To ask the Attorney-General when the Director of Public Prosecutions intends to publish his Annual Report. [92528]

The Director of Public Prosecutions has today published his Annual Report and copies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to his answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Enfield, North (Ms Ryan) of 12 January 1999, Official Report, columns 131–32, on the review of future funding of the BBC, when he will publish the findings of the review panel. [92693]

I expect to receive the panel's report at the end of July and will publish it as soon as possible thereafter. Copies will be sent to hon. Members in their constituencies and placed in the Libraries of the House.Publication of the report will mark the start of a period of public consultation which will run until 1 November 1999. I will reflect on the evidence gathered during that consultation with a view to taking decisions on the recommendations by the end of the year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps the Government are taking to encourage and promote rail travel. [90372]

Property/land	Bought	Sold
Street House	21 July 1992	22 December 1997
The Georgian House	28 January 1993	25 November 1998
Roxby House	1 February 1994	22 January 1999
Leases Farm	12 May 1994	26 February 1999
Hopetown Farm Buildings	28 July 1994	22 January 1999
Hopetown House	6 July 1996	31 October 1996
Thoroughway House	31 October 1994	14 November 1997
Leases Grange	27 November 1995	18 November 1998
The Croft	11 July 1996	29 March 1999
New Inn Farm	31 December 1996	28 May 1998
Land at Little Holtby	6 June 1996	1 June 1998
The Shawgills	26 August 1993	20 March 1998

Promotion of the use of the rail network will be one of the main objectives of the Strategic Rail Authority, to be established by the Railways Bill which received its second reading on 19 July. Meanwhile the shadow Strategic Rail Authority has been in operation since 1 April and is making a head start on the strategic planning which the industry needs. We have made three key rail appointments, which look to the future of railway industry.February's National Rail Summit produced commitments from the industry to deliver year on year improvements in terms of new drivers, new trains and better performance.In addition we have established two new funds, the Infrastructure Investment Fund and the Rail Passenger Partnership scheme as well as providing extra funds for the freight facilities grant.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to allow motorcycle couriers to use bus lanes in London. [91488]

We currently have no plans to allow motorcycle couriers to use bus lanes in London. Two pilot projects have been conducted in Bristol and Reading on the use of bus lanes by powered two wheelers. These were a useful source of information about the traffic and safety effects on powered two wheelers. But there was no monitoring of the situation before implementation and there are unanswered questions about their impact on pedal cyclists and the abuse of bus lanes by other drivers. We would, therefore, welcome proposals from local authorities interested in conducting properly monitored pilot studies of the use of bus lanes by motorcycles to help inform decisions on whether there is a case for motorcyclists to be allowed to use bus lanes.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list (a) the properties purchased alongside the Al road between Scotch Corner and Rainton in Yorkshire to allow for the upgrading of the road to motorway standards and (b) the total cost of the properties; what plans he has for these properties; and what is the future of the upgrading scheme. [90792]

[holding answer 14 July 1999]: The Highways Agency has bought and sold the following 26 properties and pieces of land:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will

Local bus services: passenger journeys by area
million
	1992–93	1993–94	1994–95	1995–96	1996–97	1997–98
Greater London	1,129	1,117	1,167	1,205	1,242	1,294
Tyne and Wear	189	182	170	168	165	161
Merseyside	178	166	168	165	163	153
Greater Manchester	252	236	226	224	212	211
South Yorkshire	176	166	163	158	150	144
West Yorkshire	231	232	222	219	207	200
West Midlands	356	355	381	358	349	368
Rest of England	1,307	1,274	1,277	1,265	1,265	1,248

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what will be the cost of installing the planned 360 on-bus cameras for the enforcement of bus lanes in London. [91487]

The London-wide expansion of the Traffic Director/Metropolitan Police to use cameras to enforce bus lanes was announced last year. Every bus lane in London will be covered by March 2003. The scheme is estimated to cost £10 million. This includes around 325 on-bus and 35 portable roadside cameras and associated common costs such as signing, computer hardware and software (including development) and type approvals.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what capital sums English Partnerships has allocated to the Wembley Task Force in 1999. [91703]

Across England as a whole bus patronage rose by one per cent. over the year 1996–97 to 1997–98. Bus ridership, measured as bus passenger journeys, is shown in the table. Data appear in tables 10 and 16 of the Transport Statistics Report "Focus on Public Transport Great Britain: 1999 edition", published by The Stationery Office. Data for 1998–99 will not be available until later this year.

None. Should the proposed Task Force identify any projects where support for physical regeneration may be required then it is for English Partnerships to consider each project proposal on its merits, against London-wide priorities, and in light of the resources available to the Agency. The Task Force will be seeking to maximise private sector investment in to the area on the back of the significant investment already made by the public sector.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans the Wembley Stadium Development Monitoring Committee has to consult and involve (a) Brent Council and (b) local stakeholders. [91704]

The Wembley Monitoring Committee is there to ensure effective co-ordination across Government and their agencies in respect of the national stadium project, to consider issues arising and agree handling. As the local planning authority, it is not appropriate for Brent to be part of that Committee. We are, however, maintaining close contact with Brent and my right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport and the Minister for the Regions, Regeneration and Planning (Mr. Caborn), met the Leader of Brent Council last week. The local community will, of course, be consulted as part of the planning process.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what responsibility the Minister for Transport takes for operational performance of London Underground Ltd. [91484]

[holding answer 15 July 1999]: The responsibilities of the Secretary of State and his Ministers for the operational performance of London Underground Ltd. are laid out in the London Regional Transport Act 1984, as amended.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps he is taking to reduce the use of official cars by officials in (a) his Department, (b) executive agencies of his Department, (c) his Department's-sponsored non-departmental public bodies, including regional development agencies and (d) the Government Offices for the Regions. [91452]

