To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list (a) the (i) task forces, (ii) review panels and (iii) advisory groups his Department has, (b) the remit of each and (c) the members of each together with their principal employment and their level of remuneration. [62809]

As far as bodies composed of independent members are concerned, I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Eastleigh (Mr. Chidgey) on 30 July 1998, Official Report, column 451.While this Department has not set up any Task Forces since 1 May 1997, information on review panels and advisory groups on which external members serve and which are set up from time to time across the Department is not held centrally. Collecting this information is taking longer than expected. I will write to the hon. Member when this work is complete and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received on the retention of the 101 Battalion REME in Chorley since 16 December. [68157]

[holding answer 28 January 1999]: Since 16 December 1998, my Department has received 22 Parliamentary Questions on this matter, all from my hon. Friend the Member for Chorley, five letters from Parish Councils and three letters from members of the public.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what work is (a) underway and (b) planned to provide a low-yield Trident warhead able to fulfil Trident's sub-strategic role. [68836]

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence to the hon. Member for Perth (Ms Cunningham) on 19 March 1998, Official Report, column 724.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the investigations which (a) have been commissioned and (b) have been circulated or recommended by medical officers in the past 20 years concerning the incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder among serving or former serving members of HM Armed Forces. [67428]

[holding answer 2 February 1999]: My Department does not maintain central records of investigations commissioned, circulated or recommended by medical officers on the incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder among serving or former members of the Armed Forces. However, I am not aware that my Department has commissioned, or has been recommended by medical officers to commission, investigations specifically into the incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder among serving or former members of the Armed Forces over the past 20 years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many representations have been received in the past 20 years from (a) former soldiers, (b) general practitioners or family doctors, (c) prison doctors or chaplains, (d) officers of the court and (e) others, concerning the incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder. [67429]

[holding answer 2 February 1999]: The information requested is not available as no central records are maintained by my Department of representations received concerning post-traumatic stress disorder.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 20 January 1999, Official Report, columns 460–61, on RN Base Faslane, in which year the current civilian system of monitoring started at RN Naval Base Clyde; and what proportion of Navy supervisors were qualified to City and Guilds standards prior to that date. [69087]

The use of civilian Health Physics Monitoring Supervisors was introduced at the Clyde Naval Base around November 1989.Prior to this date, there were two categories of supervisors in the area of Health Physics, both were Royal Naval personnel. Monitoring Supervisors were in charge of the administration of the Monitors, while Radiological Protection Supervisors maintained an oversight of the Monitoring aspects. The latter were qualified to City and Guilds Stage 2 in Radiation Safety Practice.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what criteria he uses in establishing the preferment to be given to (a) UK only and (b) UK/European bids for procurement contracts when the competition is with non-EU contractors. [69469]

The MOD has a policy of open international competition whenever this is possible. A wide range of factors are considered by the MOD when making procurement decisions, including: long term value-for-money, security of supply, UK technological capabilities and the benefits to MOD of potential exports.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what criteria he uses to assess the export potential for UK-designed and produced equipment when considering bids made by competitors for defence procurement contracts. [69468]

MOD assessments of the export potential of British defence equipment are based on a judgment of the potential requirements in the market place, the level of competition the UK company is likely to face, and the company's own assessment of its export potential, tempered by our knowledge of their previous record of export success.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what skill shortages he has identified within the UK defence industry; and what steps he has taken to address them. [69409]

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish his Department's collation and assessment of responses to each of the Government's public consultations. [69774]

I assume that my hon. Friend is referring to public consultation conducted only by the Ministry of Defence. No single collation and assessment of all public consultation conducted by the Ministry of Defence exists. Our largest public consultation exercise to date was that conducted to inform the Strategic Defence Review. Where consent was given by the authors, copies of submissions made to the Ministry of Defence in the course of that exercise have been placed in the Library of the House. The assessment of those submissions formed part of the Strategic Defence Review, the recommendations of which were reported to Parliament on 8 July 1998, Official Report, columns 1073–96.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to fund a war memorial to service women. [70174]

It has been a long-standing policy of successive Governments that the cost of memorials is usually met not from public funds, but from private donations or public subscription. However, the Government have nothing but the utmost respect and gratitude for those women who served and died in the service of their country.We are aware of a campaign to erect a memorial to Service women. Although the Government are unable to assist financially with this project, I have announced in the House on several occasions since 20 May 1997, that if the necessary funds were raised from public subscription or private donation, my Department would be more than happy to provide representation at any dedication ceremony.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) which of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department (a) admit members of the public to all board or committee meetings, (b) hold public meetings and (c) have lay or consumer representatives on their boards; and if in each case this is under a statutory requirement; [69963](2) which of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department publish

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason the Defence Export Services Organisation was made aware on 6 October 1998 of the presence in the United Kingdom of General Pinochet; to which other sections in his Department and beyond this information was relayed; and if he will make a statement. [70242]

[holding answer 9 February 1999]: The Defence Export Services Organisation became aware of Senator Pinochet's visit in the context of other business; DESO was not involved in arrangements for the visit and there is no record of the information being relayed further. In addition, as my noble Friend Lord Hoyle explained on 11 January 1999, Official Report, House of Lords, column 5, other officials within the central staffs of the MOD had been informed of the Senator's impending visit on 16 September 1998 by officials at the FCO. However, this information was not passed to any other section, and no further action was taken.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if his decision to close 2 Division HQ in York and create a new northern division HQ in Edinburgh was based on an investment appraisal of (a) complete divisional/district restructuring, (b) that element which involved a choice of locations or (c) other factors. [70126]

