To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee, pursuant to her answer of 12 July 1999, Official Report, column 22, what is the cost of the multiple licence held throughout the Parliamentary Estate for television sets used for leisure or recreational purposes. [91507]

The cost of a multiple licence throughout the Parliamentary Estate for television sets used for leisure or recreational purposes for the last financial year was £1,462.50.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what were the total number of people (a) killed and (b) injured as a result of crimes committed by prisoners who were subsequently successful in their application for an accelerated release date. [91439]

[holding answer 15 July 1999]: This information is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many prisoners who successfully applied to the Prison Sentences Review Commission for an accelerated release date have reoffended since their release; and what was the nature of their new offences. [91437]

[holding answer 15 July 1999]: Three of the 280 prisoners who successfully applied for accelerated release to the independent Sentences Review Commission, and who have now been released from prison, have since reoffended. The nature of the charges against two of the three includes assault against police officers and breach of the peace; Grievous Bodily Harm with intent; Assault Occasioning Actual Bodily Harm; and Affray. The third person was convicted of receiving stolen goods and of deception. None of the three has broken the terms of their licence conditions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will list, for each prisoner who successfully applied to the Prison Sentences Review Commission for an accelerated release date, the nature of their offence, the term of imprisonment to which they were sentenced, and the term of imprisonment that they served prior to their release. [91451]

[holding answer 15 July 1999]: The information requested is not readily available in the format in which it has been requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.However of the 424 successful applications that have been made to the Sentences Review Commission for an accelerated release date, (282 determinate sentence prisoners and 142 indeterminate sentence prisoners), a total of 280 prisoners (190 determinate sentence prisoners and 90 determinate sentence prisoners) have been released.As per section 4(1) of the Northern Ireland (Sentences) Act 1998, of the 190 determinate sentence prisoners who have been released all have served at least one third of their sentence, and in some cases in excess of one third had been served before they were released. Again, as per section 6(1) of the 1998 Act, of the 90 indeterminate sentence prisoners who have been released, all have served at least two thirds of the period they could otherwise have been expected to serve, and in some cases in excess of two thirds had been served before they were released.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many prisoners have to date applied to the Prison Sentences Review Commission for an accelerated release date; in how many cases the Commission made a determination; and, for unsuccessful applications, what reasons were given. [91440]

[holding answer 15 July 1999]: A total of 518 prisoners have to date applied to the Sentences Review Commission for an accelerated release date. The Commissioners have issued determinations in 440 cases. Of those applications that have been unsuccessful, the reasons given are that the Commissioners are not satisfied that the offences were committed in connection with terrorism and the affairs of Northern Ireland.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of prisoners who successfully applied to the Prison Sentences Review Commission for an accelerated release date were released having served less than (a) a quarter and (b) one half of their sentence. [91438]

[holding answer 15 July 1999]: A total of 280 prisoners have to date been released in accordance with the terms of the Good Friday Agreement, of which 190 were serving fixed term sentences. No fixed term prisoners who successfully applied to the Sentences Review Commission were released early having served less than a quarter of their sentence. All 190 fixed term prisoners released early would have served less than one half of their sentence at the time of accelerated release.A total of 90 indeterminate sentence prisoners have also been released under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what (a) policing costs and (b) other costs have been incurred through action taken to locate victims' remains under the Northern Ireland (Location of Victims' Remains) Act 1999; what progress has been made; and if she will make a statement. [91453]

[holding answer 15 July 1999]: Following implementation of the Northern Ireland (Location of Victims' Remains) Act 1999, the cost to the UK for the operation of the independent Commission amounts to £694.50 to date. Of this, £610.50 has been spent on transport and associated expenses for the UK Commissioner, Sir Kenneth Bloomfield. The other £84 has been spent on setting up a Post Office Box. There have been no policing costs to the United Kingdom arising from the operation of the Act.The remains of one individual, believed to be Eamon Molloy, were recovered in Dundalk on the first day of the Commission's operation, Friday 28 May. On June 29, human remains were found by Gardai at Colgagh in County Monaghan. This was the site which had been indicated as the location of the remains of Brian McKinney and John McClory. The State Pathologist was called to the scene and the Commission later confirmed that the remains of two individuals had been located. Work is ongoing to confirm the identities of the two individuals.In light of this encouraging development, I understand that the Commission has asked the Garda Siochana to reassess the plans for the continuation of excavations at any site where available information indicates a prospect of making further discoveries and to report the conclusions to the Commission. The Commission has undertaken to communicate further information as events evolve.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to ensure the speedy passage of the Asbestos Directive through the European Commission. [89343]

