and quality of accommodation which will help reduce homelessness pressure.

House Of Commons

Refreshment Prices

To ask the Chairman of the Catering Committee by what formula, and to what extent, the notional costs of (a) services, (b) rents and (c) rates are reflected in the prices of restaurants, cafés, bars and banqueting suites in the House of Commons. [55613]

[holding answer 19 October 1998]: The House of Commons votes do not presently allocate costs to individual Departments of the House, although the introduction of Resource Accounting and Budgeting in 1999 will lead to a greater degree of transparency of such costs in the future. Under the present arrangements, the Refreshment Department has a target to achieve an overall operating surplus of 5 per cent. on its trading account, but there is no direct linkage between the prices charged to customers using the Department's facilities and the costs (notional or actual) of common services, rents or rates.I shall ensure that a copy of the published Refreshment Department Trading Account for 1997–98 is sent to my hon. Friend. He will wish to note that the Department made an operating surplus of £445,476 (10.6 per cent. of turnover). Consequently, a sum of £462,429 will be transferred from the Refreshment Department trading account to the House of Commons Administration Vote in the present financial year for ultimate return to HM Treasury.

President Of The Council

Millennium Compliance

To ask the President of the Council what progress has been made in ensuring millennium compliance in central Government's systems and equipment and in its suppliers. [54713]

The results of the last quarterly review, which I announced on 9 September 1998, showed that good progress is being made by Departments and agencies in tackling the year 2000 problem. Work on correcting priority, business-critical, systems is particularly well advanced. Over half of the returns reported that 50 per cent. or more of the correction work has been completed and in a fifth of cases this figure was as high as 90 per cent. Departments and agencies are also seeking assurances from suppliers that they will be able to continue to provide key products and services into the next century.The individual returns from the last quarterly review are available in the Library of the House together with my statement, a copy of which I sent to all hon. Members on 9 September.

Defence

Trainer Aircraft

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 3 July 1998, Official Report, column 310, what options his Department has to extend the contract for the Grob 115D aircraft at the end of the contract period. [50432]

Negotiations continue with the preferred bidder for the Royal Air Forces Light Aircraft Flying Task. The intention is to recompete the requirement at the end of the ten-year contract and there are consequently no plans to include options for extending the contract.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 3 July 1998, Official Report, column 310, what assessment he has made of the effective working life of the Grob 115D aircraft. [50433]

The Grob 115D is certified for 15,000 flying hours for the type of flying operations the RAF plans to undertake, subject to normal maintenance inspections. Based on these criteria, and assuming a constant usage rate, the RAF assesses the working life of the aircraft to be around 30 years.

Commercial Exploitation Levies

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 31 July 1998, Official Report, column 720, to the hon. Member for Cynon Valley (Ann Clwyd), for what products his Department received commercial exploitation levies in each of the last three years; and what were the values of the levies. [55643]

[holding answer 19 October 1998]: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Chlorine

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research has been carried out by the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment (Porton Down) to investigate whether short-term exposure to chlorine can cause long-term illnesses; when this research was carried out; and what were the results. [55331]

This is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency. I have asked the Chief Executive to write to my hon. Friend.

Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Ken Livingstone, dated 21 October 1998:

I have been asked to reply to your question about research into possible long term health effects from short term exposure to chlorine.

I informed you in my letter of 21 July, printed in the Official Report Col 469 dated 21 July, that DERA's Chemical and Biological Defence sector (CBD) had not carried out any research into possible long term effects of chlorine. This is still the case.

My earlier letter also explained that CBD is aware of the general toxicology and health effects of chlorine gas, as reported in the open literature, particularly in relation to exposure occurring through industrial accidents.

I hope this is helpful.

Cbde Technical Papers

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many series of technical papers have been produced by the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment (Porton Down) since 1990; and what are the titles of each series. [55319]

This is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency. I have asked the Chief Executive to write to my hon. Friend.

Letter from Mr. John Chisholm to Mr. Ken Livingstone, dated 21 October 1998:

I have been asked to reply to your question about the number and titles of series of technical papers produced by DERA's Chemical and Biological Defence sector (CBD) since 1990.

Since 1990 CBD has produced 8 series of internal reports, the titles of which are as follows:

Field Trial Reports

Field Trial Programmes

Operational Granby Reports

CBD Reports

Technical Papers

Technical Notes

Technical Memoranda

DERA Reports

I hope this is helpful.

Royal Tournament

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what compensation payments have been made as a result of injuries incurred by military personnel participating in the Royal Tournament in each of the last five years. [55695]

Only one compensation payment has been made by my Department to military personnel as a result of injuries sustained while participating in the Royal Tournament in the last five years.

Treasury

Monetary Union

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which current powers of the Bank of England to make regulations, inspect or supervise, control credit limits and permit companies to operate as banks in the United Kingdom would, in the event of full adherence to monetary union, be within the authority of or subject to limits set by the European Central Bank. [55691]

The responsibilities of central banks in Stage Three of economic and monetary union are described in Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty and in the ESCB Statute (Protocol No. 3 to the Treaty). If the UK joined EMU, national legislation, including the statutes of the Bank of England, would have to be made compatible with the Treaty and the Statute.In the UK, responsibility for the authorisation and supervision of banks was transferred from the Bank of England to the Financial Services Authority by the Bank of England Act 1998. The Treaty does not assign to the ECB a direct role in the prudential supervision of credit institutions which remains primarily the responsibility of individual Member States. Any extension of the ECB' s role in this area would require the unanimous approval of all Member States under Article 105(6) of the Treaty.Were the UK to join the single currency, UK banks' holdings of minimum reserves with the Bank of England would need to be compatible with the requirements imposed by the ECB under Article 19 of the ESCB Statute at that time.

European Community Budgets

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in respect of the Transfer of Appropriations No. 16/98 Non Compulsory Expenditure (SEC 1998) 1062 final concerning Section III (Commission Parts A and B), agreed by the Council of Finance Ministers, what are the sums transferred in sterling, the former purpose of those sums and the purposes to which those sums will now be devoted; at which meeting of the ECOFIN Council such transfers were agreed, and which Treasury Minister was present; and if the Government will request the President of the Council when conveying such approval in future to include the original purpose and new purpose to which sums are being devoted in all public documents related thereto. [55694]

This transfers concerns 450,000 ecus (£300,040 at the rate of £1 = 1.4998 ecu which is set for UK VAT and Fourth Resource contributions to the 1998 European Community Budget). This sum is to be transferred from the reserve budget to the Translation Centre for the Bodies of the European Union. Further details will be found in an explanatory memorandum which is being submitted by HM Treasury to the Select Committee on European Legislation. As a rule, the Council adopts its position on transfer proposals at the first convenient Council meeting following consideration in the Council's Committee of Permanent Representatives. This may not necessarily be a meeting of ECOFIN. Generally speaking, the President of the Council, in conveying approval to a transfer, refers to the original and new purpose to which sums are being devoted.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer by what means transfers of appropriation from one purpose to another within the budget of the European Community are authorised and published; where the public may obtain information concerning such changes and the amounts involved; and if he will list those approved so far in the current financial year, together with details for each. [55692]

The European Commission may make proposals to the budgetary authority (the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament) for the transfer of appropriations between chapters of each EC budget section. In the case of transfers relating to expenditure resulting from Treaties (compulsory expenditure), it is the Council, after consulting the European Parliament, which decides whether or not to approve the Commission's proposal. In the case of transfers relating to other expenditure (non-compulsory expenditure) the roles of the Council and the European Parliament are reversed. The full procedure is set out in Article 26 of the EC's Financial Regulation of 21 December 1977, a copy of which will be placed in the Commons Library. The following list details of transfers that have been proposed so far this year. All transfer proposals are subject to Parliamentary scrutiny, however, and further details may be found in the relevant explanatory memorandum or FCO cover note submitted on each transfer proposal to the Select Committee on European Legislation by the Treasury.

Members of the public may obtain information on transfers from the published reports of the Select Committee on the European Legislation or directly from the offices of the European Commission.

EC Budget 1998: Transfers
Amount (million ecu)
Transfer no.	Date of proposal	Document no.	Commitments	Payments	Subject	Transfer from
1	29 January 1998	SEC(1998)153	23.1	17.1	Information and communication	Reserve
2	20 May 1998	SEC(1998)888	8	7	Information and communication	Reserve
3	25 February 1998	SEC(1998)347	0.171		Economic and Social Committee/Committee of the Regions	Reserve
4	1 April 1998	SEC(1998)560	45	38	Assistance to economic reform and recovery in the New Independent States and Mongolia	Reserve
5	2 April 1998	SEC(1998)572	94	0	Measures to accompany the reforms to the economic and social structures in the Mediterranean non-member countries	Reserve
6	29 May 1998	SEC(1998)923	30	24	Yugoslavia	Reserve
7	20 May 1998	SEC(1998)908	10.1	6.55	EU co-operation with the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the New Independent States	Reserve
8	14 May 1998	SEC(1998)811	245.5		Loan Guarantee Fund	Loan Guarantee Reserve
9	13 May 1998	SEC(1998)809	0.7	0.5	European Agency for Safety and Health at Work	Reserve
			2	Drugs Agency
10	19 June 1998	SEC(1998)883	2	Administration	Reserve
11	3 June 1998	SEC(1998)948	4.4	Economic and Social Committee/Committee of the Regions	Reserve
12	4 June 1998	SEC(1998)947	2.195	European Court of Justice	Reserve
13	11 June 1998	SEC(1998)1022	4	3	Justice & Home affairs	Reserve
14	10 June 1998	SEC(1998)1023	15	15	Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organisation	Reserve
15	19 June 1998	SEC(1998)1056	0	3.25	International Fisheries Agreements	Reserve
16	19 June 1998	SEC(1998)1962	0.45		Management of resources	Reserve
17	19 June 1998	SEC(1998)1063	1	0.5	Safety at work	Reserve
18	26 June 1998	SEC(1998)1101	5.59	13.58	Staff and administrative expenditure of EC delegations
19	5 August 1998	SEC(1998)1363		3.8	Disarmament and prevention of conflicts	Financial protocols with Malta and Cyprus
20	23 June 1998	SEC(1998)1229	50	50	Contribution to European Bank for Reconstruction and Development for Chernobyl Shelter fund	Reserve
21	25 June 1998	SEC(1998)1230	11	0	Energy policy	Reserve
22	16 September 1998	SEC(1998)1407	2.4 (non-difference)		Postal charges and telecommunications	Reserve
23	10 July 1998	SEC(1998)1231		0.26	Interinstitutional co-operation	Staff in active employment
24	15 July 1998	SEC(1998)1262	150	100	Humanitarian aid	Emergency aid reserve
25	9 September 1998	SEC(1998)1525	3	2	New Transatlantic agenda	Reserve
26	9 September 1998	SEC(1998)1498	1.1 (non-difference)		Operation of radio and television studios and audiovisual equipment	Reserve

