To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department (1) what (a) committees and (b) working groups his Department has set up to consider the revision of the Rome Convention; and if he will list the members of each such group and meetings scheduled; [116059](2) what consultation

Negotiations within the European Union for the revision of the 1980 Rome Convention on the Law Applicable to Contractual Obligations have not yet started. Officials in my Department have not consulted outside individuals or bodies about any aspect of any such revision exercise. When the negotiations start, officials in my Department will ensure that there is full public consultation on all aspects of the review during the course of these negotiations. Officials in my Department and the Department of Trade and Industry have had a number of general discussions about the 1980 Rome Convention and electronic commerce. When the plans for the review are known the Departments will work closely together on all the policy issues raised in the review, including those affecting electronic commerce.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will review the range and application of Crown Immunity across all Government Departments. [115706]

The Government have no plans to review the range and applications of Crown immunity across all Government Departments.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) when she will be in a position to place material stored on the Knowledge Network computer system on the internet; and if she will make a statement; [115095]

Phase 1 of the Knowledge Network Project commenced in December 1999 and is currently at an early stage of piloting, scoping and evaluation of a range of possible technical options and associated improvements in working methods, before the work of building and placing information on the Knowledge Network begins in earnest, in line with normal and established Cabinet Office practice.From the beginning of the Project, it has been envisaged that as much information as possible which is eventually held on the Knowledge Network will be made publicly available over the internet. That remains the case. It has never intended to be used, and will not be used, for party political purposes.The results and findings of Phase 1 of the Knowledge Network Project, including the Phase 1 work programme of the Knowledge Network team, will be submitted to me by July 2000 and will subsequently be made available on the internet.

To ask the President of the Council if she will consult with representatives of political parties in the House on the feasibility of requiring hon. Members to submit their annual tax returns to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. [116096]

No. Financial affairs of Members which are unrelated to their parliamentary activity are not a matter for the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, nor do they form part of her remit from this House.

To ask the President of the Council if she will ask the authorities of the Members' Pension Scheme to increase the pensions of those former hon. Members who receive the lowest levels of pensions under the Members' Pension Scheme. [116095]

The Senior Salaries Review Body periodically reviews arrangements for Parliamentary pensions. Recent reviews have made recommendations for scheme improvements but have advised that these changes should be restricted to serving Members. This is because it is a long-standing policy of successive administrations not to make retrospective improvements to public service pension schemes, although the Members' Fund exists to relieve individual cases of hardship among former Members and their dependants. Applications for assistance should be made to the Trustees.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made on the independent review by Academy of Medical Sciences of the open-air trials in the UK using zinc cadmium sulphide carried out by the former Chemical Defence Establishment between 1953 and 1964. [116659]

I am pleased to announce that Professor Lachmann and his team have now completed their review and reported. The study compared the population's possible exposure to cadmium from the open-air releases during the trails conducted between 1953 and 1964, to the cadmium exposure which people would otherwise have encountered from the environment. The material used for the trials was zinc cadmium sulphide, which is not itself an agent of biological or chemical warfare. It was used as a tracer to simulate the dispersion in the open air of biological warfare agents.The Ministry of Defence welcomes the main conclusion of the report that there was no danger to public health arising from the use of zinc cadmium sulphide for the trials. The report also concludes that there was no evidence to show that the land based trials produced any higher level of cadmium concentrations in the soil than would normally be observed in the UK. Nor was there any evidence to show that cadmium released into the atmosphere during the airborne trials would have caused any ill effects. No increased incidence of diseases associated with cadmium toxicity was found in the areas where the trials took place.The report by Professor Lachmann and his team is being published and I will arrange for copies to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to develop a UK-manufactured radio system to replace AN/PRC-138 125W HF radios. [115541]

This is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Defence Procurement Agency. I have asked the Chief Executive to write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many blankets have been declared surplus to requirements by each of the armed forces in each of the last 10 years; [115805](2) how many surplus blankets have been

Comprehensive records for the last 10 years on the gifting, destruction or sales of surplus blankets are not available. Information that is available shows that since 1995, surplus blankets have been collected from Service depots by a Disposal Sales Agency (DSA) appointed contractor for marketing and sale. The contractor estimates that some 160,000 blankets were declared to them during this period but is unable accurately to break this estimate down by year or by Service. Almost all the blankets collected by the DSA appointed contractor over the five years have been sold. Prior to 1995, surplus blankets were delivered to auction site by Service transport and then lotted by auctioneers prior to sale. Records for the number of blankets sold by public auction between 1990 and 1995 are no longer available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his policy on the commitment of military support to other EU member states proposed by the President of the European Commission on 10 February; and what representations he has made on the issue to the Commission. [115560]

Collective defence of those EU member states who are also members of NATO is provided by NATO in accordance with Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty. This will not change. There is no such provision for countries that are not NATO members.My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence has not made any representations to the Commission on this matter.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which British Army personnel (a) have served during the last six months and (b) are currently serving, in Zimbabwe; and for what purpose. [115931]

A total of 11 (nine British Army and two RAF) UK military personnel currently serve in Zimbabwe as part of the British Military Advisory and Training Team (BMATT) Southern Africa. On one occasion in the past six months the BMATT was augmented for a two week period by a further four British Army personnel to assist in the running of a training programme.The BMATT's main role is to provide regional peacekeeping training in countries throughout the Southern Africa region.In addition, two Army personnel (the UK Defence Adviser and his assistant) provide advice to the British High Commissioner in Harare on defence issues.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what has been (a) the rise or (b) the fall in demand for each grade 8 married quarters, in each quarter since January 1997.[113759]

Number of occupied properties
	Type
	I	II	III	IV	V	D	C	B	Total
1–1997	70	329	1,791	3,263	4,868	3,225	24,804	14,258	52,608
2–1997	69	346	1,809	3,244	4,833	3,232	24,711	14,047	52,291
3–1997	67	342	1,819	3,206	4,842	3,257	24,408	13,914	51,855
4–1997	66	345	1,800	3,241	4,764	3,248	24,145	13,777	51,386
1–1998	67	336	1,804	3,254	4,651	3,281	23,848	13,402	50,643
2–1998	65	335	1,814	3,307	4,597	3,308	23,718	12,984	50,128
3–1998	65	343	1,799	3,346	4,640	3,256	23,591	12,794	49,834
4–1998	65	331	1,778	3,311	4,640	3,207	23,289	12,765	49,386
1–1999	65	336	1,769	3,317	4,577	3,167	23,112	12,509	48,852
2–1999	68	344	1,776	3,330	4,640	3,235	23,083	12,421	48,897
3–1999	67	344	1,774	3,402	4,690	3,221	22,967	12,444	48,909
4–1999	67	331	1,757	3,320	4,608	3,169	22,870	12,419	48,541

