To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what instructions are issued to Benefits Agency staff who deal with the public requiring them to identify themselves. [61626]

The administration of the Benefits Agency is a matter for its Chief Executive, Peter Mathison. He will write to my hon. Friend.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what the administrative cost would be of (a) paying an additional 40p per week on the state pension and (b) paying a £20 winter fuel bonus to all pensioners once per year. [62243]

The administration of the Benefits Agency is a matter for its Chief Executive, Peter Mathison. He will write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people had appealed against an adjudicator's decision (a) successfully and (b) unsuccessfully, up to 31 October. [62858]

The information is not available in the form requested. Such information as is available is in the table.

All cases heard and decided by an Independent Tribunal Service (ITS) Appeal Tribunal
All centres	Decided in appellant"s favour	Decided against appellant
January 1998	4,132	10,728
February 1998	4,337	11,845
March 1998	5,326	13,761
April 1997	4,470	10,020
May 1998	4,632	10,850
June 1998	5,267	12,788
July 1998	5,371	13,452
August 1998	4,771	12,103
September 1998	4,568	11,494
Total	42,874	107,041

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if the single gateway process will (a) permit routes to independence other than work, and (b) include advice on full take up of benefits. [62625]

Claimants will be offered a package of help designed around their particular needs, and will be given access to a wide range of support and services. This will help them to focus both on the benefits of work and to plan a route back to independence.The personal adviser will also ensure that the claimant is receiving the full range of benefits to which they are entitled, whilst providing personalised calculations of net income to help the claimant understand the extent to which they could be better off in work.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what steps his Department will take to ensure that claimants subject to the single gateway are offered early interviews to allow prompt payment of benefit; [62620]

The Single Gateway process is being developed to allow for personal adviser interviews to take place, in most cases, within three working days of the first contact with the office. Processing of the benefit will run concurrently with the new Gateway processes in order to minimise delay.There will, as now, be arrangements for meeting urgent benefit needs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what the functions will be of the call centres in the pilots in Somerset, Buckinghamshire, Gwent Borders and Calderdale and Kirklees in implementing the single gateway. [62626]

From November 1999 we are seeking to test call centre technology in the four named pilot areas as part of the single gateway pilot programme. This programme will bring together the Employment Service, Benefits Agency and other welfare providers in a single point of contact.We aim to test how modern technology can make the service as quick and efficient as possible. We will use call centres to perform the Registration and Orientation stages of the new arrangements as described in Chapter 3 of "A New Contract for Welfare: The Gateway to Work". We are also looking at how better telephone technology might be used to improve the service we can offer clients in other areas of Gateway work.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what safeguards will be introduced to ensure that single gateway interviews are arranged at mutually convenient times, and that home visits are arranged where appropriate. [62673]

Single Gateway interviews will be arranged in discussion with the claimant and at a mutually convenient time. A home visit will be arranged where circumstances make it impractical for the claimant to attend the office.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if the personal advisers within the single gateway will operate in conjunction with the New Deal personal advisers. [62624]

The precise working arrangements have yet to be determined. Our aim will be to offer new benefit claimants the best possible help and advice in planning a route back to independence. Our experience in the pilot areas will inform decisions about what works best.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the exemptions allowed in respect of the single gateway interview. [62623]

There will be no list of exemptions. We expect that an immediate interview will take place in the large majority of cases but this requirement may be waived or deferred where appropriate in the particular circumstances of the case.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what information his Department has collected relating to the income tax bands of claimants of disability living allowance. [62633]

The information is not routinely collected.

Estimates of the current recipients of disability living allowance (DLA) based on the 1995–96 family resources survey
Tax band	Number of DLA recipients
20 per cent. rate	120,000
23 per cent. rate	110,000
40 per cent. rate	10,000

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much it would cost to extend up to 25 years of age the limit of 20 years of age before which disability must have occurred which is placed upon severe disablement allowance. [62340]

We estimate the cost to be broadly in the region of £40 million a year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many lifetime awards of disability living allowance are in payment for (a) lower, (b) middle and (c) higher rate of care component and (i) lower and (ii) higher rate of mobility component. [62540]

The information is in the table.

Disability Living Allowance awards made "for life" which were in payment at 31 May 1998
	Thousand
Care component
highest rate	264
middle rate	361
lowest rate	331
Mobility component
higher rate	1,110
lower rate	239

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate his Department has made of the number of new claimants who will not be eligible for severe disablement allowance under his proposed reforms. [62339]

We estimate that 16,000 people per year would not receive Severe Disablement Allowance under the reforms proposed in our discussion document "Support for Disabled People". However, current statistical data indicate that nearly 70 per cent. of these will qualify for Income Support as they do at present, so that, for the majority, their benefit income will not be reduced.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to change housing benefit entitlement for those under 25 years of age. [62280]

We are considering all aspects of the Housing Benefit rules as part of our current simplification and improvement review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list each of the measures which limit the rent which may be covered by housing benefit; and if he will estimate the cost to the Exchequer of removing each one. [62349]

The measures which limit the rent for Housing Benefit purposes are:

certain service charges included in the contractual rent which are not generally eligible for Housing Benefit, for example, charges for cleaning, laundry, fuel, meals and personal care and nursing;

the range of determinations made by rent officers in respect of most claims from tenants living in the private rented sector; and

where local authorities consider that the rent is unreasonably high or the accommodation overlarge or the eligible rent is nonetheless too high in respect of a particular case.