EC Budget 1998: Transfers
Amount (million ecu)
Transfer no.	Date of proposal	Document no.	Commitments	Payments	Subject	Transfer from
27	9 September 1998	SEC(1998)1513	0	8	Support for democracy in central and eastern Europe	Co-operation with the republics formerly part of Yugoslavia
28	16 September 1998	SEC(1998)1544	0	810	European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) Guarantee Section (Arable crops, sugar, sheepmeat and goatmeat, refunds on certain goods obtained by processing agricultural products)	EAGGF Guarantee Section (Fruit and vegetables vine products, milk and milk products, beef/veal, pigmeat, other measures)
29	11 September 1998	SEC(1998)1528	0.95 (non-difference)		Court of Justice—movable property and associated costs	Provisional appropriations
30	28 September 1998	SEC(1998)1616	5 (non-difference)		Publishing	Reserve
31	18 September 1998	SEC(1998)1552	0.4 (non-difference)		Meetings of the Committee of the Regions (COR)	COR joint interpreting service, publications, basic salaries, family and expatriation allowances

Euro

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if euro notes and coinage, irrespective of the issuing national central bank, will be legal tender in all member states of the European Union. [55680]

In EMU, all euro bank notes issued by the European Central Bank (ECB) and the national central banks of participating member states will be legal tender in all member states which participate in EMU. Similarly, all euro coins issued by participating member states and complying with the denominations and technical specifications adopted by the Council in accordance with Article 105a(2) of the Treaty, will be legal tender in the participating member states.

Registration Records

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what steps he plans to take to improve access to registration records; [55666](2) what plans he has to reform the system of access to civil registration records; and if he will make a statement. [55667]

The Registration Acts are quite specific as to the means of access to all the records of births, deaths and marriages. The Acts allow members of the public to search the indexes in order to identify the entries they are looking for and to obtain certified copies (certificates) on payment of the appropriate statutory fees. The Registrar General has no powers to make available or disclose registration information in any other way,It is widely acknowledged that the present arrangements, whereby there is no right to browse through individual records and extract information, are unnecessarily restrictive. The Registrar General is reconsidering the proposals in the 1990 White Paper "Registration: proposals for change" (Cm 939) about access to registration records. He is preparing an options paper for the Government to consider. This should be ready by the end of the year.

Pre-Budget Report

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he proposes to publish the pre-Budget report. [56231]

On 3 November.

Trade And Industry

Coal

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will make a statement on the extent of blending of deep-mined and open-cast coal at power stations. [49261]

The mix of deep-mined and open-cast used in power stations is a commercial matter for each private sector generator.The open-cast mining of coal itself is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions.

Oil And Gas Industry

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will place in the Library copies of correspondence her Department has received in the last six months from the European Commission concerning the implementation of the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive as it affects the offshore oil and gas industry. [50633]

The correspondence referred to is regarded as confidential by both the Commission and the Department. It forms part of a negotiation over complex issues, and it may harm the chances of reaching a satisfactory outcome to the negotiations if the position of either party is made public.

Inward Investment

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list inward investments in the UK manufacturing sector over £1 million in each of the last three years, indicating the nation from which the investment came, the area of the United Kingdom in which it was made, and the grants made by the Government in respect of each investment; and if he will list those investments which have fallen short of the amount indicated to the Government by 30 September or as much of such information as is readily available to him. [55497]

Company	Country of Origin	Grant Offered (£000)	Area
1995–96
Bi-Link Metal Specialities (UK) Ltd.	USA	1,500	Scotland
Motorola Ltd.	USA	7,000	Scotland
Delta Textiles (London) Ltd.	Israel	350	Scotland
Barr & Stroud Ltd.	France	2,795	Scotland
Forbo-Nairn Ltd.	Switzerland	2,700	Scotland
Lexmark International Inc.	USA	8,500	Scotland
Shin-Etsu Handotai Europe Ltd.	Japan	4,000	Scotland
Bray Valves & Controls (UK) Ltd.	USA	550	Scotland
H. J. Heinz Co. Ltd.	USA	990	London
Chartex International PLC	USA	480	London
Printpack Europe Ltd.	USA	400	Merseyside
Mackie Automotive Systems (UK) Ltd.	Canada	750	Merseyside
Freudenberg Technical Products LP	Germany	940	North East
Neyr Plastiques	France	950	North East
Procter & Gamble (Health & Beauty)	USA	415	North East
Valeo Security Systems Ltd.	France	600	North East
Schur Flexible UK Ltd.	Denmark	400	North East
TRW Automotive Systems Ltd.	USA	2,100	North East
Siemens PLC	Germany	24,985	North East
Edbro PLC	France	225	North West
Bayex Ltd.	France	500	North West
Photronics (UK) Ltd.	USA	1,800	North West
Cohnen GBR	Germany	245	South East
Nortel Ltd.	Canada	5,000	South West
AVX Ltd.	Japan	825	South West
Pall Europe Ltd.	USA	950	South West
Rotometrics International Ltd.	USA	500	West Midlands
Callow & Maddox Bros. Ltd.	USA	900	West Midlands
Magneti Marelli UK Ltd.	Italy	3,500	West Midlands
Metabrasive Ltd.	France	700	West Midlands
Ishida (Europe) Ltd.	Japan	950	West Midlands
Coveton (Manuf) Ltd.	Germany	65	West Midlands
Rockwell Light Vehicle Sysm (UK) Ltd.	USA	740	West Midlands
GE Aircraft Engine Services Ltd.	USA	7,000	Wales
Nippon Electric Glass (UK) Ltd.	Japan	4,500	Wales
Flextronics International Ltd.	Singapore	1,000	Wales
Nimbus Manuf (UK) Ltd.	USA	590	Wales
ITT Automotive UK Ltd.	USA	3,100	Wales
Owens Corning Fiberglas (GB) Ltd.	USA	800	Wales
Lemforder Nacam Ltd.	Germany	500	Wales
Big Batteries Ltd.	USA	1,700	Wales
BP Oil Llandarcy Refinery Ltd.	Belgium	1,000	Wales
Speywood Biopharm Ltd.	France	260	Wales
Diaplastics (UK) Ltd.	Japan	1,000	Wales
NMC (UK) Ltd.	Belgium	120	Wales
Ford Motor Co. Ltd.	USA	354	Wales
Hoya Lens UK Ltd.	Japan	1,800	Wales
Tap Manuf Ltd.	Japan	1,500	Wales
Hitachi Home Electronics Europe Ltd.	Japan	2,000	Wales

Comprehensive information on all the financial packages available to inward investors is not held centrally and to provide a detailed list would involve disproportionate costs. However, a list of internationally mobile inward investors in the manufacturing sector whose investment was greater than £1 million and who were offered regional selective assistance, or in Northern Ireland selective financial assistance, and where some payment of grant has been made, is as follows. There will, of course, have been many other inward investment projects in the manufacturing sector which did not receive regional selective assistance.Projects may be revised for a variety of reasons and the amount of grant, which is paid in stages against progress on capital investment and jobs, may be varied accordingly. The majority of projects receiving offers over the last three years are still in progress. Details of any changes are commercially confidential unless they involve public announcements of complete closure.