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the hon. Member for Gosport will receive the letter on reserve categories and capacities promised by the Minister of State for the Armed Forces in his holding answer of 15 December 1999, Official Report, column 215W. [106322]

I wrote to the hon. Member yesterday and a copy of my letter has been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the hon. Member for Gosport will receive a substantive reply to his Parliamentary Question 102828, tabled on 10 December. [109591]

[holding answer 11 February 2000]: I wrote to the hon. Member yesterday and a copy of my letter has been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the methods for charging and the cost of hygiene and veterinary inspections of slaughterhouses in other EU countries. [114948]

In late 1998, we carried out a survey of meat inspection charges in other member states via our Agricultural Attachés in those countries. The Meat and Livestock Commission subsequently carried out a separate inquiry (the Pratt Report) into meat inspection charges and other enforcement costs. Both have been published and copies are available in the Library of the House.Copies have also been provided to the European Commission. The Government have made clear to the Commission their concerns over the lack of transparency

[holding answer 13 March 2000]: The number of married quarters of each type occupied at the beginning of each quarter since January 1997 is as follows:in the charging arrangements applied in other member states and their doubts as to whether such charges are being set on a common basis throughout the European Union, in accordance with Community law.My right hon. Friend the Minister and officials continue to press the Commission to carry out a thorough investigation of the way in which the EU Charges Directive has been implemented in all member states, and to establish the level of inspection charges in each country. We understand that, as a result, the Commission will shortly be issuing a questionnaire to all member states as the first stage of such an investigation.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many people are directly employed in dairy farming in the (a) United Kingdom and (b) Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency. [115717]

The total number of people working on dairy holdings in the UK is 81,027.The total number of people working on dairy holdings in the Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency is 387.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps the Government are taking to promote the sale of British dairy produce. [115754]

In response to calls from representatives of dairy farmers the Government are widening the remit of the Milk Development Council to allow it to engage in the generic promotion of milk. The Milk Development Council is funded by a statutory levy paid by all milk produces in Great Britain.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how much funding was awarded to the Northumberland local education authority in each year from 1997–98 to 1999–2000 in respect of (a) reduction in infant class sizes, broken down by (i) revenue and (ii) capital, (b) the National Grid for

£
Northumberland LEA allocations	1997–98	1998–99	1999–2000
(a) Reduction of infant Class Size:
(i) Class Size revenue (within SF in 1998–99 only)	n/a	324,000	766,000
(ii) Class Size Capital	n/a	224,000	896,834
(l) Energy efficiency Capital	n/a	103,000	n/a
(k) Voluntary Aided Schools Capital	287,000	259,000	203,000
(j) New Deal for Schools Capital	542,000	1,985,000	1,908,000
(o) Education Standard Spending Assessment1	114,394,966	123,314,681	129,270,536
(b) National Grid for Learning	n/a	489,288	525,000
(c) Literacy Programmes	0	344,687	420,552
(e) Books for Schools	194,100	193,473	386,946
(f) Truancy Initiatives	125,800	43,100	162,756
(g) School Security	168,400	168,630	173,105
(h) School Effectiveness	1,082,600	1,209,921	1,857,250
(i) Excellence in Cities	n/a	n/a	0
(m) Music Programmes	n/a	n/a	0
(n) Year six Booster Classes	n/a	68,901	230,534
1 In 1997–98 £527 million was removed from Education Standard Spending at national level for the Nursery Voucher Scheme, when Nursery Vouchers are added back for comparability the 1997–98 SSA equates to £118,090,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what estimate he has made of the average length of time it will take a primary school headteacher to assess an application for threshold status from a teacher. [116040]

The Department has carried out a number of pilot studies with a variety of schools. These studies showed that the length of time required by a headteacher to assess an application varied depending on a variety of factors. These factors included the nature of the appraisal system in a school, the input provided by other members of staff and the extent to which headteachers used the Department's support materials.Standards Fund Grant 35 will provide £20 million (at a 60 per cent. grant rate) to assist with the implementation of the new threshold assessment and performance management arrangements. Headteachers can use the Standards Fund grant to cover the costs associated with approved training or support activities. The grant has

The figures requested are shown in the following table. For Standards Fund grants, the figures include both the Government's and the local education authority's contribution where appropriate. The figures shown for Education Standard Spending Assessment also include provision for the authority's contribution to the Standards Fund.now been supplemented with a further £20 million (at a 100 per cent. grant rate). The intention of this additional support is to allow schools to free up time for key members of staff to participate in the assessment of threshold applications and in the preparations for the new performance management arrangements.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was the annual expenditure on centrally financed local initiatives in the (a) Northern, (b) Yorkshire and Humberside and (c) North-West Region for each of the last five years. [114905]

Many of the Department's programmes could be considered as centrally financed local initiatives. The following table gives details of planned expenditure in the North-East, Yorkshire and the Humber and North-West Government Office regions on some of the Department's area-based initiatives. None of these programmes were running before 1997–98.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list those local authorities (a) which have met Government accident reduction targets and (b) which on current trends are (i) likely and (ii) unlikely to achieve them. [114889]

Earlier road safety targets were not established in such a way that local authorities were required to meet specific targets, so it is not possible to measure local authority performance in this way. The Road Safety Strategy, "Tomorrow's Roads—Safer for Everyone", includes new national casualty reduction targets to be met by 2010, which local authorities must reflect in their local casualty reduction targets. However, authorities have different road traffic casualty records which reflect their local circumstances and how well they have addressed these problems in the past. Those with a poor record should be setting themselves stringent targets, because they must make major improvements, while those with an already good record may not be able to achieve similar levels of casualty reduction. Whatever the local circumstances, local targets should be demanding and reflect the aims of the national targets. We will be monitoring performance and the publication of road safety Best Value Performance Indicators will give local people the ability to compare the performance of their authority with other authorities and to measure how it improves over time.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will increase the required deposit to establish financial probity for road haulage companies from £5,000 to £20,000. [115084]

