To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what concessionary fare schemes for public transport are available to blind people. [111974]

The most recent comprehensive information available to the Department comes from a survey of the position in 1995–96. Of the 331 local authorities which responded to that survey, 299 provided a concessionary travel scheme for blind people. The areas covered by these schemes included Greater London and all the six metropolitan areas. At least 32 of the schemes provided free travel; the remainder offered a range of different concessions.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the impact of the payment of Disability Living Allowance to blind people and the disabled on entitlement to local authority concessionary fare schemes. [111975]

A survey of the position in 1995–96 indicated some differences between local authorities as to eligibility for concessionary travel for people in receipt of Disability Living Allowance. Last year the Department of Social Security and the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions issued a guidance note to local authorities suggesting that concessionary travel should not be refused to people on the grounds that they were in receipt of the mobility element of the Disability Living Allowance.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions which public bodies have specific powers covering the control of animals with mange. [112014]

This is not a matter for my Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 21 February 2000, Official Report, column 706W, when he expects to be able to publish the shadow Strategic Rail Authority's proposals for additional capacity on the Bedford to London section of the Thameslink route which will not be dependent on the Thameslink 2000 project. [112425]

Thameslink's initial proposals for additional capacity were set out in "Thameslink—A New Partnership for the Millennium" which they published in March 1999. Discussion of these and other proposals to enhance capacity on the Bedford to London section is continuing with the Franchising Director, who will make an announcement in due course, I have asked the Franchising Director to keep my hon. Friend directly informed of progress.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on progress in negotiations between his Department and the European Commission on the Objective 1 Special Programme Document for Merseyside. [112942]

We are making good progress in our negotiations with the European Commission on the Objective 1 Single Programme Document for Merseyside. The European Commission is keen to ensure that confirmation of the acceptability of the Single Programme Document is provided by 31 March.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the funding schemes administered by his Department, indicating the total funds of each scheme and the administration costs of each scheme as a percentage of the total funds. [112494]

[holding answer 2 March 2000]: Details of the schemes administered by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions and information about the level of funding is given each year in the Departmental Annual Report. The 1999 Annual Report was presented to Parliament on 25 March 1999 (Cm 4204). The Department does not record its administration costs at the level of individual schemes.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he last met the Chairman of the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority to discuss the redrawing of the Rail Franchise for the North of England; and if he will make a statement. [112784]

The Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions has not met the Chairman of the shadow Strategic Rail Authority to discuss redrawing the rail franchise for the North of England, but the Franchising Director will consider this together with other relevant matters when replacing the franchise in that area.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many incidents classified as air rage have been reported in each year since 1990; and if he will make a statement. [113027]

Data are not available for that period. Reports of disruptive incidents on UK airlines have been collected since April 1999. An analysis of the data for the seven months to October 1999 recorded 796 incidents, 39 of which were considered serious. The analysis is available in the House of Commons Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will publish the amounts allocated to homelessness over the past 10 years and the amounts allocated to rough sleeping over the past 10 years. [112810]

Since 1990 my Department has allocated the following amounts to tackle single homelessness and rough sleeping.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what arrangements he has made for protecting vulnerable customers under the Water Industry Act 1999. [113477]

The Water Industry (Charges) (Vulnerable Groups) Regulations 1999 were made under the Water Industry Act 1999 and laid on 22 December 1999. The regulations offer protection to customers who might face hardship affording their bills because they use large amounts of water for essential purposes and pay on a measured basis. Customers will qualify for assistance if they are in receipt of income related benefits or tax credits (Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Working Families Tax Credit, Disabled Person's Tax Credit, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit) and either (a) they have three dependent children under the age of 16; or (b) they have a medical condition requiring significant extra water use (these are defined as kidney failure requiring home dialysis, abdominal stomas, desquamation, weeping skin disease and incontinence).Customers in these circumstances will be entitled to pay the average charge for the company that supplies them, rather than their actual measured charge. This represents a significant new step to tackle water poverty.The wording of the 1999 Regulations could have been interpreted as excluding low income customers whose children have qualifying medical conditions. That was not the intention. Therefore the Government have today laid the Water Industry (Charges) (Vulnerable Groups) (Amendment) Regulations 2000 which ensure that low income customers can receive assistance if their children are suffering from a qualifying medical condition. This confirms the Government's commitment to helping families who might face hardship as a result of high essential water use.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the UK beneficiaries of the Schuman Project who are (a) lawyers and (b) judges since its inception. [112336]