Company	Country of Origin	Grant Offered (£000)	Area
Renner Powder Metallurgy Ltd.	Germany	340	York/Humb
Polycarb Ltd.	Israel	960	York/Humb
Short Brothers PLC	Canada	5,000	Northern Ireland
Short Brothers PLC	Canada	1,295	Northern Ireland
Delwyn Enterprises Ltd.	France	282	Northern Ireland
Fujitsu Telecom Europe Ltd.	Japan	2,950	Northern Ireland
Coca-Cola Brothers (Ulster) Ltd.	Luxembourg	400	Northern Ireland
Aldiscon (NI) Ltd.	Republic of Ireland	678	Northern Ireland
Burnside Hydraulic Cylinders Ltd.	Republic of Ireland	1,033	Northern Ireland
Webtech (NI) Ltd.	Republic of Ireland	480	Northern Ireland
Europa Tool Co. Ltd.	South Korea	3,210	Northern Ireland
Baker Hughes Ltd.	USA	1,841	Northern Ireland
BCO Technologies (NI) Ltd.	USA	7,307	Northern Ireland
Copeland Ltd.	USA	11,111	Northern Ireland
Nacco Materials Handling (NI) Ltd.	USA	3,300	Northern Ireland
Plastofilm Ltd.	USA	948	Northern Ireland
Regal Processors Ltd.	USA	962	Northern Ireland
Seagate Technology (Ireland)	USA	10,407	Northern Ireland
Stream International (NI) Ltd.	USA	5,375	Northern Ireland
1996–97
Wedco Technology UK Ltd.	USA	100	East Midlands
Organon Laboratories Ltd.	Netherlands	2,500	Scotland
Chunghwa Picture Tubes (UK) Ltd.	Taiwan	55,000	Scotland
Alcan Aluminium UK Ltd.	Canada	550	Scotland
Simple Technology Inc.	USA	1,700	Scotland
Tenma (UK) Ltd.	Japan	1,000	Scotland
Monsanto PLC	USA	1,428	Scotland
SCI Holdings Inc.	USA	4,800	Scotland
Nikon Precision Europe GMBH	Japan	250	Scotland
Award PLC	USA	2,000	Scotland
Lite-on Technology (UK) Ltd.	Taiwan	5,500	Scotland
Smart Modular Technologies	USA	3,000	Scotland
Roche Products Ltd.	Switzerland	6,000	Scotland
Instrument Specialties Europe Ltd.	USA	600	Scotland
ABB Vetco Gray UK Ltd.	Switzerland	700	Scotland
ABB Wylex Production & Development	Switzerland	630	Scotland
Polaroid (UK) Ltd.	USA	2,000	Scotland
IBM UK Ltd.	USA	200	Scotland
Norton Healthcare Ltd.	USA	990	London
Dong Jin Precision UK Ltd.	South Korea	950	North East
Simula Automotive Safety Devices Ltd.	USA	890	North East
TSL Group PLC	France	125	North East
Mono Containers Ltd.	Kuwait	500	North East
Hydro Aluminium Century Ltd.	Norway	950	North East
Merck Sharp & Dohme Ltd.	USA	500	North East
Elring Klinger GB Ltd.	Germany	350	North East
Dresser UK Ltd.	USA	2,500	North East
Du Pont (UK) Ltd.	USA	2,000	North East
Bristol-Myers Squibb	USA	750	North West
Stralfors PLC	Sweden	750	South West
Toshiba Consumer Products (UK) Ltd.	Japan	240	South West
Harman International Industries Ltd.	USA	950	South West
Gleason Works Ltd.	USA	950	South West
Rittal-CSM Ltd.	Germany	500	South West
Lucas Control Systems Products	USA	200	South West
Jaguar Cars Ltd.	USA	40,000	West Midlands
Huf UK Ltd.	Germany	150	West Midlands
Mann & Hummel (UK) Ltd.	Germany	1,700	West Midlands
Webasto Holdings Ltd.	Germany	500	West Midlands
Denso Sales (UK) Ltd.	Japan	80	West Midlands
Ford Motor Co. Ltd.	USA	10,000	Wales
Newport Waferfab Ltd.	Hong Kong	7,000	Wales
Northern Automotive Systems Ltd.	USA	1,500	Wales
JCB Transmissions Ltd.	Netherlands	3,150	Wales
Halla Euro Enterprise Ltd.	South Korea	5,000	Wales
Bos Automotive Products UK	Germany	500	Wales
3M UK PLC	USA	1,750	Wales
Punch Precision Ltd.	Belgium	180	Wales
Showa (UK) Ltd.	Japan	3,000	Wales
Kyushu Matshushita Electric (UK) Ltd.	Japan	1,000	Wales
Hoover Ltd.	Italy	800	Wales
Alberto-Culver Co. (UK) Ltd.	USA	600	Wales

Company	Country of Origin	Grant Offered (£000)	Area
Fiamm UK Ltd.	Italy	3,000	Wales
Brite Sparks Ltd.	Switzerland	850	Wales
Walbro Automotive Ltd.	USA	850	Wales
Sony UK Ltd.	Japan	7,000	Wales
Aero-Motive (UK) Ltd.	USA	400	Wales
R-Tek Ltd.	Japan	500	Wales
Toyo Seal Industrial Co. Ltd.	Japan	240	Wales
Bertrand Faure Seating Ltd.	France	4,500	Wales
Align-Rite Ltd.	USA	1,680	Wales
Viskase UK Ltd.	USA	250	Wales
Faun Municipal Vehicles Ltd.	Germany	950	Wales
Sei Interconnect Products (UK) Ltd.	Japan	450	Wales
Bericap UK Ltd.	Germany	450	York/Humb
Luk (UK) Ltd.	Germany	940	York/Humb
Koyo Bearings (Europe) Ltd.	Japan	900	York/Humb
K & L Microwave	USA	200	York/Humb
Portola Packaging Ltd.	USA	900	York/Humb
Thrige Scott Ltd.	Denmark	460	Northern Ireland
Glen Electric Ltd.	Republic of Ireland	1,380	Northern Ireland
Irish Fertiliser Industries Ltd.	Republic of Ireland	4,400	Northern Ireland
Octopus Sportswear Manufacturing Ltd.	Republic of Ireland	975	Northern Ireland
Pharmaflex Ltd.	Republic of Ireland	370	Northern Ireland
Colorite Europe Ltd.	USA	1,146	Northern Ireland
Cynamid of GB Ltd.	USA	3,526	Northern Ireland
FG Wilson (Engineering) Ltd.	USA	36,405	Northern Ireland
Ford Motor Co. Ltd.	USA	4,571	Northern Ireland
Gallaher Ltd.	USA	9,957	Northern Ireland
Liberty Information Technology	USA	837	Northern Ireland
Moy Park Ltd.	USA	8,112	Northern Ireland
Seagate Media Technology	USA	24,245	Northern Ireland
AVX Ltd.	USA/Japan	8,000	Northern Ireland
1997–98
Alcan Aluminium UK Ltd.	Canada	6,000	Scotland
Avex Electronics Ltd.	USA	990	Scotland
Eaton Shared Services Ltd.	USA	900	Scotland
Honeywell Control Systems Ltd.	USA	250	Scotland
Carron Phoenix Ltd.	Switzerland	250	Scotland
Primaflex Ltd.	Germany	300	Scotland
Knowsley Plastics Ltd.	Republic of Ireland	600	Merseyside
MTK Holdings SA	Switzerland	750	North East
Vauxhall Motors Ltd.	USA	10,000	North West
Bott Ltd.	Germany	350	South West
Rover Group Ltd.	Germany	22,500	West Midlands
Nordam Europe Ltd.	USA	2,350	Wales
Alert Packaging Ltd.	Republic of Ireland	210	Wales
LG Group Ltd.	Korea	69,500	Wales
Yajima (UK) Ltd.	Japan	1,000	Wales
Tomoe Tritec Ltd.	Japan	600	Wales
Friction Dynamics Ltd.	USA	1,410	Wales
Triten International Ltd.	USA	300	York/Humb
Sematic UK Ltd.	Italy	400	York/Humb
Nortel PLC	Canada	3,500	Northern Ireland
Nortel PLC	Canada	600	Northern Ireland
Short Brothers PLC	Canada	19,507	Northern Ireland
Michelin Tyre PLC	France	2,500	Northern Ireland
Huco Lightronic NI Ltd.	Germany	229	Northern Ireland
Ryobi Aluminium Casting (UK) Ltd.	Japan	2,803	Northern Ireland
Webtech (NI) Ltd.	Republic of Ireland	615	Northern Ireland
Humax Electronics Ltd.	South Korea	1,226	Northern Ireland
Du Pont (UK) Ltd.	USA	12,300	Northern Ireland
Information Management Resources Ltd.	USA	1,944	Northern Ireland
Seagate Technology (Ireland)	USA	39,375	Northern Ireland

Euro

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action the Government are taking to help companies to redenominate share capital to prepare for the euro. [55989]

I am very keen to play a full part in helping UK business prepare for the euro. The DTI's consultation "The Euro: Redenomination of Share Capital" showed that companies are starting to consider whether to redenominate their share capital as the euro becomes widely-used in Europe. Existing Companies Act 1985 procedures for the reorganisation of share capital are not specifically designed for redenomination of shares, and can place an unnecessary burden on companies in terms of cost, and the requirement for formal court approval to any reduction in share capital.I propose to seek amendments to the Companies Act 1985 to provide a specific mechanism for companies to use in redenominating their share capital. The new mechanism would permit companies to resolve that references in any document to share capital denominated in one currency would be to the equivalent amount in euro (or another currency). A resolution of each class of shareholders would be required (although a resolution of the board would suffice where the company was redenominating into euro during any transitional period to membership of the single currency).The new mechanism would also permit companies to adjust the resulting nominal or par values of the shares to a more convenient figure in euro (or other currency), subject to shareholder approval and without the need for court approval. There would be no requirement for companies to issue new share certificates following redenomination.The second part of my proposal relates to the requirement in section 118 of the Companies Act 1985 that public companies should have a minimum amount of authorised and issued share capital of £50,000. Currently the Act requires this amount to be denominated in sterling, although companies can and do issue share capital in other currencies, over and above the minimum amount. Companies have told this Department that they favour having the flexibility to denominate the whole of their share capital—including the minimum amount—in a foreign currency; and I propose to seek an amendment to the Companies Act 1985 to allow them to do so.In preparing the new legislation the DTI will issue a further consultation document in the new year with the detailed proposals for change.

Prime Minister

Cabinet Committees

To ask the Prime Minister if he will publish an updated list of Ministerial Committees of the Cabinet. [55929]

An updated list of the names and membership of the Ministerial Committees which I have established to date is as follows. In addition to the members listed, other Members are invited to attend meetings as and when business requires:

Ministerial Committee on Economic Affairs (EA)

Composition

Chancellor of the Exchequer (Chair)
Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions
Secretary of State for the Home Department
Secretary of State for Education and Employment
President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
Minister for the Cabinet Office

Secretary of State for Scotland
Secretary of State for Health
Parliamentary Secretary, Treasury and Chief Whip
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Secretary of State for Wales
Secretary of State for Social Security
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
Chief Secretary, Treasury
Minister of State, Cabinet Office
Other Ministers are invited to attend for items in which they have a departmental interest. The Chief Scientific Adviser attends for issues relating to science and technology.

Terms of Reference

"To consider issues relating to the Government's economic policies".

Ministerial Sub-Committee on Energy Policy (EA(N))

Composition

Chancellor of the Exchequer (Chair)
Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions
Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
Paymaster General, Treasury
Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Minister of State, Cabinet Office
Minister of State, Scottish Office
Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office
Minister of State, Department of Trade and Industry
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Welsh Office

Terms of Reference

"To consider the principles and objectives which should underlie the United Kingdom's energy strategy; and make recommendations for an energy strategy to the Ministerial Committee on Economic Affairs".

Ministerial Sub-Committee on Welfare to Work (EA(WW))

Composition

Chancellor of the Exchequer (Chair)
Secretary of State for Education and Employment
Secretary of State for Scotland
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Secretary of State for Wales
Secretary of State for Social Security
Chief Secretary, Treasury
Minister of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions
Paymaster General, Treasury
Minister of State, Home Office
Minister of State, Department for Education and Employment
Minister of State, Cabinet Office
Other Ministers are invited to attend for items in which they have a departmental interest.