[holding answer 15 July 1999]: Green Transport Plans covering our Headquarters buildings, Executive Agencies and Government Offices aim to reduce the environmental impact of the journey to work and travel on official business.In addition, our travel and subsistence rules have been revised, with now only a single mileage rate to encourage the use of public transport rather than rates based on car engine size. Claims also have to verify that the most cost effective means of transport was used and the use of a car is considered only where public transport was not a viable option.Further Green Transport Plans will be in place, in line with the Government target, for all other key Departmental buildings, i.e. those where it is the major occupier and has over 50 staff, by March 2000.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to require the owners and operators of fuel storage tanks (a) to ensure that drain cocks on such tanks are fitted with a lockable device to prevent accidental spillage and (b) to ensure that operating procedures are in place to ensure that such devices are used. [91777]

The Environment Agency's Pollution Prevention Guidelines (PPG2) on above ground oil storage tanks recommends that all tanks should have valves or cocks with lockable or removable hand wheels to prevent accidental spillage. The Guidelines (PPG11) also state that a routine programme of inspection and maintenance should be established.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much money his Department has provided to the Countryside Agency for the development of quiet lanes. [91800]

The Countryside Agency has allocated £253,000 of its grant in aid for this financial year to the Quiet Roads initiative. This will bring the total spent on the initiative since it was launched by the Countryside Commission two years ago to £450,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to amend the programme of work which water companies are being requested to carry out on the environment during the period 2000 to 2005 following the recent adjustment to the cost of capital made by the Director General of Water Services for the 1999 periodic review. [91798]

The Government's guidance to the Director General on the environmental and water quality improvements to be delivered by 2005 was published under the title "Raising the Quality" in September 1998. More detailed proposals for individual company programmes were announced on 1 March 1999.These programmes and the cost of capital will both be factors which the Director General takes into account in the draft price determinations he plans to announce on 27 July.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many affordable homes to rent were developed in (a) 1997 and (b) 1998 in (i) Salisbury district, (ii) North Dorset district, (iii) New Forest district, (iv) Kennet district and (v) Test Valley district. [91794]

The additional rented social lettings provided in these districts in 1997–98 and 1998–99 by registered social landlords, with support from the Housing Corporation's Approved Development Programme (ADP) and Local Authority Social Housing Grant (LASHG), were as follows:

District	1997–98	1998–99
Salisbury	121	95
North Dorset	93	51
New Forest	124	148
Kennet	218	138
Test Valley	57	68

These additional social lettings come from new build, the purchase and rehabilitation of existing property and from empty properties brought into use for temporary social housing. The ADP and LASHG also support the provision of homes for shared ownership and incentive schemes which assist social tenants to move into home ownership and vacate their lettings for others in housing need.According to information provided to the Department by local authorities, there was no new building of council housing in these districts in 1997–98 and 1998–99 (other than that provided by LASHG).

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many people have been prosecuted in each year since 1988 under section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988. [91868]

No local authority to date has been taken to court for breach of section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988. I should clarify that the restrictions in the section apply to the actions of local authorities, not individual people.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what research he has commissioned on a waste strategy for London; what were the results of that research which has been completed; and if he will make a statement. [91781]

My Department has not commissioned any such research.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what is the waiting time for a practical car driving test in Carlisle; and if he will make a statement; [91442](2) what is the target waiting time for a practical car driving test set by the Driving Standards Agency. [91443]

[holding answer 19 July 1999]: The current waiting time for driving tests is nine weeks in Carlisle. The Driving Standards Agency has brought in two extra examiners to help reduce the waiting time locally.The Agency's service targets for test delivery are that the national average waiting time will not exceed six weeks, and that appointments will be available within 10 weeks at 99 per cent. of permanent driving test centres.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what meetings have taken place between Special Advisers in his Department and representatives of or advisers to Central Railways. [91989]

[holding answer 20 July 1999]: None.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions which persons acted as independent assessors in the sift and interview of candidates for appointment to the Board of the North West Development Agency. [91473]

Dr. Joan Firth acted as independent assessor in the sift and interviews of candidates for appointment to the Board of the North West Development Agency.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what potential conflicts of interest were taken into account when appointments were made to the Board of the North West Development Agency. [91474]

The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions asked all candidates for appointment to complete a questionnaire, giving details of any companies or partnerships of which they were or had been a director or partner during the past 10 years. Candidates were specifically asked to declare any facts that they felt might be raised in public in the future in relation to their suitability to hold the appointment, particularly anything that could be presented as a conflict of interest.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) if he will list the names of individuals and other bodies who nominated persons to the Board of North West Regional Development Agency; [91470](2) in what journals a general advertisement was placed seeking nominations to the Board of North West Regional Development Agency [91469]

Nominations were invited from regional stakeholders. I list here the names of those individuals and bodies who nominated people. A press release was issued to the regional press saying that Regional stakeholders had been invited to make nominations. In addition an advertisement inviting applications for board membership of all DETR' s NDPBs was placed in The Sunday Times, The Guardian and the Journal (ethnic press).Nominations for the RDA Board were received from the following organisations/individuals:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will instruct the North West Development Agency to carry out an internal inquiry into the change in the costs of mileage allowances arising out of the transfer of English Partnership offices from Cockermouth to Penrith. [91464]

No. This is an operational matter for the North West Development Agency.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what the location is of the office in his Department which held the data relating to nominations to the Board of the North West Development Agency. [91471]

The data relating to nominations to the Board of the North West Development Agency are held by the Government Office for the North West, located in Sunley Tower, Piccadilly Plaza, Manchester.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate has been made of the freehold value of English Partnerships' offices in Cockermouth on the basis of English Partnerships remaining as a tenant. [91472]