[holding answer 9 February 1999]: The decision took into account an investment appraisal of options for the location of the headquarters of the proposed northern division.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if SEAC has been asked for its opinion as to the potential efficacy of pentosan polysulphate in treating nvCJD; and if he will make a statement; [61679](2) what is the cost of an oral course of pentosan polysulphate as prophylaxis against nvCJD. [61680]

[holding answer 2 December 1998]: It is not yet known whether an oral course of pentosan polysulphate would be effective as a prophylaxis against nvCJD, or what dose or duration of treatment would be required, or what adverse side effects there might be from its use for this purpose. Therefore it is not possible to calculate the cost of an oral course as an effective prophylaxis against nvCJD.The Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (SEAC) met on 11 January and considered the potential use of pentosan polysulphate as a prophylactic. The Committee is in the process of preparing its advice to Ministers. The Committee on the Safety of Medicines is also considering this use of pentosan. The Government are awaiting the advice from these committees.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of persons who have been inoculated with blood or blood products over the past three years in the United Kingdom. [61681]

[holding answer 2 December 1998]: It is estimated that about one million people in the United Kingdom receive blood and blood products every year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of people who suffer from epilepsy in the UK. [70214]

Epilepsy is the commonest chronic neurological disorder and it is estimated to affect between 400,000 and 420,000 people in the United Kingdom.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the average pay levels in London for nurses in each grade. [70041]

Estimated total annual average earnings for nursing staff in London by grade, taken from the Department's August 1997 earnings survey, are shown in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps he is taking to make EU guidance on medicines for children legally binding on pharmaceutical companies; [69684](2) what steps he is taking to assess the cost to the NHS of making guidance on medicines for children legally binding on pharmaceutical companies; [69685](3) what steps are being taken by EU member states to monitor the way pharmaceutical companies comply with EU guidance on the licensing of medicines for children; which companies have complied with this guidance; which products are being developed in accordance with this guidance; and when the application of the guidance will be extended to products already on the market, in other EU member states. [69683]

The European Union guidance came into operation in September 1997. As the development times for medicinal products are relatively long, there will be a delay before trials in children are submitted with all relevant applications for authorisation of medicinal products.Where a medicinal product has an anticipated therapeutic benefit in children, the applicant is asked to provide details of a paediatric development plan if this is not already included in the dossier supporting the application for marketing authorisation. Information relevant to paediatric use, based on the availability or not of paediatric data, is included in the product particulars. The EU guidance on the investigation of medicinal products in children applies to products already on the market as well as to new products. Information on those companies which have so far complied with this guidance in other member states is not available, neither is information on those products which are being developed in accordance with this guidance in other member states.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the work programme of the working group on myalgic encephalomyelitis, and its timescale. [70255]

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Brighton, Pavilion (Mr. Lepper) on 4 February 1999, Official Report, columns 524–25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress he has made in promoting awareness and understanding of chronic fatigue syndrome/ME among (a) health professionals and (b) the general public; and if he will make a statement. [70160]

The recent publicity surrounding the announcement of the establishment of the working group on chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) and the involvement of many health professionals, academics, patients and carers in its work has already raised awareness of CFS/ME. The best practice guidance that the Group has been tasked with producing will also raise understanding and awareness. In the mean time, we will continue to work with the Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Alliance to promote awareness and understanding of this distressing and debilitating condition.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provisions are made for the treatment of under-age alcoholics; and if he will make a statement. [68648]

Health and local authorities are responsible for assessing the level of need for all alcohol services locally, and making arrangements to meet that need in accordance with local priorities and the resources available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of practising physicians are general practitioners. [70080]

There were 27,100 general practitioners (unrestricted principals) as at 1 October 1997. This figure was 31 per cent. of the total number of doctors employed in the National Health Service.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) doctors' and (b) general practitioners' posts are unfilled in (i) England and (ii) Norfolk. [70081]

The information requested is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average age of retirement for general practitioners was in (a) 1980, (b) 1990 and (c) 1998; and if he will make a statement. [70083]

The information requested is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what was the average number of working days lost per (a) doctor and (b) general practitioner for psycholkgical reasons in (i) 1980, (ii) 1990, (iii) 1997 and (iv) 1998; and if he will make a statement, [70084](2) what was the average number of working days lost per

The information requested is not collected centralhy. A survey carried out in National Health Service trusts in August 1998 identified the sickness trusts in August 1998 identified the sickness absence rates for medical and dental staff at 1.6 per cent. The survey did not distinguish between medical and psychological illness.

To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire (Mr. Kirkwood), representing the House of Commons Commission, if he will make a statement on monitoring the progress of the Portcullis House project. [70000]

The Commission has authorised a mid-term review of progress on Portcullis House.The objective of the review, which is part of a continuing programme of supervision of the project, will be to satisfy the Commission that the new parliamentary building can be delivered, to the desired quality, on budget and within the agreed timetable.The hon. Lady will be aware that in approving the principle of the new building, the House itself was well aware of the important heritage implications of what will be a major parliamentary development on an internationally important site. While the Commission recognises that Portcullis House needs to be a building of the first architectural quality, it has also been concerned throughout with the need to keep costs in control.The review, to be conducted by Northcroft, will analyse cost movements to date and include an independent risk appraisal of outturn costs. It will also provide an opportunity to examine organisational structure and procedures used during the project.