I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 20 March 2000, Official Report, column 391W.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what improvements to levels of public service have been made in consequence of driving test centre closures. [115779]

Savings achieved from restructuring the test centre estate have helped to pay for £1.8 million invested in test centre improvements during 1999–2000 and the cost of the new driving test booking system.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the driving test centres which have remained open because the Driving Standards Agency has determined the costs of closure to its customers as too high; and if he will place details of the cost analysis in the Library. [115778]

No proposal to close a practical driving test centre has been abandoned on this basis.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the criteria which the Driving Standards Agency applies to the closure of its practical driving test centres, indicating when those criteria were (a) proposed and (b) implemented; and what were the factors which influenced the Driving Standards Agency to use such criteria. [115776]

Practical driving test centres must meet the operational needs of the Driving Standards Agency, including the viability of test routes, and provide a safe environment for staff and customers, all in a cost efficient manner. The criteria that apply to the location of test centres have evolved over time in the light of experience gained from earlier estate rationalisation cases, responses to the Agency's customer surveys, and following advice from independent property advisers.When reviewing the Agency's property requirement, and considering possible test centre closures, the Agency needs to be assured that: average waiting time targets will continue to be met; if a test centre is to close, there are neighbouring centres with sufficient excess capacity to meet the anticipated demand, within a reasonable travel time; and candidates should not have to travel too far to take their test.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when the Driving Standards Agency decided to analyse and quantify the costs to its customers of closing a driving test centre; and what methods the Agency uses to determine such costs. [115777]

The Driving Standards Agency normally consult interested parties about a proposal to close a driving test centre, including a cost benefit analysis. It is not, however, practicable to analyse the costs to individual customers of a proposed closure.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans the Driving Standards Agency has to allow driving instructors the right of appeal against the result of a check test. [115780]

The Road Safety Strategy, "Tomorrow's Roads—Safer for Everyone", which was published on 1 March, announced that we intended to reform the supervision and appeals arrangements for driving instructors. The Driving Standards Agency will be consulting interested parties with proposals to ensure instructors cannot offer tuition when there is a risk to public safety. Appeals will be in the hands of an independent tribunal.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if the Environment Agency has approved the variation in the operating licence of the Byker Heat Station; and what assessment he has made of the possibility of consequential health effects to the people of Shieldfield, Newcastle Quayside or Lower Heaton. [115502]

[holding answer 21 March 2000]: The application for variation BH 2596 has not been approved. The local Health Authority has been consulted on this application. Further discussions are planned with the Health Authority regarding studies that could be made to investigate health effects from the operation of this process.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what breaches of the present operating license for the Byker Heat Station, Newcastle, have recently been reported to him; and what is the outcome of his investigations. [115501]

[holding answer 21 March 2000]: The records have been checked back to the beginning of 1995. The operator has reported two breaches of the authorisation.

On 30 April 1995, a major grid power failure caused the process to run for 15 minutes without controls in place or monitoring facilities operational. A non-quantified release to air was made during that period. The then regulator HMIP took no action.

On 20 February 1997, dry lime powder was released during a road tanker delivery, due to failure of a seal on a hatch. The operator cleaned up the spillage and repaired the seal. No regulatory action was taken by the Environment Agency.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to improve the safety of coach passengers under the age of five years. [116001]

Currently minibuses and coaches used to carry more than three children aged between three and 15 on organised trips are required to be equipped with a forward facing seat fitted with a seat belt for each child carried. In addition to this it is planned, following a consultation, to make the fitting of seat belts compulsory in new buses, coaches and minibuses which are not permitted to carry standing passengers.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when details of the new Code of Practice governing passenger-carrying pleasure boats which come into force on 1 April were sent to (a) local authorities with enforcement responsibilities and (b) skippers of vessels affected by the Code of Practice. [116044]

[holding answer 23 March 2000]: The Code of Practice was developed with the advice and participation or organisations representing local authorities and skippers of vessels affected.During the formal consultation in May 1998 interested parties, including each UK coastal authority, received a copy of the draft Code.The Maritime and Coastguard Agency is currently undertaking a series of roadshows throughout the UK to further inform local authorities and vessel operators about the Code.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how he intends to spend the additional resources allocated to transport in the Budget; and if he will make a statement. [116355]

Following the announcement in the Budget of an extra £280 million for transport spending in the UK, I intend to make the following allocations in England:

£15 million for preparatory work on the £500 million extensions to the Manchester Metrolink, in accordance with the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Manchester, Central (Mr. Lloyd) on 22 March 2000, Official Report, column 549W.

£30 million as a contribution to the cost of extending the Docklands Light Railway to the City Airport, subject to statutory procedures.

£65 million to enable London Underground to enhance provision for escalator work and customer services across the network and improve overall frequency and reliability on the Northern, Central, District and Jubilee lines. We are also reviewing the investment programme for the core Underground to ensure it represents best value.

£14 million to abolish charges for bus passes for pensioners, so that they will not have to pay for a pass entitling them to bus travel at a maximum half fare under the provision in the Transport Bill.

£5 million extra for 20 new innovative bus schemes in rural areas.

£5 million to support child road safety education and information.

£30 million for local authorities to spend on schemes for child safety and safe routes to school, and small scale improvements including bus priority measures.

£3 million for preparatory work on four new road schemes (upgrading the A74 north of Carlisle to motorway standard, a bypass for Thorney on the A47 and dualling two sections of the A11 in Norfolk and Suffolk), subject to statutory procedures.

£20 million for 80 new schemes for safety and congestion stress points and other improvements on the trunk road network.

£16 million for a hold-up warning system to reduce accidents on our most congested sections of motorway.

£25 million to fund the acceleration of six road schemes already being progressed in the Highways Agency's Targeted Programme of Improvements.

£2 million for integrated transport projects applying new technology to public transport ticketing and improved traffic management in towns.

£5 million for local authorities to improve telephone information for passengers on local transport services.

£9 million to support the Powershift programme to promote cleaner fuel vehicles.