The Government are determined to apply further, necessary restrictions to the importation, marketing and use of white asbestos. I am hopeful that the European Commission will ratify, without undue delay, the vote of their technical committee to adapt to technical progress Council Directive 76/769/EEC. The UK continues to encourage the Commission to act swiftly on this vitally important measure. I have received advice from the Health and Safety Commission about domestic implementation of the Directive (when ratified) in the form of draft regulations. I will act on that advice as soon as the European Commission has ratified the vote of its technical committee.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions in relation to the link road to Scratchwood Services M1, from Ellesmere Avenue NW7 (a) what vehicles are authorised to use the road, (b) who authorises use, (c) who polices unauthorised use, (d) for what purpose the link road was built, (e) whether rat running to gain access to the M1 by the link road is authorised use, (f) what consideration has been given to closing the link road and (g) what consideration has been given to measures to prevent rat running; and if he will make a statement. [89716]

I have asked the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Mr. Lawrie Haynes, to write to my hon. Friend.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) by what percentage he estimates road traffic will increase in the London area over the next 30 years; and what assessment he has made of the impact of this on the speed of traffic; [90648](2) by what percentage his Department estimates that road traffic levels will increase over the next 30 years; what assessment it has made of the impact that will have on current rates of traffic movement; and if he will make a statement; [90649](3) if he will estimate

[holding answer 12 July 1999]: The National Road Traffic Forecasts published in 1997 predicted that on the basis of the capacity of the road network as it then stood, and in the absence of the new policies set out in the Integrated Transport White Paper, road traffic in Great Britain could increase by nearly 50 per cent. over the next 30 years. This growth was forecast to result in a reduction in average speeds of 10 per cent., although the reduction during the peak on the busiest roads would be substantially greater. The Department is currently working on a new set of traffic forecasts which will reflect the potential of the New Deal for Transport to tackle congestion and pollution.The 1997 National Road Traffic Forecasts were not designed to provide forecasts at a local level. However, it is possible to use the 1997 forecasts to produce crude estimates of what they imply for traffic growth and speeds in different area types and regions. These estimates suggest that the national figures quoted would imply traffic growth in London of about 30 per cent. over the next 30 years and a decline in average speeds of 14 per cent.No estimate has been made of the additional road capacity that would be required to accommodate the rates of traffic growth in the 1997 forecasts at unchanged speeds, nor has the Department attempted to quantify the enormous environmental, economic, and social costs that would be involved. Adding road capacity in congested conditions generates additional traffic, thereby adding to the road traffic growth to be accommodated. This link highlights one of the fundamental flaws in the predict and provide philosophy and is a key reason why simply building more roads is not the answer to traffic growth.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is the average cost of traffic calming schemes approved in the last financial year for which figures are available. [90855]

[holding answer 12 July 1999]: This information is not held centrally. Local highway authorities are responsible for the decision to introduce a traffic calming scheme, and do not need the Secretary of State's approval unless, exceptionally, they wish to use a traffic calming feature which is not covered by regulations under the Traffic Calming Act 1992.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many meetings the Minister for Transport in London had with officials and others regarding the draft Stansted Airport Aircraft Movement Limit (Amendment) Order 1999. [91049]

[holding answer 14 July 1999]: By convention, Government do not comment on internal discussions between Ministers and officials.My right hon. Friend the Member for Hamilton, North and Bellshill (Dr. Reid) met a delegation of local MPs led by the right hon. Member for Saffron Walden (Sir A. Haselhurst) on 14 April.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how he intends to improve the enforcement of bus priority schemes. [91496]

