To ask the Prime Minister when he intends to publish the Social Exclusion Unit report on 16 to 18-year-olds not in education, employment or training; and if he will make a statement. [91008]

Last summer, I asked the Social Exclusion Unit to assess how many 16 to 18-year-olds are not in education, work or training, to analyse the reasons why and to produce proposals to reduce the number significantly. I am publishing the Unit's report today. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.At any one time, more than 160,000 16 to 18-year-olds—one in 11 of the age group—are not in education, training or work. The young people most likely not to participate in education, training or work during this period of their lives come from backgrounds of poverty or unemployment in the family, have truanted or been excluded from school, have been in care or live in the poorest neighbourhoods. There are clear links between non-participation and other problems encountered in adolescence. Half the young women who are outside education, work or training are teenage parents or carers, and there are links also with homelessness, offending and serious drug misuse.Non-participation at this time in their lives has a dire effect on young people's future life prospects. By their mid-twenties, they are much more likely than their peers to have no qualifications, to be unemployed, to be poor, to experience poor health and depression and, if they are men, to have a criminal record which damages their prospects of work. The Government have a number of programmes in place to tackle educational under-achievement and youth disaffection, including the setting up of youth offending teams. But more needs to be done. The Unit's Report shows that there is little joined-up delivery of services to young people, and that the end of compulsory schooling at 16 is seen by too many young people as the end of education, rather than as a basis for its continuation. For too many of them, no one is responsible outside the family for guiding them through adolescence and there is not enough effective support to help them overcome personal problems that get in the way of learning. There are also strong arguments for giving more financial help to young people from poor families who want to stay on in education.The Unit's Report plots a way forward in combating social exclusion among this age group. The Government believe that young people should be given every encouragement and support to stay in full-time education after they are 16 and reach at least a Level 2 qualification. It will ask the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority to consult on ways of giving young people who stay in education until 16 recognition for what they have achieved in education and elsewhere. It will build on improvements already in train in education and skills for 13 to 19-year-olds, with a particular emphasis on the education received by young people in custody.To extend the financial support available to young people to stay in education, the pilots of the Education Maintenance Allowance will be extended to include homeless and disabled young people, and those with high transport costs, for example in rural areas.The Report also provides more detail on the new Youth Support Service, which was announced in the White Paper "Learning to Succeed" (Cm 4392) on 30 June. The aim of the new service will be to provide for young people between the ages of 13 and 19 individually tailored guidance and support, in places and ways which meet their needs. The youth support service will be a new service operating in a radically different way. It will look at the broad range of needs which a young person may have, focusing on those who require most help with the clear goal of supporting participation in learning. It will link closely with other agencies in doing this.It is clear that the best defence against social exclusion is having a job, and the best chance of having a job is to be well educated. This will be more the case in the information age of the future than it has ever been. The years between 16 and 18 are crucial ones; making the wrong decision at that stage can affect a young person's prospects for the rest of their life. This action plan for the whole of Government will help to put young people firmly on the right track.

To ask the Attorney-General what new data series separated by gender, race, disability and age have been commissioned by his Department since June 1997. [90534]

The Treasury Solicitor's department holds, as a matter of course, information as to the age and gender of all its staff. In 1998, the department conducted fresh surveys of staff then in post, requesting information on ethnic origin and disability. The survey information is regularly updated as new entrants are invited to complete survey forms on joining. No new 'data series' (internal surveys) have been commissioned by my other departments (the Crown Prosecution Service and the Serious Fraud Office).All my departments contribute to the 'Mandate' database maintained by the Cabinet Office from which data are taken for the publications "Civil Service Statistics" and "Equal Opportunities in the Civil Service". Furthermore, my departments contributed to the Schneider-Ross report on under-representation of women, ethnic minorities and people with disabilities in the Senior Civil Service, published on 7 July by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office.

To ask the Attorney-General how many (a) race and (b) sex discrimination cases have been lodged against the CPS at industrial/employment tribunals by CPS staff in each of the last five years; and how many of

	Cases lodged	Result favourable to applicant	Settled	Discontinued	Ongoing
Race discrimination cases lodged by CPS staff
April 1994 to March 1995	—	—	—	—	—
April 1995 to March 1996	2	—	—	1	11
April 1996 to March 1997	1	—	—	11	—
April 1997 to March 1998	3	1	—	1	11
April 1998 to March 1999	8	11	13	11	13
Sex discrimination cases lodged by CPS staff
April 1994 to March 1995	—	—	—	—	—
April 1995 to March 1996	1	—	—	—	11
April 1996 to March 1997	2	—	—	12	—
April 1997 to March 1998	2	—	—	11	11
April 1998 to March 1999	6	11	—	12	13
1 The table includes one case claiming race and sex discrimination

To ask the Attorney-General (1) what plans he has to review the operation of performance appraisal reports in the CPS in the light of the Bamieh case; [90377](2) what plans he has to review the operation of CPS promotion boards following the Bamieh case; [90378](3) what plans he has to review the operation of acting up arrangements in the CPS following the Bamieh case. [90380]

The recent decision of the Employment Tribunal, to which I believe my hon. Friend refers, concerns a case brought by Mrs. Bamieh against the Crown Prosecution Service relating to events which took place after 1 July 1997 and before 22 June 1998. The Tribunal found for Mrs. Bamieh in respect of the conduct of a promotion board that took place in 1998 but against her in the other three matters that she put forward.Mrs. Bamieh's complaint in relation to her performance appraisal report in 1998 failed; however, the Crown Prosecution Service, in any event, introduced a new performance appraisal report that year. The appraisal system is being kept under regular review.Equally, the Tribunal did not find that Mrs. Bamieh was discriminated against in relation to deputising and temporary promotion procedures; however, it did make observations about the systems in place. The deputising and temporary promotion procedures are currently under review and are being discussed with the departmental Trade Unions. The comments made by the Tribunal are being taken into account.The Tribunal's Decision in relation to the conduct of the promotion boards is being taken very seriously by the Crown Prosecution Service, which is currently reviewing its promotion board procedures.

The statistics from April 1994 until March 1999 are set out in the following table. My hon. Friend's attention is drawn to the footnote which accompanies the table.