£6 million for cleaning up existing diesel buses and taxis in cities.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list his official foreign trips planned for the rest of the year, stating in each case the itinerary and the purpose of the visit. [116261]

It is not the normal practice of Governments to give details of forthcoming engagements.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he will announce the start of construction on the Cumberland Gap. [107577]

Following the Road Review, a lower cost option for upgrading of the A74 between Carlisle and Guardsmill to motorway has been identified. We are today adding this scheme to our targeted programme of trunk road improvements and it will now be developed by the Highways Agency. Subject to the completion of statutory procedures the aim will be to let a contract for the scheme in 2004.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many anti-social behaviour orders have been imposed in (a) Hertfordshire and (b) England and Wales. [116098]

As I said in my reply to the hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Mr. Hawkins) on 21 February 2000, Official Report, column 824W, records of the numbers of anti-social behaviour orders applied for are not currently held centrally. We understand that about 30–35 orders have been made in England and Wales since the relevant provisions of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 came into force in April last year. None of these, as far as we are aware, have been in Hertfordshire.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to improve access times to his Department's press releases posted on the COI website; if he will place his Department's press releases on the main Home Office website when they are released; and if he will make a statement. [116259]

The Home Office press releases from January 2000 are now available on the main Home Office website. This means that Home Office press releases are now posted on the main departmental site on the day they are released. Previous press releases will remain on the Central Office of Information site with a link from the Home Office website.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to ban the sale of R-44 Magnum handguns to those without a Class 1 firearms licence. [116097]

Long barrelled firearms of this kind are already subject to Section 1 of the Firearms Act 1968. Anyone wishing to purchase such a firearm must obtain a firearm certificate from his local police. The police will issue a certificate if they are satisfied that the applicant has a good reason to wish to possess such a firearm and can be trusted to keep and use it without danger to public safety or to the peace. Simple possession of a Section 1 firearm without authority is a serious criminal offence carrying a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment.Registered firearms dealers are required to keep detailed records of their purchase and sale of firearms. It is itself a criminal offence to transfer a firearm to an unauthorised person, carrying a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on continuing discussions at European Council level regarding the deployment of police forces in peace-keeping missions. [115578]

The European Council agreed at Helsinki last December that, in support of the Common Foreign and Security Policy, the European Union should be able to resort to the whole range of instruments from diplomatic activity, humanitarian assistance and economic measures to civilian policing and military crisis management options (Annexe IV of the Presidency Conclusions).Follow-up discussion are now under way in European Union subsidiary bodies. Her Majesty's Government will seek the closest possible co-operation among the European Union, the Organisation on Security and Co-operation in Europe and the United Nations in civilian policing.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the expenditure incurred by his Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies on (a) the setting up and (b) the operation of websites, indicating the cases in which the expenditure has been above that budgeted; and if he will list for each

	Home Office	Fire Service College	Forensic Science Service	Prison Service	UK Passport Agency
Expenditure on setting up website	£1,000 approx. (in-house development costs, 1995–96)	£4,000 approx. (in-house development costs, 1999–2000)	Less than £5,000 (in-house development costs, 1998)	£34,780 (site design costs, 1999)	£20,000 (site design costs, 2000)
Operation of website: cost per year (current)	£17,575	£1,000 approx.	£10,000	£3,000	£9,000
Topics covered	The subjects covered by the Home Office	The work of the Fire Service College	The work of the Forensic Science Service	The work of the Prison Service	The work of the UK Passport Agency
Current average number of hits (page impressions) per month (approx.)	1,036,700	2,034 (first month, site is not yet widely advertised)	30,000	91,600	211,200
Estimated expenditure for next 3 years: cost per year	£17,575	£3,000 approx.	2000–01: £20,000 2001–02: £10,000 2002–03: £15,000	£3,000	£9,000

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will order a report from the Chief Constable of the Yorkshire Constabulary on the reasons why Jonathan Woodgate and Lee Bowyer were afforded special arrangements to attend their court hearing on 17 March by entering the court building via the neighbouring police station; and if he will make a statement. [115807]

I understand that the decision was taken in order to avoid possible risks to public order and the safety of the accused persons and others; and to prevent any prejudice to the legal proceedings arising from publicity at the entrance to the court.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the Deputy Prime Minister with regard to the introduction of elected mayors in Wales. [115580]

My hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State and I meet Whitehall colleagues on a regular basis to discuss a wide range of issues, including the proposals for the introduction of elected mayors.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the First Secretary with regard to the introduction of elected mayors in Wales. [115582]

The available information for the websites of the Home Office and its executive agencies is shown in the table. Staff costs are not included and the figures are approximate in some cases. The non-departmental public bodies have set up their own websites independently of the Home Office in most cases. The information requested for these bodies is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

I meet the First Secretary regularly when we discuss a range of issues, including local government issues. Our discussions have covered the Local Government Bill, which provides for new executive structures in England and Wales, including the option of an elected mayor.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if student loans are considered as income for the purpose of claiming Working Families Tax Credit. [115722]

Student loans are considered as income for the purpose of assessing entitlement to Working Families Tax Credit, subject to certain flat-rate income disregards.£10 a week of the student loan is disregarded as income, as are the £250, and £303 a year included in the loan for the cost of travelling, and books and equipment, respectively.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many British-produced films were made in the UK in 1999. [115919]

There were 72 UK-produced films and UK-majority co-productions shot mainly or wholly in the UK in 1999. In addition, there were a further six films that had some UK-producer involvement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if it is his policy that any Lottery grant made by Sport England for a venue for the 2005 World Athletics Championships should comply with the financial and policy directions which he has issued to Sport England. [116099]

All Lottery awards should comply with the Directions issued by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which are in force at the time of signing any associated Lottery Funding Agreement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to his answer of 15 March 2000, Official Report, column 250W, on the Athletics Stadium, if he will list the criteria agreed by his Department, the Government Office for London, UK Sport, UK Athletics, the 2005 Bid Team and the British Olympic Association concerning a venue for the 2005 World Athletics Championships. [116126]