Terms of Reference

"To develop polices to get people from welfare to work and to report as necessary to the Ministerial Committee on Economic Affairs (EA)".

Ministerial Committee on Public Services and Public Expenditure (PSX)

Composition

Chancellor of the Exchequer (Chair)
Lord Chancellor
President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
Minister for the Cabinet Office
Parliamentary Secretary, Treasury and Chief Whip
Leader of the House of Lords and Minister for Women (appointed as Lord Privy Seal)
Chief Secretary, Treasury Minister of State, Cabinet Office
Other Ministers are invited to attend for matters in which they have a departmental interest.

Terms of Reference

"To monitor progress against public service agreements, to review public expenditure allocations and make recommendations to the Cabinet."

Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Chair)
Chancellor of the Exchequer
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
Minister for the Cabinet Office
Secretary of State for Scotland
Secretary of State for Health
Parliamentary Secretary, Treasury and Chief Whip
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Secretary of State for Wales
Secretary of State for International Development
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
Chief Secretary, Treasury
Minister of Transport
Minister of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions
The Secretary of State for Social Security and the Secretary of State for Education and Employment also receive papers. They and other Ministers are invited to attend as necessary. The Chief Scientific Adviser attends for issues relating to science and technology.

Terms of Reference

"To consider environmental policies and to co-ordinate those on sustainable development".

Ministerial Committee on Local Government (GL)

Composition

Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Chair)
Chancellor of the Exchequer
Lord Chancellor
Secretary of State for the Home Department
Secretary of State for Education and Employment
President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
Minister for the Cabinet Office
Secretary of State for Scotland
Secretary of State for Health
Parliamentary Secretary, Treasury and Chief Whip
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Secretary of State for Wales

Secretary of State for Social Security
Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
Chief Secretary, Treasury
Minister of Transport
Minister of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions
Minister of State, Cabinet Office
Other Ministers are invited to attend for items in which they have a departmental interest.

Terms of Reference

"To consider issues affecting local government, including the annual allocation of resources".

Ministerial Sub-Committee on London (GL(L))

Composition

Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Chair)
Paymaster General, Treasury
Minister of State, Department for Education and Employment
Minister of State, Cabinet Office
Minister of State, Department of Health
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office
Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Culture, Media and Sport
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Trade and Industry
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Social Security

Terms of Reference

"To co-ordinate the Government's polices on London, and report as necessary to the Ministerial Committee on Local Government (GL) and the Ministerial Committee on Devolution Policy (DP)".

Ministerial Committee on Home and Social Affairs (HS)

Composition

Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Chair)
Chancellor of the Exchequer
Lord Chancellor
Secretary of State for the Home Department
Secretary of State for Education and Employment
President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
Minister for the Cabinet Office
Secretary of State for Scotland
Secretary of State for Health
Parliamentary Secretary, Treasury and Chief Whip
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Secretary of State for Wales
Secretary of State for Social Security
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Leader of the House of Lords and Minister for Women (appointed as Lord Privy Seal)
Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
Chief Secretary, Treasury

Minister of Transport
Minister of State, Cabinet Office
The Attorney-General, the Lord Advocate and the Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms also receive papers. They and others are invited to attend as necessary.

Terms of Reference

"To consider issues of home and social policy".

Ministerial Sub-Committee on Health Strategy (HS(H))

Composition

President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons (Chair)
Secretary of State for Health
Secretary of State for International Development
Minister of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions
Minister of State, Department of Health
Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Economic Secretary, Treasury
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Employment
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Scottish Office
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Northern Ireland Office
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Welsh Office
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Social Security
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Trade and Industry
The Chief Medical Officer is in attendance.
Other Ministers are invited to attend for items in which they have a departmental interest.

Terms of Reference

"To oversee the development, implementation and monitoring of the Government's health strategy; to co-ordinate the Government's policies on United Kingdom-wide issues affecting health; and to report as necessary to the Ministerial Committee on Home and Social Affairs (HS)".

Ministerial Sub-Committee on Drug Misuse (HS(D))

Composition

Minister for the Cabinet Office (Chair)
Secretary of State for International Development
Solicitor-General
Financial Secretary, Treasury
Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Minister of State, Ministry of Defence
Minister of State, Department of Health
Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Employment
Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Scottish Office
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Welsh Office
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions also receives papers and may be invited to attend as appropriate.

Terms of Reference

"To co-ordinate the Government's national and international policies for tackling drugs misuse, and report as necessary to the Ministerial Committee on Home and Social Affairs (HS)".

Ministerial Sub-Committee on Women's Issues (HS(W)) Composition

Leader of the House of Lords and Minister for Women (appointed as Lord Privy Seal) (Chair)
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Secretary of State for International Development
Minister of State, Scottish Office
Minister of State, Department of Health
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions
Economic Secretary, Treasury
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Employment
Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Welsh Office
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Social Security
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Trade and Industry

Terms of Reference

"To review and develop the Government's policy and strategy on issues of special concern to women; to oversee their implementation; and to report as necessary to the Ministerial Committee on Home and Social Affairs (HS)".

Ministerial Committee on The Queen's Speeches and Future Legislation (QFL) Composition

President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons (Chair)
Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions
Lord Chancellor
Minister for the Cabinet Office
Parliamentary Secretary, Treasury and Chief Whip
Leader of the House of Lords and Minister for Women (appointed by Lord Privy Seal)
Chief Secretary, Treasury
Attorney-General
Lord Advocate
Minister of State, Cabinet Office
Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs is invited to attend for discussions of The Queen's Speeches

Terms of Reference

"To prepare and submit to the Cabinet drafts of The Queen's Speeches to Parliament and proposals for the Government's legislative programme".

Ministerial Committee on Legislation (LEG) Composition

President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons (Chair)
Lord Chancellor
Secretary of State for Scotland
Parliamentary Secretary, Treasury and Chief Whip

Secretary of State for Wales
Leader of the House of Lords and Minister for Women (appointed as Lord Privy Seal)
Attorney-General
Lord Advocate
Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Minister of State, Home Office
Financial Secretary, Treasury
Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office
Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland also receives papers and is invited to attend as necessary.

Terms of Reference

"To examine all draft Bills; to consider the parliamentary handling of Government Bills, European Community documents and Private Members' business, and such other related matters as may be necessary; and to keep under review the Government's policy in relation to issues of Parliamentary procedures".

Ministerial Committee on Constitutional Reform Policy (CRP)

Composition

Prime Minister (Chair)
Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions
Chancellor of the Exchequer
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
Lord Chancellor
Secretary of State for the Home Department
President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
Minister for the Cabinet Office
Secretary of State for Scotland
Parliamentary Secretary, Treasury and Chief Whip
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Secretary of State for Wales
Leader of the House of Lords and Minister for Women (appointed as Lord Privy Seal)
Other Ministers may be invited to attend as necessary.

Terms of Reference

"To consider strategic issues relating to the Government's constitutional reform policies".

Ministerial Sub-Committee on Incorporation of the European Convention of Human Rights (CRP(EC))

Composition

Lord Chancellor (Chair)
Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
Secretary of State for the Home Department
Secretary of State for Education and Employment
President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
Secretary of State for Scotland
Secretary of State for Defence
Secretary of State for Health
Parliamentary Secretary, Treasury and Chief Whip
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Secretary of State for Wales
Secretary of State for Social Security
Leader of the House of Lords and Minister for Women (appointed as Lord Privy Seal)
Chief Secretary, Treasury

Attorney-General
Lord Advocate
Other Ministers are invited to attend for items in which they have a departmental interest. The Minister of State, Cabinet Office receives papers.

Terms of Reference

"To consider policy and other issues arising from the Government's decision to legislate for the incorporation of ECHR in UK law and to promote and oversee progress of the relevant legislation through Parliament and its subsequent implementation, reporting as necessary to the Ministerial Committee on Constitutional Reform Policy".

Ministerial Sub-Committee on Freedom of Information (CRP(FOI))

Composition

Lord Chancellor (Chair)
Chancellor of the Exchequer
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
Secretary of State for the Home Department
Secretary of State for Education and Employment
President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
Minister for the Cabinet Office
Secretary of State for Scotland
Secretary of State for Defence
Secretary of State for Health
Parliamentary Secretary, Treasury and Chief Whip
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Secretary of State for Wales
Secretary of State for International Development
Secretary of State for Social Security
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Leader of the House of Lords and Minister for Women (appointed as Lord Privy Seal)
Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
Attorney-General
Lord Advocate
Minister of Transport
Minister of State, Cabinet Office
Other Ministers are invited to attend for items in which they have a departmental interest.

Terms of Reference

"To consider policy and other issues arising from the Government's decision to legislate on freedom of information; to promote and oversee progress of the relevant legislation through Parliament and its subsequent implementation; and to report as necessary to the Ministerial Committee on Constitutional Reform Policy".

Ministerial Sub-committee on House of Lords Reform (CRP(HL))

Composition

Lord Chancellor (Chair)
Secretary of State for the Home Department
President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
Minister for the Cabinet Office
Parliamentary Secretary, Treasury and Chief Whip
Leader of the House of Lords and Minister for Women (appointed as Lord Privy Seal)
Captain of the Gentlemen at Arms
Minister of State, Cabinet Office
Other Ministers are invited to attend as necessary.

Terms of Reference

"To consider policy and other issues arising from the Government's plans for reform of the House of Lords and to make recommendations to the Ministerial Committee on Constitutional Reform Policy".

Ministerial Committee on Devolution Policy (DP)

Composition

Lord Chancellor (Chair)
Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
Secretary of State for the Home Department
Secretary of State for Education and Employment
President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
Secretary of State for Scotland
Secretary of State for Health
Parliamentary Secretary, Treasury and Chief Whip
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Secretary of State for Wales
Secretary of State for Social Security
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Leader of the House of Lords and Minister for Women (appointed as Lord Privy Seal)
Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
Chief Secretary, Treasury
Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms
Attorney-General
Lord Advocate
Minister of State, Cabinet Office
Other Ministers are invited for items in which they have departmental interest.

Terms of Reference

"To consider policy and other issues arising from the Government's policies for devolution to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and the regions of England and to promote and oversee progress of the relevant legislation through Parliament and its subsequent implementation".