Due to the number of reasons which could limit the contractual rent, on which data are not held, it is not possible to estimate the cost of removing each one.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans his Department has to abolish the Giro payment system for social security benefits. [62622]

This Department is presently working with Post Office Counters Ltd. and ICL Pathway, the Private Finance Initiative supplier, on a project to replace girocheques and order books with a magnetic stripe card for people who wish to collect their benefit at the Post Office.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security for what reasons the computer system for programming payments for self-employed people will not be operational until spring 1999. [61475]

The computer system to which the hon. Member refers is the National Insurance Recording System (NIRS2). As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State explained in his letter of 11 September to hon. Members, there have been some implementation problems with NIRS2. However, no data have been lost and no records have been destroyed as a result.NIRS2 has been processing payments from self-employed contributors since 13 July 1998. Collections from self-employed contributors have been made through the established Direct Debit and Quarterly Billing methods and to date we have collected over £269 million in National Insurance Contributions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if the SERPS element previously paid in the widow's pension will in future be paid under the widowed parent's allowance. [62615]

Under our proposals for new bereavement benefits, those widows who qualify for Widow's Pension at the point of change will continue to receive benefit including any SERPS whilst they satisfy the entitlement conditions. Widowed parents who become entitled to the Widowed Parent's Allowance will receive any SERPS entitlement based on their late spouse's payment of earnings-related National Insurance contributions since 1978 with the basic element of Widowed Parent's Allowance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what (a) amount and (b) percentage of the total of the widow's pension was previously paid as SERPS entitlement. [62616]

The average weekly amount of SERPS paid to Widow's Pension recipients in Great Britain at 31 March 1998 was £14.36, which represents 24 per cent. of their average total weekly entitlement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what element of the widowed parent's allowance will be paid as SERPS entitlement. [62617]

As with the current Widowed Mother's Allowance, SERPS entitlement based on the late spouse's payment of earnings-related National Insurance contributions since 1978 will be paid with the basic element of Widowed Parent's Allowance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he has made of the cost of introducing the new bereavement allowance (a) for widows and (b) for widowers for (i) 2001–2, (ii) 2002–3, (iii) 2003–4 and (iv) 2020, excluding savings resulting from the abolition of the widow's pension. [62592]

The information is in the table.

Estimated increased expenditure associated with the introduction of the bereavement allowance for (a) widows and (b) widowers, excluding savings resulting from the abolition of the widow's pension
£ million 1998–99 benefit rates
	Bereavement allowance for widows	Bereavemen allowance for widowers
2001–02	20	10
2003–04	30	10

Estimated increased expenditure associated with the introduction of the bereavement allowance for (a) widows and (b) widowers, excluding savings resulting from the abolition of the widow's pension
£ million 1998–99 benefit rates
	Bereavement allowance for widows	Bereavement allowance for widowers
2003–04	30	10
2020	50	1—
1 Denotes less than £25 million

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate how many widows and widowers will be eligible for means tested benefits following withdrawal of the bereavement allowance after six months. [61459]

[holding answer 30 November 1998]: The information is in the table.

Estimates of the number of widows and widowers who would start to receive or continue to receive means-tested benefits once their bereavement allowence has been exhausted
Benefit	2001–02	2002–03	2003–04
Income Support	less than 5,000	10,000	20,000
Housing Benefit	less than 5,000	less than 5,000	10,000
Council Tax Benefit	less than 5,000	10,000	10,000

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many widows and widowers his Department estimates will be entitled to the bereavement allowance; and how many will have the benefit withdrawn after six months when the allowance is introduced in 2001. [61458]

[holding answer 30 November 1998]: In the first full year following implementation, it is estimated that the average number of widows and widowers in receipt of bereavement benefits, at any one time, will be 50,000. Of these 20,000 will be entitled to the Bereavement Allowance which will end after 6 months for all.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he has made of the savings from the abolition of the widow's pension in (a) 2001–2, (b) 2002–3, (c) 2003–4 and (d) 2020, excluding the introduction of the bereavement allowance. [62591]

The information is in the table.

Estimated savings associated with the abolition of the widow's pension excluding the introduction of the bereavement allowance
£ million 1998–99 benefit rates
	Abolition of widow's pension
2001–02	30
2002–03	90
2003–04	140
2020	700

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many lifetime awards of attendance allowance are in payment for (a) lower and (b) higher rate of benefit. [62538]

The table shows the number of awards made "for life" which were in payment at 31 May 1998. The term "for life" means that payment can be made indefinitely provided the conditions for receipt continue to be satisfied.

Attendance allowance awards made 'for life'
Thousand
	Number
Higher rate	509
Lower rate	706

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what the average weekly income is for families in receipt of family credit broken down between the amount received in (a) pay and (b) family credit for a one parent family with (i) one child, (ii) two children and (iii) three children. [62579]

The information is in the table.

