To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the Government's special advisers and their responsibilities. [119982]

[holding answer 20 April 2000]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Ribble Valley (Mr. Evans) on 11 November 1999, Official Report, columns 826–28W. Since then, I have appointed Carey Oppenheim, Carl Sobhan and Chris MacShane. Dr. lain Anderson is no longer employed as a special adviser. In addition, ministerial colleagues have appointed the following special advisers: Margaret Ounsley (Chief Whip, House of Lords), Ruth Mackenzie (Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport), Andrew Hood (Secretary of State for Defence), David Wilson (Deputy Prime Minister), Michael Williams (Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs) and Andrew McMenaman (Secretary of State for Wales).All special advisers are employed under terms and conditions set out in the "Model Contract for Special Advisers", a copy of which is in the Library of the House. Schedule 1, Part 1 of the contract sets out the duties and responsibilities of special advisers.

To ask the Prime Minister if he is in a position to announce the membership of the House of Lords Appointments Commission promised in "Modernising Government: Reforming the House of Lords" (Cmnd 4183). [121113]

Following an open recruitment exercise conducted in accordance with the principles of the Commissioner for Public Appointments, I have decided to appoint the following people, on the recommendation of the selection panel, as the independent Chairman and members of the Interim House of Lords Appointments Commission.The Chairman will be Lord Stevenson of Coddenham, the Chairman of the Pearson Group and Halifax plc and a cross-bench peer in the House of Lords. The leaders of the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties have been informed and are content for Lord Stevenson to be appointed as Chairman.The independent members, chosen from a strong field of candidates, will be Mrs. Angela Sarkis CBE, the Chief Executive of the Church Urban Fund; Dame Deirdre Hine, previously Chief Medical Officer at the Welsh Office and Chairman of the Commission for Health Improvement; and Ms Felicity Huston, Chairman of the Northern Ireland Consumer Committee for Electricity and Deputy Chairman of the General Consumer Council of Northern Ireland.In addition, the Commission will contain a member nominated by each of the three main political parties. The Labour Party member is the right hon. Baroness Dean of Thornton-le-Fylde. The Conservative Party member is the right hon. Lord Hurd of Westwell CH, CBE. The Liberal Democrat member is Lord Dholakia OBE, DL.The seven members of the Commission will combine knowledge of the existing House of Lords with a diverse range of personal backgrounds. They will be well-qualified to take forward the process of appointing non-political peers to the House of Lords on a more open and transparent basis and to take on responsibility for vetting all nominations for peerages.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement regarding retraining programmes available to car workers made redundant at Longbridge and its suppliers. [119632]

The Rover Task Force produced an interim report that was presented on 26 April to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, who welcomed the proposals.My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has pledged £129 million to assist the people and businesses of the west midlands and the report made a number of recommendations about short and medium-term actions that should be taken to regenerate the region. These include a number of initiatives that will tackle employee re-skilling and re-training for workers from Rover and its supplier chain who will be made redundant or whose jobs will be affected. Funding of more than £27 million has been approved to support this work, to help individuals and to aid supplier chain diversification which will include the re-training of up to 4,000 workers.The report also recommends three new initiatives to support employees which will:

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what position (a) Mr. Jonathan Green and (b) Mr. Michael Atkinson (i) held in his Department on 1 January and (ii) will hold on 1 May. [120117]

Mr. Jonathan Green was Director, Energy Utilities on 1 January 2000 and was still in post on 1 May.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the movements of senior civil servants from and to the division of his Department dealing with energy issues in the last six months. [120110]

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what changes have been made recently in the officials dealing with coal and industrial subsidy. [120207]

The information requested is as follows:

Mrs. Ann Taylor moved into the Energy Group on 21 February 2000 to replace Mr. Alan Wright as Director, Coal Health Claims Unit in Energy Policy, Technology, Analysis and Coal Directorate. Mr. Wright moved on the same date to a post in the Department's Finance and Resources Management Directorate.