Joint Consultative Committee with the Liberal Democratic Party (JCC)

Composition

The Committee will be chaired by the Prime Minister. Other Ministers and Liberal Democratic spokesmen will be invited to attend as necessary.

Terms of Reference

"To consider policy issues of joint interest to the Government and the Liberal Democratic Party".

Ministerial Committee on Defence and Overseas Policy (DOP) Composition

Prime Minister (Chair)
Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions
Chancellor of the Exchequer
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
Secretary of State for Defence
Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
The Chief of the Defence Staff attends as required, as do the Chiefs of Staff when necessary. Others are invited to attend as necessary.

Terms of Reference

"To keep under review the Government's defence and overseas policy".

Ministerial Sub-Committee on European Issues ((E)DOP)

Composition

Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Chair)
Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions
Chancellor of the Exchequer
Secretary of State for the Home Department
Secretary of State for Education and Employment
President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
Minister for the Cabinet Office
Secretary of State for Scotland
Secretary of State for Defence
Parliamentary Secretary, Treasury and Chief Whip
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Secretary of State for Wales
Secretary of State for International Development
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
Attorney-General
Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Minister for Trade and Competitiveness in Europe
The Minister of State, Cabinet Office reviews papers
Other Ministers are invited to attend as the nature of the business requires.
The United Kingdom's Permanent Representative to the European Union is also in attendance.

Terms of Reference

"To consider questions relating to the United Kingdom's membership of the European Union and to report as necessary to the Ministerial Committee on Defence and Overseas Policy (DOP)".

Ministerial Committee on Northern Ireland (IN)

Composition

Prime Minister (Chair)
Chancellor of the Exchequer
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
Secretary of State for the Home Department
Secretary of State for Defence
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

Terms of Reference

"To oversee the Government's policy on Northern Ireland issues and relations with the Republic of Ireland on these matters".

Ministerial Committee on the Intelligence Services (CSI)

Composition

Prime Minister (Chair)
Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions
Chancellor of the Exchequer
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
Secretary of State for the Home Department
Secretary of State for Defence

Terms of Reference

"To keep under review policy on the security and intelligence services".

Ministerial Group on Food Safety (MISC 1)

Composition

President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons (Chair)
Secretary of State for Education and Employment
Minister for the Cabinet Office
Secretary of State for Scotland
Secretary of State for Health
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Secretary of State for Wales
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Chief Secretary, Treasury
Minister of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions
Minister of State, Department of Trade and Industry
The Parliamentary Secretary, Treasury and Chief Whip will also receive papers and may attend as necessary.

Terms of Reference

"To co-ordinate Departmental consideration of issues arising from the establishment of a Food Standards Agency and other aspects of food safety, and to make recommendations to the Ministerial Committee on Home and Social Affairs".

Ministerial Group on Crime Reduction and Youth Justice (MISC 2)

Composition

Secretary of State for the Home Department (Chair)
Leader of the House of Lords and Minister for Women (appointed as Lord Privy Seal)
Chief Secretary, Treasury
Solicitor-General
Minister of State, Home Office
Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department
Minister of State, Cabinet Office
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Employment
Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Scottish Office
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Welsh Office
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland also receives papers, and may attend or be represented as necessary.

Terms of Reference

"To oversee the Government's programme to reduce crime and the reform of youth justice and to make recommendations to the Ministerial Committee on Home and Social Affairs".

Ministerial Group on Utility Regulation (MISC 3)

Composition

Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Chair)
Minister of Transport
Minister of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions
Paymaster General, Treasury
Minister of State, Scottish Office
Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office
Minister of State, Department of Trade and Industry
Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office
Other Ministers are invited to attend for items in which they have a departmental interest.

Terms of Reference

"To oversee an inter-departmental review of regulation of the utility industries, to consider issues arising from the review and to report to the Ministerial Committee on Economic Affairs (EA)".

Ministerial Group On The Millennium Date Change (MISC 4)

Composition

President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons (Chair)
Minister of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions
Paymaster General, Treasury
Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Minister of State, Home Office
Minister of State, Scottish Office
Minister of State, Ministry of Defence
Minister of State, Department of Health
Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Employment
Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Welsh Office
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Social Security
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Trade and Industry
Other Ministers are invited to attend for items in which they have a departmental interest.
The Chairman of Action 2000 and the Prime Minister's Adviser on the Year 2000 problem are invited to attend.

Terms of Reference

"To drive action in the public and private sector, including the national infrastructure, to prevent damage from the failure of electronic systems related to the Year 2000 date change".

Ministerial Group on the Restructuring of the European Aerospace and Defence Industry (MISC 5)

Composition

Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Chair)
Secretary of State for Defence
Paymaster General
Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
minister of State, Department of Trade and Industry

Terms of Reference

"To develop Government policy and co-ordinate related activity in promoting the restructuring of the European aerospace and defence industry".

Ministerial Group on Biotechnology and Genetic Modification (MISC 6) Composition

Minister for the Cabinet Office (Chair)
Minister of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions
Financial Secretary, Treasury
Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Minister of State, Home Office
Minister of State, Cabinet Office
Minister of State, Department of Health
Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Minister of State, Department of Trade and Industry
Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Trade and Industry
The Chief Scientific Adviser also attends.

Terms of Reference

"To consider issues relating to biotechnology, in particular those arising from genetic modification".

Ministerial Group on Better Government (MISC 7) Composition

Minister for the Cabinet Office (Chair)
Secretary of State for the Home Department
Secretary of State for Education and Employment
Secretary of State for Health
Secretary of State for Social Security
Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
Chief Secretary, Treasury
Minister of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions
Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department
Minister of State, Scottish Office
Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office
Minister of State, Cabinet Office
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Welsh Office

Terms of Reference

"To develop the Government's programme for improving the quality, coherence and responsiveness of public services and to oversee its implementation".

Intelligence And Security Committee

To ask the Prime Minister when he expects to lay the Intelligence and Security Committee's Annual report before Parliament. [56233]

I am grateful to the Intelligence and Security Committee for their valuable work and their latest annual report. Following consultation with them over matters which could not be published without prejudicing the continuing operation of the intelligence and security agencies, I have today laid the report before Parliament. Copies of the report have also been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.The Government will respond formally to the report shortly.

Economic And Monetary Union

To ask the Prime Minister if he will issue a white paper on the constitutional implications of the Government's policy in respect of economic and monetary union. [54868]

The Government have no plans to do so.

Scotland

Scottish Parliament

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give his latest assessment of the timescale for the completion of the Holyrood Parliament Building. [55455]

We still expect completion of the Holyrood building project by Autumn 2001.

Temazepam

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many deaths in Strathclyde resulted from the use of Temazepam in each year since 1994 and in 1998 to date. [55160]

The information available is given in the table. The figures cover all deaths in the categories listed where temazepam was recorded as being present at the time of death, either alone or in combination with one or more other drugs. Information for 1998 is not yet available.

Deaths in the former Strathclyde region involving temazepam
Year	Number
1994	67
1995	52
1996	33
1997	24

Underlying cause of death categories included (codes refer to the International Classification of Diseases etc., ninth revision (ICD 9)):

drug dependence (304), nondependent abuse of drugs (305), accidental poisoning (E850-E858), suicidal poisoning (E950-E952) and poisoning undertermined whether accidentally or purposely inflicted (E980-E982).

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many deaths in Strathclyde resulted from more than one drug including Temazepam in each year since 1992 and in 1998 to date. [55159]

The information available is given in the table. The figures cover all deaths in the categories listed where temazepam was recorded as being present at the time of death in combination with one or more other drugs. Improved procedures for recording information about drug-related deaths were introduced in 1994, therefore comparable information is not available for 1992 and 1993. Information for 1998 is not yet available.

Deaths in the former Strathclyde region involving temazepam in combination with one or more other drugs
Year	Number
1994	53
1995	47
1996	31
1997	21

Underlying cause of death categories included (codes refer to the International Classification of Diseases etc., ninth revision (ICD 9)):

drug dependence (304), nondependent abuse of drugs (305), accidental poisoning (E850-E858), suicidal poisoning (E950-E952) and poisoning undertermined whether accidentally or purposely inflicted (E980-E982).

Heroin

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many deaths in Strathclyde resulted from the use of heroin in (i) 1996, (ii) 1997 and (iii) 1998 to date. [55161]

In both 1996 and 1997 there were 26 deaths in Strathclyde involving heroin. Information for 1998 is not yet available. The figures cover all deaths in the categories listed where heroin was recorded as being present at the time of death, either alone or in combination with one or more other drugs.Underlying cause of death categories included (codes refer to the International Classification of Diseases etc., ninth revision (ICD 9)):

drug dependence (304), nondependent abuse of drugs (305), accidental poisoning (E850—E858), suicidal poisoning (E950—E952) and poisoning undetermined whether accidentally or purposely inflicted (E980—E982).

Methadone

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many deaths in (a) Scotland and (b) Strathclyde have resulted from the prescribed use of methadone in each year since 1992 and in 1998 to date. [55214]

The information is given in the table. The figures cover all deaths in the categories listed where methadone was recorded as being present at the time of death, either alone or in combination with one or more other drugs. Improved procedures for recording information about drug-related deaths were introduced in 1994, therefore comparable information is not available for 1992 and 1993. Information for 1998 is not yet available. It is not possible to identify separately deaths from drugs which have been prescribed.

	Deaths involving methadone in:
Year	Scotland	The former Strathclyde region
1994	55	27
1995	58	34
1996	101	36
1997	87	26

Underlying cause of death categories included (codes refer to the International Classification of Diseases etc., ninth revision (ICD 9)):

drug dependence (304), nondependent abuse of drugs (305), accidental poisoning (E850—E858), suicidal poisoning (E950—E952) and poisoning undetermined whether accidentally or purposely inflicted (E980—E982).

Cervical Smear Tests

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many cytology laboratories in Scotland are sending their cervical smears to other laboratories for interpretation. [55306]

Of the 16 NHS Trusts providing cytology services, three are sending their cervical smears to other laboratories for interpretation. This is primarily due to staff shortages which have now been resolved in two of the laboratories and interpretation of the slides in the laboratories will revert to in-house reading.