Bus priority measures are important for helping to make bus services quicker and more reliable. Their implementation is the responsibility of the local highway authority which should liaise with the local police on their enforcement.Trials of enforcement cameras for bus lanes have been carried out successfully in London. This involves prosecuting offenders using camera evidence. Cameras will be installed across London over the next few years. Further trials using existing CCTV cameras are also being undertaken.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what discussions his Department is holding with bus and coach manufacturers on developing vehicles to cater for the needs of elderly and disabled people. [91774]

Bus and coach manufacturers have been closely involved in discussions with my Department over the past two years on the development of standards for accessibility that will form the basis of the regulations we will be bringing forward under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.In addition to a large number of one to one meetings with manufacturers, there has been an extensive round of informal consultation on the proposals. There will shortly be a further round of consultation on the final proposals and the draft regulations which will come into effect from next year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many bus journeys were made on local stage bus journeys in English shire counties in the year 1998–99; and if he will make a statement. [91728]

Estimates of bus passenger journeys in 1998–99 will be published later this year. The latest available estimate shows that 1.25 billion passenger journeys were made on local, or stage, bus services in English shire counties in 1997–98. Our bus policy proposals, together with additional funding for rural transport, are aimed at better bus provision and increased bus use.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much the Greater London Authority will pay to his Department for leasing Romney House until the London Bridge City building is ready for occupation. [91511]

[holding answer 15 July 1999]: It is anticipated that staff from the GLA and some associated bodies will occupy around 60 per cent. of the available space in Romney House from next year. This is expected to cost around £2 million per annum to provide and will be taken into account when the budget for the GLA is set later this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what proportion of Single Regeneration Budget funds for schemes currently in operation has been spent on capital projects for (a) housing improvement and (b) new dwellings. [91701]

The Single Regeneration Budget (SRB) currently funds over 500 (Rounds 1–4) regeneration schemes managed by local partnerships. A large number of these are likely to have multiple objectives, and cover a wide range of activities depending on local regeneration needs and priorities. It is not possible to break down expenditure to say how much has benefited one objective, therefore no information is available on the amount spent on capital projects for housing improvement or new dwellings.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when the Green Ministers Committee last met; and what was discussed. [92119]

The Green Ministers Committee met on 6 July. The main item on the agenda was finalising our plans for publishing our first annual report later this month. Publication of the report will be another important step in the greening Government process, making our work more open and transparent. It will set out our future programme of work as well as what we have achieved so far.The Committee also discussed the recent report from the Environmental Audit Committee on the greening Government initiative, how Departments can raise awareness of sustainable development and the role that Departments have in promoting biodiversity. Each Department will prepare a strategy statement on raising awareness of sustainable development and action plans on biodiversity.Seven of the 15 English Departments were represented by Ministers (and a further five by officials) and Lord Dubs attended for the Northern Ireland Office.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to ensure that leading counsel are remunerated on the basis of the work they have carried out on a case and its complexity. [91582]

The Rules of Court provide sufficient powers to ensure that lawyers are paid for the weight and complexity of the work they have undertaken and not simply because of their status. The new Civil Procedure Rules specifically require the Court awarding costs to have regard to what is proportionate to the issues at stake and the complexity of the particular case. This is in addition to the existing tests that it must have been reasonable to incur the expense at all and that the sum being claimed is itself reasonable in amount. If these tests are applied robustly, they ought to be sufficient. However, if there is any evidence that these tests are insufficient, I am happy to consider what more may be needed.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement on the rules of court governing the levels of fees charged by leading counsel. [91583]

The Civil Procedure Rules do not govern the levels of fees charged by leading counsel, other than in the specific case of fast track trial costs. However, the new Rules do require the court, when deciding the amount of costs, to have regard to what is proportionate for the particular case. This is in addition to the existing tests that it must have been reasonable to incur the expense at all and that the sum being claimed is itself reasonable in amount. Where the court believes costs incurred are not proportionate, it has the discretion to amend the costs allowed accordingly.In criminal matters, graduated fees apply in the vast majority of cases of up to 10 days' duration. In the remaining cases, the level of fees allowed is currently at the discretion of the Crown Court Determining Officer, based on the weight and complexity of the case. For the future we are considering what steps we shall take by way of contracting, or other means, to achieve better control over the costs of all criminal cases.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to ensure that the instruction of two counsel in the same case by litigants is permitted only in cases of sufficient complexity to merit two counsel. [91585]