Issues relating to accommodation are a matter for the North West Development Agency. The English Partnerships office at Cockermouth transferred to the Agency on 1 April 1999. I understand that the portfolio of premises, including the offices at Lakeland Business Park, is valued annually by independent valuers. The most recent valuation took place on 31 March and reflected the occupation of the premises by Agency staff. For commercial reasons the precise detail of the annual valuation is confidential.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions which organisation will receive the moneys raised from the sale of English Partnerships' offices at Home Wood in Cockermouth. [91457]

I understand that Home Wood is now known as Lakeland Business Park. It was transferred from English Partnerships to the North West Development Agency (NWDA) on 1 April 1999. The estate at Lakeland Business Park consists of a number of office blocks, one of which is occupied by NWDA staff. The premises at Lakeland Business Park are owned by the NWDA and any proceeds from the sale of those premises would come to the Agency subject to the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions' accounting regulations. The premises, however, are not currently programmed for disposal.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 6 July 1999, Official Report, column 447, what estimate has been made of the letting value of the English Partnerships offices in Cockermouth. [91458]

Issues concerning accommodation are a matter for the North West Development Agency. I understand from the Agency that the current rental estimate for the premises at Cockermouth is £4.50 per square foot.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if all offices to be occupied by the North West Development Agency have or are to have BREAM ratings. [91459]

Issues relating to accommodation are a matter for the North West Development Agency. I understand that it is the Agency's policy to ensure that all new offices will obtain a BREAM rating.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what were the annual (a) office-related costs and (b) total of salaries and estate-related costs for the English Partnerships offices in Cockermouth for each of the last two years. [91460]

The annual figures for English Partnerships Cockermouth were as follows:

£
	1997–98	1998–99
Salaries	357,000	322,000
Other office related	157,000	170,000
Estate related	353,000	343,000

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will establish an independent inquiry into the change in the costs of mileage allowances arising from the transfer of English Partnerships' offices from Cockermouth to Penrith. [91463]

No. This is an operational matter for the North West Development Agency.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) if he will list the changes to procedures adopted by his Department and its agencies following the Government's signing of the Aarhus Convention on Access to Environmental Information; [91817](2) what plans he has to ratify the Aarhus Convention on Access to Environmental Information; and if he will make a statement. [91816]

We intend to ratify the UNECE Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (the 'Aarhus Convention') as soon as we have all the necessary measures in place to implement its provisions.Like most of the other European Union member states, the UK expects to be in a position to ratify by the end of 2000. To date, only the Republic of Moldova has ratified.Implementation of the Convention is through a mixture of administrative actions and legislative measures. In a great many respects, the UK already fulfils the provisions of the Convention. However, new legislation will be required to implement some of the provisions on environmental information and the consultation paper on the draft Freedom of Information Bill stated that current environmental information regime would be revoked and replaced with provisions in the Bill.In the past year, we have continued to promote activities relevant to the Convention. For example, the Environment Agency issued a consultation paper on its proposals for extended public consultation on selected licence applications on 16 July, draft Planning Policy Guidance Note 12 on Development Plans promotes active public participation in the preparation of a development plan and the Environment Agency has published a new Pollution Inventory on the internet.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the number of people who have been driving regularly in the United Kingdom with non-UK driving licences in each of the last five years. [92023]

This information is not collected.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many and what proportion of road accidents have involved people driving with non-UK driving licences in each of the last five years. [92022]

No information is collected nationally on the country of issue of licences held by drivers involved in road accidents.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the number of passengers using rail transport (a) to commute into London and (b) to travel around London in (i) 1995–96, (ii) 1996–97, (iii) 1997–98 and (iv) 1998–99. [92398]

The estimated number of people from 1995 onwards entering central London by rail during the morning peak period between 7 am and 10 am on an average weekday is as follows:

Thousand
	Surface rail1	LUL and DLR only
1995	395	348
1996	399	361
1997	435	373
1998	447	395
1 Includes transfers to LUL and DLR

The estimated numbers of annual passenger journeys by rail in London from 1995–96 onwards are as follows:

Million
	Surface rail1	LUL	DLR
1995–96	761	784	15
1996–97	800	772	17
1997–98	846	832	21
1998–99	892	866	29
1 Surface rail data covering the London area are not available—these figures refer to passenger journeys in the former Network South East area.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what guidance has been provided to members of development agencies as to circumstances in which conflict of interest might exist and the action which should be taken when such guidance is ignored. [91465]

The letters of appointment sent to members of the North West Development Agency provided guidance on potential conflicts of interest and the responsibility to declare any such interests.The Codes of Conduct, which have been drawn up by the agencies in accordance with guidance produced by the Cabinet Office, cover the issue of members' interests. Agencies are required to maintain a Register of Interest of their members. Board members have attended a training course on their roles and responsibilities as members of non-departmental public bodies. The issues of conflicts of interest and propriety were among the issues covered.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the level of misuse of international aid sent to Bosnia; and if she will make a statement. [91719]

We have made no assessment of the level of misuse of international aid to Bosnia, although we monitor the general effectiveness of international development programmes to which we contribute. We have no evidence to suggest that international aid is being misused in Bosnia.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what steps her Department has taken to promote the inclusion of Somalia within the ACP group of countries for development purposes; [91928](2) what steps her Department has taken to raise the issue of Somalia with the European Union and ACP group of states in negotiations on the successor to the Lome Convention. [91927]

Somalia is an ACP member. I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Argyll and Bute (Mrs. Michie) on 14 July 1999, Official Report, column 224.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many individuals his Department has recruited under the New Deal for Young People. [91896]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office to the hon. Member for Slough (Fiona Mactaggart) on 25 May 1999, Official Report, column 116.Two New Deal appointees are expected to join the Department by the end of July. We also expect to submit approximately six further vacancies to the Employment Service in the remainder of 1999 with a continuing annual programme of 10 to 12 New Deal appointments thereafter.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many appointments to quangos she made between (a) 1 June 1997 and 31 May 1998 and (b) 1 June 1998 and 31 May 1999; and in each case of those how many were members of Britain's (i) Asian and (ii) ethnic minority communities. [92140]