The only available information is contained in the analysis and first assessment on the pilot phases 1997–98 of the Robert Schuman Project published by the European Commission on 1 December 1998. The UK organisations selected to receive funding under the scheme are as listed. A report covering 1999 will be published in the Official Journal in due course.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many court orders for evictions and seizure of goods there were last year in which those to be evicted or to have goods seized no longer lived at the named address; what estimate he has made of the (a) total cost and (b) cost per order; and if he will make a statement. [112435]

Statistics and costs information are not kept in the form requested, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if the comprehensive induction programme for family court officers includes modules on how to apportion specific periods of parental access in cases of divorce or separation. 1112309]

I have been asked to reply.The national induction programme highlights factors which family court welfare officers need to address in their work with families and their assessments for courts. These factors include the nature, frequency and safety of involvement with each parent following separation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in how many cases payment of claims in respect of chronic bronchitis and emphysema suffered by former miners have been made to their widows. [111414]

As at 20 February the Department has made bereavement award payments to 1,851 widows amounting to over £16 million. In addition some 2,500 widows of miners who were in receipt of Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit for Chronic Bronchitis and Emphysema have received interim payments of £2,000 each.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many medical tests were carried out under the Miners Compensation Scheme in Scotland in (a) 1999, (b) January 2000 and (c) February 2000 to date, on ex-miners seeking compensation for emphysema and other respiratory diseases. [111415]

[holding answer 22 February 2000]: To date over 3,200 ex-miners have undergone lung function tests at one of the four centres established in Scotland by Healthcall, the company contracted to carry out the lung function programme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will place in the Library copies of letters sent to or received from British Nuclear Fuels plc on (a) safety at Sellafield and (b) Plutonium MOX fuel, by Ministers and officials in (i) his Department and (ii) other departments, since 10 September 1999. [112354]

Correspondence on these and other issues is a matter between the Government and the company.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the first commercial quantity of vitrified high level radioactive waste will be repatriated to foreign countries following the reprocessing of imported spent nuclear fuel as Sellafield. [112352]

Dates for the return of wastes arising from BNFL's reprocessing operations will be agreed between the company and the owners of the reprocessed fuel.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will place in the Library copies of all letters sent by Ministers and officials of (a) his Department and (b) other Departments to his Japanese Trade counterpart on the matter of plutonium MOX fuels, British Nuclear Fuels plc or Sellafield since 10 September 1999. [112355]

Correspondence on these and other issues is a matter between the two Governments. Senior officials from my Department visited Tokyo on 7–10 February to discuss MOX fuel with the Japanese Ministries and power utilities concerned. A joint press statement issued by the two Governments was placed in the Libraries of both Houses on 28 February.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the (a) dates and (b) purpose of visits made by Ministers in his Department to Sellafield since May 1997; and if he will place in the Library copies of speeches and radio and television interviews made by Ministers in association with such visits. [112353]

My hon. Friend the Member for Leeds, Central (Mr. Battle), the then Minister for Energy, visited Sellafield on 15 February 1999 at the invitation of BNFL for a site visit. There was no media involvement associated with this visit.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list, for each (a) director and (b) non-executive director of British Nuclear Fuels plc. their responsibilities in the company and the length of time each has served in that capacity as a board member. [112545]

[holding answer 2 March 2000]: The responsibilities, and length of service, of the members of the Board of BNFL are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what analysis he has undertaken of the comparative risks, costs and benefits of alternatives to the Ilisu Dam, including (a) energy conservation, (b) other renewable sources, (c) fossil fuels, and (d) nuclear power. [112125]