To ask the Attorney-General how many kilometres have been travelled on his Department's business in each of the last three years broken down by (a) foot, (b) bike, (c) bus, (d) train, (e) tram, (f) light-rail, (g) plane, (h) motorbike, (i) car, (j) taxi, (k) river-taxi and (l) other modes of transport; what plans and targets his Department has to reduce the kilometres travelled by private transport by his Department's employees; and if he will make a statement. [91023]

The information on business travel is not collected in the form requested and therefore cannot be provided. As published in the integrated transport White Paper in July 1998, the Government have set a target that all Government Department headquarters buildings and main buildings occupied by Executive Agencies and Government Offices for the Regions should have green transport plans by March 1999 and all other key buildings by March 2000.My Departments have completed green transport plans for their headquarters buildings and are developing plans for all other key buildings in line with the target set in the White Paper. The plans include measures to reduce single occupancy car use by employees for commuting and business travel, including ensuring that journeys are necessary, by making available loans for the purchase of season tickets for public transport and bicycles, and by providing secure bicycle storage facilities and showers.

To ask the Attorney-General if the remarks made by the Director of Public Prosecutions in early May 1999 to a Law Society meeting of ethnic minority lawyers, concerning disciplinary action against staff found to have committed racist behaviour or made racist comments, represent Government policy. [90381]

Government policy is to deliver real change in race equality in Britain through policy formulation and implementation. The Government do not condone racist behaviour of any sort. This policy applies to the Crown Prosecution Service, and those who are found to display racist behaviour or attitudes will have action taken against them under the Service's disciplinary code.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) Royal Air Force personnel are currently committed to active service operations; and what percentage are warned to deploy to such operations. [88124]

[holding answer 24 June 1999]:(a) Of the Army, 28.6 per cent. actually deployed on operations. The total percentage of the Army committed to operations is 47 per cent. This includes not only the troops actually deployed, but those preparing for imminent deployment as well as those who are in the process of post-deployment recovery and recuperation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the establishment for orthopaedic surgeons at the Royal Hospital, Haslar on the basis of the full implementation of Defence Cost Study 15. [88339]

[holding answer 25 June 1999]: Following Defence Cost Study 15, it was agreed that eight orthopaedic surgeons were required at the Royal Hospital Haslar.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of troops earmarked for Operation Joint Guardian are at present deployed in (a) Kosovo, (b) Macedonia and (c) Albania. [88781]

[holding answer 28 June 1999]: Of the forces we expect to deploy in support of Operation Joint Guardian, some 73 per cent. are deployed in Kosovo and 21 per cent. in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. None are deployed in Albania.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the Army committed to operations in Northern Ireland were under 18 years of age on 23 June; and in which units. [89041]

[holding answer 30 June 1999]: A total of 28 UK Trained Army Personnel under the age of 18 years were serving in Northern Ireland as at 1 June 1999, the latest date for which information is held centrally. A breakdown by individual regiments is shown in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the sites of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency visited by Defence Ministers since May 1997. [89621]

[holding answer 2 July 1999]: Since May 1997, Defence Ministers have visited the following DERA sites:

• Farnborough
• Malvern
• Porton Down
• Chertsey
• Portsdown West.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the meetings he and his Ministers have held with trade union representatives of staff employed by the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency to discuss the Public Private Partnership proposals [90632]

[holding answer 12 July 1999]: In July 1998, the Strategic Defence Review—SDR—announced a Public Private partnership—PPP—for the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency—DERA. Since then, there have been a number of meetings between Ministers and trade union representatives of DERA staff. Many of these meetings were intended to discuss a range of SDR issues, but the subject of DERA PPP often featured prominently.

Date	Attendees	Location
22 July 1998	Minister (DP), DERA management, staff and trade unions	DERA Farnborough
28 July 1998	Secretary of State, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State and trade unions	MOD
28 January 1999	Secretary of State and the trade unions	The Royal United Services Institute
10 February 1999	Under-Secretary of State and trade unions	Defence Industrial Whitley Committee, MOD

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people are currently employed by the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency; and how many at each site. [90559]

[holding answer 12 July 1999]: This is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency. I have asked the Chief Executive to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 22 June 1999, Official Report, columns 326–27, on FADEC software, when, between 1989 and June 1994, the FADEC software was redesigned on the Chinook MK2; what was the nature of the redesign work undertaken; and which contractor was responsible for carrying out the work. [89860]

Between 1989 and June 1994, there were 58 design changes incorporated in the FADEC software. The changes (categorised in the table) were all undertaken by the prime contractor Textron Lycoming.

Software	Changes
Improved maintainability of software	7
Improved fault logic	10
Customer request	11
Fault logic corrections	9
Improved accuracy	6
Modification due to Hardware changes	5
Improved Comms link and Qualification test changes	4
Corrections and Improvements in reliability	6

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 22 June 1999, Official Report, column 327, on the inquiry into the loss of the RAF Chinook on the Mull of Kintyre in 1994, if he will place in the Library the letters his Department has received from the public requesting the re-opening of the inquiry. [89859]

Correspondence between the Ministry of Defence and members of the public is a private matter between my Department and the individuals concerned. Release of these letters into the public domain could be done only with the consent of these individuals and seeking this for all correspondence on the accident since 1994 could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has (a) to respond to complaints of local residents with regard to aircraft from RNAS Culdrose and (b) to alter air routes used to and from the base to avoid residential areas. [90244]

All complaints concerning military aircraft activity at RNAS Culdrose are carefully considered and where there is sufficient evidence to suggest that a breach of flying regulations may have occurred, a thorough investigation is undertaken. The approach and climb out routes to and from the base are dictated by the position of the runways and the prevailing weather conditions, and although they do not take aircraft over major residential areas, overflight of some individual properties is unavoidable. There are no other established air routes in the vicinity of RNAS Culdrose and every effort is made to mitigate the disturbance caused to local communities within the limitations imposed by the need to maintain operational capability.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will ensure that widows of all pre-1973 Army pensioners are identified and reimbursed with full refund and supplement; and that reasonable effort is made to make refunds to estates where neither pensioner nor spouse has survived. [90620]

We are making every effort to review the case files of pre-1973 Army pensioners to identify the widows/widowers of individuals who might be eligible for a tax refund. Because of the numbers of files, their age and the way in which they are indexed, the process is not straightforward. Individual cases can be processed more quickly if widows who believe they may be entitled to a refund submit a claim to my Department. We have therefore sought to publicise the possible entitlement, and we are grateful for the assistance of the ex-Service organisations in this. It is more difficult to trace more distant entitlements where no pension is in payment because the scheme member and his immediate dependants have died or (in the case of children's pensions) have reached adulthood. But if claims with supporting evidence were submitted, the Inland Revenue would consider them and make a refund if entitlement is proved.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what new data series separated by gender, race, disability and age have been commissioned by his Department since June 1997. [90825]