Sport England submitted an evaluation to my Department of a number of sites in London against the following criteria: site compatibility; location; potential to be part of an Olympic bid; regeneration potential; transportation; planning issues; cost; and ownership structure. We are now considering this work with all the parties involved. I have also placed copies of the brief submitted by UK Athletics in the Libraries of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) how much Live Productions are being paid for their role in the opening ceremony of the Dome; if the penalty clause in their contract has been activated; and if he will make a statement; [104523](2) if he will set out the remuneration package for Michael Lockett in respect of his role as Project Director for the opening ceremony of the Dome, including details of bonus payment arrangements. [104522]

[holding answer 13 January 2000]: Early on in the considerations about the Dome Opening Celebration (DOC) NMEC decided that the event should be developed and managed in-house. The main factors influencing this decision concerned security, budget and the need to work closely with many of NMEC's existing creative and technical team whose duties also included delivery of the public opening of the Dome on 1 January. Mr. Michael Lockett (Chairman, Live Communication) was consultant project director. Fixed monthly fees were negotiated for Mr. Lockett and for those of his staff who supported him. NMEC established from the outset that the agreed fixed fees compare favourably with those applying in the major event organisation market. In developing and managing the delivery of the DOC, Mr. Lockett and his team worked as an integral part of NMEC's in-house team. Bonus payments are not applicable to any of the Live Communication personnel; final payment for the DOC work they undertook is being made following the normal process of invoice approval by the client. The contract is subject to normal resolution procedures.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will estimate the amount of peat compost used in the last year by (a) Historic Royal Palaces, (b) the Royal Parks Agency and (c) English Heritage; and if he will make a statement. [115718]

The amount of peat compost used in the last year by these bodies is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to his answer of 17 March 2000, Official Report, column 370W, on Wembley Stadium, how many revised proposals were received by January 2000. [116042]

[holding answer 23 March 2000]: Wembley National Stadium Ltd. (WNSL) has responsibility for the development and operation of the new National Stadium. They have told us that following the invitation to three contractors to submit revised proposals by January 2000, two bidders declined to bid except on a construction management or other non-conforming basis. The remaining bidder, although non-compliant, was invited to enter into negotiation for appointment as the preferred contractor for a period of 20 weeks. I have asked Sport England to confirm that they are happy with the appointment under the terms of the Lottery funding agreement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had with interested parties about establishing a lottery for London. [115942]

[holding answer 23 March 2000]: My Department has received no formal representations on this issue.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has to extend the current regulatory provisions relating to the promotion of the National Lottery to regionally based lotteries. [115933]

[holding answer 23 March 2000]: The Government have no current plans to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what undertakings in respect of exclusivity were given to applicants for the National Lottery franchise renewal. [115934]

[holding answer 23 March 2000]: Issues relating to the procedures for the award of the National Lottery licence are a matter for the National Lottery Commission. Under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993, there can be only one body licensed to run the National Lottery at any one time.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will undertake an assessment on the likely impact of a lottery for London on the funds available to the National Lottery distribution bodies. [115935]

[holding answer 23 March 2000]: The Government have no current plans to undertake such an assessment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people were prosecuted for not having a television licence in the United Kingdom in 1999. [115552]

I understand from the BBC that there were 76,524 prosecutions for television licence evasion in the United Kingdom in 1999.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact on cigarette consumption of the withdrawal of Gratis points; and if he will make a statement. [114530]

No separate assessment has been made of the impact on cigarette consumption from withdrawal of Gratis points. We have estimated that the ban on advertising, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco will result in a 2.5 per cent. reduction in consumption. This would mean that about 3,000 lives a year could be saved in the long term.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provision has been made by the Neo-Natal In-services Commissioning investigation for NHS North Thames Region in their examination of the most suitable locations for natal intensive care unit services in the region, for audit of the cost and current usage data being submitted to them by the individual trusts. 1114572]

The London Regional Office of the National Health Service Executive was established on 1 January 1999 and this covers most of the health authorities of the old North Thames Region. Under the auspices of the London Regional Specialised Commissioning Group, a consortium of London health authorities has recently been established to commission neo-natal intensive care services for the residents of London.This new consortium is gathering information about the cost and volume of neo-natal intensive care activity currently provided by NHS trusts in order to identify the amount of money needed from health authority budgets to fund the required level of service.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) clinical and (b) medical oncology consultants there are per 100,000 population for each health authority in England; and if he will make a statement. [115190]

The latest available information is shown in the table.

Number of hospital medical consultants in clinical oncology and medical oncology, per 100,000 population by health authority in England at 30 September 1998
Numbers per 100,000 population
Health authority	Clinical oncology	Medical oncology
England	1.37	0.66
Avon	0.90	0.10
Barking and Havering	1.04	0.00
Bedfordshire	0.18	0.00
Berkshire	0.37	0.00
Bexley and Greenwich	0.00	0.23
Birmingham	0.89	0.69
Bradford	0.00	0.41
Calderdale and Kirklees	0.17	0.00
Cambridge and Huntingdon	1.92	0.85
Camden and Islington	1.63	2.45
Coventry	1.97	0.00
Dorset	0.72	0.43
Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow	1.94	0.60
East Kent	0.00	0.67
East London and The City	0.82	0.16
East Norfolk	0.32	0.32
East Riding	0.52	0.00
East Sussex	0.67	0.00
Enfield and Haringey	0.82	0.00
Gateshead and South Tyneside	0.00	0.85
Gloucester	0.90	0.18
Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster	3.33	1.54
Kingston and Richmond	0.30	0.00
Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham	1.21	0.94
Leeds	2.34	0.82
Leicestershire	0.65	0.00
Lincolnshire	0.96	0.00
Liverpool	0.00	0.22
Manchester	4.19	0.93
Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth	0.00	0.48
Morecambe Bay	0.00	0.32
Newcastle and North Tyneside	2.55	0.00
North Cumbria	0.63	0.00
North Essex	0.56	0.00
North Staffordshire	0.64	0.00
North West Anglia	0.24	0.24
North West Lancashire	1.07	0.21
Northamptonshire	0.81	0.00
Northumberland	0.00	0.32
Nottingham	0.78	0.31
Oxfordshire	1.46	0.65
Portsmouth and South East Hampshire	0.92	0.00
Salford and Trafford	0.00	0.45
Sheffield	1.88	0.56
Shropshire	0.46	0.00
South and West Devon	0.85	0.00
South Essex	0.56	0.00
Southampton and South West Hamptonshire	1.29	0.92
Suffolk	0.60	0.00
Tees	1.08	0.00
West Hertfordshire	3.18	0.00