Social Security

Cold Weather Payments

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he will announce the outcome of the annual review of the cold weather payments scheme; and if he will make a statement. [56032]

Following advice from the Meteorological Office, the annual review of the Cold Weather Payments scheme has now been completed. Amending regulations were laid on 9 October 1998 and will come into force in time for the beginning of the winter period.Two of the weather stations used in the scheme last winter have been replaced. The weather station located at Gatwick Airport has now closed and will be replaced by a new one located at Redhill. Waterstein Head, which was introduced into the scheme last winter to represent most of the postcodes on the Isle of Skye, will be replaced by a newly available station located at Lusa which is considered to be more representative. In addition, a number of minor changes have been made to the scheme as a result of postcode changes made by Royal Mail.Cold Weather Payments are separate from, and paid in addition to, Winter Fuel Payments which are only paid to pensioners.I have written to each of the hon. Members whose constituencies are affected by the changes.

Health

Accident And Emergency Facilities

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) service and (b) professional disciplines must be available at a 24 hour accident and emergency facility.[55565]

Guidance on accident and emergency departments suggests they should be consultant led, with appropriately trained staff and with support and back-up available from appropriate clinical specialties at all times. Copies of the guidance are available in the Library.

Cjd Screening

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received from the National CJD Surveillance Unit about the screening of appendicectomy and tonsillectomy specimens; and if he will make a statement. [55539]

The Department has received applications from researchers, including the National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance Unit, for anonymised pilot surveys to assess the prevalence in appendices and tonsils removed during routine surgery of the abnormal prion protein associated with new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. These proposals are now the subject of expert scientific review before we make a final decision on funding.

Northern Ireland

Terrorist Activities

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) civilians and (b) soldiers have been killed as a result of terrorist activities in Northern Ireland in each month over the last five years. [55506]

The tables illustrate the number of deaths of civilians and members of security forces over the last five years as a result of the security situation. They include the tragic death earlier this month of RUC Constable Frankie O'Reilly as a result of events at Drumcree.

Deaths in 1998 up to 16 October
	RUC	RUCR	Army	RIR	Civilian	Total
January	—	—	—	—	7	7
February	—	—	—	—	3	3
March	—	—	—	—	4	4
April	—	—	—	—	4	4
May	—	—	—	—	—	—
June	—	—	1	—	—	1
July	—	—	—	—	5	5
August	—	—	—	—	28	28
September	—	—	—	—	1	1
October	1	—	—	—	—	1
Total	—	—	1	—	52	54

Note:

All statistics are subject to minor adjustment as further information comes to light.

Deaths 1997
	RUC	RUCR	Army	RIR	Civilian	Total
January	—	—	—	—	—	—
February	—	—	1	—	—	1
March	—	—	—	—	2	2
April	—	—	—	—	—	—
May	1	—	—	—	3	4
June	2	1	—	—	1	4
July	—	—	—	—	4	4
August	—	—	—	—	1	1
September	—	—	—	—	—	—
October	—	—	—	—	1	1
November	—	—	—	—	1	1
December	—	—	—	—	4	4
Total	3	1	1	—	17	22

Deaths 1996
	RUC	RUCR	Army	RIR	Civilian	Total
January	—	—	—	—	2	2
February	—	—	—	—	—	—
March	—	—	—	—	2	2
April	—	—	—	—	—	—
May	—	—	—	—	1	1
June	—	—	—	—	1	1
July	—	—	—	—	3	3
August	—	—	—	—	—	—
September	—	—	—	—	4	4
October	—	—	1	—	1	2
November	—	—	—	—	—	—
December	—	—	—	—	—	—
Total	—	—	1	—	14	15

Deaths 1995
	RUC	RUCR	Army	RIR	Civilian	Total
January	—	—	—	—	—
February	—	—	—	—	—	—
March	1	—	—	—	—	1
April	—	—	—	—	1	1
May	—	—	—	—	—	—
June	—	—	—	—	—	—
July	—	—	—	—	—	—
August	—	—	—	—	—	—
September	—	—	—	—	2	2
October	—	—	—	—	—	—
November	—	—	—	—	1	1
December	—	—	—	—	4	4
Total	1	—	—	—	8	9

Deaths 1994
	RUC	RUCR	Army	RIR	Civilian	Total
January	—	—	—	—	2	2
February	1	—	—	—	4	5
March	1	—	—	—	1	2
April	1	—	—	—	13	14
May	—	—	1	1	9	11
June	—	—	—	—	11	11
July	—	—	—	—	7	7
August	—	—	—	1	6	7
September	—	—	—	—	1	1
October	—	—	—	—	—	—
November	—	—	—	—	1	1
December	—	—	—	—	1	1
Total	3	—	1	2	56	62

RUC—Royal Ulster Constabulary

RUCR—Royal Ulster Constabulary Reserve

RIR—Royal Irish Regiment

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will list the number of violent deaths in each month in 1998 in each police division in Northern Ireland attributed to each terrorist organisation in Northern Ireland, indicating the cause of death and whether the victims were army, police or civilian. [53765]

Up to 20 October, there have been 54 deaths in Northern Ireland as a direct result of the security situation. Of the 54 deaths, 38 have been attributed to Republicans and the remaining 16 to Loyalists. Twenty-nine of these deaths occurred following the horrific bomb explosion in Omagh. Nineteen were the

	Police Division
	A	B	D	E	G	H	J	K	L	N	0	P
January
RUC	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Army	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Civ	4	1	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	—
February
RUC	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Army	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Civ	2	—	—	—	—	—	1	—	—	—	—	—
March
RUC	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Army	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Civ	—	1	—	—	—	3	—	—	—	—	—	—
April
RUC	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Army	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Civ	—	1	1	—	—	—	1	—	—	1	—	—
May
RUC	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Army	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Civ	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
June
RUC	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Army	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Civ	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
July
RUC	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Army	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Civ	—	—	1	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	3
August
RUC	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Army	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Civ	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	28	—	—	—
September
RUC	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Army	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Civ	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	—	—	—
October
RUC	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	—	—	—	—	—
Army	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Civ	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Total	6	3	3	1	0	4	3	0	29	1	1	3

Proscribed Organisations

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have been convicted of membership of a proscribed organisation in each of the

Number of people found guilty of membership of, or belonging to a proscribed organisation
Sentence	Length of sentence	1994	1995	1996	1997
Imprisonment	5 years and under	12	13	4	2
	6 to 10 years	10	6	2	2
Imprisonment (suspended)	less than 1 year	0	0	0	0
	1 year	0	1	0	0
	2 years	0	0	0	0
	3 years	0	1	0	0
	greater than 3 years	0	0	0	0

the result of fatal gun attacks and 6 were due to other causes, for example the deaths of the 3 Quinn children in Ballymoney.

last five years; and what was the punishment received in each case. [55499]

A total of 59 persons have been convicted of membership of a proscribed organisation since 1994 as set out in the table:

Number of people found guilty of membership of or belonging to a proscribed organisation
Sentence	Length of sentence	1994	1995	1996	1997
Detained Young Offender's Centre	less than 1 year	0	0	0	0
	1 year	0	0	0	0
	2 years	0	0	0	0
	3 years	0	1	0	0
	4 years	0	1	0	0
	greater than 4 years	0	0	0	0
Detained Young Offender's Centre (suspended)	less than 1 year	0	0	0	0
	1 year	0	0	0	0
	2 years	0	3	0	0
	greater than 2 years	0	0	0	0
Total found guilty		22	26	6	4

For 1998, the figures are available only up to 31 March. During the period 1 January to 31 March, one person was found guilty of membership of a proscribed organisation and was sentenced to imprisonment for a period of "five years and under".

Direct Action Against Drugs

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what advice she has received from the Chief Constable of the RUC on talks between Direct Action Against Drugs and the PIRA. [55143]

None. As it is the firm belief of the security forces that Direct Action Against Drugs and the Provisional IRA are the same organisation, it is unlikely that discussions as suggested by the hon. Member's question would have taken place.

	1996		1997
Type of Fishery	Number of Salmon	Weight (kg)	Number of Salmon	Weight (kg)
Drift Net	19,958	56,047	31,407	90,453
Draft Net	10,586	27,118	12,556	33,069
Rod	1,444	3,951	1,020	2,658
Total	31,988	87,116	44,983	126,180

Fraud

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cases of possible fraud have been identified in agencies of the DOE (NI) since 1995; and what steps were taken to investigate them. [55575]

The Department of the Environment's response is set out as follows:

Rate Collection Agency(figures are only available for period 1 October 1997–9 October 1998)

40 cases involving fraudulent claims by members of the public; 10 cases referred to Fraud and Prosecution Branch, DHSS, for further investigation, the remaining 30 were resolved internally by RCA and action taken to stop the fraudulent claims

Driver Vehicle Testing Agency

1 case involving the removal of cash from a till in 1997; case proven—further action pending.

Salmon

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will list for each of the Foyle Fisheries Commission areas and the Fisheries Conservancy Board area the number and total weight of (a) salmon and (b) grilse taken by (i) angling and (ii) commercial nets in (1) drift and (2) estuary nets for each of the last five years and for 1985, 1980 and 1975 or as much of such information as is readily available; and if he will provide the same information for fish classed (x) 1 sea winter, (y) 2 sea winter and (z) 3 sea winter fish. [55570]

Such information as is available is contained in the Annual Reports for the Foyle Fisheries Commission and the Fisheries Conservancy Board for Northern Ireland, copies of which are in the Library of the House. The Reports of the Foyle Fisheries Commission for 1996 and 1997 are not yet in the Library and the information available is as follows:

Road Service

1995

Materials stolen from store (£3,000); Police notified, but no action taken. Final formal written warning issued; Employee demoted. Materials recovered.

1996

One fraudulent claim for travelling subsistence i.r.o days on which employee failed to attend college; Employee suspended from duty and subsequently dismissed. All monies repaid (£1,700).
One case of theft of materials from store at Castlenavan Quarry; Police notified; Storeman interviewed and admitted theft; employee suspended but since reinstated in another capacity. Police investigated possible collusion with external supplier, but decided on no further action.
One case of theft of fee (£2) accompanying application for Orange Badge; Employee suspended from duty. Police notified; Employee successfully prosecuted and dismissed from Civil Service.