Mr. Stephen Spivey moved into the Energy Group on 14 February 2000 to fill a temporary post in the BNFL Public Private Partnership Team. He then moved to a new post in Nuclear Industries Directorate as Director, UKAEA Quinquennial Review Team, on 10 April 2000.

Dr. Stephen Sklaroff, Director, BNFL Public Private Partnership Team resigned from the Department with effect from 15 March 2000. Mr. John Rhodes moved into the Energy Group on 20 March to replace Dr: Sklaroff.

Mr. Mike Atkinson transferred from his post Director, Coal Unit in Energy Policy, Technology, Analysis and Coal Directorate to a new post ad Director, Resources, Business Competitiveness Group on 26 April 2000.

Mr. Peter Mason transferred from Consumer Affairs to Energy Policy, Technology, Analysis and Coal to replace Mike Atkinson on 2 May.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry who his Department's (a) Director of Energy Utilities and (b) Director of Coal Units are. [120118]

The following is the information:

(a) Mr. Jonathan Green

(b) Mr. Peter Mason

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if BMW has indicated that it would consider a bid for (a) the new Mini and (b) the R30. [120076]

I refer to the evidence given by Professor Samann to the Trade and Industry Select Committee on 29 March 2000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he, his Ministers and his officials had with (a) Kevin Maguire and (b) Keith Harper of The Guardian during (i) the week beginning 10 April, (ii) Saturday 15 April and (iii) Sunday 16 April; and what subjects were discussed. [120109]

My Department maintains regular contact with a range of journalists.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many post offices were closed in each year from 1992 to 1999; and how many were opened. [120797]

I understand from the Post Office that historical data for the numbers of post offices opened are not available. The net numbers of post office closures are as follows:

Year ending March	Number
1993	202
1994	176
1995	175
1996	193
1997	163
1998	243
1999	233

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to establish a new entitlement to regular out-of-school-hours study support for older primary pupils and secondary schools. [119635]

We know that taking part in out-of-school-hours study support improves pupil attitudes and is linked to better performance at school. Virtually all schools already provide some study support activities and around half of all pupils attend at least one activity per week. We want to extend that to all pupils, which is why we have announced our intention to provide all older primary and secondary pupils with the opportunity to take part in these activities.Evidence suggests that disadvantaged young people benefit most from the kind of study support opportunities that other young people may take for granted, such as learning to play a musical instrument or having the space or encouragement to do their homework. It is for these reasons that this Government have, for the first time, ring-fenced significant funding for study support, which we are targeting on young people from disadvantaged areas.To date, almost 2,000 schools have benefited from a share of the £240 million that is available for study support through the New Opportunities Fund. In addition to this, around 6,800 schools are expected to benefit this year from £20 million of Standards Fund money for study support, and this amount will rise to £60 million next year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what recent representations he has received regarding performance-related pay for teachers. [119638]

The Government's proposals for teachers' pay reform were initially outlined in the Green Paper, "Teachers: meeting the challenge of change" (Cm 4164). We have discussed our proposals extensively with all teacher unions and other key stakeholders. Following publication of the draft School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document 2000 on 2 May, we are continuing discussions with statutory consultees.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to extend the scope of the New Deal for the long-term unemployed. [119641]

The New Deal for those aged 25 and over has already helped over 38,000 people into jobs. This year we are investing almost £100 million in strengthening the advisory process, making it more intensive and work-focused, and in extending the existing pilots. From April 2001, this New Deal will be extended to all those who have been unemployed for 18 months or more. It will provide intensive support to find work, including high quality training and work experience, building on the successful approach of New Deal for young people.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to ensure that all social groups have equal opportunities for access to information and communications technology. [119643]