All litigants have the right to choose their own counsel in civil cases, including the number of counsel. The Civil Procedure Rules, while retaining this principle, set out an overriding objective of proportionality. If a party uses counsel in a way which is disproportionate to the nature, complexity or value of the claim, or to the financial position of the other party, the court could, for example, refuse to award the payment of the excessive costs.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to ensure equality of arms in the instruction of counsel by litigants. [91584]

The Government believe that litigants should be free to choose their advocate—whether barrister, solicitor or other authorised advocate. The professional bodies ensure that all advocates have attained a specified standard of advocacy sufficient to enable them to present their client's case effectively.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will conduct a consultation on the rules relating to court dress. [91651]

The Lord Chancellor is aware of the opinions of my hon. Friend and others about the rules relating to court dress. The Lord Chancellor is considering how best to take this issue forward.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications were made for British Citizenship by non-British nationals under the age of 18 years in (a) 1995, (b) 1996, (c) 1997 and (d) 1998; and how many such applications have been (i) granted and (ii) refused in each of these years. [91289]

Information is not available in the form requested.Applications are not always completed in the year of receipt. The table shows the number of grants and refusals for the years in question.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effects of the decision by the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Matthews v. the United Kingdom on (a) Jersey, (b) Guernsey, (c) the Isle of Man and (d) Gibraltar. [91250]

The judgment in the Matthews case applies to Gibraltar and the Government have already announced their intention to seek to give effect to it by extending the franchise in European parliamentary elections to Gibraltar.The judgment does not affect the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man since they are not, except for a few limited purposes, part of the European Union.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what new data series separated by gender, race, disability and age have been commissioned by his Department since June 1997. [90532]

Since June 1997, my Department has commissioned the following internal staff surveys or monitoring information:

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 12 July 1999, Official Report, column 61, on compensation payments, if he will provide similar information on compensation payments for each of the last five years; and if he will list for each of the categories of compensation the total amount paid in each of those years and in 1998–99. [91650]

The information is not available in the format requested. Detailed central records are kept of the date that payments are authorised, as opposed to when payment was made. This information is summarised in the tables.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list expenditure on housing benefit per 1,000 resident adults in each region and nation in each of the last three financial years. [90933]

The information is in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the combined value of a full basic state pension and the maximum possible second state pension as a proportion of the value of the minimum income guarantee in (a) 2040, (b) 2050 and (c) 2060 based on current assumptions about the indexation of each of these benefits. [91137]

The information is in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many pensioners claiming income support in the Coventry, South parliamentary constituency will benefit from (a) winter fuel payments and (b) the guaranteed minimum pensioner income. [89456]

The administration of Income Support and Winter Fuel Payments is a matter for Peter Mathison, Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to my hon. Friend shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Perth (Ms Cunningham) of 2 July 1999, Official Report, columns 305–7, if he will indicate the (i) number of staff

The administration of the Benefits Agency 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 Defence how many staff are employed in Scotland (a) by his Department and (b) by executive agencies responsible to his Department; where these staff are located; and how many staff are employed in (i) England, (ii) London and the South East, (iii) Wales, (iv) Northern Ireland and (v) United Kingdom in total. [90564]

[holding answer 13 July 1999]: The MOD employed 23,220 civilian and military staff in Scotland as at 1 April 1998, of which 8,527 staff were employed by executive agencies at that date. These staffs were employed in the following numbers at the locations listed:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list (a) the number of married quarters, (b) the number empty and (c) the vacancy rate as a percentage in each year since 1992. [90629]

[pursuant to his reply, 14 July 1999, c. 226–27]: I regret to inform the hon. Gentleman that there was an error in the information given. The inception date for the Defence Housing Executive should read 1995 not 1985.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many sorties were conducted by service low flying aircraft (a) over Wales and (b) over mainland Britain in each of the years 1990 to the present. [91476]