To ask the Chairman of the Information Committee for what reason the House of Commons switchboard does not have available the fax numbers of Committees and Departments of the House. [69467]

Action has recently been taken to ensure that the information available to the House of Commons switchboard is consistent with the contents of the internal Parliamentary Phone Directory. However, entries in that directory are determined by the wishes of Members, Departments and Committees and therefore are not necessarily comprehensive.It has also been a long-standing policy that the switchboard will reveal telephone numbers to external callers only if expressly permitted to do so by the owner. This complements the restricted circulation of the Parliamentary Phone Directory.If Departments and Committees wish their fax numbers to be listed and to be made available to external callers, there is no obstacle to doing so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has to assist local authorities with tourism offices. [68470]

[holding answer 1 February 1999]: My Department is encouraging local authorities, as major deliverers of cultural services, to produce cultural strategies. These strategies will cover the broad range of cultural services offered by local authorities which relate to DCMS interest (including tourism) and aim to develop their economic and social impact through greater integration.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of (a) travel agents and (b) tour operators were members of the Association of British Travel Agents in (i) 1992, (ii) 1995 and (iii) 1998. [69375]

The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) suggests that in 1998 around 95 per cent. of high street travel agents and 65 per cent. of tour operators were ABTA members. Information is not available for 1992 and 1995.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he expects the Radio Authority to produce guidelines for issuing licences to campus radio stations. [69728]

The Radio Authority published its notes of guidance for low-powered AM licences, intended for use by establishments such as universities and hospitals, on 11 January 1999. Copies of the guidelines have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with the German Government on negotiation of contracts for processing nuclear waste in the United Kingdom. [69158]

My right hon. Friend has had no discussions with the German Government on negotiation of contracts for processing nuclear waste in the United Kingdom. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend to the hon. Member for Daventry (Mr. Boswell) on 21 January 1999, Official Report, column 547.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the production of highly enriched uranium for civil purposes is adequate to meet current demand. [69533]

This is a commercial and operational matter for suppliers of enrichment services and their customers, subject to satisfying the necessary international and regulatory requirements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimates he has made of the annual increase in awards for unfair dismissal under the provisions of the Employment Relations Bill. [69593]

[holding answer 8 February 1999]: While some of the proposals contained in the Employment Relations Bill are expected to increase the number of applications to Employment Tribunals, others could reduce the number of disputes that result in an application to a Tribunal. We expect the net effect on the total number of applications to be very small. We have not made an estimate specifically of the number of unfair dismissal cases, or of how many of these may be successful at a Tribunal hearing.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what has been the total cost to public funds of the British Coal canteen workers equal pay claim; and when he expects the case to be resolved. [69896]

This remains a matter for British Coal. I understand they have settled around 70 claims from UDM and a few NUM canteen workers at an average settlement cost of around £1,300 per claim. In the meantime, the Employment Tribunal has ordered that sample cases be referred to an independent expert, who has been asked to submit his report by March 1999. Subsequent progress will depend largely on the content of this report.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) which of the executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department publish (a) the minutes of meetings, (b)the agendas of meetings and documents for those meetings and (c) a register of members' interests; and if in each case this is under a statutory requirement; [69943](2) which of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department

The executive and advisory non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) sponsored by the Department are actively seeking ways of operating in a more open way consistent with the recommendations of "Quangos—Opening the doors". A number of executive NDPBs already issue summary reports of meetings where practicable and these are in the public domain; these include the National Consumer Council; the Gas Consumer Council; the Post Office Users Councils; the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) and the Research Councils. All executive NDPBs with board members have a register of their members' interests and these are available to the public, for example the Coal Authority publishes its register in its Annual Report and Accounts and the Monopolies and Mergers Commission place its register on its website. There is no statutory requirement in legislation for this sort of activity; however it represents good practice and is entirely consistent with "Quangos—Opening the doors".In the case of advisory NDPBs, the Council for Science and Technology produces summaries of meetings and issues press notices on its website, which also contains information on meetings, events, and work in progress; it is also due to publish a register of members interest shortly. The Human Genetics Advisory Commission issues summary reports of meetings which are published on its website. It has a register of members' interests as do others, for example the LINK/Teaching Company Scheme Board, the Measurement Advisory Committee, the Spectrum Management Advisory Group, the Industrial Development Advisory Board and the seven Regional Industrial Development Boards. Other advisory NDPBs are taking steps to have registers of interest in place shortly, in line with the recommendations in "Quangos—Opening the doors". As in the case of executive NDPBs, there are no statutory requirements for this.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the total number of claims settled for the industrial disease, vibration white finger, before the new scheme was agreed, indicating the (a) highest, (b) lowest and (c) average award. [69841]

As at 4 February the Department has settled 3,572 claims for vibration white finger. Of these 1,968 have been settled by payment, and the remaining 1,604 have been ruled out. The individual settlement payments have ranged from £3,000 to £200, with an average of £1,900. The total cost of settlements to date is £3,646,349. In addition to this the Department has paid £1,033,979 in costs to plaintiffs' solicitors.Since November last year Plaintiffs' solicitors have been advised that higher settlement levels were likely to be agreed with the Plaintiffs' Solicitors Group, who represent 60 per cent. of the plaintiffs, and they were asked to advise their clients accordingly.Following the agreement reached with the plaintiffs' solicitors on 22 January the average award is likely to be in the region of £6,000 for General Damages (within a range of £500 to £18,000). Additional compensation for special damages will be decided on a case by case basis.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will publish his Department's collation and assessment of responses to all the Government's public consultations. [69769]

I will arrange for a summary of responses to all public consultation exercises carried out by the Department since 1 May 1997 to be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has made to the (a) European Commission and (b) European Parliament concerning the proposed EC copyright directive. [70113]