1997

One case of failure to produce proceeds (£20) from sale of scrap materials; Police not notified; Employees issued with 'Final Formal Warnings' and required to make restitution.

Environment and Heritage Service (wef 1 April 1996)

suspend fraud case involving the misappropriation of grant-aid. Referred to RUC for investigation but no evidence of fraud or deception. The case is still ongoing.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing NI

>3 suspected cases of fraud-1 proven case of theft from petty cash and member of staff dismissed; 2 cases of suspected fraud still under investigation.

Construction Service (wef 1 April 1996)

1 case of suspected patronage of contractor—Internal Audit investigation still ongoing.

Water Service (wef 1 April 1996)

Since 1996 the Water Service has undertaken 9 investigations of suspected fraud. The police were involved in 5 of these investigations. Of the 9 investigations carried out fraudulent activity was confirmed in 2—prosecution has taken place in one case and is currently being considered in the case of another—there cases relate to fraudulent activity by Water Service suppliers. The remaining 7 investigations did not find evidence of fraud.

Four new allegations of fraudulent activity involving staff are currently being investigated.

Prior Options Study

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the outcome of the prior options study on the superannuating functions in Northern Ireland departments. [56147]

After consideration of the options for the future delivery of the superannuation functions of Departments of Finance and Personnel, Health and Social Services and Education, I have concluded that, in this case, the Government's aim to achieve best value in public services would be achieved most cost effectively by the application of the management disciplines associated with agencies to the current arrangements, allied to adherence to rigorous targets and benchmarking against best practice in other public and private sector organisations. This solution will contribute to any additional arrangements which the New Northern Ireland Assembly might wish to introduce.

Government Purchasing Agency

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what performance targets were set for the Government Purchasing Agency in 1997–98; what further plans have been prepared by the Agency; and what arrangements have been made for publication for this year's plans. [56148]

As an Executive Agency within the Department of Finance and Personnel, the Government Purchasing Agency provides a professional procurement service to all six Northern Ireland Departments, the Northern Ireland Office and an increasing number of other public sector bodies.

The following key performance targets were set for the Agency in 1997–98:

To break even in the 1998–99 financial year by balancing Agency income and operating costs.
To achieve a 6% rate of return on capital employed.
To increase the number of Agency customers by 10‥.
To increase the volume of customer business by 10‥.
To achieve a 70‥ level of satisfaction in the 1997–98 Agency survey of customer organisations.
To achieve a 70‥ level of satisfaction in the 1997–98 Agency survey of suppliers.
To increase the ratio of outputs to inputs by 3‥ from the 1996–97 outturn.

The agency has published its Corporate Plan 1997–2000 and Annual Report and Accounts for 1997–98, copies of which have been placed in the Library of the House.

The following key performance targets were set for the Agency in 1998–99:

To break even in the 1998–99 financial year by balancing Agency income and operating costs.
To achieve a 6‥ rate of return on capital employed.
To increase the number of Agency customers by 10‥.
To increase the volume of customer business by 10‥.
To achieve a 80‥ level of satisfaction in the 1998–99 Agency survey of customer organisations.
To achieve a 80‥ level of satisfaction in the 1998–99 Agency survey of suppliers.
To increase the ratio of outputs to inputs by—from the 1997–98 outturn.

Background information is given in the Agency's Corporation and Business Plans 1998–2001, copies of which have been placed in the Library of the House.

Presidential Visit

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will list the sums expended by Her Majesty's Government in respect of (a) the RUC, (b) the Army, (c) the RAF and (d) the other public bodies in respect of the recent visit by President Clinton. [55496]

The sums expended in relation to the visit of President Clinton were (a) RUC £1,300,000, (b) Army and RAF approximately £78,000 and (c) approximately £195,000 by other public bodies.

Education And Employment

Independent Schools (Nurseries)

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what proportion of the independent schools registered with his Department which admit children of three years old and under have been visited by local social services departments following the invitation of the Registrar of Independent Schools in the last 12 months. [55627]

One independent school admitting children of three years old and under has been visited by a local Social Services Department following the invitation of the Registrar of Independent Schools in the last 12 months.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment which local social services departments have recommended action to the Registrar of Independent Schools in respect of nurseries attached to independent schools in their area. [55626]

The Department does not maintain statistics in the form requested. All information received from Social Services Departments about nursery provision at independent schools is passed to Ofsted's HMI who inspect such schools. Where weaknesses are found in that nursery provision, the Department takes action with the school to ensure that they are remedied.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many independent schools registered with his Department admit children younger than (a) three and (b) two years old. [55628]

There are currently 2,261 independent schools registered in England. 921 admit children under three years old and 161 admit children under two years old.

Grammar School Ballots

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what representations his Department has received about the draft Education (Grammar School Ballots) Regulations; and when he will lay revised regulations before the House. [56031]

A total of 322 responses were received in the Department about the draft regulations which were sent out for consultation on 3 June 1998. Copies of these have been placed in the Library. We have today laid revised draft regulations before the House.

Foreign And Commonwealth Affairs

Cyprus

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what consultations he has held with EU foreign Ministers over the ban imposed by the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community on meetings between members of both Cypriot communities on the island; [52383](2) what steps he is taking to encourage the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community to remove his ban on meetings between members of both Cypriot communities on the island; [52388](3) what consultations he has held with Turkey and Greece, as co-guarantor powers, over the ban imposed by the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community on meetings between members of both Cypriot communities on the island. [52389]

[pursuant to the reply, 27 July 1998, c. 45]: Due to an administrative error only the first paragraph of the answer was published. The full answer is as follows.We have made clear to Mr. Denktash on numerous occasions that we greatly regret the current suspension on Turkish Cypriot participation in bicommunal activities on Cyprus, and have urged him to lift the current suspension. Bicommunal activities make a valuable contribution to building a foundation of understanding between the two Cypriot communities, which will be essential for the success of a political settlement on the island.To encourage this process, the UK was involved in securing the inclusion of UN Security Council Resolution 1178 (1998) of 29 June of an expression of regret for the suspension of bicommunal activities by the Turkish Cypriot leadership and a call to both sides, in particular the Turkish Cypriot side, to facilitate arrangements within which bicommunal contacts can take place uninterrupted and without formalities.Our interest in the promotion of bicommunal contacts includes those held outside Cyprus. Sir David Hannay met Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot businessmen of the Brussels Group during his recent visit to Cyprus (20–22 July). He expressed our appreciation and encouragement of the Group's continuing activity.My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary is in regular contact with his EU partners on all aspects of the EU's relation with Cyprus. 5 mecu of EU funds is available to Cyprus for bicommunal projects. A further 12 mecu is available for projects which would support progress towards a political settlement.We use every suitable opportunity to impress upon Greece and Turkey the importance of encouraging Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots to work towards a lasting political settlement through the good offices of the United Nations Secretary-General.

Entry Clearance

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many (a) permanent and (b) temporary posts there are and how many temporary Home Office Immigration Service personnel have been employed at the entry clearance posts in (i) Delhi, (ii) Bombay, (iii) Islamabad (iv) Karachi and (v) Dhaka in (1) May, (2) June and (3) July. [55237]

The information is in the table.

	Delhi	Bombay	Islamabad	Dhaka
Permanent immigration entry clearance posts	15	12	33.5	15
Temporary posts
May 1998	7	8	5	0
June 1998	6	7	8	0
July 1998	5	3	7	0
Temporary home office staff employed for summer relief
May 1998	5	5	5	0
June 1998	5	5	8	0
July 1998	4	3	7	0
Home office staff on full postings to permanent posts
May-July 1998	7	6	17	6

Defence Exports

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the Government's policy on licensing arms exports to Slovenia. [56146]

We, along with EU partners, have decided, taking into account the well-entrenched democracy in Slovenia and her stable political and economic structures, to remove Slovenia from the EU Common Position on arms exports to the former Yugoslavia. Applications for licenses to export military equipment will be considered on a case-by-case basis in accordance with the criteria announced by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary on 28 July 1997, Official Report, columns 26–29, and the EU Code of Conduct on Arms Exports.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 28 July 1997, Official Report, columns 26–29, how the criteria for defence exports are used to assess applications for licence to export arms or goods subject to control for strategic reasons, for the purpose of demonstration, trial, testing or evaluation. [56232]

Licence applications to export goods and technology controlled under Part III of Schedule 1 to the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1994 (the 'Military List'), or dual use goods when there are grounds for believing that the end-user of such goods will be the armed forces or internal security forces of the recipient country, are examined on a case-by-case basis against the published defence exports criteria and the EU Code of Conduct.When the application is for demonstration, trial, testing or evaluation purposes, attention is paid to the level of control exercised by the exporter and whether the export will be temporary in arriving at a judgment as to whether the equipment might be used for internal repression, international aggression, diverted to an undesirable end-user or otherwise contravene the criteria.If a decision is taken to issue such a licence, this in no way fetters our discretion in considering future applications for the export of equipment of the type demonstrated or evaluated. Such applications will be treated on their merits against the prevailing circumstances at that time.In some cases, licensees will be informed that, on the information available at that time, a licence would not normally be granted for the permanent export of the same or a greater quantity of the goods concerned to the same end-user, irrespective of the purpose of the intended export.

Home Department

Alcopops

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the new code of practice on the sale of alcopops; and what measures are in place to continue to monitor the industry's marketing of alcopops. [55184]

We are currently considering the progress made and expect to announce our conclusions in November.