We are taking forward a range of measures to ensure that everyone can benefit from the advantages of new technologies. The ICT Learning Centres initiative will give many people living in disadvantaged communities in England the opportunity to access the Internet and ICT facilities. We have recently announced a pilot project to wire-up deprived communities to bring housing estates, tower blocks and rural areas on line. We are also introducing a scheme—"Computers within Reach"—to pilot arrangements for those who cannot afford new computers to acquire reconditioned computers. The recently published report of Policy Action Team 15 looked specifically at issues relating to the role of ICT in community renewal, including the availability of ICT to black and minority ethnic groups. We will continue to work with partners and the private sector to address the issue of closing the digital divide.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what support has been given to teachers to ensure that they are able to utilise information and communications technology to raise standards. [119644]

The New Opportunities Fund is making available £230 million to support the training of serving teachers and school library staff in the maintained sector in the effective use of information and communication technology (ICT). The training is available to all teachers in maintained schools and is specifically targeted at using ICT in the classroom to support the National Curriculum. In addition, in the period up to 2002, the Department will have supported local education authorities expenditure of more than £700 million on ICT hardware, software and training for their schools.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to ensure that people in deprived communities develop ICT skills for employability. [119625]

From 15 May, we will be making available 50,000 extra training opportunities in England for people claiming benefits to acquire basic computer skills with recognised first-rung qualifications. The courses will increase their chances of getting a job as well as enable those who wish to develop their ICT skills further. In addition, the Government are making £15 million available for a pilot scheme—"Computers Within Reach"—to enable those who cannot afford new computers to acquire reconditioned computers for use in the home for the purpose of improving their employment prospects, for lifelong learning, or for their children's homework. We recently announced a £10 million project to wire up disadvantaged communities, enabling people living in them to use the new information and communications technologies to access jobs, learning opportunities, Government and other services. We are also establishing around 700 ICT Learning Centres in the most deprived communities. These centres will offer access to those initial ICT skills that are increasingly essential to people's job and career prospects.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when he expects to proceed with regulations requiring school governing bodies to establish a complaints system. [119645]

My right hon. Friend has no immediate plans to do so, especially as the majority of schools have their own complaints procedures. We have to balance the advantages of setting out national minimum requirements against the disadvantages of introducing another bureaucratic burden. School staff should respond seriously to parental concerns and complaints, to avoid the need for them to go to governing bodies. And governing bodies, in their own interests, should have effective mechanisms in place for handling any parental complaints that do reach them, so that difficulties are resolved swiftly and fairly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to improve the pay and conditions of part-time lecturing staff in further and higher education. [119646]

Pay and conditions for FE and HE staff are an important issue, although the detailed arrangements are for employers to determine. We have increased the funding for higher education by over £1 billion over the four years to 2001–02. And we have made the biggest ever investment in FE, increasing funds from £3.1 billion in 1998–99 to £3.9 billion in 2001–02. We are encouraging employers and unions to work together on sensible ways forward under the improved circumstances we have created.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the implications of the recent report of the better regulation task force for the work of secondary school (a) teachers and (b) headmasters. [119647]

I welcome the report from the Better Regulation Task Force Review of Red Tape Affecting Head Teachers. It is a helpful contribution to the Government's campaign to raise standards in both secondary and primary schools.My Department is committed to do all that it can to help head teachers and classroom teachers focus on their priority task of raising standards of attainment for pupils. We have already taken steps to reduce needless bureaucracy, but we recognise there is more to be done. We will build on the work we have done and have given the £80 million in 2000–01 for small schools' administrative support.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the number of headteachers leaving the profession in Gloucestershire; and if he will make a statement. [119648]

The leaving rate of headteachers in Gloucestershire during 1997–98 (the latest year for which figures are available) was 9.4 per cent., similar to the national rate of 9.6 per cent. Since that time the leaving rate of headteachers taking early retirement has declined, although the full figures for headteacher leavers are not yet available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps he is taking to improve teaching standards in higher education. [119649]

The Quality Assurance Agency carries out subject reviews of provision in departments of higher education institutions. These include an assessment of the quality of teaching and the learning experience of the student. In addition, to reinforce the quality of teaching, the Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education has been set up. Its purpose is to:

• enhance the status of teaching in higher education;
• maintain and improve the quality of learning and teaching in higher education;
• set standards of good professional practice that its members, and in due course all those with learning and teaching responsibilities, might follow.