[holding answer 9 February 1999]: The United Kingdom has made clear to all concerned our support for the main aims of the draft copyright Directive. However, we have expressed strong reservations on the over-prescriptive approach on exceptions to rights, many of which exceptions have little or no effect on the internal market. In particular, we remain firmly opposed to a general requirement to impose levies in return for all private copying exceptions, no matter how minor. The Government wish to maintain a fair and reasonable balance between the interests of rights holders and those of users of rights and intermediaries, including network operators and service providers. We have also called for clarification of the provision on technological protection measures, while supporting its general aim, and have welcomed the fact that liability of intermediaries is being considered as a horizontal issue in the draft electronic commerce Directive.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will take steps to ensure that the traditional interests of copyright holders are protected in the context of the electronic media under the proposed EC copyright directive. [70114]

[holding answer 9 February 1999]: The Government are firmly committed to ensuring that copyright protection across the EU is at least as good as that already in UK law; strong intellectual property rights are fundamental to an innovative economy. Digital technology allows data to be more easily disseminated and used or copied, and effective copyright protection for the electronic age is essential. Without the confidence that rights are properly protected worldwide, there would be no incentive for suppliers of information to make works available on-line and therefore no global information society. The Government believe the copyright Directive should prove to be of considerable benefit to UK rights holders in the context of Europe as whole, and we have broadly welcomed it. However, we will also continue to press for more flexibility for member states in the exceptions provisions of the Directive. Rights holders, users of rights and intermediaries are all key players in ensuring the success of the new services of the information age.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what systems are in place for measuring the effectiveness and impact of the major Government chargeable export services. [70941]

We have received results of independent surveys conducted among a sample of over 1000 businesses who used Overseas Trade Services in 1997. I am delighted that the results show an average overall satisfaction rate of 88 per cent. compared to an average of 83 per cent. in 1995 and 1996. Furthermore, the positive trend was the same for virtually every individual scheme.Last year we reviewed the way in which DTI and FCO monitors and evaluates customer satisfaction and perceptions of the major export promotion services we deliver. As a result, the Quality Management System (QMS) was significantly revised so as to enable us to obtain more detailed information about customer satisfaction levels on a world-wide basis.The Quality Management System will be further enhanced in 1999 to take into account comments of the business representatives of the British Overseas Trade Board's Regional Committee, and the tendering process for a new contractor to start work in April is currently underway. The contractor will carry out work to capture data relevant to the new joint FCO/DTI export promotion objectives.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans he has to support the parents of young people who abuse drugs. [68653]

The Government's anti-drugs strategy includes the provision of information, advice and support to parents. Support is provided day to day through the National Drugs Helpline. Locally, Drug Action Teams were asked to consult and to consider the needs of parents and carers when drawing up plans for local action.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how he intends to improve co-ordination of anti-drug measures at local level. [68655]

Drug Action Teams should take a strategic overview of anti-drugs action including resource allocation and link up with other local and regional partnerships. They have now submitted their provisional local action plans for 1999–2000. These are being assessed.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will make a statement on the incidence of drug misuse among people under the age of 25 years. [68656]

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will make a statement on the incidence of drug misuse among people under the age of 25 years. [68669]

Drugs misuse is most common among people in their teens and early twenties. About half of young people are likely to take drugs at some time in their lives, but only about one-fifth will become regular misusers, with a smaller minority developing the most serious problems.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what initiatives have been taken by the United Kingdom's anti-drugs co-ordinator to combat new trends in drugs misuse. [68670]

The Government's anti-drug strategy, "Tackling Drugs to Build a Better Britain", provides a framework for co-ordinated action against the range of drugs problems over ten years. Action is overseen and monitored by Keith Hellawell, to whom the local Drug Action Teams across the country have recently reported with their action plans for 1999/2000. His first annual report and national plan will be produced in the spring.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many policy areas he has identified to date as suitable for detailed discussions with Liberal Democrat hon. Members using the Joint Consultative Cabinet Committee mechanisms. [68654]

The review of the work of the Joint Consultative Committee, which I am undertaking with the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed (Mr. Beith) is not yet complete.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will make a statement on the cost of ministerial travel for each Minister in his Department since 1 May 1997. [68657]

The Ministerial Code requires Ministers always to make effective and cost-efficient travel arrangements. Figures on the spend by this Government on Ministers' visits overseas were published by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister today.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will make a statement on guidelines within his Department for ministerial travel. [68663]

The Ministerial Code requires Ministers always to make efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans he has to review ministerial travel regulations. [68668]

None. Ministers are required under the terms of the Ministerial Code always to make efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements. The rules on ministerial travel are the same as those that applied under the previous Administration.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will make a statement on the charter mark awards scheme. [68658]

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will make a statement on the 1998 charter mark awards. [68659]

This has been another very successful year for the charter mark awards scheme with 508 awards being made—the highest number ever. There were a record number of applications from virtually all types of public service in the UK, and there were 128 second time winners and 18 third time winners. It was particularly pleasing to note that there were 74 winners of the award who had been unsuccessful in the previous year.Charter mark is making a real contribution to improving public services and we will continue to develop the scheme to make it even more effective.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will make a statement on the better government for older people programme. [68660]

The Better Government for Older People initiative, an important part of our commitment to modernising government, has valuable lessons to teach about developing improved services that are more responsive to the needs of their users. Next month we are putting in place a Learning Network so that many more local authorities across the UK can share in this learning and experience. Well over two hundred authorities have already expressed an interest in joining the Network.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what measures he intends to take to encourage local authorities to become involved in the better government initiative. [68665]