Freedom Of Information

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress he has made with the proposed freedom of information legislation. [54734]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his plans for freedom of information legislation. [54719]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on progress with the freedom of information legislation. [54714]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to promote open Government. [54738]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the Government's plans to introduce legislation on freedom of information. [54721]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress he has made with his Department's open Government initiatives. [54739]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he plans to bring forward legislation for a Freedom of Information Act. [54724]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his Department's current timetable for implementation of freedom of information legislation. [54717]

The Government are committed to the introduction of a Freedom of Information Act as part of their programme for constitutional reform, which aims to modernise British politics and bring Government closer to the people.We published our proposals for a Freedom of Information Act in a White Paper "Your Right to Know" in December 1997. We made a commitment in that White Paper to publish a draft Bill for consultation. Work is well in hand on this and it will be published early in the new year.Following consultation on the draft Bill and pre-legislative scrutiny by the Select Committee on Public Administration, I intend to introduce the Bill to Parliament as soon as the legislative programme allows.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received on plans to introduce a Bill to establish freedom of information. [54736]

In the period 1 August-9 October, I received 281 representations about the Government's plans for a Freedom of Information Bill. These were generally supportive of our plans, but the majority sought further information about the timetable for the Bill. I have also met my hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff, West (Mr. Morgan) to discuss our plans and intend to discuss them further with other interested parties and individuals over the coming weeks.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on how the proposed freedom of information legislation will apply to the Scottish Parliament. [54727]

It will be for the Scottish Parliament to determine the approach of the Scottish Executive and other public bodies to openness and freedom of information within areas of devolved competence. Reserved matters would be subject to the proposed United Kingdom Freedom of Information Act.

Policy Co-Ordination

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to make the procedures relating to inter-departmental communication on policy development more transparent. [54726]

I intend to introduce a Freedom of Information Act which will apply to information held by public authorities. Information on the policy development process will be covered by the Act but, as the White Paper "Your Right to Know" made clear, this information could be withheld if disclosure would cause harm to the decision-making and policy advice processes. The Act will also exclude certain information.

Cabinet Office

Information Technology

13.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress has been made in achieving the strategic direction of information technology in the Government's service. [54733]

Our developing Information Technology strategy is an important enabler for our Better Government programme.The Government Secure Intranet (GSI) launched earlier in the year, is growing rapidly and enabling Government Departments to communicate electronically with each other.Currently 12 Departments are connected and we intend that all major departments will be connected over the next year.

Ministerial Correspondence

14.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will take steps to ensure that all Ministers reply to letters from hon. Members within a specific time scale. [54735]

The Government attach the greatest importance to the effective handling of correspondence. Challenging targets are set for replying to letters from hon. Members and performance against target is continuously monitored. Departments have recently been reminded of the importance of replying promptly to letters from hon. Members and the Cabinet Office will issue guidance later this month reminding Departments of the correct procedures to be followed when handling ministerial correspondence.

Better Regulation Initiative

15.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proposals he has to extend the better regulation initiative. [54737]

As part of the Better Regulation Initiative I am determined to extend good practice at all stages of regulatory work. In August we published new guidance to help Departments to apply the Better Regulation Task Force's principles of good regulation.This means that no regulatory proposal which has an impact on businesses, charities and voluntary bodies should be considered by the Government without a thorough assessment of the risks, costs and benefits, a clear analysis of who will be affected and an explanation of why a non-regulatory approach would be insufficient. The Guide replaces the previous Administration's range of guidance on Deregulation, Compliance Cost Assessment and Risk Assessment with a single document.The publication of the Guide also heralds the introduction of a more comprehensive system of regulatory reporting to meet the Government's manifesto commitment to monitor the regulatory activity. Every Department is required to publish an account (in the Departmental Report) of their regulatory activity with examples of how they have improved the quality and effectiveness of regulation through the application of the Task Force's principles.

European Directives

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans he has to co-ordinate Government policy relating to European directives. [54708]

I refer the hon. Member to the oral answer I gave to the hon. Member for Mid-Worcestershire (Mr. Luff) earlier today, Official Report, column 1264.

Agriculture, Fisheries And Food

Meat (Sulphonamides)

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many slaughtered farm animals in each year since 1990 had sulphonamides present above the maximum permitted levels. [54665]

The Veterinary Medicines Directorate is responsible for a large scale random sampling surveillance programme for residues of veterinary medicines in meat. Under the National Surveillance Scheme samples which reflect the supply profile of red meat to the consumer are taken at randomly selected slaughterhouses and on-farm.The presence of sulphonamides in cattle, sheep and pigs is specifically monitored using a multi-residue method.

Directive 86/469/EEC, which until the end of 1997 prescribed the number of samples tested for each substance, required a greater proportion of pigs to be

Year	Cattle	Greater than MRL	Sheep	Greater than MRL	Pig	Greater than MRL	℅ pigs greater than MRL
1990	0	0	0	0	1,210	61	5.04
1991	0	0	0	0	1,207	46	3.81
1992	38	0	68	0	867	26	3.00
1993	103	0	98	0	1,193	19	1.59
1994	111	1	139	0	1,214	23	1.90
1995	109	0	126	0	1,210	16	1.32
1996	89	0	93	0	1,107	18	1.62
1997	77	1	80	0	1,135	17	1.50

In addition, the microbiological assay (FPT) which is used for the wider surveillance of antimicrobial compounds will identify the presence of sulphonamides in cattle, sheep and pigs where concentrations are well in excess of the permitted levels. The results from this survey are:

Sulphonamides FPT 1991 to 1997—Great Britain
Year	Samples	Greater than MRL
1990	0	0
1991	34,081	¹64
1992	37,186	¹49
1993	35,590	¹9
1994	34,037	²10
1995	33,931	³6
1996	31,619	¹6
1997	32,444	¹5
¹Pigs
²(8 pig, 1 cow, 1 goat)
³(5 pig, 1 cow)

Bse

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are his projections for BSE cases in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland for (i) 1998, (ii) 1999, (iii) 2000, (iv) 2001, (v) 2002 and (vi) 2003. [55494]

Predictions of the number of BSE cases in Great Britain and Northern Ireland for 1998, 1999 and 2000 are set out. They are derived from the Veterinary Laboratories Agency's computer model of the epidemic together with additional data provided by the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland. The model predicts that the epidemic will continue to decline, a finding that is in agreement with published and unpublished findings of Professor Anderson's group at the Wellcome Trust Centre for the Epidemiology of Infectious Disease, University of Oxford.

Year	Great Britain	Northern Ireland
1998	2,685–2,891	20
1999	1,223–1,741	12
2000	451–784	6

tested for sulphonamides because they are more often used in the treatment of pigs compared to cattle or sheep. The results are as follows:

Because the computer model uses data for Great Britain as a whole, it cannot provide separate predictions for England, Scotland and Wales. Supplementary estimates have therefore been made based on the proportional distribution of BSE cases in the three countries in 1997. These are less precise than the national predictions because they do not take into account movements of cattle from one part of Great Britain to another or different rates of decline in the number of BSE cases from region to region.

Year	England	Scotland	Wales
1998	2,402–2,586	84–91	199–204
1999	1,094–1,557	38–55	91–129
2000	403–701	14–25	33–58

It is not possible to provide estimates with any precision for the years 2001, 2002 and 2003 because by this time there will be random, unpredictable effects, particularly arising from cases occurring with long incubation periods.

The VLA predictions represent 95 per cent. confidence intervals around a central estimate. It is inevitable that future predictions contain elements of uncertainty particularly when historical exposure levels to the BSE agent are not known. Nevertheless, based on information currently available, it is expected that the observed number of confirmed BSE cases for 1998 will prove to be close to the upper end of the predicted range provided above.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list for (a) each EU country (b) England, (c) Wales,(d) Scotland and (e) Northern Ireland the number of BSE cases recorded in each of the last three years for which figures are readily available and the figures for this year to the latest available date, indicating for each of the United Kingdom countries the figures for each month of the current year to 30 September. [55495]

Figures for confirmed BSE cases in other EU countries for 1995, 1996, 1997 and to the end of September 1998, supplied to us by the Commission, are given in the following table:

EU country	1995	1996	1997	¹1998
Belgium	—	—	1	4
France	3	12	6	10
Germany2	—	—	2	—
Luxembourg	—	—	1	—
Netherlands	—	—	2	1
Portugal	14	29	20	60
Republic of Ireland	16	73	77	46
¹to 30 September 1998
²Germany has report no homebred cases of BSE

Equivalent figures for each of the UK countries by year and for 1998 by month, of confirmation are as detailed.

Year of confirmation	England	Wales	Scotland	N. Ireland	Total
1995	13,227	1,474	750	170	15,621
1996	7,691	703	346	82	8,822
1997	4,308	374	165	28	4,875
January to September 1998	2,272	186	74	12	2,544

Month of confirmation	England	Wales	Scotland	N. Ireland	Total
January 1998	281	18	13	1	313
February 1998	422	38	15	2	477
March 1998	319	31	8	0	358
April 1998	248	17	2	1	268
May 1998	216	14	9	0	239
June 1998	328	28	10	1	367
July 1998	164	13	4	0	181
August 1998	101	12	6	4	123
September 1998	193	15	7	3	218

Volume 317: debated on Wednesday 21 October 1998

Written Answers To Questions

Environment, Transport And The Regions

Detrunking Roads

Communication Masts

Country Landowners Association

House Repossessions

Rail Freight

Greater London Authority

Wales

Drug And Alcohol Rehabilitation

Waiting Lists

Hill Farming

Homelessness

House Of Commons

Refreshment Prices

President Of The Council

Millennium Compliance

Defence

Trainer Aircraft

Commercial Exploitation Levies

Chlorine

Cbde Technical Papers

Royal Tournament

Treasury

Monetary Union

European Community Budgets

Euro

Registration Records

Pre-Budget Report

Trade And Industry

Coal

Oil And Gas Industry

Inward Investment

Euro

Prime Minister

Cabinet Committees

Intelligence And Security Committee

Economic And Monetary Union

Scotland

Scottish Parliament

Temazepam

Heroin

Methadone

Cervical Smear Tests

Social Security

Cold Weather Payments

Health

Accident And Emergency Facilities

Cjd Screening

Northern Ireland

Terrorist Activities

Proscribed Organisations

Direct Action Against Drugs

Fraud

Salmon

Prior Options Study

Government Purchasing Agency

Presidential Visit

Education And Employment

Independent Schools (Nurseries)

Grammar School Ballots

Foreign And Commonwealth Affairs

Cyprus

Entry Clearance

Defence Exports

Home Department

Alcopops

Freedom Of Information

Policy Co-Ordination

Cabinet Office

Information Technology

Ministerial Correspondence

Better Regulation Initiative

European Directives

Agriculture, Fisheries And Food

Meat (Sulphonamides)

Bse