My Department publishes statistical data on the age, gender and ethnicity of Service personnel and the gender, ethnicity and the disability status of civilian staff annually in the publication "UK Defence Statistics", copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what amount of revenue his Department expects to receive from the 3 per cent. reproduction fee being charged by the Ministry of Defence for products displaying insignia of the armed forces. [90776]

[holding answer 12 July 1999]: Reproduction fees charged by MOD in respect of Crown Copyright material are discretionary. Where they are charged they vary between 1 per cent. and 7.5 per cent. The amount of revenue my Department expects to receive from reproduction fees charged for products displaying insignia of the armed forces is expected to be in the region of £45,000 in the current financial year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will (a) list the countries from which military officers have visited Northern Ireland since 1 May 1997, (b) set out the purpose of each visit, (c) set out the nature of the related training programme, (d) indicate which delegations have participated in (i) military and (ii) RUC patrols and (e) indicate which delegations have visited surveillance and observation posts in South Armagh. [89912]

[holding answer 12 July 1999]: The information requested is as follows:The New Zealand Defence Attache to London accompanied the Chief of Staff of the General Staff on his St. Patrick's Day visit to Omagh and Ballykelly on 17 March 1998.Military officers from the following countries visited the Army in Northern Ireland on 1 April 1998 as part of a visit by the Royal College of Defence Studies:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many kilometres have been travelled on his Department's business in each of the last three years broken down by (a) foot, (b) bike, (c) bus, (d) train, (e) tram, (f) light-rail, (g) plane, (h) motorbike, (i) car, (j) taxi, (k) river-taxi and (l) other modes of transport; what plans and targets his Department has to reduce the kilometres travelled by private transport by his Department's employees; and if he will make a statement. [91012]

The information on the number of kilometres travelled on departmental business is not collected in the form requested and therefore cannot be provided.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for reassessing the National Radiological Protection Board's report of 1997 on the impact of radiation on British service personnel who participated in atomic weapons tests. [91013]

I assume the hon. Member is referring to the report published by the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) in 1993, in which case I have no such plans: and nothing to add to my responses of 1 July 1999, Official Report, column 534, to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock), during the recent Armed Forces Personnel Debate and subsequently in writing. A copy of my letter of 7 July has been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many parliamentary questions were tabled to his Department for written answer on a named day between May 1997 and 14 April 1999; and what percentage of them received a substantive response on that named day. [91060]

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 15 April 1999, Official Report, column 306.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much expenditure her 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 she will make a statement. [91038]

The information for the NIO and NI departments is as follows:

(a) The cost incurred to date in preparing for the euro is approximately £80,000.

(b) The expenditure expected to be incurred in the future on preparations for possible United Kingdom entry is estimated at £104,000.

The costs incurred to date have largely been spent on making the private and public sector aware of the implications of a single currency. The largest element of the estimated costs at

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many artificial limbs have been supplied and fitted by her Department to victims of mutilation in Sierra Leone; and if she will make a statement. [90497]

We are not supplying artificial limbs to victims of mutilation in Sierra Leone. An EU-funded NGO, Handicap International—Vivre Debout, are working in Freetown and Bo to help victims of mutilations in this way. To date Handicap International have fitted 76 prostheses. A joint project involving Handicap International and the GoSL demobilisation programme, which we are funding, has recently been agreed.We are also providing humanitarian assistance and support for reform of the judiciary and legal systems, the independent media, and reform of the police and security forces. Currently we are considering what more we can do to support the implementation of the peace agreement.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many times Ministers in her Department have held meetings with ministers and officials of the Irish Government since 1 January 1998, indicating the dates and locations of each meeting; the Ministers involved, and the names of the Irish ministers and officials at each meeting. [90405]

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance the Government are giving to Bosnia-Herzegovina to rebuild its economy. [91203]

At the donors conference in May, we pledged £17 million in new, bilateral, funds to help the future development of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Our objectives are to reduce levels of social exclusion and social conflict through strengthening civil society, to support the establishment of an effective, accountable and responsive public administration and help in the development of viable, well regulated markets.A team from the Department for International Development (DFID) is in the region this week (12–17 July) to discuss how best to implement these objectives with government officials and representatives of civil society.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding is available to encourage cultural exchanges with students and Government officials from Bosnia-Herzegovina; and if she will make a statement. [91189]

We do not provide funding for cultural exchanges with students or government officials from Bosnia-Herzegovina. Our programme provides in-country support to help civil society organisations, to support the establishment of an effective, accountable and responsive public administration and assist with the development of a well regulated market economy.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many kilometres have been travelled on her Department's business in each of the last three years broken down by (a) foot, (b) bike, (c) bus, (d) train, (e) tram, (f) light-rail, (g) plane, (h) motorbike, (i) car, (j) taxi, (k) river-taxi and (l) other modes of transport; what plans and targets her Department has to reduce the kilometres travelled by private transport by her Department's employees; and if she will make a statement. [91029]

The information on business travel is not collected in the form requested and therefore cannot be provided. As published in the Integrated Transport White Paper in July 1998, the Government have set a target that all Government Department headquarters buildings and main buildings occupied by Executive Agencies and Government Offices for the Regions should have green transport plans by March 1999 and all other key buildings by March 2000.We have completed a green transport plan for our London headquarters buildings which is awaiting final approval from our Green Minister and are in the process of developing a plan for our office in East Kilbride.Also, we have committed ourselves to reduce our central London car parking provision by 73 per cent.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many staff are employed in Scotland (a) by her Department and (b) by executive agencies responsible to her 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. [90561]

The Department for International Development (DFID) employs 410 staff in Scotland based in East Kilbride. A further 746 staff are employed in England based in London. No staff are employed in Wales or Northern Ireland. The total number of staff employed by DFID in the UK is 1,156. There are no executive agencies responsible to DFID.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what her Department's policy is on children with disabilities. [91195]