Local Government is a key partner in the drive to improve public service effectiveness and responsiveness and is involved at all levels in the production of the Modernising Government White Paper. For example, Sir Jeremy Beecham, Chairman of the Local Government Association attends meetings of the Ministerial Group on Better Government. I welcome a wide debate on these matters and I recently launched the Modernising Government discussion forum on the Downing Street website, to encourage people to participate in the consultation process.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will make a statement on his Department's agenda for (a) modernising Government and (b) improving the efficiency of public services. [68661]

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will make a statement on the progress of the modernising government strategy. [68666]

As my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office explained to the House on 21 October last year, the Government will publish a White Paper in the Spring, setting out their programme for modernising government and joining-up public services to respond better to the people that need them. Discussion on the 10 Downing Street website describes the work in hand and invites people to join in.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will announce further measures to abolish quangos; and if he will make a statement. [68664]

The Government remain committed to keeping the number of NDPBs to an absolute minimum. Many NDPBs have already been abolished and many more have been targeted for abolition in the near future. All NDPBs which remain are subject to a rolling programme of quinquennial reviews to ensure that the downward pressure on numbers continues.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will make a statement on his Department's agenda for improving the efficiency of public services. [68667]

The White Paper on Modernising Government will describe the Government's agenda for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of public services, and is to be published in the spring. It will build on our current initiatives which focus on promoting partnerships between the public and private sector, investing in new collaborative initiatives, benchmarking, setting and measuring performance standards, and special organisation reviews.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to his answer of 19 January 1999, Official Report, column 405, on civil servants' hearing impairments, if he will list the other circumstances which resulted in large numbers of civil servants not qualifying for a pension. [70245]

The circumstances under which civil servants leave without qualifying for a civil service pension are as follows:

• Prior to 1972
• all those who left unestablished service
• all those who left established service under age 50 or over age 50 with less than 10 years' service
• those women who resigned on marriage and received a gratuity
• Since 1 June 1972
• those who left before 6 April 1988 with less than 5 years' service or since that date with less than 2 years' service
• those who are excluded from the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme by virtue of Rule 1.4 (mainly casual staff, and certain part-time staff before 1995) or who have chosen to opt-out of the pension scheme.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will make a statement about future arrangements for recruitment to the Civil Service fast stream development programme. [70942]

Management of the Fast Stream recruitment process was contracted out to the Capita Group plc as part of the decision to privatise the former Recruitment and Assessment Services Agency in October 1996.A review of the operation of the recruitment process took place during 1998. As a result I have decided in principle that, on the expiry of the current contracts, the selection stages of the process will return to direct Civil Service management. I expect specialist services including advertising, publicity, response handling and psychology support to continue to be supplied by the private sector following competitive tender.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when the jurisdiction of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration will be extended to cover all executive non-departmental public bodies and those advisory non-departmental public bodies which have significant dealings with members of the public. [70943]

Her Majesty in Council has today approved an Order extending the jurisdiction of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration to an additional one hundred and eleven executive non-departmental public bodies and to forty-seven advisory non-departmental public bodies which have direct dealings with members of the public. This fulfils the commitment that the Government gave in "Quangos: Opening the Doors"—published on 29 June 1988—and will substantially increase the avenues of redress available to members of the public who wish to complain about their treatment by a non-departmental public body. It is another example of this Government's determination to ensure that all non-departmental public bodies are properly and fully accountable to both Parliament and the public for their actions.The Order will be laid before Parliament on Monday 22 February. Subject to Parliamentary approval, the Order will come into force on Monday 15 March.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department (a) admit members of the public to all board or committee meetings, (b) hold public meetings and (c) have lay or consumer representatives on their boards; and if in each case this is under a statutory requirement. [69967]

The information requested is as follows:

(a)none of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by my Department admit members of the public to all board and committee meetings.

(b) public meetings are held by:

• The Better Regulation Task Force
• The Civil Service Appeal Board
• The Committee on Standards in Public Life
• The Women's National Commission

(c) the following bodies have lay or consumer representatives:

• The Better Regulation Task Force
• The Civil Service Appeal Board
• The Women's National Commission.

In addition, the Advisory Committee on Advertising is comprised of senior advertising and media professionals who are independent of government and advertising agency suppliers; members are appointed to the Committee on Standards in Public Life to bring a mix of experience and expertise from different areas of public life; and membership of the Security Commission and the Security Vetting Appeals Panel is drawn from a range of people from different professions and backgrounds.There is no statutory requirement for the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by my Department to admit the public to meetings or to hold public meetings. However, all advisory non-departmental public bodes are encouraged to do so where practicable and appropriate. Nor is there any statutory requirement for advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by my Department to have lay or consumer representatives. However, all members of advisory non-departmental public bodies are appointed on merit and membership will, where appropriate, include individuals from a balance of backgrounds.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department publish (a) the minutes of meetings, (b) the agendas of meetings and documents for those meetings and (c) a register of members' interests; and whether in each case this is under a statutory requirement. [69839]

There is no statutory requirement for the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by my Department to publish the minutes of meetings, the agendas of meetings and documents for those meetings, or a register of members' interests. However, all advisory non-departmental public bodies are encouraged to do so where practicable and appropriate. Currently, minutes of meetings, agendas of meetings and documents for those meetings are published by the Women's National Commission. A record of the hearing of Security Vetting Appeals Panel is given to the appellant and the relevant organisation. Reports of Civil Service Appeal Board hearings go only to the relevant interested parties.Registers of Interests are either in place, or are in the process of being prepared, in all advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by my Department. These Registers are either published or are made available for public inspection on request.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what representations he has received regarding the work undertaken by special advisers; and if he will make a statement. [68671]

I receive occasional representations on the role of Special Advisers. The most recent representations from hon. Members were put to me in a debate on 13 January 1999, Official Report, columns 311–68, on Government Information.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he expects the first road user charging schemes to be introduced. [69390]