In July 2000, my noble Friend the Minister for Education and Employment in the Lords will award 20 ILT National Teaching Fellowships of £50,000 each. The awards will recognise and reward individual academics who have demonstrated excellence in teaching and support for learning.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on consultation with teachers' representative organisations about changes in their pay arrangements. [119650]

Since the publication of the Green Paper, Teachers: meeting the challenge of change (Cm 4164), in December 1998, we have consulted extensively with teacher representatives about the proposed changes to teachers' pay structure. On 2 May, we published a draft of the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document 2000 for consultation with statutory consultees including teacher unions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what his assessment is of the effect of the single status agreement on classroom assistants. [119651]

The Government take the view that schools and Local Education Authorities are best placed to decide on matters concerning the pay and conditions of local authority staff. The new Single Status Agreement was agreed nationally by local authority employers and staff unions under the auspices of the Local Government Management Board, but its implementation is being determined at local level.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to assist schools in dealing with disruptive pupils. [119652]

We are providing more than £500 million over three years, backed up by new guidance on 'Social Inclusion: Pupil Support', to help schools tackle pupils' behavioural problems. From this September we are expanding the Excellence in Cities initiative to 21 additional local education authorities. This will include the provision of additional Learning Mentors and Learning Support Units to help schools better manage disruptive pupils.In addition, on 27 April my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced £28 million to establish 360 LSUs outside Excellence in Cities areas; £8 million to establish 60 pilot LSUs to serve about 200 primary schools in existing EiC areas; a new £2 million innovation fund with the voluntary sector and employers to provide innovative programmes for excluded pupils and pupils at risk of exclusion; and a new £9 million pupil allowance scheme for secondary schools in EiC areas which accept difficult pupils outside the normal admissions round.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what progress has been made in approving the plans submitted by the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnerships. [119653]

All 150 Early Years Development and Childcare Partnerships for 2000–01 have now been assessed: 147 have been given full approval; one conditional approval; and three deferred approval.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on progress in implementing the Sure Start programme. [119654]

I have been asked to reply.Of the 60 Sure Start trailblazer programmes that were announced in January 1999, 57 have now received approval and are starting to help young children and their families. The remaining three will follow shortly. In November 1999 we launched the second wave of Sure Start by inviting a further 69 areas to start work to develop local programmes. All of these are now working on drawing up their final plans. This brings the number of Sure Start programmes so far announced to 129.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what recent representations he has received on head teachers' pay. [R][119629]

We are engaged in a regular dialogue with representatives of employers and headteachers. The pay arrangements are based on recommendations made by the independent School Teachers' Review Body. We are committed to consulting all key stakeholders before any changes are made. The Government propose to make up to £70 million available over the two years 2000–01 and 2000–02 to support performance-pay awards for heads, as well as for deputies and Advanced Skills Teachers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on class sizes in primary schools since May 1997. [119639]

The size of primary classes has gone down in each of the past two years after rising steadily throughout the previous 10 years. In January