Average weekly income of lone parent family credit recipients split by number of children, net earnings and weekly family credit
Number of children	Number of cases	Total average income from net earnings and weekly Family Credit (£)	Average net earnings (£)	Average weekly Family Credit (£)
All lone parents	377,000	152.14	92.66	59.48
1 child	194,000	143.96	93.39	50.57
2 children	128,000	155.99	93.06	62.93
3 children	43,000	169.04	90.52	78.52

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many initial letters inviting lone parents to participate in the New Deal for Lone Parents have been issued; how many initial interviews have been (i) booked; and (ii) carried out; how many lone parents have agreed to participate; and how many lone parents participating in the New Deal for Lone Parents have found jobs. [63091]

The New Deal for Lone Parents started running in Phase 1 in eight lead areas of the country in July 1997. A national service became available to all lone parents making a new claim for Income Support in Phase 2 in April 1998, and to all lone parents receiving Income Support in Phase 3 in October 1998.Using the latest information from July 1997 to 23 October 1998 which covers the period to the end of Phase 2 of the New Deal for Lone Parents, the number of letters issued is 50,612; the number of initial interviews booked is 30,826; the number of initial interviews carried out is 23,300; the number of agreements to participate is 20,191, which equates to 87 per cent. of lone parents who attend an initial interview agreeing to take part in the New Deal for Lone Parents; and a total of 5,429 lone parents participating in the New Deal for Lone Parents have found jobs, which is 27 per cent. of those joining the programme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list for each employment service region, how many lone parents there are (a) in total, (b) with children under five years of age and (c) with children over five years of age. [61964]

[holding answer 1 December 1998]: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the tables.

Lone parents in employment by Government Office Region, spring 1997
Government Office Region	Lone parents in employment
Great Britain	675,000
North East	30,000
North West	100,000
Yorkshire & Humberside	65,000
East Midlands	50,000
West Midlands	60,000
Eastern	60,000
London	80,000
South East	85,000
South West	45,000
Wales	40,000
Scotland	55,000

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to review the jobseeker's allowance regulations to help unemployed people waiting to receive redundancy payments; and if he will make a statement. [62252]

We are aware that, under existing rules, if money is owed from an insolvent employer full benefit cannot always be paid to ex-employees claiming Jobseeker's Allowance and, as a consequence, many may have to rely on hardship payments until the matter is resolved.Since this problem came to our attention we have been working to simplify the complex legislation in this area and we are currently considering proposals for changes to the relevant benefit rules.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the number of children in families on (a) supplementary benefit or income support and (b) income-based jobseeker's allowance for (i) 1997 and (ii) 1998, and for each year these as a proportion of all children in the UK. [62104]

The information is in the table.

Number and percentage of children in families on Income Support and income related Jobseeker's Allowance
Thousand
	Number of children	Percentage of all children
Income Support
May 1997	2,410	19.9
May 1998	2,328	19.2
Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
May 1997	436	3.6
February 1998	356	2.9

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 30 November 1998, Official Report, columns 101–02, on social security expenditure, if he will list the new economic assumptions used in the pre-Budget report; and what estimate he has made of the future levels of increases or decreases in caseload. [62643]

Forecasts of Social Security benefit expenditure in the Pre-Budget Report take into account the economic assumptions set out in Table B5 and Paragraph B9 of the Report. Estimates of future caseloads for each benefit are in the table.

Thousand
	1998–99	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02
Retirement Pension	10,645	10,772	10,867	10,928
Widow's Benefit	274	268	264	261
Incapacity Benefit—Short Term (LR)	118	115	117	118
Incapacity Benefit—Short Term (HR) and Long Term	1,571	1,550	1,559	1.598
Maternity Allowance	13	13	13	13
Guardian's Allowance and CSA	3	3	3	3
Non-Contributory Retirement Pension	25	24	23	23
War Pension	311	299	286	273
Attendance Allowance	1,250	1,306	1,361	1,409
Invalid Care Allowance	380	403	428	454
Severe Disablement Allowance	453	475	496	516
Disability Living Allowance	2,024	2,115	2,223	2,363
Disability Working Allowance	16	14	0	0
Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit and REA and RA	373	385	396	409
Industrial Death Benefit	18	17	17	16
Other II benefits	1	1	1	1
Earnings Top-up pilots	22	23	10	1
Jobseeker's Allowance—Contribution-based	214	216	216	217
Jobseeker's Allowance—Income-based	1,030	1,015	1,015	1,015
Income Support (IS)—Under Age 60	2,241	2,251	2,267	2,292
of which:
IS—Short Term and Disabled	176	174	173	173
IS—Long Term and Disabled	960	1,009	1,061	1,116
IS—Families	954	914	874	836
IS—Widows and Others	148	142	148	151
Income Support—(Elderly)	1,683	1,798	1,909	2,021
Child Benefit—Number of children	12,769	12,762	12,771	12,762
Child Benefit—Number of families	7,067	7,062	7,076	7,085
One Parent Benefit	1,037	934	850	776
Family Credit	792	607	0	0
Rent Allowance	1,789	1,845	1,925	2,025
Council Tax Benefit/CCB	5,276	5,188	5,167	5,236
Rent Rebate	2,608	2,498	2,421	2,376

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps (a) his Department and (b) the Arts Council take to establish the financial soundness of theatres which are supported by public funds. [61978]

[holding answer 1 December 1998]: Decisions relating to the funding of individual artforms and organisations, including theatres, are a matter for the Arts Council of England. It is therefore for the Arts Council to satisfy itself as to an organisation's financial viability. It does this through a staged assessment procedure, which includes checks both before and after a grant is made.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will set out the timetable and procedure for UK World Heritage Site nominations before they are put forward to UNESCO. [62049]