The information is not held in the precise form requested. Military low flying activity is recorded by Low Flying Areas (LFA) and number of movements. LFA 7 covers all of Wales apart from a small area in the north-east of Powys. The annual number of day movements within LFA 7 since 1990 is shown in the table, along with the number of movements booked in the UK Low Flying System as a whole.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of neon light tubing is currently recycled by his Department. [88443]

My Department does not have any significant uses of neon light tubing, but the MOD Disposal Sales Agency (DSA) has set up a recycling scheme across government Departments for fluorescent light tubing in conjunction with the waste companies Biffa Ltd. and Mercury Recycling Ltd. DSA take every opportunity to encourage tube recycling and are planning to widen the scheme to include different designs of tubing. Within MOD, existing disposal contracts are considered for the recycling scheme as and when they come up for renewal.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what shipyards in the United Kingdom have the capacity to construct the proposed new aircraft carriers. [90938]

The size of the new aircraft carriers is currently estimated to be up to 40,000 tonnes. On this basis the UK shipyards with sufficient capacity to construct the vessels are: Harland and Wolff; Kvaerner Govan: Marconi Marine (VSEL) Ltd, Cammell Laird and Swan Hunter. Depending on the design selected there may be a need for these facilities to be enhanced.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many athletes and in which sports have benefited from the World Class Performance Programme. [90608]

The World Class Performance Programme at England and UK level is administered by Sport England and UK Sport whose records indicate that the number of England and UK athletes who have benefited from the World Class Programme is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he will announce his decision on Baglan Cogeneration Ltd.'s application to build a new combined cycle gas turbine power station at Baglan Bay, South Wales. [92027]

I have today granted consent under Section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 to Baglan Cogeneration for the construction of a 500 MW combined cycle gas turbine power station at the BP Chemicals site at Baglan Bay, Port Talbot in South Wales. I have also deemed planning permission to be granted subject to 44 planning conditions agreed with the Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council. The reasons why there were no energy policy objections to the proposal were given in the decision letter of 7 April 1999.Copies of the Press Notice and the Section 36 decision letter are being placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he is yet in a position to make his decision on Eastern Generation Ltd.'s application for the Drakelow C coal-fired power station to be dual-fired by gas. [92026]

I have today granted consent under Section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 to Eastern Generation Ltd. for the conversion of Drakelow C coal-fired power station to allow it to be dual fired by gas.I have taken into account the arguments for and against the conversion. I concluded that as long as strict conditions were attached to the consent, then the benefits of the conversion, such as extending the life of the power station and thereby protecting jobs, outweighed the disadvantages. I also consider planning permission to be granted, subject to five planning conditions agreed with South Derbyshire District Council.This decision has been taken in line with the policy set out in the White Paper entitled "Conclusions of the Review of Energy Sources for Power Generation and Government Response to Fourth and Fifth Reports of the Trade and Industry Committee" (Cm 4071).Copies of the Press Notice and decision letter are being placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry following his announcement of a stricter power station consents policy for a limited period while other reforms of the electricity market are put in place, what criteria must be met before he will relax the policy; and when he will carry this out. [91573]

It is the expectation that the stricter power station consents policy will be relaxed as soon as the Government conclude that their programme of reform of the electricity market is substantially complete and the distortions identified in the White Paper (cm 4071) have been removed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much expenditure his Department (a) has incurred to date and (b) expects to incur in the future on preparations for possible United Kingdom entry into the European single currency; and if he will make a statement. [91421]

[holding answer 15 July 1999]: Following the publication of the Government's Outline National Changeover Plan, my Department is considering what preparations may be necessary.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will place in the Library the unclassified material produced by the Safeguards Department on the subject of MOX fuel. [91077]

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Ashfield (Mr. Hoon), to my hon. Friend the Member for Blaenau Gwent (Mr. Smith) on 7 July 1999, Official Report, column 578.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions have been held by his Department with the manufacturers of sports shoes on the employment practices of their suppliers in non-European countries. [90348]