The number of free places provided for four-year-olds in the private, voluntary and independent sectors, by term, from autumn 1998 to spring 2000 (by LEA area)
LEA number	LEA name	Autumn 1998	Spring 1999	Summer 1999	Autumn 1999	Spring 2000
201	City of London	9	5	11	3	4
202	Camden	520	539	578	531	522
203	Greenwich	373	301	324	337	300
204	Hackney	468	471	522	546	489
205	Hammersmith and Fulham	212	242	285	214	221
206	Islington	175	209	280	203	192
207	Kensington and Chelsea	167	173	148	120	142
208	Lambeth	447	457	580	747	836
209	Lewisham	297	249	311	320	268
210	Southwark	379	355	438	370	386
211	Tower Hamlets	63	66	84	64	65
212	Wandsworth	802	910	936	786	830
213	Westminster	350	353	372	358	356
301	Barking and Dagenham	13	19	30	6	28
302	Barnet	361	639	820	303	592
303	Bexley	367	245	348	315	263
304	Brent	190	263	342	207	274
305	Bromley	1,604	1,192	1,866	1,683	1,196
306	Croydon	586	689	927	552	663
307	Ealing	338	411	505	0	403
308	Enfield	203	507	736	185	505
309	Haringey	56	116	161	53	164
310	Harrow	285	246	371	305	268
311	Havering	96	499	763	92	460
312	Hillingdon	378	330	377	357	323
313	Hounslow	53	85	113	50	98

1998, the average size of primary classes was 27.7. In January 1999, the figure was 27.5, and in January 2000 it was 27.1. The figure in January 1988 was 25.4.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps have been taken to publicise the Code on age diversity and to combat age discrimination in employment. [119640]

The Code of Practice on Age Diversity in Employment is at the heart of our campaign to tackle age discrimination. The Code was developed with the help of key partners, who are promoting it to their members.Initial advertising concentrated on personnel professionals and managers. The campaign I launched in February to promote the Code to a wider audience uses billboard posters, national and regional press and commercial radio. Further activities and events will continue until the end of the year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many places are provided by private sector providers in each local education authority as part of their agreed Early Years Childcare and Education Development Partnerships to provide all four-year-olds with an early years education place. [119196]

[holding answer 14 April 2000]: The following table shows the overall numbers of places for four-year-olds in the private, voluntary and independent sectors by local education authority area from autumn 1998 to spring 2000. Figures are not collected separately on private sector places.The figures show variations between the school terms reflecting the differing admission arrangements to maintained schools operating in each local education authority area.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many disabled people have found work through the new deal for the disabled since its inception. [119633]

We have been piloting the New Deal for Disabled People since autumn 1998. Our experience shows that for many people on incapacity benefits the journey back to work will be lengthy. I am pleased therefore to be able to say that to the end of March this year some 2,755 people had found employment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps he is taking to improve levels of financial literacy. [119623]

Financial capability is part of the new national guidelines for Personal, Social and Health Education which were issued to schools last year and come into effect this autumn. From the start of the school year 2002, secondary school pupils will also learn about the rights and responsibilities of consumers, employees and employers as part of Citizenship in the National Curriculum. This will be complemented by the work of the Adult Financial Literacy Advisory Group, set up to identify good ideas and existing best practice to give adults the skills and confidence to handle their finances.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when the National Disability Council will report on its recent activities. [121250]

I am pleased to announce that the National Disability Council's report for 1999–2000 has been laid before Parliament today. The report, copies of which are available in the Library, describes the work of the Council in its final full year of operation. A letter from the Council's Chairman, David Grayson, reporting on activities between 6 April and 24 April has also been laid today. It is also available in the Library.The work of the Council was subsumed by the Disability Rights Commission when it began operating on 25 April. This report and letter are, therefore, the final reports on the Council's activities. Accordingly, I want to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the hard work and commitment that Mr. Grayson and the Council's members brought to their work. They have made a positive impact and helped improve the lives of disabled people. I am particularly grateful to them for the way in which the Council helped pave the way for the Commission. Because of their good efforts the Commission inherited an exceptionally good base from which to begin its work.