Following consultations with Ministerial colleagues in other interested Departments, my right hon. Friend hopes to announce the new Tentative List of potential UK World Heritage Sites within the next two or three months. this will comprise the sites which the Government will nominate to UNESCO for World Heritage status over the next five to ten years. All such nominations will need to be accompanied by Management Plans for the sites. These Plans will need to be drawn up in consultation with site owners and other bodies, and progress on their development will influence the order and timing of individual nominations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if the Atlantic Frontier Continental Shelf World Heritage Site nomination was, for the purposes of the review of responses to the Government public consultation, classed as a Scottish site. [62048]

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Scotland, has taken responsibility for considering, in consultation with other interested Departments, responses to the public consultation suggesting that the Atlantic Frontier Continental Shelf should be included in the new Tentative List for the UK of potential World Heritage Sites.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much lottery funding has been used to support sports coaches and trainers in the last 12 months. [62177]

Lottery funding to support sports coaches and trainers is distributed through the Lottery Sports Fund's World Class Performance Programme. Since the Programme began on 1 January 1997, the Lottery Sports Fund has committed a total of £43,818,416 to 37 sports, including disability sports, and supported a total of 1,816 athletes representing England and Great Britain. The English Sports Council is unable to provide a figure for the funds spent specifically on the employment of coaches and trainers or a separate breakdown for the last twelve months.Of the £43,818,416 committed, £27,434,930 has been allocated to governing bodies as performance awards to cover technical support costs; and £16,383,487 has been allocated direct to individual athletes for subsistence costs. £8,230,479–30 per cent.—of the performance awards has been spent by the governing bodies on staffing costs, primarily on the employment of world class coaches and trainers. The subsistence awards to individual athletes include personal training funding to cover the costs of membership to sports clubs that have sports coaches, and personal trainers, such as strength coaches.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people were employed by the Royal Parks Agency in each year since 1993 (a) in total and (b) by area of responsibility. [60974]

[holding answer 27 November 1998]: Responsibility for the subject of this question has been delegated to the Royal Parks Agency under its Chief Executive, Mr. David Welch. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make it his policy to set up an independent press authority. [61430]

The Government prefer self-regulation, overseen by the independent Press Complaints Commission, to any form of statutory regulation. An independent press authority set up by Government would be statutory regulation of the press, and the Government, in the absence of evidence of a collapse of standards, would be unwilling to consider undermining the authority of the Press Complaints Commission in this way.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans his Department has for the future of the Braille Grant; and if he will make a statement. [62231]

[holding answer 3 December 1998]: My Department's consultation paper "The Comprehensive Spending Review: A New Approach to Investment in Culture", proposed that the grant currently paid to the Royal National Institute for the Blind in support of its embossed literature service should be re-allocated to the Library and Information Commission to enable blind and visually impaired people to benefit more extensively from public library services than they do at present. This would help create a fresh impetus to the provision of library services to blind and visually impaired people and provide the opportunity for local authorities to embed these services into the mainstream library service. We will be announcing the results of the consultation exercise later this month.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what is his e-mail address. [62566]

My e-mail address is chris.smith@culture.gov.uk.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) if he will list those areas of the United Kingdom which are unable to receive the full subscription services offered by ON digital through the digital terrestrial network; [60968](2) if he will list the percentage of households which will be unable to receive digital terrestrial channels in the counties of

[holding answer 30 November 1998]: The launch phase of digital terrestrial television has been jointly planned by the BBC and Independent Television Commission so that the 81 transmitters used will reach around 90 per cent. of the UK population by the end of 1999, though the coverage of all six multiplexes will vary and in some cases be less. Extending digital services beyond the reach of the first 81 digital terrestrial transmitters was one of the issues raised in our consultation paper "Television: the Digital Future" the responses to which are currently being considered.I understand that digital terrestrial television services will reach Cumbria and Northumberland from the Caldbeck, Chatton, Pontop Pike, Fenham, Selkirk and Lancaster transmitters. Transmissions from Pontop Pike have already commenced and the remainder will become operational during 1999. The BBC and ITC have produced a CD-Rom containing coverage predictions for each multiplex for each transmitter site in the UK. Copies of the CD-Rom have already been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

To ask the Prime Minister if Government policy on the voting and sitting rights of the hereditary Peers applies to those members of the Royal Family who sit in the House of Lords. [61482]

Our detailed proposals will be set out in a White Paper to be published in the context of the Bill which we shall introduce later this Session to remove the rights of hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords. As part of this, the Government would not intend to propose special arrangements for Royal Members of the House of Lords.

To ask the Prime Minister what is his e-mail address. [62558]

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for South Dorset (Mr. Bruce) on 20 July 1998, Official Report, column 389.

To ask the Prime Minister (1) if he will appoint a chief engineering adviser to the Cabinet with responsibilities separate from those of the Chief Scientific Adviser; [61903](2) if he will list the areas of responsibility of the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Cabinet. [61904]

There is no need for such an appointment.The responsibility of my Chief Scientific Adviser embraces the provision of advice on engineering issues, in addition to the whole spectrum of science and technology matters. He is also head of the Office of Science and Technology with responsibility for its cross-departmental functions.

To ask the Prime Minister when in December he expects to meet the Lockerbie relatives. [62852]

I will meet a group of the Lockerbie relatives on 10 December.

To ask the Prime Minister what progress the Social Exclusion Unit has made in its first year; and if he will announce the new membership of the Ministerial Network on Social Exclusion. [63135]

I established the Social Exclusion Unit in December 1997. I asked it to focus on the following priorities in its first phase of work to July 1998:

Truancy and School Exclusion: to make a step change in the scale of truancy and exclusions from school, and to find better solutions for those who have to be excluded.