[holding answer 12 July 1999]: The Government have made clear in the House and elsewhere that we are firmly opposed to the use of abusive labour practices around the world, particularly those which exploit child labour. We have strongly supported initiatives in the International Labour Organisation aimed at improving countries' compliance with internationally recognised labour standards. We have also supported initiatives such as the Ethical Trading Initiative to encourage importers to develop effective and verifiable codes of conduct with their overseas suppliers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what principles will determine the allocation of EU Structural Funds to each of the UK's Objective 1 areas. [91455]

[holding answer 15 July 1999]: On 1 July the Commission announced financial allocations of European Structural Funds for all member states.The Commission used a methodology to calculate each member state' s financial allocation for Objective 1 which was based on eligible population, regional and national prosperity, and the relative severity of the structural problems, especially the level of unemployment. The allocations for each UK Objective 1 area have been calculated on the same basis.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what allocation the United Kingdom has received of European Structural Funds; and what percentage take-up he estimates there will be for each year in the programme. [91454]

[holding answer 15 July 1999]: From 2000 to 2006, the total allocation for the UK from EU Structural Funds will be over £10 billion (over fifteen and a half billion euros).I see no reason why there should not be 100 per cent. take-up.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which companies will be represented on his Department's outward mission to Turkey between 28 September and 2 October organised in conjunction with the Defence Manufacturers' Association. [91176]

A number of companies have requested further information about the exhibition. A number of applications are expected before the cut-off date at the end of July.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will publish a Code of Practice, under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, explaining the duties of trade organisations. [92081]

A Code of Practice is being published for trade organisations today. These are organisations of workers or of employers, or any other organisation whose members carry on a particular profession or trade. They include bodies such as trade unions, employers' associations and chartered professional institutions.The Code provides guidance to trade organisations about new responsibilities that they will have under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 from 1 October this year towards their disabled members or applicants for membership. From this date, they may have to make reasonable adjustments to prevent any arrangements they make placing a disabled member or applicant at a substantial disadvantage in comparison to those who are not disabled.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what the average class sizes were for five to seven-year-olds within the city of Sunderland in (a) May 1999 and (b) May 1997. [90278]

The available information is shown in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list (a) the number of successful applicants for career development loans for the years (i) 1995, (ii) 1996, (iii) 1997, (iv) 1998 and (v) 1999, broken down by (1) sex, (2) age, (3) previous employment sector and (4) loan issued and repayment period and (b) the number of recipients of career development loans who defaulted on repayment of their loans, broken down by (A) sex, (B) age, (C) previous employment sector and (D) loan amount and repayment period. [91164]

The information is provided in the tables.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many students aged 18 to 21 were in full-time education in (a) 1997–98 and (b) 1998–99; and what percentage this represented of that age group in each case. [91147]

The information is given in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the joint working groups between the Department for International Development, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and his Department on matters relating to (a) overseas students in the United Kingdom and (b) the provision by the United Kingdom of educational services abroad. [90975]

The Departments for Education and Employment, for International Development and for Trade and Industry and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office work together formally and informally on a wide range of issues relating to overseas students in the UK, and UK education abroad. They are joined by the Home Office and other partners, including the British Council and British Trade International on an inter-departmental working group on the strategy to attract more overseas students to the UK. In addition, the Education and Training Export Group is an advisory group of business people and experts which reports to the Departments of Education and Employment and Trade and Industry on the promotion of UK education and training abroad.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment for what reasons there is no separate section for sixth form colleges on his Department's website; and if he will make a statement. [90868]

The Department's website is navigated through a search engine, which allows searches via a key word. Information on a wide range of topics, including sixth form colleges, can be accessed in this way. The site also contains an alphabetical site index and a "what's new" section.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how much Government money was invested in initiatives to reduce Key Stage 1 class sizes in (a) Bath and North East Somerset and (b) South Gloucestershire in each year from 1997 to date. [91156]

We have pledged that, by September 2001, no five, six or seven year old will be taught in an infant class of more than 30 children. We have already reduced the number of children taught in such classes by some 130,000 between January 1998 and January 1999. The allocations to date of revenue and capital funding to Bath and North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire are set out in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what estimate he has made of the cost of science laboratory teaching per pupil in England and Wales in (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools in each of the last three years. [91288]