Implementation will be subject to the necessary legislation, which we will introduce when Parliamentary time permits. The preparatory work is underway and we have offered help to local authorities outside London who wish to make early progress. Implementation in London will depend on decisions by the Major following the GLA election in May 2000.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he plans to visit Hindhead to examine the transport problems on the A3. [69731]

I have no plans currently to visit Hindhead to examine the transport problems on the A3. We already recognise that there is a serious congestion problem and in December last year announced our intention that an A3 study would form part of a group of road-based studies.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what was the (a) RSG and (b) RSG per head in (i) Waverley and (ii) Sedgefield for (1) 1999–2000, (2) 1994–95 and (3) 1989–90. [69730]

The information requested is as follows:

	£ million		£ per head
	Waverley	Sedgefield	Waverley	Sedgefield
Revenue Support Grant
1999–2000	0.864	3.570	8	40
1994–95	2.114	3.571	18	39
Block Grant1
1989–90	0	3.009	0	34
1 Calculated under the Rate Support Grant Report 1989–90

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement concerning the case of Ropaighealach v Barclays Bank (The Times, 6 January) and the right of a mortgagor to enter a property and dispossess its owner without a court order. [69693]

In the case of Ropaigealach v Barclays Bank plc (Times Law Report, January 6 1999) the Court of Appeal held that a mortgage lender was entitled to exercise its common law right to take possession of a mortgaged dwelling house without first obtaining a court order. The protection provided to the borrower by section 36 of the Administration of Justice Act 1970 applied only where the lender had brought an action for possession.There are restrictions on the exercise of a mortgage East lender's common law right to take possession of a mortgaged dwelling. The right must be exercised peaceably. Use of violence would be an offence under the Criminal Law Act 1977, and the Protection from Eviction Act 1977 provides protection for tenants occupying the property.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what discussions he has had with (a) Portsmouth City Council and (b) Portsmouth Ferry Port concerning the development of a freight rail-head in Portsmouth; [69673](2) what research his Department has

I understand that a feasibility study for a sea-rail link at Portsmouth is benefiting from a grant of 18,000 ecu from the European Commission under the Trans-European Network ("TENS") scheme. I met a delegation representing Portsmouth Commercial Port and Portsmouth City Council on 11 January to East Hampshire discuss general investment in the Port. However, the issue of rail links was not raised.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the (a) individuals and (b) organisations that have made representations requesting that council tax Band G be split into two new bands with consequential increases in the proportion of tax due for both the new band and the current Band H in order to reflect better the differential in value between lower bands; and if he will make a statement. [69998]

As part of our review of Local Government Finance last year, we invited views on the Telford and the Wrekin operation of the council tax.Two councillors and the following organisations made representations requesting that Band G be split:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will publish his Department's collation and assessment of responses to all the Government's public consultations. [69780]

My Department follows the Cabinet Office guideance, "How to Conduct Written Consultation Exercises". A list of respondents is placed in the Libraries of both Houses and copies of responses are placed in the Department' libraries, except where the respondent has asked that their response remains confidential. Where possible, a summary of responses is produced and made public.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if there will be tenant representation on the housing steering group on best value. [69736]

The official level Best Value in Housing Steering Group that we established last year to examine the application of best value to housing has two tenant representatives from TAROE—the tenants' and residents' organisations of England. This is underpinned by a tenants' sounding board focus group comprised of local authority and housing association tenant representatives.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what action the Government are taking to ensure the implementation of the ban on furs entering the EU under Regulation 3254/91; [70009](2) what action the Government are taking to press the Commission and EU Ministers to set a deadline for ratification of the humane trapping standards for animals caught in leghold traps; [70008](3) if

[holding answer 8 February 1999]: I understand that Canada and Russia have not yet ratified the agreement on humane trapping standards for animals caught in leghold traps agreed with the European Community in July 1997. I also understand that the USA has not ratified the agreed minute agreed with the European Community in December 1997. We will look for suitable opportunities to discuss with the Commission and EU Ministers what further progress can be made in pressing Canada, Russia and USA to ratify these agreements.Her Majesty's Customs and Excise are responsible for ensuring implementation of the import ban on certain furs into the United Kingdom under Regulation 3254/91. In the case of all measures prohibiting the importation of goods, it is standard procedure for detailed written guidance to be issued to Customs officers as to the manner of regulating legitimate trade and the handling of illegal consignments. This practice was followed in the case of furs caught in leghold traps. I also understand that since the customs entry documents for virtually all commercial imports are processed electronically, and because all imported goods have a specific "commodity code" number which must be declared by importers on those documents, Customs officials are able to identify furs which may be prohibited from entering the United Kingdom under the Regulation.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions which EU countries require individual businesses to register under the Groundwater Directive. [69782]

It is a requirement of the Groundwater Directive (80/68/EEC) that individual discharges to groundwater should be subject to prior authorisation. It is for Member States, in accordance with their treaty obligations, to transpose these requirements into national law. The Groundwater Regulations 1998 complete transposition of the Directive by requiring authorisation of the disposal of listed substances to land, as distinct from a register of businesses.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what guidance he plans to issue to farmers with regard to the necessity of registering with the Environment Agency under the groundwater regulations. [69783]

The Groundwater Regulations 1998 provide that disposals, or tipping for the purpose of disposal to land of listed substances, require prior authorisation. Transitional arrangements provide that applications which relate to an activity substantially the same as one carried out by the applicant previously, and made prior to 1 April 1999 (when the main provisions in the Regulations come into force), will be deemed approved until finally disposed of the by Agency. My officials wrote on 21 December 1998, to draw attention to these arrangements, to those consulted on the draft regulations, including the National Farmers Union, Tenant Farmers Association and the Farming Union of Wales. Draft guidance will be published for consultation as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many complaints have been received by his Department about (a) overcrowding, (b) standards of cleanliness and(c)p unctuality on Connex South East trains for each quarter in 1998; and what are the latest available figures. [70110]

So far in 1999 my department and the Franchising Director's office have received three complaints relating to overcrowding on Connex South East trains; four on the general standard of their trains including cleanliness and 21 on punctuality. The table provides the same information for each quarter in 1998.