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to introduce the new class of scientific screening officers for the NHS breast screening programme. [115225]

We are currently considering with the professional bodies the capacity and workforce of the breast screening programme, in view of the growing numbers of women eligible for breast screening as those born in the post-war years reach the age of 50. Our first priority is to maintain the quality of the screening programme, and while alternative staffing arrangements are under consideration no change will be introduced until we can be confident that the quality of screening will continue at its current high standard.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made on reducing waiting times for cancer treatment. [115196]

We are determined to reduce cancer waiting times for diagnosis and treatment. In April 1999, we introduced a two-week waiting time standard for patients referred urgently by their general practitioners with suspected breast cancer. Since then, over 56,000 women have benefited by seeing a specialist within two weeks. We will introduce this high standard of care for all other urgent cases of suspected cancer by the end of this year.We are also introducing "On the spot" style booking systems for cancer treatment through the Cancer Services Collaborative. This £6 million initiative will significantly improve patient care by streamlining and re-designing care from referral through diagnosis and treatment thus reducing delays at every stage.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures he will take to increase the number of heart operations in 2000. [115114]

Heart disease remains a huge health burden to the country and is the biggest single cause of premature death. That is why on 6 March we launched a radical and far-reaching 10-year programme of action to transform the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of coronary heart disease. The National Service Framework will help save 200,000 lives by 2010.As a first step, on 18 October my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced a £50 million boost to cardiac surgery to increase the number of heart operations by 3,000 by April 2002 by making maximum use of the capacity that currently exists in the National Health Service.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many beds were available (a) nationally and (b) in London in each year from 1979 to 1999. [115103]

The information requested is available in the table.

Average daily number of available beds open overnight, England 1979 to 1998–99 and London regional office area 1984 to 1998–99
Year	England	London regional office area
1979	361,670	—
1980	355,978	—
1981	351,669	—
1982	348,104	—
1983	343,091	—
1984	334,513	57,766
1985	325,487	55,518
1986	315,714	53,029
1987–88	297,338	49,403
1988–89	282,897	47,040
1989–90	270,309	44,810
1990–91	255,479	39,042
1991–92	242,677	38,914
1992–93	232,201	37,586
1993–94	219,476	35,294
1994–95	211,812	32,815
1995–96	206,136	32,683
1996–97	198,848	31,763
1997–98	193,625	31,210
1998–99	190,006	30,604

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what conclusions he has reached on the recommendations made by the Advisory Committee for the Microbiological Safety of Food in their report on Microbial Antibiotic Resistance in relation to food safety which was published in August 1999. [116483]

The Government have given careful consideration to all the recommendations of the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food and have accepted those that call for Government action. For the other recommendations, the regulations that are already in place or the activities that are under way have been outlined in the Government's response.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on genetic testing relating to women who may be pre-disposed to develop breast cancer; and to what extent the results of such tests will be confidential. [115938]

[holding answer 23 March 2000]: Gene testing is only appropriate for the small minority of women who have a strong family history of breast cancer. Less than 5 per cent. of cases of breast cancer are linked to known genes. Counselling by National Health Service regional genetics centres, in liaison with other specialities, will enable women and their clinicians to determine whether genetic testing is required. In 1998–99, 15 regional genetic centres undertook a total of just under 1,200 tests for the predisposition to breast cancer.Genetic test results are an important part of the clinical record and, as such, are covered by normal restrictions on the storage and release of confidential medical records. The Advisory Committee on Genetic Testing has issued guidance on the requirements for genetic testing for breast cancer and other disorders which appear later in life.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to authorise the use of chelation therapy in the National Health Service. [99274]

Various forms of chelation therapy are licensed for use in this country for the treatment of a number of different diseases, eg Wilson's disease (a form of liver disease) and some forms of metal poisoning.There are some proponents of the use of a particular intravenous form of this drug, called Ethylene diamine tetra acetic chelation therapy, for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. There is no objective evidence from large research trials that this therapy helps in general in the treatment of cardiovascular disease. At present chelating drugs licensed under the Medicines Act are licensed for various indications but none are licensed for use in treating heart and arterial disease, apart from in clinical trials. In the absence of good evidence of clinical effectiveness it would not be appropriate for the Department to recommend the use of chelation therapy for the treatment of coronary heart disease within the National Health Service.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department, its agencies and associated public bodies spent in total on extra bonuses above usual payments for staff working over the new year period; what were the (a) maximum and (b) minimum bonuses paid; how many people received the (i) maximum and (ii) minimum payments; and if he will make a statement. [104481]

The Department, its agencies and associated public bodies have to date authorised a total of £13,350 on payments to staff who worked over the new year period; the maximum bonus paid was £150 and the minimum £75. Fifty-one people received the maximum and 76 the minimum.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to ascertain whether, (1) prior to the conclusion of an internationally recognised final settlement ending Israel's occupation of the territories it has occupied since 1967, parties to international agreements with Israel can permit their agreements to be implemented in a manner which treats any part of those occupied territories as falling within the territory of the State of Israel without themselves contravening public international law; [115194](2) extending the benefits of trade preferences to enterprises established by Israeli nationals in the territories occupied by Israel since 1967

Great care is taken to avoid contravening international law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to restrict further exports to Sudan by Weir Pumps Ltd. and Allen Engineering until a peace agreement is reached there; and if he will make a statement. [116035]

There is an EU arms embargo, which we expect to remain for as long as the civil war continues. The export of oil pipeline pumps and ancillary equipment is not generally subject to control. We will continue to give frank and full advice to interested companies in the Sudanese oil sector.We have pressed the Government of Sudan to use its oil revenues for development projects and to show transparency in its oil accounts. It has given public assurances to that effect.Peace in the Sudan remains a priority. The UK has been and will continue to be, active in promoting peace in the Sudan.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what correspondence has taken place between the British Embassy in Washington DC and Her Majesty's Government since October 1982 in respect of the export and import of special nuclear materials between the United Kingdom and the United States; and if he will place in the Library copies of correspondence with any national-security-sensitive information redacted. [116268]