Between 1 June 1997 and 31 May 1998 my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State made 41 appointments to quangos. Six of the appointees were members of Britain's ethnic minority communities, of whom five were from the Asian community.The number of appointments made for the period 1 June 1998 to 31 May 1999 was 15, of which none were from the ethnic minority communities.We are committed to achieving by the end of 2002 a target of 10 per cent. of the public appointments for which we are responsible to be held by members of the ethnic minority communities.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will publish a list of all those official documents of the last Administration which have been seen by (a) her, (b) other Ministers in her Department, (c) special advisers in her Department and (d) non-career civil servants appointed since May 1997 in her Department. [92177]

[holding answer 20 July 1999]: A large number of official documents were generated during the period of the previous Administration, many of which were published or put in the public domain. Since May 1997, the Department has been guided by the convention governing access to the papers of a previous Administration, as set out in the then Prime Minister's reply to a written question on 24 January 1980, Official Report columns 5–7.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development by what criteria the Government will decide what proportion of the costs incurred by her Department during the Kosovo crisis between and including March and July will be met from Treasury Contingency Reserve and what proportion from her Department's budget; and if she will make a statement. [92230]

The Government have already decided that £30 million of the £56 million cost incurred by DFID on the Kosovo crisis between and including March and July should come from the Reserve.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list the subject of each gender impact assessment drawn up by her Department since June 1997, indicating in each case whether the outcome has been (a) put out to consultation and (b) published. [92003]

Gender impact is routinely assessed in each Evaluation Study commissioned by DFID's Evaluation Department. These studies are put out in draft for comment among persons associated with the project or programme under evaluation, and are routinely published in hard copy and on DFID' s Internet Website. A global evaluation of DFID's work in promoting gender equality will be commissioned later this year.Evaluation studies completed and published since June 1997 include:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish a consolidated list of criminal offences together with the minimum and maximum lengths of sentences which attach to each type of offence. [91668]

No consolidated list of criminal offences currently exists and to produce one would be an expensive and time-consuming exercise with limited benefits. I therefore have no plans to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the enforcement of the law in relation to pedal cyclists who ride (a) through red lights and (b) on pavements. [91562]

Enforcement of the law in respect of cycling offences is an operational matter for individual chief officers of police. The hazards caused by cyclists who ride through red lights and who cycle inconsiderately on the pavement are recognised by chief officers and appropriate action is taken where such offences are detected. In order to assist the police, we are introducing, from 1 August, a fixed penalty for the offence of cycling on the pavement. Chief officers recognise that the fixed penalty will need to be used with a considerable degree of discretion and it cannot be issued to anyone under the age of 16. But it will provide the police service with a direct and simple means of dealing with inconsiderate cycling.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many allegations of sexual harassment have been made by female employees in Her Majesty's Prison Service in each of the last five years for which records are available. [91553]

Records have only been compiled centrally since 1998. These consist of cases notified to Prison Service headquarters by equal opportunities officers. The recorded information is given in the table:

Year	Number of allegations
January-December 1998	31
January-June 1999	5

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of sexual harassment in Her Majesty's Prison Service have been settled by employment tribunals in each of the last five years for which records are available. [91551]

The table provides information about all cases, including sexual harassment, brought under the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 which were settled either by negotiation or by Tribunal decision.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the (a) objectives and (b) progress of the planned re-location of Home Office headquarters from Queen Anne's Gate. [92195]

The objectives of the Home Office Central London Accommodation Strategy Private Finance Initiative project are to provide accommodation which meets Home Office and Prison Service long-term requirements for headquarters accommodation in central London; meets operational and business requirements; supports the Home Office modernisation programme; provides a healthy, safe and secure working environment for staff; and complies with Home Office and wider Government environmental policies.An invitation to submit best and final offers was issued to three bidders in August 1998. Their bids were received in November 1998. None of these bids were acceptable and it is now proposed to invite further best and final offers based upon a revised statement of requirements. Bidders have been told that we expect to do this in September. The new accommodation is likely to be ready for occupation no earlier than 2004.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department under what circumstances police may make public a defendant's prior convictions in cases where anonymity has been granted in a criminal trial. [92109]

The rules of evidence governing the admissibility in criminal proceedings of a defendant's criminal record apply regardless of whether anonymity has been granted in those proceedings.The law on previous misconduct is currently under consideration by the Law Commission. The Law Commission issued a consultation paper on this subject in July 1996 and their final report is expected early next year.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the membership of the National Co-ordination Committee for the 1997 European Year Against Racism; what reports he has received on the Committee's work; and if he will place copies in the Library. [91536]

Permanent members of the National Co-ordination Committee for the 1997 European Year Against Racism are:

Permanent Members of National Co-ordination Committee for 1997 European Year Against Racism
Membership	Department/Organisation
Timothy Kirkhope	Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Home Office)
Baroness Flather
Michael Gillespie	Home Office
Trevor Hall	Home Office
Caroline Rowe	Home Office
Julie Clouder	Home Office
Graham Bann	Race for Opportunity
Marilyn Macy	Department for Education and Employment
Paul Brice	Department of Health
Will Haire	Northern Ireland Office
Gerald Laufer	Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions
Sukhdev Sharma	Commission for Racial Equality
Colin Hann	Commission for Racial Equality Sukhvinder Stubbs Runnymede Trust
Kay Carberry	Trades Union Congress
Loraine Martins	Sia
Brian Pearce	Interfaith Network
Alison Wheeler	Association of Metropolitan Authorities
Robin Mayho	Association of County Councils
Joslyn Fisher	Association of District Councils
Gordon Mitchell	Welsh Local Government Association
John Preston	British Phonographic Industry
Julie Mellor	CBI
Richard Flint	Heart of England TEC
John Jordan	Convention of Scottish Local Authorities