It is for the project sponsor to carry out any analysis of the comparative risks, costs and benefits of alternatives to a particular project.Turkey needs to expand its generating capacity considerably. We know that they are looking at coal, gas and oil fired stations elsewhere in Turkey and also at nuclear power. It is natural that they should see hydro power—a clean, renewable energy source which does not involve imports—as having a place in meeting this need.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the new public bodies established by his Department since May 1997. [112664]

The annual Cabinet Office publication, "Public Bodies", provides information on a range of public organisations. The 1997 edition lists those bodies in existence prior to May 1997. The 1998 and 1999 editions list public bodies in existence in subsequent years. Copies of these publications have been placed in the Library of the House. Copies are also available on the Cabinet Office website (www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/quango).

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans his Department has to conduct an investigation into the collapse of Global Cultural Diversity Congress 2000 Ltd. [112735]

[holding answer 2 March 2000]: It is the policy of my Department not to comment on the affairs of particular companies. If the hon. Member has any information which he feels needs to be brought to my Department's attention he should do so as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when his Department was informed by BNFL of problems in respect of MOX fuel supplied to German utilities. [112033]

[holding answer 2 March 2000]: BNFL first told my Department of a problem concerning MOX fuel supplied to the German utility, PreussenElektra, on 22 October 1999.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which British (i) banks and (ii) companies are involved in the following ECGD supported projects: (a) ACESITA stainless steel strip mill in Timoteo, (b) the nuclear power project in Qinshan, China, (c) the coal handling export terminal in Tianjin, China, (d) the coal fired power station in Manjung, Malaysia, (e) the Janamanjung Plant in Malaysia, (f) the development loan to the Korean Development Bank and (g) the seventh Airbus A330–200 to the United Arab Emirates. [112473]

The following is the information:

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to make regulations under the Utilities Bill regarding Consumer Council access to information. [113414]

The Utilities Bill contains strong information-gathering powers for the Gas and Electricity Consumer Council, to ensure it has access to the information it will need in order to play an influential and informed role on behalf of consumers within the regulatory system.However, there are a small number of areas, such as information relevant to court proceedings, where confidentiality is legitimate. I have today published a consultation paper setting out the Government's initial thoughts on making regulations defining these areas, subject to Parliament's approval of the relevant provisions of the Utilities Bill.I have placed copies of the consultation paper in the Libraries of both Houses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the right to full employment protection of individuals who become direct employees under IR35. [112987]

The treatment of individuals under tax and national insurance legislation does not determine their status for employment law purposes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what changes were made in the draft map of authorities designated for Objective 2 status, including internal ward changes, prior to publication of the final map; and how such changes were made. [111920]

[pursuant to the reply, 2 March 2000, c.342W]: I now provide the changes in the proposals.The changes made to coverage in England are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will publish New Deal statistics at an individual constituency level regularly. [113410]

To support our crusade against youth unemployment, I am pleased to announce that I am today making available information on the progress of the New Deal in each constituency across Great Britain. To put this information into context, some general indicators of local labour markets are also included.Copies of the individual constituencies' statistics have been placed in the Library. In order to keep Members informed of progress, I will place updates of this information in the Library each quarter.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he has made of the income of the poorest pensioners in (a) 1997–98 and (b) 2000–01. [111811]

The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is as follows:The median income among the poorest fifth of pensioner couples in 1997–98 was £126 per week. The median among the poorest fifth of single pensioners was £68 per week.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what (a) current measures are in place and (b) future proposals he has to ensure the senior citizens claim their full benefit entitlement. [111094]

We are committed to taking action to find more effective ways of encouraging eligible pensioners to claim their benefit entitlement. We will be announcing our plans, to encourage pensioners to take-up their entitlement to their minimum income guarantee, shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the new public bodies established by his Department since May 1997. [112659]