Street Living: reducing to as near to zero as possible the numbers sleeping rough in towns and cities.

Worst Estates: developing integrated and sustainable approaches to the problems of the worst housing estates, including crime, drugs, unemployment, community breakdown, bad schools etc.

All of these are areas where action was long overdue. The Unit has reported to me on each, with a full analysis of the problem and concrete and imaginative recommendations for action, all of which I have accepted. Those recommendations are now being implemented. To take forward the work on deprived neighbourhoods, a major process of policy formulation has begun, which will contribute to a National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal to be published in early 2000. This work is the biggest piece of joined up government ever attempted—eighteen policy teams, ten Ministers and departments across Whitehall are working together to address some of the most intractable problems faced by deprived neighbourhoods.These pieces of work have clearly shown the benefit of a central Unit which covers the policies of a number of Government departments, and which works at great speed with a membership of civil servants and outside experts. Other parts of Government are already learning the lessons of this method of working.The Unit's main priorities are now:

To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the Franco-British Summit on 3 to 4 December.[63089]

The twenty-first British-French Summit took place in St. Malo on 3 and 4 December. It was a substantive summit in a cordial atmosphere, with worthwhile exchanges on a wide range of European, economic and other issues. The Summit resulted in Joint Declarations on European Defence and Co-operation in Africa. The texts of the Declarations have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what training schemes are supported by his Department for the training of police and prison officers employed in the services in Kenya; and if he will make a statement. [62183]

The Home Office are not at present supporting any training programmes specifically designed for police or prison officers in Kenya.Training arrangements for police officers from Kenya would normally be funded by the Department for International Development or by the Foreign Office. Ten Kenyan police officers have attended various training courses in Britain in the last four years, including three who attended command courses at Bramshill Police College. Also, under a United Kingdom development assistance project run in Kenya by the Department for International Development, training is currently being provided for senior command officers in the Kenyan police service. This training includes management and operational skills. Under the same project, support is also being given to develop and include a human rights component in Kenyan police training programmes.All the training courses provided by Prison Service Training Services are also available to members of the Kenyan Prison Service, subject to availability, security and financial considerations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisons in England and Wales currently have prisoners held two to a cell designed for one. [62184]

Of the 133 prisons open at the end of October 1998, 63 had prisoners held two to a cell designed for one.These data are provisional and subject to validation by prisons.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his Department's policy on reducing the level of illegal drug use in prisons in England and Wales. [62185]

In May this year, I launched the Prison Service Drug Strategy which set out a framework for improving the assessment and treatment of drug misusers in prison and for reducing the supply of drugs into prison. Since then, the Prison Service has been allocated an extra £76m over the next three financial years from the Comprehensive Spending Review to implement that strategy. Prison Service officials are currently working with the United Kingdom Anti Drugs Co-ordination Unit, probation services and external drugs agencies to create specifications, services and outputs, and to identify the specific needs of individual prisons and groups of prisoners.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prison officers are currently suspended from duty due to allegations which have been made against them by prison inmates at prisons in England and Wales. [62181]

On 2 December 1998, there were 44 staff suspended from duty as a result of allegations made by prisoners at prisons in England and Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the pilot project on the introduction of new-style security passes for prison staff; and from what date it is proposed that wearing the new-style passes is to be mandatory. [62225]

Evaluation of the pilot exercise, which took place between April and July this year, did not uncover any major problems. Minor practical improvements have been made to the design of the pass holder.An instruction about the wearing of the new security pass is being prepared in consultation with the Prison Service trade unions. The issue of the pass is expected to begin shortly and be completed by April 1999. The wearing of the new pass will be mandatory from the time it is issued.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions public funds have been used to pay the debts of (i) staff messes and (ii) staff clubs, in Prison Service establishments; and what was the total amount so spent in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [61906]

The Prison Service has kept central records only since 1 April 1995. Since then, records show that public funds have been used on two occasions to pay the debts of staff messes in Prison Service establishments. The sums involved were as follows:

£
Year	Amount
1995–96	23,898
1996–97	2,675
1997–98	nil

Over the same period, public funds have been used on four occasions to pay the debts of staff clubs in Prison Service establishments. The sums involved were as follows:

£
Year	Amount
1995–96	nil
1996–97	18,253
1997–98	35,717

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his e-mail address. [62561]

Correspondence sent to me at the Home Office e-mail address, ho.gen@gtnet.gov.uk, is forwarded to me as necessary.The Department is putting plans in place to connect selected parts of the office to the Government Secure Intranet (GSI) followed by full interconnection between the core network and the GSI in the first half of 1999. That will enable full e-mail between the office, Members of both Houses and members of the public.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans his Department has to contract with the armed services to provide emergency cover over the millennium period; and what estimate he has made of the cost of that cover. [62573]

No contract is necessary. Procedures are already in place for the provision of military aid to the civil authority, and these arrangements are under regular review in the run up to the Millennium date change. I could not offer an estimate at this stage.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the implications for his policy regarding the availability of narcotics of the proposal of Green Bohemia to sell absinthe. [62569]

I have identified no such implications. Absinthe does not come within the scope either of domestic legislation on the misuse of drugs or of the international conventions on the control of narcotic or psychotropic substances.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) men and (b) women under the age of 20 years were serving a prison sentence in England and Wales on 1 November. [62020]