The Report from the Commission of the European Communities on 'The Implementation of the European Year Against Racism (1997)' was issued in Brussels on 3 June 1999, and received here shortly afterwards.Copies of the report and a covering Explanatory Memorandum are available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the principal functions of the Community Relations Unit and set out its priorities for 1999 and 2000. [91535]

The aims of the Race Equality Unit (formerly the Community Relations Unit) for 1999–2000 are to promote race equality and to increase ethnic minority representation in the public sector. This includes:

developing, implementing and monitoring race equality employment targets for the Home Office Services;

launching a new grant scheme to promote race equality;

contributing to and, where appropriate, giving a lead on race equality issues internationally;

developing policy on religious discrimination and other faith issues;

support for the Home Secretary's Race Relations Forum which provides ethnic minorities with an effective voice at the heart of government;

reviewing the effectiveness of the criminal law in race relations; and

supporting the reception of refugees including the Kosovan Humanitarian Evacuation Programme.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) British passports and (b) visitor's permits have been issued to (i) male and (ii) female Albanians in each of the last two years; what estimate he has made of the number of Albanians who are in this country illegally; and if he will make a statement. [92217]

The available information is on grants of British citizenship and the issue of non-settlement entry clearance at the British Embassies in Tirana, or in Rome and Istanbul which were the designated entry clearance issuing posts for applicants resident in Albania before the British Embassy in Tirana provided full entry clearance-issuing facilities in 1999. The data are given in the table. No information is readily available on the gender of the applicants.There is no estimate of the total number of Albanian nationals currently living in the United Kingdom who have no lawful right to be here.

Year of grant	1997	1998
Albanian nationals granted British citizenship	3	9
Albanian nationals granted non-settlement entry clearance issued at the British Embassies in Tirana1, Rome and Istanbul	639	1,240
1 All issues, not necessarily to Albanian nationals

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the terms of reference given to the inquiry into procedures at Harlan UK's breeding establishment in North West Leicestershire; how many inspectors are engaged in the inquiry; and what is its planned timescale. [91814]

I have asked the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspectorate to investigate all the allegations made against this establishment by the British

Date	Location	Minister	Irish minister
13 January	Dublin Castle	Lord Dubs	Mr. Noel Dempsey TD
			Mr. Bobby Molloy TD
3 February	Department of Education and Science, Dublin	Mr. McFall	Mr. Michael Martin TD and three officials
17 March	Armagh	Lord Dubs	Mr. Jim McDaid TD
26 March	President's Hall, Dublin	Lord Dubs	Dr. Michael Woods TD
1 April	Aghalane Bridge	Lord Dubs	Mr. Noel Dempsey TD
21 April	Kings Hall, Belfast	Lord Dubs	Mr. Noel Davern TD
22 April	Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Dublin	Mr. Ingram	Mr. J. O'Donoghue TD and four officials
23 April	Slieve Donard Hotel, Newcastle	Lord Dubs	Mr. Noel Davern TD
29 April	Ballyconnell, Co. Cavan	Lord Dubs	Taoiseach
4 May	Conard Hotel, Dublin	Mr. McFall	(1) Dr. Tom Moffett TD
			(2) Mr. Brian Cowen TD and five officials
17 May	Enniskillen College	Lord Dubs	Mr. Noel Davern TD and one official
17 June	Lancaster House, London	Lord Dubs	Lord Donoghue
			Mr. Joe Walsh TD

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when she plans to publish the 1998–99 report on the Royal Ulster Constabulary by Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary. [92526]

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many times Ministers in her Department have held meetings with Ministers and officials of the Irish Government since 1 January, indicating the dates and locations of each meeting, the Ministers involved and the names of the Irish Ministers and officials at each meeting. [90410]

I have met Irish Ministers very frequently throughout the Talks Process. Other meetings held by Northern Ireland Office Ministers since 1 January 1999 were:

Copies of the 1998–99 Inspection Report, which is the fourteenth RUC Inspection Report to be published, have today been placed in the Library.Her Majesty's Inspector's overall remit is to examine police operational efficiency and effectiveness and offer his independent and professional recommendations. I am sure the Independent Commission on Policing will be interested to note the recommendations and I am extremely pleased to see that Her Majesty's Inspector is optimistic about the future of policing in Northern Ireland, as indeed I am myself.This report covers a number of areas relating to matters such as RUC planning strategies, consultation arrangements, performance management, and community relations. The Chief Constable will now consider these issues and in due course the Police Authority will publish any comments either the Chief Constable or the Authority may have.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what performance targets have been set for the Construction Service in 1999–2000. [92527]

For 1999–2000, the following performance targets have been set for Construction Services:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will publish the guidelines, procedures and rules governing the town centre CCTV challenge competition; what criteria will be used to make financial allocations; and if the scheme is subject to policy appraisal fair treatment guidelines. [91531]

The Police Authority for Northern Ireland issued a detailed guidance document on the bidding process when the first Northern Ireland Town Centre CCTV Challenge Competition was launched on 24 June 1999. This document sets out the procedures for submitting a bid and details the criteria against which all bids will be assessed. The guidance document has been widely circulated to interested parties across Northern Ireland and further copies may be obtained by contacting the Authority. As demonstrated by the announcement in March last year of the new Targeting Social Need initiative, the Government remain committed to securing equality of opportunity and equity of treatment for all the people of Northern Ireland. The rules of this competition have been developed in line with this policy and the awarding of funds will also be so governed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures she has taken to ensure that victims of sectarian crimes of violence and their relatives are consulted and encouraged to become involved in local partnerships receiving funding through town centre CCTV challenge competitions. [91530]

Details of the Northern Ireland Town Centre CCTV Challenge Competition have been widely disseminated throughout Northern Ireland by way of both television coverage and local press articles. All members of the community have been equally encouraged to participate in the establishing of local partnerships which will clearly benefit from being as inclusive as possible. Membership of the partnerships is open to anyone with an interest to contributing to the crime reduction effort in their local area.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what rules govern the use of recordings made as a result of town centre CCTV cameras; and what safeguards are available to protect against (a) the unauthorised use of a recording and (b) the abuse of an authorised use. [91533]