The annual Cabinet Office publication, "Public Bodies", provides information on a range of public bodies. The 1997 edition lists those public bodies in existence prior to May 1997. The 1998 and 1999 editions list public bodies in existence in subsequent years. Copies of these publications have been placed in the Library of the House. Copies are also available on the Cabinet Office website (www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/quango).In this Department no new public bodies have been established since May 1997.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many (a) men and (b) women were in receipt of a State Retirement Pension in each of the parliamentary constituencies in the Greater London area on 1 February. [112617]

Information on the number of men and women in receipt of a State Retirement Pension is not available at parliamentary constituency level. Although information is available on the number of people of pensionable age, this is from the 1991 Census published by the Office for National Statistics.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if the payment of compensation for mining-related illness to ex-coal miners will result in a reduction of social security benefits currently paid to them. [112502]

Payments of compensation are treated as capital in the income-related benefits¹. Where a person who has suffered a personal injury (including an industrial illness) receives a compensation payment, the capital value may be disregarded if it is held in a Trust Fund. Normal rules on income from Trust Funds would apply.

¹ The income-related benefits are Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he will answer the letter from the hon. Member for Wellingborough of 29 June 1999 and provide the breakdown requested of the £22 million stated by the Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for City of York (Mr. Bayley), to have been paid in respect of war pensions for psychiatric illness in 1939, Official Report, 24 February 1999, column 518. [113170]

A reply to most of the matters raised in the letter was sent on 9 September 1999, and a further letter, about war pensions paid in respect of psychiatric illness in 1939, was sent to my hon. Friend the Member for Wellingborough on 26 February 2000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the accident and emergency units indicating (a) the projected patient attendance expected when built, (b) the actual patient attendance achieved each year since 1992 and (c) the number of cubicle beds in each unit. [112951]

Copies of accident and emergency attendances by NHS trusts are available in the Library. The initial projected number of accident and emergency attendances and the number of beds within accident and emergency units are not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he was informed of the cancellation of the Global Cultural Diversity Congress and the collapse of Global Cultural Diversity Congress 2000 Ltd., and by whom; and if he will make a statement. [112793]

The Department was informed of the cancellation of the Global Diversity Congress by the Chief Executive of the Commission for Racial Equality, Susie Parsons, in a letter dated 22 February 2000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many civilians in each of the standard age groups were employed in his Department in (a) 1979 and (b) 1999. [104021]

A breakdown by age group of the number of civilians employed by the Ministry of Defence on 1 April 1999 is given in the table. Corresponding information for 1979 is not readily available and could be produced only at disproportionate cost. A breakdown by age group for the whole Civil Service is provided within the annual publication "Civil Service Statistics", available from the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the new public bodies established by his Department since May 1997. [112660]

The annual Cabinet Office publication "Public Bodies" provides information on a range of public bodies. The 1997 edition lists those in existence prior to May 1997. The 1998 and 1999 editions list public bodies in existence in subsequent years. Copies of these publications have been placed in the Library of the House. Copies are also available on the Cabinet Office website (www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/quango).

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress his Department is making in negotiations with the Greek Government on the verification of service to allow the award of Greek commemorative medals to British servicemen and women. [112965]

I presume that the medals referred to are the official campaign medals instituted by the Greek Government for service in Greece and Crete during the Second World War. In recent years the Greek Government have offered them to eligible British ex-Servicemen who have been invited to apply in writing to the Greek Embassy in London. The Queen has granted permission for the medals to be accepted as souvenirs or keepsakes, but not to be worn.The eligibility criteria, assessment of entitlement and distribution of these medals are entirely matters for the Greek Government. My Department do not directly assist the Greek authorities with the verification of eligibility. However, on request, we will provide any British veteran with an official Record of Service, which he can offer to the Greek authorities and may provide sufficient proof of participation in the campaigns in Greece and Crete, to enable the Greek Government to issue a medal.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the Government's investments. [113413]