	Number of sixth forms approved
Local education authority	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
Berkshire (pre 1 April 1998)	—	—	—	1	—	3	—	—
Birmingham	1	1	—	—	1	1	—	—
Bradford	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1
Buckinghamshire (pre 1 April 1997	—	—	—	1	—	—	—	—
Calderdale	—	—	1	—	—	—	—	—
Cambridgeshire (pre 1 April 1998)	—	1	—	3	—	—	—	—
Cornwall	—	—	—	—	2	—	—	—
Derby City	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	—
Derbyshire (pre 1 April 1997)	—	—	2	2	3	—	—	—
Devon	—	—	2	—	—	—	—	1
Dorset (pre 1 April 1997)	—	1	—	—	—	4	—	—
Dudley	—	—	—	1	—	—	—	—
Ealing	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1
East Sussex	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1
Essex (pre 1 April 1998)	3	—	1	3	2	—	—	—
Gateshead	—	—	—	1	—	—	—	—
Gloucestershire	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	2
Hampshire (pre 1 April 1997)	—	—	3	2	1	—	—	—
Havering	—	—	1	—	—	—	—	—
Kent (pre 1 April 19981	1	—	1	—	25	6	—	—
Lambeth	—	—	—	1	—	—	—	—
Lincolnshire	—	—	3	—	3	—	—	—
Manchester	—	—	—	—	—	1	—	—
Norfolk	—	1	2	1	1	—	—	—
North Yorkshire (pre 1 April 1996)	—	—	—	1	—	—	—	—
Nottinghamshire (pre 1 April 1998)	—	—	1	—	—	—	—	—

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will publish the prospectus and specification for the Connexions Service. [121261]

I am pleased to announce that the prospectus and specification for the Connexions Service has been published today. Copies are being placed in the Library and will be sent to a wide range of organisations this week including members of the Learning and Skills Committee.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on progress on establishing the national framework for learning accounts. [121279]

Implementation of the national framework is progressing to timetable. Individuals can currently open accounts under local arrangements with Training and Enterprise Councils. From mid-June they will be able to open them through the national framework and use their accounts for learning from September, benefiting from the full range of incentives available to learning account holders. I am pleased to announce that the Department has issued a letter of intent to Capita Group to start the development of these services under the national framework.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many schools' sixth forms have been (a) closed and (b) opened in each LEA in each of the years 1992–93 to 1999–2000. [119691]

The number of sixth forms for each local education authority that have been approved to open or close since 1992 is given in the tables:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment for what purposes his Department requires a birth certificate to be furnished by (a) employees, (b) contractors, (c) those applying for employment and contracts and (d) other persons. [120321]

The Department requests a birth certificate from the following persons:

• employees—where there is any doubt about their age, in circumstances where they are being considered for voluntary or compulsory early release or normal age retirement as prescribed by the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme and the Civil Service Compensation Scheme;
• those applying for employment—as reliable evidence of age, nationality and, with other documents, their identity;
• others—include those eligible children of members of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme who die in service; where positive proof of their lineage is required so they can be paid pension entitlements.

Although the Department does not as a rule request birth certificates from current contractors or those applying for contracts, there have been circumstances, where there is a doubt on age, where a birth certificate has been requested to establish whether their employees are within legal age limits for employment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was the average amount received by (a) former grant-maintained primary schools and (b) former grant-maintained secondary schools as a result of cash protection in 1999–2000 expressed (i) in cash terms and (ii) on a per pupil basis. [120257]

The table provides the information requested:

		£
	Average amount per school1	Average amount per pupil
Primary schools	16,900	60
Secondary schools	39,800	41
1 To nearest £100

These figures have been estimated on the basis of information supplied to the Department by local education authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he plans to make benefit entitlement for those aged over 60 years dependent on their willingness to take up employment. [120912]

The Performance and Innovation Unit report, "Winning the Generation Game", published last month made 75 recommendations about improving people's opportunity to contribute to society in their later working years. This included a recommendation that the over-60s exemption from JSA be removed as pension ages are equalised between 2010 and 2020. However, the Government have no plans before then to introduce forms of conditionality for older workers which would move beyond the requirement to attend for interview and advice on employment prospects and benefit from the generous programme of measures we have introduced to make work pay for the over-50s. Consideration of how the recommendations will be implemented will be taken in due course and will seek to build on the clear philosophy and policy already set out by the Government.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he plans to provide assistance to householders in rural areas of Northern Ireland who do not have access to mains water and sewerage connections. [121114]