Any CCTV scheme funded as a result of a bid in the Northern Ireland Town Centre CCTV Challenge Competition must be governed by a Code of Practice. The development of such a Code is a critical element of the bidding procedure and is required to take account of generally recognised standards and safeguards relating to the use of CCTV.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will require the Police Authority to make public police objections to partnerships seeking funding through the town centre CCTV challenge competition; at what level of command the decision to make an objection must be taken; and what body will assess in the first instance that an objection meets the requirement of reasonableness. [91532]

Individual partnerships will receive a full report on any police objections to proposed town centre CCTV schemes. The decision to make an objection to a proposal should be taken at Superintendent level or higher. Partnerships unhappy with the police view of their proposal may wish to raise this matter with the Police Authority for Northern Ireland.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what studies her Department has commissioned on the age, gender and social and economic profile of the perpetrators of sectarian assaults. [91534]

To date the Government have not commissioned studies on this issue.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the notifications under the Genetically Modified Organisms (Contained Use) Regulations 1992 (as amended) for work on genetically modified fish to be undertaken in Scotland. [88730]

[holding answer 28 June 1999]: None. Activities involving genetically modified animals and plants need to be notified if they fail to meet criteria for safety to human health specified in the Regulations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has assessed about biotechnology research involving (a) the transfer of fish genes into other organisms and (b) genes into fish. [89024]

[holding answer 29 June 1999]: The only information assessed related to a premises notification submitted in 1994 under the Genetically Modified Organism (Contained Use) Regulations 1992 and related to work on transgenic fish undertaken at Otter Ferry Salmon Ltd., Argyll, with the assistance of a Canadian company. It was a pre-market pilot study and as such did not involve commercial release. This work has now ceased.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many times ministers in his 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. [90403]

My hon. Friend the Member for Western Isles (Mr. Macdonald) held an ESDP bilateral in Dublin with Dan Wallace, Minister of State at the Irish Department of the Environment, on 12 March 1998. In accordance with convention the names of officials in attendance are not given.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish, through concordats or other appropriate documents, the administrative measures taken to clarify the arrangements within Government Departments on demarcation between matters dealt with by the Scottish Executive and those relating to Scotland continuing to be dealt with by the Scottish Office or other Whitehall Departments. [91236]

The devolution legislation defines the scope of the responsibilities of members of the Scottish Executive. The Scottish Ministers' responsibilities include functions in relation to matters in Scotland which are not reserved by schedule 5 of the Scotland Act 1998 and functions transferred to them under section 63 of that Act (e.g. under The Scotland Act 1998 (Transfer of Functions to the Scottish Ministers etc.) Order 1999, SI 1999 1750).

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the impact which the proposed climate change levy will have on the Scottish agricultural sector; and if he will make a statement. [91675]

The climate change levy will play a key role in helping the UK meet the greenhouse gas emission targets we are committed to achieve. It is a priority objective for the Government to mitigate the global impacts of climate change. My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who is responsible for this matter, will consider all submissions on the levy before he makes an announcement on its final form.The National Farmers Union of Scotland has submitted its views on the levy to HM Customs and Excise. The National Farmers Union has joined representatives of other energy intensive sectors in negotiations for energy efficiency agreements with the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions. Sectors which make satisfactory agreements will be eligible for lower rates of levy. I understand that there has been good progress in the negotiations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark will be in service; and if he will make a statement. [85960]

[holding answer 8 June 1999]: The current approved ISDs are March 2002 and March 2003. However, the DPA has been informed that Marconi Naval Systems (MNS) (formerly VSEL) is experiencing difficulties with maintaining the LPD(R) construction programmes on schedule at their Barrow shipyard. I cannot confirm whether we will need to revise the in service dates until the company has completed their detailed negotiations with the DPA.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the percentage of the total value of the Eurofighter which is to be manufactured in the United Kingdom. [89928]

Eurofighter workshare entitlements are based on the number of aircraft each of the four partner nations is purchasing. As the United Kingdom is purchasing 232 aircraft from a four nation total of 620, the percentage value of Eurofighter work accruing to the United Kingdom is 37.42 per cent. Any imbalances that arise between production activity levels and entitlements will be addressed during the life of the programme using mechanisms established in the Eurofighter Memoranda of Understanding signed by the four partner nations in December 1997.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the medium-range TRIGAT programme. [90175]

On 10 June the Secretary of State for Defence announced that the UK intended to join the Industrialisation and Production phase of the MR TRIGAT programme. The UK, France and Germany have now signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) covering that stage of the programme. Subject to signature of the MOU by the remaining partner nations, Belgium and the Netherlands, and satisfactory final negotiations with the Prime Contractor, Aerospatiale, we expect to place a contract for the Industrialisation and Production of the weapon system later this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the current budget of (a) the Active

Project	Original predicted in service date	Current predicted or achieved in service date	Current estimated project cost at 1999–2000 prices (£ million)
Active Decoy Round-Outfit DLH	December 1997	April 2000	108
Chinook Medium Support Helicopter	December 1997	December 1997	322
Counter Battery Radar	December 1993	December 2002	180
Joint Tactical Information Distribution System (JTIDS) for RN Ships	June 1993	December 2002	358
JTIDS for Sea Harrier	June 1998	December 2004	—
JTIDS for Sea King	December 1999	July 2001	—
Skynet 4	May 1997	May 1998	500
Truck Utility Light	December 1994	September 1997	241
Truck Utility Medium	December 1994	April 1997	—
Truck Utility Medium (Heavy Duty)	December 1994	May 1995	—
Tomahawk Land Attack Missile	December 1998	December 1998	200