Today we have confirmed our plans to sell 150 tonnes of gold in 2000–01, a sum equivalent to the amount sold in 1999–2000 on a pro rata basis. These sales form part of the programme announced on 7 May 1999, Official Report, column 479W, to restructure the United Kingdom's reserves holdings. As in 1999–2000, the sales will be made through Bank of England auctions. There will be six auctions during 2000–01, which will be held every other month starting in May. As in 1999–2000, the auctions will be of approximately 25 tonnes each, and they will continue to be conducted on a single price basis.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement on plans to reduce the size of regional orchestras. [112812]

The Arts Council's plans for the regional orchestras were announced last October. Discussions with individual orchestras on securing their long-term future are currently underway, and these will include looking at ways in which they could benefit from greater flexibility to vary the number of players so that they can diversify their repertoire and bring a greater range of music, including large scale symphonic work, to audiences across England.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the funding schemes administered by his Department, indicating the total funds of each scheme and the administration costs of each scheme as a percentage of the total funds. [112491]

[holding answer 2 March 2000]: Although my Department provides funding for various schemes they are all administered by other bodies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent representations his Department has made to the European Commission regarding the rules allowing professional footballers from any EEA country to play football in any other EEA country. [112514]

My Department has made no recent representations to the European Commission on this subject.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the new public bodies established by his Department since May 1997. [112665]

The annual Cabinet Office publication, "Public Bodies, provides information on a range of public bodies. The 1997 edition lists those public bodies in existence prior to May 1997. The 1999 edition lists those public bodies in existence at 1 April 1999. Copies

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the total cost of senior management salaries at the British Museum (a) is for the present year and (b) was for 1997. [112346]

The answers are:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many British Museum staff have been dismissed over the past 12 months; at what cost; and with what period of notice, in each case. [112380]

The answers are:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much money has been spent to date by his Department and by bodies funded by his Department in connection with the National Changeover Plan; on what headings this money has been spent; and how much his Department plans to spend on implementing the plan over the next 12 months. [112138]

[holding answer 29 February 2000]: I refer the right hon. Member to the reply given by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 1 March 2000, Official Report, column 233W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will place in the Library an English translation of the speech by Jorge Semprun to the Weimar meeting on EU cultural and audio visual issues. [112386]

I refer the hon. Member to the replies I gave him on 15 June 1999, Official Report, column 88W, and 6 July 1999, Official Report, column 458W. In those answers I outlined the informal discussions of the meeting in Weimar to which Jorge Semprun contributed. The text of his contribution was placed in the Library. Translations of the proceedings of informal Culture/Audiovisual Council meetings are not made: this would be prohibitively expensive.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many designers awarded contracts by the New Millennium Experience Company have received payments from the NMEC that were (a) greater than, (b) the same as and (c) less than the sum specified under the terms of their contract. [110916]

[holding answer 21 February 2000]: Payments are being made in all cases according to contractual terms. Some invoices are the subject of normal issue resolution procedures.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which consultative committees of the European Communities confer diplomatic immunity on their members; what is the total number of diplomatic passports issued by them; and how many incidents involving such individuals have been covered by diplomatic immunity (a) in the United Kingdom, (b) across the EU and (c) further afield since the establishment of the bodies in each of the last five years. [112332]

Members of consultative committees of the European Union, such as the Committee of the Regions and the Economic and Social Committee have no diplomatic immunity. Therefore, no diplomatic passports have been issued to them and no diplomatic incidents have occurred involving such individuals in the UK, EU or further afield.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Albania. [112108]

The security situation in Albania continues to cause concern. After the civil unrest in 1997 there are still large caches of weapons throughout the country. Although the Government have had some success in recent months in tackling organised crime, armed gangs still operate in the north of the country and in the south on major routes from Greece.We are helping the Albanian Government to build up the capacity of its police forces and currently have 20 British police officers serving there with the Western European Union's Multi-National Advisory Police Element. We are also providing support, bilaterally and through NATO, for the rebuilding and restructuring of the Albanian armed forces, as well as advice on the disposal of surplus munitions. Up-to-date information on the security situation as it affects travellers in Albania is provided in the FCO's travel advice.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the planned (a) contents of, (b) contributors to, (c) target audience for, (d) means of distribution of and (e) print run of the booklet, "UK in Europe"; and if schools will receive copies of the booklet. [112371]