We support a significant number of initiatives around the world aimed at assisting children with disabilities to secure their rights. This is an important part of our wider work in seeking to uphold the rights of all people, and particularly the poor, to economic and social development as well as to the civil, political and cultural liberties and freedoms set out in international agreements. Our policy in respect of disabled children aims to support the implementation of the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and other associated agreements.Our work in education provides a good illustration of our approach. One of our key priorities is helping meet the International Development Goal of Universal Primary Education (UPE) in all countries by 2015. In many developing countries, the disabled are a group whose chances of gaining access to primary education are slim. We recognise that reaching them and other disadvantaged groups is a distinct challenge for national governments which requires resources, political commitment and flexibility of response.In India, we have recently agreed to provide substantial support (up to £34.5 million over five years) for Lok Jumbish, a grass roots movement in Rajasthan, which seeks to support UPE through a range of interventions including the enrolment of vulnerable groups such as the disabled in school. This offers a potential model for developing a more equitable approach to primary education in general, as well as bringing immediate benefits to disabled children. Initiatives such as this are contributing to a wider assessment we are undertaking, with partner countries, of the effectiveness of our support for reaching the "missing children" within the context of overall sector strategies for education.We are currently taking stock more generally of our work with people with disabilities, and will be pleased to report back on this in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of her Department's budget has been allocated to children with disabilities in (a) Africa, (b) Asia, (c) Latin America, (d) the Middle East and (e) Eastern Europe. [91194]

The information requested is not readily available. The cost of collecting and recording such information would be disproportionately high.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to paragraph 8.18 of the White Paper, "Smoking Kills," what steps have been taken, and what funding has been provided, by her Department to help developing countries reduce tobacco dependence and help farmers dependent on tobacco crops to diversify. [91083]

We fully support the World Health Organisation's (WHO) "Tobacco Free" initiative and the development of an International Framework Convention (IFC) on tobacco control and have contributed £200,000 this financial year. The IFC is expected to set out detailed protocols on the range of measures, including agricultural diversification, which a country could usefully include in its tobacco reduction strategy. Development funds are not used for any purpose which identifiably supports the tobacco sector. Our programmes have explored alternative livelihood opportunities for poor farmers in countries where tobacco is a significant crop.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she is taking to prevent children in the developing world being exposed to tobacco advertising. [91191]

In our White Papers on "International Development" and "Tobacco" we clearly state our commitment to working with other governments to achieve a global ban on tobacco advertising and to support an International Framework Convention (IFC) code of conduct for transnational companies advertising tobacco products. We have provided the World Health Organisation (WHO) with £200,000 towards work this year. The universal ban we are working towards, therefore, addresses the issue of children's exposure to advertising in the developed and developing world.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much expenditure her Department (a) has incurred to date and (b) expects to incur on preparations for possible United Kingdom entry into the European single currency; and if she will make a statement. [91192]

We have incurred no expenditure to date. Our accounting software caters for multi-currencies. The cost of possible entry to a European single currency would not therefore be material.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of her Department's budget is allocated to (a) treatment, (b) prevention and (c) care, rehabilitation and social inclusion in respect of children and HIV/AIDS. [91196]

We currently spend about £35 million per year directly on HIV/AIDS activities. We expect this to increase in the future. Because much of our work in this area is not restricted to specific target groups, but looks to improve systems which enable more effective national responses to HIV/AIDS, it is currently not possible to identify accurately the proportion of expenditure relevant to children, and a further breakdown thereof.But we treat with utmost seriousness the issue of HIV/AIDS and children. We are particularly concerned about the growing burden faced by poor countries in caring for AIDS orphans, as well as of the impact on the children themselves. We are working closely with UNAIDS and others in seeking to find ways to mitigate this impact

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what her Department's policy is on children with HIV/AIDS. [91197]

Of the 2.5 million people who died of AIDS in 1998, 510,000 were children under 15. Infection runs faster in children than in adults. Children are not only infected with HIV, but also affected: many have lost one or both parents as a result of HIV/AIDS.As a consequence, we attach great importance to the particular needs of children. Without a cure, our primary objective is to prevent transmission to children and we are working with others, particularly UNAIDS, to identify ways in which this can be achieved more effectively, for example in preventing mother to child transmission.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will place in the Library a copy of the report of the independent evaluation of the Chinese family planning programmes referred to by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development on 20 January 1999, Official Report, column 842. [91190]

A copy of the report entitled: "A review of the role of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) in China and of the work of the China Family Planning Association (CFPA)" was placed in the Library of the House in November 1996. Further copies are being provided.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if her Department is planning new initiatives in Sudan following the renewal of links between Her Majesty's Government and the Government of Sudan. [91193]

Our capacity to respond to humanitarian needs in Sudan was not interrupted by the withdrawal from Khartoum of our Ambassador and his British staff. Humanitarian aid has continued to be delivered by international non-governmental organisations and UN agencies are we have liaised closely with Ambassador's staff out-posted to Nairobi. The humanitarian situation in Sudan is much better than last year and so far we have committed £9 million.Ending the civil war in Sudan and finding a just political settlement continue to be the key to enable the Sudanese people to rebuild their lives. The renewal of links with the Government of Sudan will allow us to recommence our close dialogue with the Khartoum authorities on this issue.

To ask the President of the Council what is the forecast cost of the State Opening of Parliament in 1999. [89927]

The forecast cost of the State Opening of Parliament in 1999 is £50,000 shared with the House of Lords. Costs are, of course, incurred by others such as Buckingham Palace, the Metropolitan Police and the Ministry of Defence.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons prisoners serving sentences of over four years are not eligible for home leave in their last six months of sentence before probation if they pass a risk assessment. [90114]

Eligibility for resettlement licence, which replaced home leave in 1995, is set out in Prison Service Instruction 36/1995, a copy of which is in the Library. Some prisoners are automatically excluded from release on temporary licence and would not, therefore, be risk assessed. These are: category A prisoners, those subject to extradition proceedings, and those who are remanded on further charges.In addition, a prisoner serving four years or more is not eligible for resettlement licence until he or she has completed half the single term, which is the prisoner's parole eligibility date. If the prisoner is refused parole, he or she must wait for six months after a first refusal of parole, or two months from any subsequent refusal, before being able to take resettlement leave. The purpose of a resettlement licence is to assist in the prisoner's resettlement on release from custody. Where parole is refused, this, of course, delays a prisoner's release and accordingly eligibility to take resettlement leave.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to introduce classification of offences for which adjudication decisions are made on prisoners to allow more precise judgment of a prisoner's behaviour in prison when considering the prisoner for probation. [90264]

A prisoner's behaviour is one of the issues taken into account in assessing risk in a parole review. The weight given to any adjudications will depend on the individual prisoner and the nature and circumstances of the index offence. There are no plans to introduce a more formal system of classification.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the costs to police authorities of adopting the Public Safety Radio Communications Project; and if he will make a statement. [90272]