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many redundancies there will be in Exeter following the removal of 43 Brigade to Bulford, Netheravon and Tidworth. [91566]

Our current estimate is that 27 people may be made redundant; this excludes members of the MOD Guard Service. The effect on MOD Guard Service personnel will depend on the future access control requirements at Wyvern Barracks, Exeter, which are yet to be finally determined.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make funding available to British Forces Broadcasting Services to enable the temporary radio station for the Colchester Garrison to be made a permanent service. [91793]

The 'garrison radio' service at Colchester is part of a trial facility over a 12 month period from April this year at the four largest UK mainland Army garrisons, as part of the Army's Corporate Communications Strategy. The facility uses a short-term (28 day) restricted service licence granted by the Radio Authority and each location (Bulford/Tidworth, Catterick, Colchester and Aldershot) will be covered twice during the trial period. A decision on the future of this service will be made following an assessment of the outcome of these trials and the availability of suitable frequency licences.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish a list of all those official Decoy Round-Outfit DHL Project, (b) the Chinook Medium Support Helicopter Project, (c) the Counter Battery Radar Project, (d) the Joint Tactical Information Distribution System for Royal Navy Ships and Aircraft Project, (e) the Skynet 4 stage 2 Project, (f) the Truck Utility Light/Medium/Medium Project and (h) the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile Project; and in each case what was the original and what is the current in-service date. [90428]

The information is as follows:documents of the last Administration which have been seen by

[holding answer 20 July 1999]: A large number of official documents were generated during the period of the previous Administration, many of which were published or put in the public domain. Since May 1997, the Department has been guided by the convention governing access to the papers of a previous Administration, as set out in the then Prime Minister's reply to a written question on 24 January 1980, Official Report, columns 305–07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he plans to announce the outcome of his Department's review of the defence response to the threat posed by biological and chemical weapons; and if he will make a statement. [92694]

I have today placed in the Library of the House a paper setting out the conclusions of our review. The paper entitled "Defending Against the Threat from Biological and Chemical Weapons", explains our policy and the ways in which we plan to develop our capabilities further.We will continue to pursue, through international agreement, the verifiable elimination of biological and chemical weapons. Valuable progress has been made in recent years as a result of our efforts, but there is a long way to go before our objectives are met in full. In the meantime, we recognise that the use, or threatened use, of these weapons remains one of the potential challenges we must face.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many appointments to quangos he made between (a) 1 June 1997 and 31 May 1998 and (b) 1 June 1998 and 31 May 1999; and in each case of those how many were members of Britain's (i) Asian and (ii) ethnic minority communities. [92137]

The following number of appointments were made to Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs) for which my Department is responsible:

(a) 1 June 1997 to 31 May 1998: 34; (i) nil; (ii) nil.

(b) 1 June 1998 to 31 May 1999: 30; (i) nil; (ii) nil.

These figures include new appointments as well as reappointments.Appointments to the Armed Forces Pay Review Body are not included as they are made by the Prime Minister. Appointments to the technical Boards under the Defence Scientific Advisory Council are not included (they have previously been included in answers to similar questions). The Cabinet Office has recently agreed that as these Boards are sub-Committees of the Council they should not be classified as advisory NDPBs. Appointments to the Council itself are included.Within the overriding principle of selection based on merit, MOD is committed to increasing diversity in appointments to its NDPBs and raising the representation of women, people from ethnic minority groups and disabled people in line with government-wide objectives. To this end MOD publishes an annual Plan for Public Appointments and Equal Opportunities (the plan for 1999–2002 was published in "Quangos: Opening up Public Appointments") which sets objectives and targets.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what key targets have been set for the Defence Vetting Agency in the financial year 1999–2000. [92695]

The Defence Vetting Agency was launched on 1 April 1997 with a staff of 349, at four separate Units in Central London, Portsmouth, Woolwich and Corsham. The Agency carries out some 130,000 vetting checks and investigations each year. The Agency is embarked on an ambitious modernisation programme aimed at creating a highly responsive and highly efficient, integrated organisation, exploiting the capabilities of modern information technology to the benefit of its customers. Central to the modernisation initiative is collocation of the Agency at York. 1999–2000 will see the run up to collocation. The Chief Executive has been set the following Key Targets:

Quality

Key Target 1

At least a 90 per cent. success rating in dealing with Contentious Cases, and zero Serious Errors.

Timeliness

Key Target 2

To complete 87 per cent. of Security Checks within 6 weeks (30 working days).

Key Target 3

To complete 84 per cent. of Counter Terrorist Checks within 6 weeks (30 working days).

Key Target 4

To complete 90 per cent. of all Developed Vetting clearances within 6 months (120 working days).

Key Target 5

To maintain average times for Security Checks and Counter Terrorist Checks of 4 weeks (20 working days) and 4.6 weeks (23 working days) respectively, and to complete Developed Vetting clearances on average within 3.1 months (62 working days).

Efficiency

Key Target 6

To maintain the Financial Year 1998–99 Unit Cost of Output.

I have arranged for advance copies of the Corporate Plan to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what new data series separated by gender, race, disability and age have been commissioned by his Department since June 1997. [90823]

In January 1999 the Department carried out a re-survey of all its staff to update the information held on an individual's ethnic origin and disability information. The response rate by May 1999 was 94 per cent. of all staff.Information on gender, age, ethnic origin and disability is automatically collected when a member of staff joins the Department. In addition individual members of staff have on-line access to their own computerised personnel file to enable them to notify the Department of any inaccuracies which may be held.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what consultations he has had with industry on the financing of scientific laboratories in schools in the past two years. [91285]

We have had no consultations with industry during the past two years on the financing of science laboratories in schools although we do, of course, promote the Private Finance Initiative as a means for attracting private finance into the schools capital programme generally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to review the school scientific laboratory teaching curricula in the sciences. [91282]