The FCO publication, "UK in Europe, a New Millennium", is intended as an introductory text to the subject of Britain's membership of the EU. Written by the FCO, it is targeted at the general public in the UK and overseas. Print runs and the means of distribution have yet to be finalised.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what are the accommodation costs of the Your Britain, Your Europe Roadshow; and to how many people, from which organisations, these costs were attributable. [112338]

The accommodation costs were £6,775.75. Over the week the costs were attributable to 19 people from two organisations: the FCO and Caribiner, the public relations company which helped organise the roadshow.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reason his Minister for Europe travelled to Paris, as part of the Your Britain, Your Europe Roadshow, to conduct an interview with a UK radio station; and what was the cost of this visit. [112340]

I visited Paris to deliver a speech at an event to mark the 50th anniversary of the Council of Europe. I took the opportunity also to conduct a radio interview and to meet journalists at the Gare du Nord station to publicise the roadshow. The cost of the visit to Paris was £4,192.69. This covered the travel and accommodation costs of myself and accompanying FCO officials.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the further support announced during his visit to Africa for the Burundi peace process. [112381]

The UK has supported the Burundi peace process politically, with resources and with personnel. The UK has contributed over £250,000 so far and will continue to support the process as long as the current momentum is maintained.I attended the Burundi peace summit at Nelson Mandela's request in Arusha on 21 February, and I announced a further contribution of £30,000 to the current round of negotiations and £50,000 for related reconciliation efforts in Burundi.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much money has been spent to date by his Department and by bodies funded by his Department in connection with the National Changeover Plan; on what headings this money has been spent; and how much his Department plans to spend on implementing the plan over the next 12 months. [112136]

[holding answer 29 February 2000]: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office have not incurred any expenditure in connection with the National Changeover Plan, nor do we plan to spend anything over the next 12 months.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on progress towards the signature of the Council of Europe Charter on Regional and Minority Languages. [113411]

I am pleased to announce that yesterday the UK Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe signed the Charter on behalf of the United Kingdom. We hope to ratify later this year, subject to the completion of requisite Parliamentary procedures.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list (a) the forthcoming business in the Council of the European Union for March and (b) the major European Union events for the next six months. [113412]

The following is the information:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what change in the UK's bilateral relations with Austria has resulted from the resignation of the Leader of the Freedom Party of Austria; and if he will make a statement. [113015]

Joerg Haider's resignation as Leader of the Freedom Party has not affected the measures introduced by the 14 members of the EU against Austria on 4 February. The issue has not been Haider's leadership of the Freedom Party, but the participation of the Freedom Party in the government of Austria. We will continue to judge the Austrian Government on how it lives up to its commitments in its Declaration.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the death sentences imposed on three Iranian Batá'ís in the city of Mashad on 3 February; and what representations Her Majesty's Government have made to the Iranian Ambassador about them. [113014]

We remain concerned at reports of the death sentences passed on Mr. Najafabadi, Mr. Moghaddam and Mr. Khulusi in Mashad on 3 February. The picture has been somewhat confused by the recent statement by Mr. Sabeqi, spokesman for the Iranian Judiciary, that no such sentences had been passed. The Portuguese Presidency, on behalf of EU partners, presented a demarche to the Iranian authorities expressing our concern and seeking clarification as to the current status of these three gentlemen on 17 February. We took similar bilateral action with the Iranian Ambassador on 21 February.We regularly raise with the Iranian authorities our serious concern about treatment of the Bahá'ís. Persecution of individuals on religious grounds is totally unacceptable.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received concerning the claims by the Iranian exile group, the National Council of Resistance, about the turnout for the recent Iranian Majles elections and falsification of results. [113069]