The latest available provisional information is for 31 October 1998. On that date, there were 5,206 sentenced males and 224 sentenced females aged under 20 years in Prison Service establishments in England and Wales.Information on the number of sentenced persons aged under 20 years (by individual age) is published in successive volumes of "Prison Statistics England and Wales" (table 3.2 of the 1997 edition, cm 4017), copies of which are in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (i) men and (ii) women were sentenced to imprisonment in England and Wales during each of the last three years for (a) non-payment of fines, (b) use of or trading in illegal drugs, (c) shoplifting, (d) abuse towards children and (e) involvement in violent crimes. [62018]

The information requested is given in the table. I regret that no information is available for shoplifting as this offence is not separately coded on the central prisons computer.

Receptions under sentence into prisons in England and Wales by offence, 1995–97
	1995		1996		1997
Offence	Males	Females	Males	Females	Males	Females
Fine Default	18,787	1,370	8,094	641	5,964	372
Drags1	4,325	404	5,525	575	6,324	750
Cruelty to children2	376	22	471	27	541	41
Violence against the person	8,830	454	10,005	524	11,053	660
1 Includes drugs production, supply, possession with intent, possession, unlawful import/export and other drugs offences.
2 Includes cruelty to children and gross indecency with children.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) men and (b) women over the age of 65 years are serving prison sentences in England and Wales. [62019]

The latest available provisional information is for 31 October 1998. On that date, there were 319 sentenced males and 5 sentenced females aged over 65 years in Prison Service establishments in England and Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the current number of offenders who are electronically tagged in England and Wales. [62021]

As of 30 November 1998, 505 offenders are being electronically monitored in England and Wales under the Criminal Justice Act 1991 and the Crime Sentences Act 1997. There are an additional 21 cases in which electronic monitoring has been imposed as a condition of bail.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter sent to him by the hon. Member for North Thanet on 19 October; if he will state the rights of appeal against his Department's interpretation of his July 1997 guidelines relating to the firearms compensation scheme; if he will define ancillary equipment; and if he will make a statement. [62499]

A reply will be sent shortly. Ancillary equipment qualifying for compensation under the firearms compensation scheme is defined in the scheme as equipment used in connection with prohibited large-calibre handguns which has no practicable use with a non-prohibited firearm and which is specified in Annex C of the scheme. The Firearms Compensation Section guidance note of July 1997 explains why certain types of tools, equipment and shooting accessories are excluded from the scheme by this definition. It is open to claimants to explain why the items they have surrendered ought to qualify for compensation, and all such representations are carefully considered. However, where items are outside the scope of the scheme, no compensation can be paid on them.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the special advisers in his Department and the issues on which they specialise; and to what level they have been security cleared.[62837]

Two special advisers work in my Department. Justin Russell advises me on policy matters and Ed Owen is my adviser on media and political matters. They are subject to the usual security clearance arrangements.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how he plans to respond to the Third report of the Home Affairs Committee of session 1997–98 into Alternatives to Prison Sentences (HC 486).[63052]

This is a useful and constructive report and the Government's detailed response to it is being published today.The report makes a large number of observations and recommendations. It says that community sentences can and should be rigorous and that, if they are to be credible, they must be enforced stringently. The Government endorse that view as our response indicates. The report also welcomes many of the measures which the Government have already taken to extend the range and flexibility of community sentences and to ensure that intervention takes place at an earlier stage, especially when dealing with juvenile crime.

To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor' s Department what assessment he has made of the effect of transferring the hearing of asylum appeal cases outside London on the presence of legal representatives of asylum seekers at such hearings. [61705]

The Immigration Appellate Authority is monitoring the number of appellants whose cases are transferred out of London and the level of representation at those hearings. The hearings of the transferred cases stared in October 1998 so it is too soon to draw any conclusions.

To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what checks court interpreters in asylum hearings are subject to; and when these checks were introduced. [61706]

Interpreters in appeal hearings have always been required to complete a standard application form. This includes a status inquiry where they are required to declare anything that may undermine their suitability to perform interpreting functions on behalf of the IAA. Since 1996–97, the IAA has run an assessment and training programme (in close conjunction with the Institute of Linguists) to improve the quality of in-court interpreting. Adjudicators are also encouraged to provide general feedback to the IAA interpreter manager on the performance of individual interpreters.

To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department how many persons intending to be court interpreters in asylum hearings have failed to pass security checks; and what action was taken as a result. 61707]

There is no formal mechanism in place to security check interpreters. However, they are required to complete a standard status enquiry form prior to appointment. Applications may be rejected by the IAA if the information provided questions the interpreter's competence or suitability to perform the job.

To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department how many asylum seekers were unrepresented at hearings (a) in London and (b) out of London when the asylum seeker (i) had and (ii) did not have an immigration solicitor in the most recent year for which figures are available. [61708]

No figures are kept on the levels of representation at the London centres. In October 1998 the IAA started to keep figures relating to the levels of representation at hearings outside London to monitor the impact of transferring appeals to provincial centres.