	Overcrowding	Standard of the trains including cleanliness	Punctuality
January-March	29	12	65
April-June	7	5	20
July-September	7	9	21
October-December	14	17	101
Total for 1998	57	43	207

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if, when a metropolitan borough council has stated in its UDP that a certain piece of land is designated for business use and suitable for general B1 purposes, it can subsequently grant planning permission to use this land for B 1, B2 industry and B8 warehouse use without amendment to the UDP. [70057]

The Town and Country Planning Act 1990 requires local planning authorities to determine applications for planning permission in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. It is for local authorities to decide whether material considerations justify granting a planning permission that is not in accordance with the plan.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions which of the executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department have a statutory base; and which are subject to investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner. [69906]

All the executive NDPBs sponsored by DETR have a statutory base except the British Board of Agrement and the National Forest Company.All the bodies are subject to investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration, with the following exceptions:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions which of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department (a) admit members of the public to all board or committee meetings, (b) hold public meetings and (c) have lay or consumer representatives on their boards; and if in each case this is under a statutory requirement. [69961]

(a) None of the advisory non-departmental bodies sponsored by my Department admit members of the public to all board or committee meetings.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions which of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department publish (a) the minutes of meetings, (b) the agendas of meetings and documents for those meetings and (c) a register of members' interests; and whether in each case this is under a statutory requirement. [69835]

(a) The following advisory non-departmental bodies sponsored by my Department publish the minutes of their meetings on the internet or make them available in paper form or do both:

Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment, Committee on Chemicals and Materials for Use in Public Water Supplies and Swimming Pools, Export Action Group for Building Materials, Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, Sustainable Development Education Panel, UK Round Table on Sustainable Development.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions which of the executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department publish (a) the minutes of meetings, (b) the agendas of meetings and documents for those meetings and (c) a register of members' interests; and if in each case this is under a statutory requirement. [69949]

(a) The following executive non-departmental bodies sponsored by my Department publish the minutes of their meetings on the internet or make them available in paper form or do both:

Countryside Commission, English Nature, Environment Agency, Health and Safety Commission, Health and Safety Executive, Housing Action Trusts (Castle Vale, Liverpool, North Hull, Stonebridge, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest), Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Local Government Commission for England, London Regional Passengers' Committee.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions which of the executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department (a) admit members of the public to all board or committee meetings, (b) hold public meetings, (c) have lay or consumer representatives on their boards and (d) operate some form of appeal or complaints procedure; and if in each case this is under a statutory requirement. [69984]

(a) The following executive non-departmental bodies sponsored by my Department admit members of the public to all board or committee meetings:

Countryside Commission, Housing Action Trusts (Castle Vale, Liverpool, North Hull, Stonebridge, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest), London Regional Passengers' Committee.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many deaths at work were recorded in the most recent available year; and if he will make a statement on recent trends. [70053]

In 1997–98 there were 261 fatalities to workers.The fatal injury rate for all workers in 1997–98 was 1.0 per hundred thousand workers, which represents a return to the level seen in 1995–96, the lowest since the introduction of the reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations in 1986. The rate has fallen from 1.4 per hundred thousand five years ago and 1.8 per hundred thousand ten years ago.The information for 1997–98 is provisional.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the Government's policy on the Biosafety Protocol negotiations in Colombia, with specific reference to Article 1; and if he will make it his policy to support the inclusion of the precautionary principle as regards human health. [70346]

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the hon. Member for Lewes (Mr. Baker) on 9 February 1999, Official Report, columns 153–54.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many and what percentage of local authorities in England and Wales use length of service as the basis for housing allocation to ex-service personnel; and if he will make a statement. [69795]

The Department does not hold this information. Many local housing authorities require applicants for housing to have been resident in their area for a specified period before they will place them on their housing registers. This sort of requirement can cause difficulties for ex-service personnel and the Department's Code of Guidance on the Allocation of Housing and Homelessness advises authorities to give sympathetic consideration to applications from ex-service personnel who have close connections with their district or lived their prior to enlisting.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will introduce a mandatory rate relief system for voluntary sports clubs; and if he will make a statement. [70541]

We are currently reviewing the arrangements under which non-profit making sports clubs may receive relief from non-domestic rates at the discretion of local authorities. We intend to issue a consultation paper in the near future.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) when he will announce the Government's intentions as to which roads will make up the GLA road network, for which Transport for London will be the highway and traffic authority; [71002](2) what role Transport for London will have in relation to planning applications which affect GLA roads. [71003]

Our White Paper, "A Mayor and Assembly for London", made clear that we start from the presumption that the GLA Road Network should be based on the primary route and red route networks. This base network is made up of some 220 miles of trunk roads and 105 miles of borough roads. We issued a consultation document last summer on whether roads might be added to or deleted from this base network to form the GLA Road Network. We received 93 responses to this consultation exercise. A summary of the responses has been placed in the Library. Copies of individual responses are available from the library of the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions.We have carefully considered the representations received and we have concluded that there should be some adjustments to the network as envisaged by the White