I was aware of this attempt by the National Council for the Resistance of Iran (NCRI) to dismiss as a fraud the conduct and outcome of the recent Iranian elections. Their claims are not credible. The political choice made in the elections by the Iranian people is a matter for them, but our view, and that of all impartial observers, is that the election result in Iran has been a substantial vote of confidence in President Khatami's political and economic reforms, and a clear signal of the Iranian people's interest in modernisation.For us, that is also a vindication of the policy of engagement with Iran pursued by this Government. That policy has attracted some criticism in the past, sometimes from the people who have accepted at face value the propaganda of the NCRI, which is an organisation dominated by the terrorist Mujahedin-e-Khalq (MKO). The MKO are based in Baghdad and are regarded by Saddam Hussein as some of his most trusted allies. They are despised by most Iranians within Iran for their support for Saddam during the Iran/Iraq war in the 1980s. They have been responsible for a series of terrorist attacks in Iran which we have condemned.In our dealings with the Iranian Government we and our EU partners have regularly expressed our concern over a number of issues, particularly human rights, and we will continue to do so until those legitimate concerns are dealt with to our satisfaction. But in assessing those concerns, and the progress of events in Iran generally, we will pay little attention to the views of the MKO or NCRI, whose own background and methods do not permit them to speak with authority on democracy or human rights.The outcome of the elections strengthens our optimism for the future of Iran, and for Britain's developing relationship with Iran.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Nigeria concerning the Christian-Muslim conflicts in the north of the country. [112988]

I discussed the situation in Northern Nigeria with Nigerian Foreign Minister Lamido on 14 February.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many visa applications have been submitted to the Deputy High Commission in (a) Delhi, (b) Mumbai and (c) Calcutta during February 2000; and what were the figures for February 1999. [112790]

The deadline for the submission of entry clearance statistics from overseas posts for the month of February is 15 March. I will write to my hon. Friend when the figures requested are available. I am glad that my hon. Friend was able to visit our entry clearance operations in New Delhi and Bombay recently.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent developments there have been in the revision of the St. Helena constitution. [113019]

Following the publication of the White Paper "Partnership for Progress and Prosperity" we have asked the St. Helena Legislative Council what changes they would like to see in the Constitution. We have told them that we are prepared to consider specific, detailed and well argued recommendations for the amendment of the 1988 Constitutional Order.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to publish the report from Mr. J. J. Rowe on the operation in 1999 of the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1989. [113408]

I have today arranged for copies of Mr. Rowe's report to be placed in the Library. Mr. Rowe recommends that the legislation should be renewed. A draft Order is being laid before the House today which continues all those provisions of the Act which are currently in force.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will announce the outcome of the Prison Service's Quantum project. [113409]

I announced in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Chorley (Mr. Hoyle), on 14 December 1999, Official Report, columns 139–40W, that Martin Narey, the Director-General of the Prison Service had selected Electronic Data Systems (EDS) as the preferred supplier for the Quantum project and that negotiations would be held with a view to award of contract. I am pleased to say that the preferred supplier negotiations with EDS have concluded successfully. Martin Narey has decided to award a contract to EDS for the provision of Information Technology services for the Prison Service.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times in each (a) women's and (b) men's prison a prisoner has been strip-searched after a visit by an hon. Member since 1 January. [111968]

Prisons are not required to maintain statistics of the number of strip searches carried out, nor records of visits by hon. Members to prisoners. I am, however, aware that a female prisoner at Highpoint prison was strip searched following a visit by her Member of Parliament on 3 February.As I advised the hon. Member during the debate he raised on Tuesday 29 February, this strip search was purely a random search. All prisons are required to carry out random searches of prisoners on completion of visits; Highpoint prison has a set level of 10 per cent. for such random searches. Category A prisoners will always be strip searched following any visit in open conditions.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what surveys he undertook in 1999 in prisons in England and Wales to check the efficacy of the suicide awareness programmes. [111978]