To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to monitor the impact of transferring asylum hearings outside London on legal representation at hearings in cases where asylum seekers (a) have and (b) do not have a solicitor. [61709]

The IAA is currently monitoring the impact of transferring asylum hearings outside London on the levels of representation. The hearings of these appeals started in October 1998 so it is too soon to draw any conclusions.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action her Department is taking to support the provision of micronutrients to developing countries. [62359]

The Department for International Development has supported major research in micronutrients supplementation, including the seminal Ghana Vitamin A Supplementation Trial. We contribute to both UNICEF and the World Health Organisation for their work in maternal and child health. Supplementation will be an important element in the further development of our strategy for assistance to child health.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the outcome was of the Development Council held in Brussels on 30 November; and if she will make a statement. [62222]

During the morning session, the Council adopted conclusions on Burundi reflecting Ministers' discussions at dinner the previous evening. The conclusions welcome the progress achieved in the 'Arusha process' so far and thank Mwalimu Nyerere for his invaluable contribution. The Council said that it was prepared to continue to support the process and welcomed the intention of Mwalimu Nyerere to suspend sanctions, which would pave the way for the resumption of increased development co-operation. The Council asked the Commission to pursue its discussions with the Burundi government, with a view both to rapid implementation of the support already envisaged for refugees and rehabilitation, and to additional support for human rights and strengthening of democratic institutions and the judicial system.The Council also adopted conclusions on the Role of Development Co-operation in Strengthening Peace-building, Conflict Prevention and Resolution. These recognise that development assistance needs to be designed and implemented in a way that it helps to address the root causes of violent conflict in a targeted manner. The Council recommended that an expert group be established to take forward work in this area.On Hurricane Mitch, the Council adopted Conclusions calling on the Commission to prepare an Action Plan on medium to long term reconstruction efforts in Central America which should be discussed in the next few months at a ministerial meeting in the San José Group. The Council stressed the role of debt relief and the importance of donor co-ordination in the reconstruction effort. The UK congratulated the UN on its efforts to co-ordinate relief during the immediate emergency. The UK pointed out that the next phase was to link emergency aid to rehabilitation and longer term construction. The UK hoped donors would share ideas and coordinate not compete. The UK urged all partners to contribute to the French/UK Trust Fund initiative to assist with multilateral debt relief.On Private Sector Development in Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries, the Commission presented its strategy, the aim of which is to contribute to poverty elimination and foster the integration of the ACP into the world economy. The presentation was followed by an exchange of views. The UK welcomed the paper but noted that it would have to be taken forward after discussions had taken place with the ACP countries, and that work was needed on putting the strategy into operation. The Council passed a Resolution on Sustainable Tourism. The UK explained that it was important to ensure more of the benefits of tourism remained in local communities, in particular the poorest and women.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what occasions the EU Code of Conduct Group has met since its formation; and if he will make a statement. [61885]

[holding answer 1 December 1998]: The Code of Conduct Group met on 8 May, 16 July, 3 November and 17 November 1998.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what import duty rates apply to vehicles fuelled by (a) petrol or diesel, (b) electricity and (c) natural gas. [62120]

[holding answer 3 December 1998]: The full rates of import duty for vehicles set out in the UK Customs Tariff vary depending on the type of vehicle concerned.The import duty rates for passengers vehicles, whether gas, diesel or petrol powered, range from 10 to 16.8 per cent. depending on engine size and passenger capacity; whereas the rate for all electric passenger vehicles is 10.5 per cent.The import duty rates for goods vehicles, whether gas, diesel or petrol powered, range from 10.2 to 22 per cent. depending on the engine size and vehicle weight; whereas the rate for all electric goods vehicles is 10 per cent.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of evidence submitted by HM Customs and Excise in April and May 1998 on the issue of smuggling of fuel oils. [62238]

[holding answer 3 December 1998]: Both the Government and Customs are aware of the situation with the illegal importation of road fuel into Northern Ireland for resale and recognise that it is a serious problem which disadvantages legitimate traders. Customs are deploying resources and actively mounting investigations against those involved to counter the threat posed to the revenue and to the Northern Ireland business community. Customs are taking the lead on this issue but are acting in conjunction with other authorities, including the Royal Ulster Constabulary, to make seizures of oil tankers and vehicles carrying oil tanks filled with illegally imported fuel for resale. Wherever possible, cases are progressed with a view to criminal prosecution of the individuals involved.There is little evidence that smuggling of fuel into any other area of the United Kingdom is a cause for concern.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact of fuel oil smuggling on retail sales of petrol in South East England. [62237]

[holding answer 3 December 1998]: HM Customs and Excise have no estimates for the impact of fuel oil smuggling on retail sales of petrol in South East England.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many petrol tankers have been impounded by HM Customs in each of the last five years. [62234]

[holding answer 3 December 1998]: In 1998 to date 48 vehicles have been seized by Customs for alleged smuggling of petroleum products into Northern Ireland and 2 in Liverpool for alleged smuggling onto the UK mainland.The problem of petroleum smuggling into Northern Ireland has been evident only since late 1997 and indeed this is the reverse of the situation which existed a few years ago when people from the Republic of Ireland would travel to Northern Ireland to purchase cheaper fuel. There were no seizures of vehicles or fuel in years prior to 1998.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the total returns for UK duty paid on motor fuel products in Northern Ireland for each quarter of 1996, 1997 and 1998 for which figures are available. [62235]

[holding answer 3 December 1998]: Customs and Excise are unable to supply figures for duty paid on motor fuel used in Northern Ireland. Duty is paid at the time the oil leaves the refinery on the UK mainland, or at the time of importation into the UK. No separate record is kept by Customs of the destination of the oil.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what factors underlie the differences in the forecast for taxation as a share of gross domestic product in (a) 1996–97 and (b) 1997–98 between (i) the 1998 Economic and Fiscal Strategy report and (ii) the 1998 Pre-Budget report; and if he will make a statement. [62124]