I am told by the Police Information Technology Unit (PITO) that the costs of the Public Safety Radio Communications Project (PSRCP) are currently the subject of negotiation between PITO, which is managing the project for the police service, and the contractor British Telecom. Indicative prices have been issued and PITO is now preparing to invite British Telecom's final contractual offer, at the request of the Association of Police Authorities and the Association of Chief Police Officers.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what monitoring he undertakes of decisions on criminal injuries compensation to ensure consistency and comparability. [90313]

The introduction of a tariff-based compensation scheme in 1996, under which compensation is assessed on the basis of a fixed tariff of awards for injuries of comparable severity, ensures that a considerable degree of consistency, comparability and transparency is built into the system.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to change the rules relating to criminal injuries compensation and the effect of awards on means-tested benefits: and what consideration has been given to staggering awards to ensure recipients are not disadvantaged by the savings rule. [90312]

The Government invited views on ways in which the criminal injuries compensation scheme might be changed for the benefit of victims of crime in a public consultation exercise which ran from March to June 1999. Preliminary analysis of responses has shown that a number of respondents felt that compensation derived from personal injury should be disregarded for the purposes of assessing entitlement to means-tested social security benefits. The responses are now being analysed more fully, and we hope to be able to say what changes might be made to the scheme in consequence later this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to allow dual nationals who are released on licence in the United Kingdom the option of serving their licence period in their other country of nationality. [90266]

If an offender wishes to resettle permanently in another country before his licence period expires, permission to do so may be granted by the probation service, the Parole Board or the Secretary of State, depending on the length of sentence, provided that certain criteria are met. The licence period is an integral part of the custodial sentence imposed for offences committed under United Kingdom law; it is not possible for the enforcement of the licence conditions to be transferred to a foreign jurisdiction.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to establish a resettlement unit in each prison. [90271]

There are no plans to provide resettlement units in all prisons. However, the Prison Service is currently developing a policy framework and national standards for resettlement provision.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to introduce legislation to penalise employers who discriminate against a potential job applicant because they have a criminal record. [90268]

The Government have no plans for such legislation.The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 provides that any conviction resulting in a sentence of no more than two and a half years imprisonment may become spent after a specified period (depending on the length of the sentence and whether the offender commits further offences within that period). The Act provides that an offender is not normally required to disclose the fact he has "spent" convictions when applying for a job. It also stipulates that the fact that a person has a "spent" conviction or their failure to disclose that fact shall not be proper grounds for dismissing or excluding them from any office, profession, occupation or employment or for prejudicing them in any way in any occupation or employment.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to monitor the effect of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 on discrimination against offenders in job applications. [90267]

The Government are concerned that ex-offenders should not be subject to unfair discrimination in the labour market. The Department for Education and Employment has commissioned a major research study into the employment experiences of ex-offenders, employers' attitudes towards them and their likely use of conviction information under the plans for the Criminal Records Bureau. The research will report in summer 2000 when the Government will consider any policy implications.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what work is being done to address the effect on the finances of organisations in the not-for-profit sector of the demand for matching funding for projects sponsored by the European Union or the National Lottery. [90307]

A code of good practice on voluntary sector funding is being prepared jointly by the Government and the sector's Working Group on Government Relations. The code will address, among other matters, issues concerning match funding.European Structural Fund aided projects must be match funded by a national contribution. This ensures local ownership and commitment to the project. There are no plans to change fundamentally these arrangements.The National Lottery Charities Board does not require match funding. This acknowledges that the Board funds many small local groups and organisations that are unlikely to be able to raise partnership support.The Directions issued to other Lottery distributors require an element of partnership support from applicants for Lottery funding. This provides evidence of community support for a project and allows many more projects to be funded. The Directions encourage a flexible approach, linked closely to an applicant's realistic ability to raise partnership support, and by giving consideration to volunteer time and in-kind contributions.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are being taken to ensure that the custody ethnic monitoring form is filled in accurately by custody officers. [90270]

On first reception into Prison Service custody, the ethnic origin of each prisoner is recorded with other personal details on a standard prisoner record. This is a mandatory requirement under the Prison Service Order on Race Relations, a copy of which is in the Library. Reception officers are responsible for obtaining and recording the ethnic origin of each newly received prisoner. The personal details recorded on this form, including ethnic origin, are checked on every occasion of transfer to another prison.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to increase the extent to which civilian staff recruited to work on police switchboards and communications centres are conversant with police operations and information. [90310]

It is entirely a matter for chief constables to decide the extent to which civilian staff should be deployed on police switchboards and communications centres and to determine what training they need to enable them to carry out their duties.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to introduce (a) monitoring, (b) training and (c) representation of prisoners to combat racism in prisons. [90269]

The Prison Service is committed to equality of opportunity and the elimination of discrimination on improper grounds. It has well-developed policies and procedures which are set out in the Prison Service Order on Race Relations, a copy of which is available in the Library. This gives mandatory and recommended requirements covering the policy and practice of good race relations within a prison establishment. All of the mandatory requirements are audited by the standards audit unit of the Prison Service and their implementation determines a prison's success or failure in the audit.It is a mandatory requirement that in all establishments, ethnic monitoring and analysis must cover allocation to work, accommodation, education/training, adjudications, temporary release, segregation and requests/complaints. Furthermore, the Prison Service recommends ethnic monitoring is undertaken in other areas, such as random drug testing and random searches. It is also strongly recommended that ethnic monitoring takes place on a monthly basis, collated quarterly and forwarded to the appropriate area office at Prison Service headquarters. These measures are taken to ensure that any possible racial discrimination in the decision making process is quickly identified so that suitable action can be taken.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to review the length of licence period a prisoner receives in relation to the length of sentence served. [90265]

The Criminal Justice Act 1991 sets out the arrangements for the release on licence of determinate sentence prisoners. Under the Act, prisoners serving a sentence of 12 months or more but less than four years must be released on licence at the half-way point of the sentence. Those serving a determinate sentence of four years or more are eligible for release on licence at the half-way point of the sentence and in any event must be released on licence at the two thirds point. Prisoners serving a sentence of less than 12 months must be released unconditionally at the half-way point.Under the home detention curfew arrangements introduced by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, there is now provision for some determinate sentence prisoners to be released on licence up to a maximum of two months earlier than under the arrangements above. These provisions apply only to prisoners aged 18 or over who are serving a sentence of more than three months but less than four years. Prisoners released on this scheme are monitored by electronic tagging.Finally, under section 58 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, where a court proposes to impose a custodial sentence for a sexual or violent offence, and considers that the normal licence period under the Criminal Justice Act 1991 would not be adequate, it may now pass an extended sentence on that offender. This means in effect that the offender will be subject to a longer period of supervision on licence.The Government have no current plans to change these arrangements.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking to ensure that police keep in close contact with witnesses about progress on cases in which they are involved; and what guidelines he has issued on the subject. [90309]