I can announce that from today the reasonable cost limit for connection of an existing property to mains water supplies will be increased from £2,900 to £5,000. The reasonable cost limit for connection to the public sewers will also be increased from £2,300 to £4,000. This will enable nearly a third of all homes at present without running water—an estimated 6,000 in total—to link with the mains water and sewerage systems for the first time.Technical constraints mean it will still be impossible to connect some remote homes to mains supplies. These homes will continue to rely on private water supplies, some of which may not be entirely satisfactory. I have therefore instructed my officials to explore whether it would be possible to provide some form of assistance to help people who live in these remote dwellings to improve the quality of their private supplies.The maximum cost allowances available for the connection of new properties to mains water and sewerage services are currently under review. Revised charging guidelines for the provision of water and sewerage infrastructure to new properties will be introduced on 1 January 2001.In the interim, the current maximum cost allowances of £2,900 for connection to mains water supplies, and £2,300 for connection to public sewerage services will continue to be applied to all properties.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the Northern Ireland Prison Service intends to publish its 2000 to 2003 Corporate and Business Plan; and what performance targets have been set for 2000 to 2001. [121115]

The Northern Ireland Prison Service's Corporate and Business Plan for 2000–03 was published today. The following key performance targets have been set for 2000–01:

1. To ensure 100 per cent. security for prisoners in high and top risk categories.

2. To ensure at least 99.5 per cent. security for prisoners in medium and low risk categories.

3. To ensure that the number of assaults by prisoners on staff is less than the 1999–2000 level of 9.4 per 100 prisoners.

4. To ensure that the number of assaults by prisoners on prisoners is less than the 1999–2000 level of 9.5 per 100 prisoners.

5. To achieve an 80 per cent. utilisation of available places in education, and training and employment workshops.

6. To ensure that an average of at least 50 per cent. of the eligible prison population is working to a sentence plan.

7. To evaluate the system of booked visits and, if appropriate, introduce to a second establishment by March 2001.

8. To achieve an average of at least five days development and training per member of staff.

9. To ensure that the average cost per prisoner place does not exceed the range £76,000-£81,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what purposes his Department requires a birth certificate to be furnished by (a) employees, (b) contractors, (c) those applying for employment and contracts and (d) other persons. [120319]

A birth certificate or similar documentary evidence may be required for one or more of the following reasons:

• Proof of identity
• Proof of eligibility under the Civil Service nationality rules
• Proof of age

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the supply of demining equipment for use by BACTEC International in Kosovo. [121192]

We have approved the export to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) of 18 sets of protective body armour and helmets for use by BACTEC International Ltd., an organisation engaged in humanitarian demining activities in Kosovo on behalf of the United Nations Interim Administration in Kosovo (UNMIK).These goods are on the Military List. UN Security Council resolution UNSCR 1160 (1998) imposed an arms embargo on the FRY. The only exception to this embargo is that in UNSCR 1244 (1999), which provides that prohibitions imposed by UNSCR 1160 shall not apply to the sale or supply of arms and related material for use by the international civil and security presence in Kosovo. We have notified the UN Sanctions Committee of this export and they have raised no objection. The export of the equipment required for demining purposes is not prohibited by the EU arms embargo.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on debate within the EU on the Echelon surveillance system. [120774]

Policy on the interception of communications is a matter for member states. There are, however, some areas which may impinge on surveillance and interception related matters, such as data protection, in which the EU has a legitimate interest. It is the long-standing policy of the British Government, as of many other governments, not to comment on alleged interception activity.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received from Governments other than that of the United States concerning the recent US proposal to provide a Supplemental Document and a Rule to Article 98 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. [120762]

We have received no such representations.