Outturns for receipts of taxes and social security contributions, net of tax credits, were revised down by £0.4 billion in 1996–97 and by £0.7 billion in 1997–98 between the publication of the Economic and Fiscal Strategy Report (EFSR) and the Pre-Budget Report (PBR). This reduced the tax/GDP ratio by less than 0.1 percentage points in both years. Upward revisions to money GDP since the EFSR, of over 1½ per cent. in 1996–97 and over 2 per cent. in 1997–98, account for the remainder of the downward revision to the tax/GDP ratio in the PBR of 0.6 per cent. in 1996–97 and 0.9 per cent. in 1997–98. These revisions entirely reflect data changes rather than forecasting judgments.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps have been taken following the Government's proposals in the consultation paper, "Supporting Families", to commission a review by the Registrar General of the legislation regarding civil registration in England and Wales. [63121]

I have asked the Registrar General for England and Wales to carry out a review of the civil registration service with the aim of producing a public consultation document next summer. The review will consider the existing operational framework and set out options for the future development of the service.The registration of births, deaths and marriages is based largely on Victorian legislation and the needs of society at that time. This law places strict limitations on the type and extent of the service it can provide to the public. The inflexibility of the service was raised in the Government's consultation document "Supporting Families". Measures to enhance the powers of registrars were also proposed in the White Paper "Fairer, Faster and Firmer—A Modern Approach to Immigration and Asylum".The aim of the review and subsequent consultation will be to develop proposals for a service that can adapt to the changing needs and attitudes of a modern society and that can adopt modern methods and technology to meet those needs.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received relating to the rule that Inland Revenue staff must retire at the age of 60 years. [62031]

There have been four representations to the Chancellor whilst in office, regarding the requirement for Inland Revenue staff to retire at age 60. All representations were made through constituency MPs. The representations raised concerns about the policy of the Inland Revenue to require retirement of their employees at age 60, with two representations involving individual employees' cases.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the educational goods and computers which are not subject to VAT when bought by schools but are subject to VAT when bought for schools by education action zones. [62299]

Whether educational goods and computers are liable to VAT does not depend on the purchaser. The VAT incurred by a local education authority on school equipment is recoverable from Customs and Excise whether purchased using its own funds or purchased using those provided by an education action zone.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue was received in the last financial year from value-added tax on rents of beach huts. [62187]

We have no estimates on the amount of VAT received from rents of beach huts.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is (a) the estimated annual revenue charge and (b) the number of firms and employees involved in the change from self-employed sub-contractor status to PAYE status in the construction industry. [62221]

The Inland Revenue estimates that in excess of 200,000 workers in the construction industry have been reclassified from self-employed to employed status since April 1997. This has happened for a number of different reasons. Many contractors have carried out their own status reviews and concluded that some or all of their workers should be properly treated as employees. Alternatively, workers may have been reclassified as employees following an IR or CA compliance visit. No estimate is available of the number of firms involved.Because of the many differences in how the earnings of self employed and employed workers are treated for tax and National Insurance purposes, it is not possible to provide an estimate of the annual revenue charge involved.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the costs of servicing the national debt in 1998–99. [61815]

Estimates for the cost of servicing the National Debt are not published, but Table B12 of the November 1998 Pre-Budget Report included an estimate of £29.5 billion for central government gross debt interest payments in 1998–99.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the current amount of the national debt; and what the interest payments on this currently are. [60911]

Number of live births by birthweight and percentages of live births with a stated birthweight for Leeds, Livserpool, Manchester and Sheffield, 1993–95
	Numbers
Area (Metropolitan disticts)	Under 2,500g	2,500–2,999g	3,000–3,444g	3,500–3,999g	4,000g and over	Not stated
Leeds
1993	662	1,569	3,326	2,506	888	285
1994	697	1,571	3,147	2,409	890	307
1995	758	1,636	3,192	2,470	835	39
Liverpool
1993	410	837	1,797	1,435	648	1,203
1994	417	839	1,839	1,534	639	793
1995	487	941	2,082	1,673	698	44
Manchester
1993	549	1,323	2,421	1,654	577	215
1994	506	1,228	2,232	1,579	563	318
1995	588	1,187	2,111	1,526	498	144
Sheffield
1993	499	1,129	2,267	2,001	747	48
1994	504	1,043	2,312	1,877	698	42
1995	492	1,110	2,242	1,695	667	46

Percentage of live births with a stated birthweight
Area	Under 2,500g	2,500–2,999g	3,000–3,444g	3,500–3999g	4,000g and over
Leeds
1993	7.4	17.5	37.2	28.0	9.9
1994	8.0	18.0	36.1	27.6	10.2
1995	8.5	18.4	35.9	27.8	9.4
Liverpool
1993	8.0	16.3	35.0	28.0	12.6

[holding answer 27 November 1998]: Figures for net public sector debt are published in Table B4 of the November 1998 Pre-Budget Report. For 31 March 1998 the figure is £352 billion. Interest payments and interest and dividends receipts for 1997–98 have been published by the ONS in Table S13 of Financial Statistics, October 1998. These are £29.8 billion and £4.1 billion respectively.