Any correspondence of this nature is covered by Exemption 1a (Information whose disclosure would harm national security or defence), and b (Information whose disclosure would harm the conduct of international relations or affairs) and Exemption 2 (Information whose disclosure would harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion) of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. It is the long-standing practice of successive Governments that such information is not released.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how GPs' assessments for Disability Living Allowance are monitored; and what action his Department takes when dealing with general practitioners against whose decisions a high number of successful appeals are submitted. [116003]

Assessment of claimants to Disability Living Allowance is carried out at the request of Benefits Agency decision makers, by Examining Medical Practitioners (EMPs). The EMP's report forms part of the medical evidence used in making a decision on the claim.Decisions on entitlement to Disability Living Allowance are made by Benefits Agency decision makers. In formulating their decision they take account of all the evidence before them, including the claimant's self assessment claim pack and any available evidence from the claimant's medical carer or other health professionals associated with the case. This is in addition to the consideration given to an EMP's report.There is no direct correlation between the standard of an EMP's report and the outcome of an appeal. The Appeals Panel makes an independent judgment, again based on all the evidence before it, which may include supplementary evidence not previously submitted to the decision maker.EMPs undertake work on behalf of Sema Group Medical Services, who hold the contract for the provision of medical services to the Benefits Agency. Doctors who work in this capacity are approved by the Chief Medical Adviser to the Department. The standard of EMP reports is monitored by experienced doctors in Medical Services. If an EMP's work is found to be below the required standard, the EMP is retrained as appropriate and further monitoring is carried out. If an EMP's work remains persistently substandard despite retraining, the Chief Medical Adviser can withdraw approval for the doctor to carry out the work.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many complaints he has received during the last 12 months about the actions of medical examiners employed by Sema in cases of claims for Disability Living Allowance. [115653]

[holding answer 22 March 2000]: The information is not available in the format requested. Records are not kept in a format which would identify the number of complaints received by the Secretary of State about the actions of medical examiners employed by Sema in cases of claims for Disability Living Allowance.Such information as is available is as follows: In the period 1 December 1998 to 30 November 1999, Sema Group Medical Services received a total of 1,701 complaints concerning medical examinations undertaken in connection with claims for Attendance Allowance and Disability Living Allowance. This figure includes those complaints made via the Secretary of State.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the impact of the results of the ONE pilots on the proposed restructuring of the Benefits Agency in Liverpool, Mersey District. [115845]

The ONE pilots, which are operating in 12 parts of the country, do not currently affect Liverpool, Mersey District. No decisions have been made about whether to extend the service nationally. However, the Department for Education and Employment and this Department are currently working jointly on the design and development of a new agency for delivering labour market and benefit services for people of working age, and this will provide a better framework for delivering all of our welfare to work initiatives—in Liverpool, as well as in the rest of the country.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the progress made with ONE pilots. [115846]

All 12 of the ONE pilots are making good progress in helping people plan ways to become independent. The level of service we provide has also been improved by the Benefits Agency, Employment Service, local authorities and private and voluntary sector bodies working in partnership.Although it is too early to judge the level of success, we are already helping people move from welfare into work and the initial response from clients using the new service has been very encouraging.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the budget allocation for renewable energy research made by his Department for each year from 1989–90 to 1999–2000; and what is his Department's expected expenditure for 2000–01. [115382]

[holding answer 21 March 2000]: Spend under the DTI New and Renewable Energy Programme, including research, development, dissemination and demonstration for the indicated years is shown in the table.

Year	£ million
1989–90	17.9
1990–91	20.8
1991–92	24.8
1992–93	25.5
1993–94	25.2
1994–95	19.1
1995–96	18.18
1996–97	114.8
1997–98	110.9
1998–99	19.6
1 These figures allow for the payment and recovery of VAT

The budget allocation for 1999–2000, as announced in "New and Renewable Energy: Prospects for the 21' Century" (DTI, 1999), is £11.5 million. That for 2000–01 is £14 million and that for 2001–02 is £18 million.In addition, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council currently funds 61 grants with a total value of £8.1 million for research in renewable and clean electricity generation. This includes the design and development of new plant and machinery for renewable and clean electricity generation (e.g. hydro, wave, solar, wind, and fuel cells). The EPSRC also launched a managed programme in 1999 entitled "Renewable and New Energy Technologies". This funds research in biomass, tidal current, wave, wind, solar, fuel cells, hydropower and energy from waste; it is also funding associated technologies such as grid interconnection and energy storage and recovery.The commitment for new grants from 1993–94 to 1999–2000 and that planned for 2000–01 is as follows:

Year	£ million
1993–94	1.6
1994–95	0.5
1995–96	1.9
1996–97	2.3
1997–98	3.1
1998–99	1.7
1999–2000	2.5
2000–01	2.5

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received in respect of the Mineworkers' Pension Schemes surpluses; and what the nature of the representations were. [115557]

I have received a number of representations on the subject of coal pension surpluses. Some have called for a re-examination of the guarantee/surplus sharing arrangements established in 1994 to safeguard members' pension entitlements; some have drawn attention to pension entitlements in respect of pre-1975 service, while others have urged greater access to early pensions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations have been made to him by the trustees of the Mineworkers' Pension Schemes seeking renegotiation of the agreement relating to the 50 per cent. clawback by Government of the pension funds surpluses; and on what dates these representations were made. [115554]

I met the Chairman of the Trustees of the coal pension schemes on 20 January to discuss the proposals in the recent Coalfield Communities Campaign report "It's the Miners' Money", as well as alternative ways of building on the success of the schemes' investments.The Trustees of the coal pension schemes (the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme and the Mineworkers' Pension Scheme) made no representations to me relating to renegotiation of the Government guarantee/surplus sharing arrangements established with the Schemes in 1994.My Department is, however, in regular discussion with the Trustees over ways in which future benefits might be improved.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of first-class mail was delivered the next day by the Royal Mail by constituency, in (a) 1996, (b) 1997, (c) 1998 and (b) 1999. [116077]

I understand from the Post Office that such data are not compiled on a parliamentary constituency basis. Quality of service statistics for first and second-class letters are published by postcode area in the Post Office Annual Report and Accounts, copies of which are laid annually in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he made of the long-term demand for super jumbo aircraft prior to his proposed loan to BAe Systems. [115932]