The 1996 Victim's Charter outlines the standards of service that victims and witnesses can expect from the police and the other criminal justice agencies. The Charter standards are monitored regularly by the interdepartmental Victims Steering Group, chaired by the Home Office. A review of the Charter itself will begin next year. The review will take into account both changes in legislation and new non-legislative measures, including those measures introduced as a result of the Macpherson Inquiry into the murder of Stephen Lawrence.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the progress made with the National Victim Support help line since it was established; what activities it undertakes apart from referring callers to local victim support groups; and what monitoring he undertakes of its work. [90308]

Victim Support's telephone Supportline has dealt with more than 10,000 calls since its inception in February 1998. The majority of callers are victims of crime, who are provided with emotional support and practical information and advice according to need. Among other things, callers can be offered details of, or referral to, their local victim support scheme and other sources of help and information as appropriate. Supportline also provides an easily accessible Victim Support number for use by other agencies in contact with victims and witnesses.Supportline activities are monitored daily, and formal reports detailing the number and nature of calls are collated and evaluated monthly by Victim Support. Summarising reports are made available to the Home Office on a quarterly basis.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drug seizures occurred in (a) 1997 and (b) 1998 in the Northern Region. [90256]

There were 21,840 seizures of controlled drugs in the Northern Region in 1997. Figures for 1998 will not be available until late 1999.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many sexual offences (a) were reported and (b) resulted in convictions in the last two years in the Northern Region. [90255]

Figures for 1998 are not yet available. The overall figures for 1996 and 1997 for the North West (including Merseyside) and North East government regions are as follows:

Year	Sexual offences recorded by the police	Offenders convicted for sexual offences
1996	5,059	1,004
1997	5,581	1,003

It is important to note that the figures for offences reported and convictions are not directly comparable because convictions relate to offenders.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his estimate of the total number of hours worked by volunteers in the charities sector in each year from 1992 to the present. [90254]

The information requested is not available.The 1997 National Survey of Volunteering from the Institute for Volunteering Research found that, across the United Kingdom, an estimated 21.8 million volunteers were contributing an average of 88 million hours per week—an annual total of nearly 4,600 million hours. This compared with the 1991 figure, the date of the previous survey, of 23.2 million volunteers contributing 62 million hours per week—an annual total of around 3,200 million hours. These figures refer to all types of formal volunteering and include sports, arts and politics. Much of this volunteering will have taken place in public sector organisations, for example, schools and hospitals, but the 1997 survey found that 84 per cent. of volunteers were active in the voluntary sector.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he plans to implement the Law Commission recommendation on corporate manslaughter. [90242]

An inter-departmental working group, which includes a member of the Law Commission, is currently considering all of the recommendations contained in the Law Commission's report number 237 "Legislating the Criminal Code: Involuntary Manslaughter", including those relating to corporate manslaughter. We expect to receive the working group's recommendations shortly and will then consider how to take them forward.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the change in the number of Probation Service staff between 1994 and the latest date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [90587]

At the end of 1994, there were 16,405 probation staff, of whom 7,776 were probation officers. At the end of December 1998, there were 14,613 probation staff, of whom 7,191 were probation officers. The figures given here are full-time equivalents.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the current number of vacancies for Probation Officers in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement. [90586]

Information on probation officer vacancies is not collected centrally. However, information about the staffing requirements of the Probation Service will be generated by the work force planning survey currently being undertaken by the Home Office with the Association of Chief Officers of Probation and the Central Probation Council.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 1 July 1999, Official Report, column 249, on European Communities working groups, if he will list the Title VI working groups referred to and indicate how many times each has met. [90399]

I will write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will issue guidance to local authorities summarising the Breeding and Sale of Dogs (Welfare) Act 1999 and outlining their specific powers and responsibilities. [90621]

Yes. Appropriate guidance will be issued to local authorities before the Act comes into force at the end of this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many family units will be included in the redevelopment of Her Majesty's Prison, Aldington; and if he will make a statement. [90577]

It has not yet been decided how many family units will be included in the redevelopment of the Aldington site, but we anticipate the requirement will be three to four units.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements in terms of (a) support services, (b) translation services, (c) health services and (d) dietary services will be provided for asylum seekers following the redevelopment of Her Majesty's Prison, Aldington; and if he will make a statement. [90578]

It is too early in the procurement process to provide details of the services to be provided once Aldington is redeveloped as an Immigration Service Detention Centre. The Services will be based on the provisions and facilities at the only other purpose designed centre, Tinsley House. A copy of the contract for Tinsley House is available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the estimated cost to the Treasury of the plans to redevelop Her Majesty's Prison, Aldington; and if he will make a statement. [90574]

The project to redevelop Her Majesty's Prison Aldington is at a very early stage. Work has just started to prepare the outline specification for the centre, on which planning authority and, later, the detailed Invitation to Tender for a public-private partnership will be based.In advance of this competitive process, it is not prudent or meaningful to make public estimates of the cost of this project. The actual cost to the Home Office will be offset by making the 200 places currently used by Immigration detainees at Rochester Prison available for prisoner use. The current running costs of Aldington will also be made available to the Immigration Service to set against the cost of the proposed Detention Centre.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with local authorities and police forces about arrangements for dealing with unauthorised camping by travellers. [90423]

I and my predecessor, my right hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff, South and Penarth (Mr. Michael), have held meetings with senior police officers, Members of Parliament, local councillors and others on this issue. My Department published the guidance document, "Managing Unauthorised Camping: A Good Practice Guide" jointly with the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions in October 1998.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will issue non-statutory guidance to the Metropolitan Police Authority with regard to police community consultative groups; and if he will consult the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, and London police community consultative groups on what that guidance should include about the special characteristics of London police community consultative groups. [90525]