The Prison Service has developed a set of auditable key performance baselines for policies and practices in prison establishments, including the suicide awareness strategy. The standards audit unit of the Prison Service visit establishments to conduct these audits.In 1999, a total of 71 establishments were audited on the suicide awareness baseline. Of these, 13 achieved a rating of good; 27 acceptable; 24 deficient; and seven unacceptable.The Director-General is personally committed to ensuring that the suicide awareness strategy works, as are the Director of Security, who has policy responsibility for suicide awareness, and the area managers responsible for establishments. All regularly visit establishments. Members of the suicide awareness support unit at Prison Service headquarters also visit establishments to provide support to those operating the strategy.Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons also inspects prisons on a regular and unannounced basis during which he will look at the operation of the suicide awareness strategy. In addition to any recommendations that may arise from a visit to an individual prison, the Chief Inspector published a thematic review into the suicide awareness strategy in 1999. This contained a number of recommendations as to how the strategy could be improved; these recommendations are currently being acted upon.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which prisons in England and Wales run a sex offenders treatment programme; and what was the number of prisoners attending such a programme on 15 February. [112019]

The Prison Service sex offenders treatment programme consists of four sub-programmes—core for all offenders, extended for those at high risk of re-offending, adapted for those with a low IQ, and a booster programme for all to reinforce the programme's lessons towards release from custody. A rolling programme is also being trialled for low risk offenders, and to provide a facility to enable those who have not done well on parts of the other programmes to revise elements rather than going through the whole programme again.The programme is run in its various versions at:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who has the responsibility for the provision of foreign language newspapers or books for non-English speaking prison inmates held in prisons in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement. [111985]

Foreign language materials are provided in prison establishments through the local public library authority, in accordance with 'Guidelines for Prison Libraries (1997)' which details the standards under which prison libraries should operate. Each establishment has a local public authority librarian working to a joint service level agreement.Governors of prisons in England and Wales will make arrangements to supply at least one newspaper for every ten prisoners, to be purchased out of prison funds They should provide as full a range of newspapers as possible, taking into account the preferences of those prisoners from ethnic minority groups. This is underpinned by the Prison Service race relations policy, which highlights the importance of prisons being aware of the needs of foreign prisoners and the materials that can be obtained to meet their needs. Subject to security considerations, prisoners are also allowed to receive newspapers, periodicals, magazines or books of their choice.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many secure remands to local authority accommodation were made since 1 June 1999 in relation to (a) children aged 12 to 14 years, broken down by age, gender and ethnicity, (b) females aged 15 to 16 years, broken down by age and ethnicity and (c) males aged 15 to 16 years declared vulnerable, broken down by age and ethnicity. [112000]

The number of children and young people remanded or committed to local authority secure accommodation is recorded on the last day of each month by local authority secure units and sent to the Home Office. These returns break down the total number by age, gender and the statutory position under which the child or young person has been placed.Information on ethnicity is not recorded. We have received returns from all units for June to December 1999 and the totals are set out in the table.Direct secure remand and committals by courts are made under section 23(4) of the Children and Young Persons Act 1969 and section 37 of the Magistrates' Courts Act 1980. The table also includes remands to secure accommodation under section 25 of the Children Act 1989, following application to a court by a local authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are awaiting deportation following rejection of their application for asylum. [111954]

The information is not available. Data are not available on asylum applicants who have voluntarily left the country without the knowledge of the Home Office. Therefore, it is not possible to make a reliable estimate of the number of failed asylum seekers remaining in the country.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Southwark, North and Bermondsey (Mr. Hughes) of 14 December 1999, Official Report, column 139W, on jury trial, if the sum of £66 million annually takes account of the cost of alternative sentences; and if he will provide a breakdown of the cost of £0.5 million for interlocutory appeals including the legal and administrative costs per appeal. [112410]

The estimated resource savings take account of alternative sentences which the magistrates' courts might impose. It has been assumed, for the purpose of assessing the financial implications of appeals, that 25 per cent. of defendants who would have elected Crown Court trial will appeal to the Crown Court against the magistrates' decision to try the case, and that 17.5 per cent. of appeals would proceed to an oral hearing. A paper-based appeal would cost £25 in court resources, £30 in Legal Aid and £35 in prosecution costs. An oral hearing would cost an additional £77 in court resources, £45 in Legal Aid and £60 in prosecution costs.