In my Department there is a team which has considerable expertise in making forecast of the future demand for civil aircraft. They made an independent assessment of the likely demand for the A3XX, which concluded that there was a robust market case for this aircraft.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on progress in encouraging investment in e-commerce businesses in (a) Shropshire and (b) the West Midlands region in the last three years. [116047]

Electronic Commerce lies at the heart of the Government's vision for building a modern, knowledge driven economy in the UK. Its importance to an area like Shropshire is recognised.In September 1999, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister launched the PIU report "e-commerce@its.best.uk" which set out the vision and strategy for e-commerce. This built on target to make the UK the best place in the world to trade electronically by 2002, set out in the Competitiveness White Paper "Our Competitive Future: Building the Knowledge-Driven Economy".By 2002, this means 1.5 million SMEs connected and one million actually trading on-line, with a higher proportion of e-commerce to transactions and a higher proportion of Government services transacted through e-commerce than in the rest of G7.In the West Midlands there are also a wide range of European Funded e-commerce related projects supporting the development of e-commerce businesses, benefiting Shropshire and elsewhere. In 1997 Business Link Shropshire was granted £100,000 to establish an Information Society Initiative Local Support Centre. This funding, spread over three years, has enabled the BL to advise and support local businesses in the introduction and use of ICT. This project has linked well with services available from the Business Link's Information Technology Adviser, who has been able to give expert advice to local companies on how to make the best use of IT and explain the benefits of e-commerce. In the last three years over 800 companies have received advice/support.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will assess the performance of manufacturing industry in (a) Shropshire and (b) the West Midlands region in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [116048]

At this stage, official figures relating to the economic performance of the regions and their sub-regions in 1999 are not available. However, we know from the most recent such figures that manufacturing industry continues to contribute a greater share of regional GDP and to provide a higher proportion of regional employment in the West Midlands than in any other region. We also know that manufacturing's share of employment in the combined areas of the county of Shropshire and the Telford and Wrekin Unitary Authority is significantly above the national average, and that GDP per head (96 per cent. of the national average) in this area is higher than that in the West Midlands region as a whole (94 per cent. of the national average).Business surveys conducted in the West Midlands region in the latter part of 1999 all point to an improved outlook for manufacturing industry. The most recent editions of the West Midlands Regional Group of Chambers' Quarterly Economic Survey, the West Midlands Business Survey, the CBI's Regional Trends Survey and the Engineering Employers Federation West Midlands Business Trends Survey all reported improvements in manufacturing sales and orders, along with a strengthening in confidence among the region's manufacturing sector when compared to their findings in surveys conducted in late 1998 and early 1999. These results are broadly in line with the findings of national business surveys and reflects the renewed growth in UK manufacturing output during the second half of 1999.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people have access from (a) home to the internet and (b) their workplace to the Internet; and if he will make a statement. [116050]

The most recent official figures show that 62 per cent. of businesses in the UK are connected to the internet¹ and 10 per cent. of households have access to the internee.²Achieving universal access to the internet is a priority for Government, and the Prime Minister has announced a target for achieving it by 2005. Meeting this target is vital if we are to create a successful, inclusive knowledge-based economy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the role of the Small Business Service. [115862]

The Small Business Service, which will come into being on 3 April 2000, will provide a strong voice for small business at the heart of Government, improve the quality and coherence of support for small businesses and help small firms on regulation.The SBS will deliver a number of services nationally and establish a network of franchises to deliver high quality business support for small firms at a local level. David Irwin, the Chief Executive will have the right to be consulted on all new Government legislation presented to Parliament that is likely to affect small businesses. This includes monitoring and commenting on regulatory impact assessments from the perspective of small businesses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many applications there have been for the construction of new gas-fired power stations since the imposition of the moratorium; how many have been given approval; and how many are outstanding. [114157]

Since the October 1998 White Paper, 19 applications for the construction of new gas-fired power stations have been received. Forty-eight applications were under consideration at the time of the White Paper, of which four were subsequently withdrawn. Eighteen proposals have been approved since October 1998, mainly for combined heat and power projects. Fifteen proposals have been deferred and a further 30 proposals are at various stages of consideration.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many special safety inspection visits have been paid to (a) Sellafield and (b) Dounreay by environmental safety experts from the Euratom Agency in each year since 1990; and if he will place copies of reports in the Library. [115359]

The Euratom Treaty does not give the European Commission any responsibility for carrying out safety inspections of nuclear installations. However, Article 35 of the Treaty gives the Commission a right of access to facilities necessary for continuous monitoring of the level of radioactivity in the air, water and soil. Commission visits to verify the operation and efficiency of such facilities were made to Caithness (Dounreay) in May 1993 and March 1999 and to Cumbria (Sellafield) in December 1993. Copies of the reports of the two visits made in 1993 have already been placed in the Library of the House. The report on the 1999 visit to Caithness (Dounreay) has still to be finalised by the Commission.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the capacity of the work force of the electricity supply companies to maintain supplies to consumers following severe weather conditions. [115385]

[holding answer 23 March 2000]: The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (OFGEM) establishes distribution price controls based on levels of service, which incorporate the frequency and duration of interruptions, including those due to all but the most severe storms. In addition, OFGEM has asked companies to prepare storm strategies and has stressed the importance of maintenance of supplies under all conditions in future. It is for the management of companies to determine the most appropriate strategies in response to these incentives and concerns.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will refer the Electricity Distribution Price Review to the scrutiny of the Health and Safety Executive; and if he will make a statement. [115386]

[holding answer 23 March 2000]: Safety is of paramount importance in the electricity distribution industry and an issue which transcends price controls. Companies have statutory obligations, enforced by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), as well as the Electricity Supply Regulations 1988, which is the responsibility of the Engineering Inspectorate in my Department. The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets, in proposing price controls, takes account of these obligations and companies, in accepting the price controls, accept their obligations to operate safe networks with the revenues provided.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will place in the Library the consultant's report to the Regulator of OFFGEM on the Electricity Distribution Price Review. [115426]

[holding answer 23 March 2000]: A summary of the consultant's reports to the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (OFGEM) has already been placed in OFGEM' s library.