The Government have no plans to issue such guidance to the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA). Subject to the passage of the Greater London Authority Bill, it will be for the MPA to decide, after consulting the Commissioner, what arrangements to make for obtaining the views of people about policing matters in the Metropolitan Police District. The MPA will be a local, democratically accountable body, and, in common with police authorities outside London, it will be best placed to determine its methods for consulting the public.As part of next year's induction process of members of the new MPA, information will be provided to them about the work of police and community consultative groups.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people attended each public meeting of the Independent Commission on the Voting System. [90527]

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given in another place by my noble Friend the Minister of State, Home Office, Lord Williams, on 7 July 1998, Official Report, column 124.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consultation he (a) has held and (b) will hold in formulating his Department's response to paragraph 46 of the Home Affairs Committee's Fourth report of Session 1997–98 (HC768) on Electoral Law and Administration; and if he will respond to the recommendation in that paragraph. [90991]

Following official contacts with MIND, the Working Party on Electoral Procedures, which I Chair, has recommended that the restrictions on using psychiatric hospitals for the purposes of electoral registration should be removed, except for those who are detained as a result of criminal activity. It has also recommended that the requirement for a voluntary patient to complete an additional declaration before being registered to vote should be lifted. These recommendations are broadly in line with paragraph 46 of the Home Affairs Committee report referred to by my hon. Friend. A formal response will be made to the Committee when the final report of my Working Party is published in full later this summer.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to supply to the hon. Member for Northavon the material referred to in his answer of 15 June 1999, Official Report, column 100. [90948]

I hope to be able to provide the requested information shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons he proposes to extend to three months the validity of interception warrants under the Interception of Communications Act 1985. [90724]

The Government's proposals for legislation to replace the Interception of Communications Act 1985 are contained in a consultation paper which I published on 22 June. The reasons behind the proposal to extend the authorisation period of warrants are explained in this document, which is available in the Library, beginning at paragraph 7.12.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with United States citizens concerning the interception regime operated in this country. [90725]

I am not aware of any discussions this year between Ministers and United States citizens specifically about the United Kingdom's interception regime. However, my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Home Office met senior members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drugs Enforcement Agency and Attorney-General's Department in the United States last month. He discussed a wide range of issues relevant to the fight against organised crime. Interception was discussed in the context of the Government's proposals for legislation to maintain law enforcement agencies' capabilities against encrypted stored data and communications.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will review his proposal not to include a test of substantial harm in the draft Freedom of Information Bill. [90726]

We are currently consulting widely on the content of the draft Freedom of Information Bill. It is also subject to pre-legislative scrutiny by the Select Committee on Public Administration and an ad hoc Select Committee in another place, and also of public consultation.I look forward to receiving their recommendations and other comments, which I will consider fully before introducing the Bill into the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the countries within the European Union (a) which have freedom of information legislation and (b) where such legislation contains a public interest test. [90718]

The European Union Green Paper on Public Sector Information in the Information Society, published in January this year, identified the following European Union countries as having national freedom of information legislation: Austria; Belgium; Denmark; Finland; France; Greece; Ireland; Italy; Netherlands; Portugal; Spain and Sweden. Ireland's legislation contains a public interest test, as does the United Kingdom draft Bill. We have not analysed other European legislation.Our analysis has focused on countries with common law jurisdictions, e.g. Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States of America. The legislation for each of these countries contains a public interest test.A copy of the Green Paper is available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he took to establish the views of MI5 before deciding they should be exempt from the disclosure tests applied in the draft Freedom of Information Bill. [90720]

The Security Service has been fully consulted over the provisions of the Freedom of Information Bill.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many kilometres have been travelled on his Department's business in each of the last three years broken down by (a) foot, (b) bike, (c) bus, (d) train, (e) tram, (f) light-rail(g) plane,(h) motorbike, (i) car, (j) taxi, (k) river-taxi and (l) other modes of transport; what plans and targets his Department has to reduce the kilometres travelled by private transport by his Department's employees; and if he will make a statement. [91031]

Distance travelled on official business is recorded only when an allowance is paid per mile or kilometre travelled. I can, therefore, only supply the information requested for travel by bike, motorbike and car. That information is currently being collected from around the Department. I will write to the hon. Member when the information is available and place a copy of the letter in the Library.My Department's headquarters buildings had green transport plans in place by the end of March 1999.A seminar was held on 29 April for green transport co-ordinators for the other 26 Departmental sites that will be required to produce green transport plans by March 2000.No targets have been set centrally for transport (other than the Government-wide one of producing a plan). Trying to set targets that will be meaningful for both our Central London accommodation and the training colleges that are situated in isolated locations will be difficult. My Department is therefore encouraging sites to set their own targets in their plans. I will monitor and review the success of this approach.In an effort to limit the effect on the environment, the Home Office joined the "London First" clean air charter in 1997, and has been active in setting targets for and monitoring fuel consumption for the fleet.The Home Office has drafted an Environmental Transport Policy, which is currently in the consultation process. The policy aims to help reduce the Department's impact on the environment by addressing the issues of fleet size and composition, fuel type, fuel monitoring, vehicle maintenance, and driver training.The Home Office seeks to ensure that each vehicle in the fleet is not only required, but fully used. The reduction of one vehicle in the fleet has a significantly higher impact than improving the fuel consumption of several vehicles.The Home Office is planning to carry out a combined Green and Efficiency review of the entire fleet. That review will make recommendations, for fleet composition, usage rates and fuel consumption for each fleet centre. We expect to complete the first review within eighteen months using current resources.The Home Office is committed to reducing the impact that its business travel has on the environment. Before undertaking any business travel, staff and their line managers consider whether the visit/attendance at a meeting is really necessary, whether the objectives of the meeting could be met through correspondence, e-mail, fax or telephone and whether video-conferencing facilities could be used. If it is considered necessary, staff must use public transport unless there are operational grounds for using private vehicles/hire cars e.g. carrying heavy equipment, or if the route is poorly served by public transport.There are currently two rates of mileage allowance—Standard Rate and Public Transport Rate. The Home Office operates a strict policy when considering the payment of allowances to officers who use their private vehicles for business travel, including prior authorisation from line managers when Standard Rate Mileage Allowance is claimed. This ensures that private vehicles are used only when absolutely necessary.Whilst those areas which have higher than average business travel have been targeted since January 1999 in an effort to promote the switch to public transport, it is also proposed to pursue the option of a single rate of Standard Rate Motor Mileage Allowance. If adopted, this should encourage the use of smaller cars and further encourage the use of public transport through a reduced rate of Motor Mileage Allowance for larger engine cars. The Home Office also has allowances for the use of motorcycles and pedal cycles for official travel.A passenger supplement of two pence per mile for the first passenger and one pence per mile for each additional passenger is also available for staff who use their private vehicle on official business as this represents a cost effective and greener alternative.The Home Office also pays advances for Season Ticket purchase and bicycle purchase for those members of staff who require assistance with their travel costs to work. The advances are recovered through salary over a 12-month period.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) British nationals and (b) Portuguese nationals have been extradited from the United Kingdom to stand trial in Portugal in each of the last five years; and how many have been extradited from Portugal to the United Kingdom. [89572]

The information requested is given in the table:

Number of British and Portuguese nationals extradited to Portugal to stand trial in each of the last five years
Year	British nationals	Portuguese nationals	Total
1994	—	1	1
1995	—	—	—
1996	—	—	—
1997	1	1	2
1998	1	—	1

There have been no extraditions from Portugal to the United Kingdom in that period. Two requests for British nationals are under consideration from Portugal.