The proposals for a revised National Curriculum for schools issued by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 13 May include new measures to improve the quality of experiments pupils carry out when studying biology, chemistry and physics. A copy of the consultation materials was placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what recommendations he has made for the design, layout and organisation of school scientific laboratories; [91284](2) what studies he has undertaken in the last two years on the standards set for the design and equipment of school scientific laboratories for the teaching of

The Department has published guidance on the design and layout of school science rooms. Building Bulletin 82, "Area Guidelines for Schools", offers advice for both primary and secondary schools, while Building Bulletin 80, "Science Accommodation in Secondary Schools: A Design Guide", provides more detailed advice for the secondary sector, which requires dedicated, science accommodation. The design needs of secondary schools has been examined during the past two years as part of our rolling programme for producing, and updating, design guidance and, as a consequence, a replacement for Building Bulletin 80 will be published during the coming month.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what estimate he has made of change in the proportion of A-level history students choosing to study (a) pre-1066 and (b) medieval English history in the last 20 years; [91555](2) what recent research he has

Information about the proportion of A-level history students choosing to study pre-1066 and medieval English history is not collected centrally. The Department has commissioned no recent research into the teaching of English history. To date we have received one representation on the availability of pre-1066 English history at A-level, as well as early day motion 829 tabled on 15 July. In the light of the concerns expressed, we have asked the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, which is responsible for regulating and approving all A-level specifications offered by the awarding bodies in England, to investigate this matter urgently.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will take steps to ensure that local education authorities which have been severely criticised in Ofsted reports do not offer generous early retirement packages to their chief education officers. [91790]

The issue of early retirement is a matter for individual local authorities in the light of relevant employment and education law. We expect them to take decisions with the aim of securing value for money for the whole education budget and high quality education for their pupils.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what percentage of teachers in maintained (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in England and Wales were aged (i) under 30, (ii) 31–40, (iii) 41–50 and (iv) over 50 years in each of the years from 1996 to 1999. [91942]

Full-time qualified teachers in the maintained sector in England and Wales, 1996 and 1997¹, by phase and age are as follows:

Percentage of all ages
	31 March 1996	31 March 19972
Nursery and Primary
Under 31	20.9	22.0
31–40	20.2	20.0
41–50	43.1	42.9
Over 50	15.7	15.2
All ages	100.0	100.0
Secondary
Under 31	16.8	17.9
31–40	25.3	24.3
41–50	43.3	43.4
Over 50	14.6	14.5
All ages	100.0	100.0
1 Data on teachers by age are not yet available for 1998 and 1999.
2 1997 data are provisional.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if British nationals employed through the European Union to teach in European schools are entitled to receive promotion and responsibility allowances on their national scale; and if he will make a statement. [91796]

The overall salary level for teachers employed by the DfEE and assigned to posts in the European Schools is determined by the European Schools Board of Governors and set out in its document "Regulations for Members of the Seconded Staff of the European Schools". The DfEE fully meets its statutory obligations in respect of promotion and responsibility allowances paid with national salary.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many attacks on school teachers at schools in Greater London by (a) pupils and (b) parents, were reported in each of the last five years. [92007]

This information is not available centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what research he has commissioned on the impact of staff recruitment and retention in sixth form colleges of the salary differentials between the further education and secondary school sectors; [91818](2) what assessment he has made of the likely impact on staff recruitment and retention in sixth form colleges of the current proposals to reform the salary structure in primary and secondary schools. [91815]

While we have not commissioned specific research, we meet regularly to discuss recruitment and retention issues with representatives of staff and employers in sixth form colleges and further education colleges generally. The Government have injected £725 million of new funds into further education over this year and next and we also welcome the Further Education Funding Council's proposals to increase the funding for full time 16–19-year-old students.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what monitoring his Department undertakes of the flows of teaching staff between sixth form colleges and secondary schools; and if he will publish the available data for each of the last five years. [91819]

Recipients of housing benefit broken down by local reference rent and single room rent schemes, for all London authorities, for 1996, 1997 and 1998
	January 1996 Local Reference Rent Scheme			October 1996 Single Room Rent Scheme		October 1997 Local Reference Rent Scheme
Local authority	August 1996	August 1997	August 1998	August 1997	August 1998	August 1998
Camden	3,170	2,490	1,720	360	260	660
Greenwich	1,380	2,110	1,970	80	70	270
Hackney	2,790	4,340	3,320	330	400	1,280
Hammersmith and Fulham	1,470	2,240	1,570	130	70	370
Islington	570	880	1,160	50	110	900
Kensington and Chelsea	1,120	1,420	1,050	170	110	430
Lambeth	370	3,450	1,980	90	100	1,320
Lewisham	2,840	4,090	3,320	270	180	660
Southwark	1,420	2,240	1,520	60	50	220
Tower Hamlets	740	970	1,010	120	120	230
Wandsworth	2,100	2,940	1,370	140	70	1,290

The Local Government Management Board undertakes an annual survey of teacher recruitment and retention on behalf of the Sixth Form Colleges' Employers Forum. Ministers meet regularly with representatives of the Employers Forum to discuss these, and other issues.Data from the survey are available for the years 1993 to 1997 and are reproduced in the following table:

Year	Leavers to schools	Recruitment from schools
1993	35	93
1994	55	82
1995	40	91
1996	58	86
1997	85	35

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Perth (Ms Cunningham) of 1 July 1999, Official Report, column 244, if he will list the current numbers of recipients of each benefit listed broken down to show the number of recipients per head of the adult population in each region and nation for each of the last three years. [90940]

The information has been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the numbers of recipients of housing benefit in the form of (a) single room rent, (b) full local reference rent and (c) partial local reference rent in each London borough in each year since they were introduced. [91782]

The information is in the table.The table provides the number of recipients who were being paid under the Local Reference Rent and Single Room Rent Schemes. The first column includes those recipients who received 50 per cent. top-up above the Local Reference Rent.