	Additions to base network	Deletions from base network
Adjustment for new road	New A13 (West of Heathway to Wennington)	Old A13 (West of Heathway to Wennington)
	A12 (Hackney Wick—M11 link)	All (Bow interchange—Green Man Roundabout)
	A1203/A1261 (Limehouse Link/Aspen Way)	A106 (Lea Interchange—All at Leytonstone)
	A1020 Royal Docks Road	A117 Woolwich Manor Way (from A13 to A1020
Deletions of primary routes		A307 (Kew Green—Richmond Circus)
		A3O8 (Hampton)
		A503 (Waterworks Corner—Tottenham Hale Gyratory)
Additions within the Inner Ring Road	A201 Kings Cross—Elephant and Castle (via Blackfriars Bridge)
	A200/A3200/A3036 Tooley Street, St. Thomas Street, Southwark Street, Stamford Street, York Road, Lambeth Palace Road, Albert Embankment
	A3211 Tower Hill, Lower and Upper Thames Street, Victoria Embankment
	Westminster Bridge
	Lambeth Bridge, Millbank (from Vauxhall Bridge to Lambeth Bridge)

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what leisure facilities are planned to be made available for members of the National Assembly; and if he will make a statement. [69218]

I have asked for a review of leisure facilities available to Welsh Office staff in Cardiff and elsewhere. Most of the staff to be employed by the Welsh Assembly will transfer from the Welsh Office in Cathays Park where the leisure facilities available to staff are quite limited. There is a fitness suite in Cathays Park, known as the Welsh Office Crown Building Fitness Centre, opened in May 1992, on the initiative of a number of staff. The suite is run as a private club by a committee of staff and its use is restricted to club members. The Department provides the accommodation in the mezzanine of Cathays Park but the equipment is funded by members' subscriptions and loans from the Civil Service Sports Council.There is also a Welsh Office Sports and Social Association (WOSSA) funded by subscription from staff, for which the Welfare Department provides the secretariat. However this has not been very active in recent years and any social and sporting activity carried on within the Department is generally organised by individual staff members, sometimes with the help of grants from WOSSA. Other than the support given in the form of basic accommodation, in the case of the fitness suite, the Department does not provide staff leisure facilities in Cardiff or elsewhere.Members and officials working in Crickhowell House will be provided with an induction pack which will list the leisure facilities in the Bay and surrounding area. There is no room at present in Crickhowell House to provide any facility similar to that at Cathays Park, but as additional space becomes available, in due course, it may be possible to provide leisure facilities. Following the review, recommendations will be prepared for consideration by the Assembly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 21 January 1999, Official Report, column 549, on the National Assembly, when he expects to lay the draft of the Order relating to disqualification of persons from membership of the National Assembly before Parliament. [69690]

Section 12 of the Government of Wales Act 1998 deals with disqualification from membership of the National Assembly. It provides that certain individuals and classes of person may not be members of the Assembly:

by applying section 1(1) of the House of Commons (Disqualification) Act 1975, judges, civil servants, members of the armed forces, members of the police forces and members of foreign legislatures;

those disqualified from being a member of a local authority;

the Auditor General for Wales and the Welsh Administration Ombudsman;

criminals in detention and those who have escaped; and

Lords-Lieutenants and High Sheriffs for areas in Wales who are disqualified from representing those areas in the Assembly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will estimate the number of economically active people in Wales between the ages of (i) 25 to 34 and (ii) 35 to 49 years (a) currently, (b) in 1992 and (c) in 1997. [70068]

Estimates of the economically active in Wales, from the Labour Force Survey, are shown in the following table.

Economically active, Wales (not seasonally adjusted)
	Age 25–34	Age 35–49
September to November 1992	326,000	467,000
September to November 1997	331,000	478,000
September to November 1998	323,000	487,000

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimates his Department has made of the percentage of (a) five year olds, (b) six year olds and (c) seven year olds that were in classes of 30 or less in January 1997. [70059]

As I informed the hon. Member in my reply on 3 February 1999, Official Report, column 609, information on the number of pupils in classes of 30 or more was not available prior to 1998. Until January 1998, data were collected centrally only for the number of classes, by size of class, not for the number of pupils in each class.In January 1997, 24 per cent. of ordinary classes in primary schools had more than 30 pupils.In future this will become the responsibility of the National Assembly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the procedures which his Department's officials will follow in taking formal action in relation to registered housing associations, their committee members and members of staff; when these procedures were agreed to and by whom; and what actions have been taken to date under these procedures. [69721]

The formal actions available to the Department are set out in Schedule 1 of the Housing Act 1996 and are:

• power to appoint a new committee member
• power to direct an inquiry into the affairs of an association
• power to require an extraordinary audit of accounts and balance sheet
• where an inquiry or audit establishes misconduct or mismanagement, to remove or suspend officers, employees or agents, to freeze bank accounts or to restrict transactions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what estimate he has made of the proportion of telephone calls made to Benefits Agency offices which are not answered within the target times; [69003](2) how many complaints concerning the failure of Benefits Agency offices to answer telephones promptly he has received in each of the last three years; [69004](3) what targets he has set the Benefits Agency concerning the answering of telephone calls. [69005]

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security to what extent the Disability Benefits Unit has been completing review decisions during the current year in line with the targets which have been set. [69640]

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to express efficiency gains as a percentage of his departmental budget; and if he will make a statement. [69632]

I refer the hon. Member to the Department's interim Public Service Agreement which was published in the Government's White Paper "Public Services for the Future: Modernisation, Reform, Accountability" in December 1998.