Stop and searches (including searches of unattended vehicles)
	White	Black	Asian	Other	Not recorded	Vehicles	Total
Stolen property	50,065	19,534	4,279	1,441	2,068	1,714	79,101
Drugs	86,941	35,423	17,240	2,380	3,534	2,187	147,705
Firearms	1,129	740	186	39	62	74	2,230
Offensive weapons	12,961	7,045	2,839	552	614	258	24,269
Going equipped	29,130	10,355	2,808	592	1,078	310	44,273
Other	1,806	783	275	36	137	120	3,157
Total	182,032	73,880	27,627	5,040	7,493	4,663	300,735

Arrests as a result
	White	Black	Asian	Other	Not recorded	Total
Stolen property	4,672	2,119	525	183	174	7,673
Drugs	9,677	3,365	1,612	247	346	15,247
Firearms	143	80	13	3	3	242

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the outcome of the study of stop and search undertaken by the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis and referred to in his answer to the hon. Member for Bradford, West (Mr. Singh) of 8 May 1998, Official Report, column 514; and if he will make a statement. [91180]

The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis tells me that the study of stop and search referred to in the reply given to my hon. Friend, the Member for Bradford, West (Mr. Singh) is currently being evaluated. An interim report should be produced by the end of July and the full evaluation will be published in September.The Metropolitan Police have been examining stop and search since 1995, and between April 1998 and March 1999 undertook work under the guidance of the Home Office and subject to independent evaluation on seven pilot sites: Brixton, Kingston, Plumstead, Hounslow, Tottenham, Limehouse and Charing Cross. The aims of the pilots are to:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many stop and search incidents took place in the Metropolitan Police district in 1998; if he will provide the ethnic breakdown of those stopped and searched; what proportion of such incidents resulted in (a) an arrest and (b) a charge, broken down by ethnic group; and if he will make a statement. [91087]

The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis has provided the following summary of information on stop and search records for the financial year 1998–99. He informs me that the Metropolitan Police does not keep data on charges in the form requested.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the name and rank of each Cleveland police officer who has been served with a regulation 7 notice in the Operation Lancet investigation. [91014]

Notices are issued under Regulation 7 of the Police (Discipline) Regulations 1985 to inform officers who are under investigation of the allegations or complaints which have been made against them and to give them the opportunity to make a statement. As these notices are issued on the basis of allegations, it would not be appropriate to provide the name and rank of officers who have received such a notice.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has undertaken of the risks faced by telecommunications engineers who install and maintain custodial electronic tagging and monitoring equipment. [91188]

No prisoner is allowed to participate in the Home Detention Curfew scheme (HDC) unless he or she satisfies both a prison service risk assessment and the strict eligibility criteria set out in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. Prisoners are not released on HDC if the release would present an unacceptable risk to the victim or members of the public, or if they have a pattern of offending which indicates a likelihood of re-offending during the HDC period, or if they are considered unlikely to comply with the conditions of the curfew.As to court-ordered curfews enforced by electronic monitoring, an assessment of the suitability of the sentence for an offender is carried out by the probation service as part of the pre-sentence report. This would include consideration of the same risk issues as outlined above in respect of HDC.There is no reason to believe that telecommunications engineers are at risk from offenders subject to electronic monitoring.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has to encourage cinema owners to commit screen time to British films. [89409]

[holding answer 2 July 1999]: The Government have no specific plans to ask cinema owners to commit screen time to British films. However, the recent Film Policy review identified a number of measures aimed at improving the performance and distribution of British films. Once established, the new Film Council will take forward this strategy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) how many British films financed in (i) 1996 and (ii) 1997 took advantage of capital gains tax reinvestment relief; what was the total value of equity investment in respect of these films; and what are the equivalent figures for the period since April 1998; [89413](2) what representations he has received regarding the effect on the British film industry of merging capital gains tax reinvestment relief with the enterprise investment scheme. [89397]

[holding answer 2 July 1999]: My Department has received representations from one promoter of a film investment scheme. The evaluation of specific tax-based schemes is a matter for the Inland Revenue.The detailed information requested on capital gains tax reinvestment relief is not available. Figures for the period since April 1998 would be available only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the answer of 30 June 1999, Official Report, column 201, if he intends to publish the representations reporting the impact of the national minimum wage on activity holidays. [899456]

I take a close interest in all matters of concern to the tourism industry, including activity holidays, but we have no plans to publish any representations that may be made to this Department on the impact of the National Minimum Wage. We would, in any case, pass any representations on to the Department of Trade and Industry, whose responsibility this matter is.Publication of representations to the Low Pay Commission on the impact of National Minimum Wage is a matter for the Commission itself.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many successful prosecutions took place for television licence evasion in the BB postcode area in each year since 1996. [90644]

The number of convictions for television licence evasion in the BB postcode area during the period in question was:

Year	Number
1996–97	1,414
1997–98	1,007
1998–99	934

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps the Government are taking to encourage more people to take their holidays in Britain. [90369]

The Government's new tourism strategy, "Tomorrow's Tourism", which I launched on 26 February, contains a raft of initiatives designed to promote quality in tourism through improved career opportunities, more sustainable development and increased access to, and better information about, tourism. As our tourism strategy is implemented and we help to develop an even more high quality and competitive tourism industry, we hope that more people from home and abroad will choose to take holiday breaks in Britain.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many (a) Cambridge University mathematicians, (b) schools in Brent and (c) schoolchildren in Brent he estimates will work within the Cambridge Motivate project in (i) the first year and (ii) the first five years. [90605]