To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) how many public toilets were closed between April 1998 and April 1999; [120489](2) what plans he has to introduce best value performance indicators covering the provisions of public toilets; [120492](3) if he will make public toilet provision a statutory obligation for local government; [120491](4) what plans he has to tackle vandalism and drug misuse in public toilets. [120490]

Owing to changes in the definition used by the Audit Commission, it is not possible accurately to ascertain the total number of public toilets closed between April 1998 and April 1999. However, while the total number of public toilets counted in England increased from 6,128 to 6,643, the number of public toilets open more than 12 hours a day decreased from 6,128 to 4,133. Figures for Wales are not yet available.The Audit Commission has specified, for the current financial year, a mandatory performance indicator for local authorities in respect of

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what action his Department takes to warn beekeepers when genetically modified crops are planted close to their apiaries. [120696]

The legislation requires that proposed locations of releases of GM crops for research purposes (Part B) have to be advertised locally before sowing takes place. The advertisement must give information on the name and address of the applicant, the GM crop, the location and general purpose of the trial and the foreseen sowing dates. A full list of current and proposed releases is on my Department's website and on the Public Register.Once a GM crop has Europe-wide consent for placing on the market (Part C), there is no requirement for prior notification of planting. However, only one such crop is currently grown in the UK, as part of the Farm Scale Evaluations programme. Under the agreement between the Government and the industry body, SCIMAC, the locations of the Evaluations will be published on my Department's website and the farmers involved will alert their neighbours.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to alter the water charging regime to allow the use of council tax bands as an alternative to metering. [121025]

Under the Water Industry Act 1999, companies must produce charges schemes, which include details of the basis on which they wish to charge for water and sewerage services to homes. Schemes are subject to approval by the Director General of Water Services.My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has issued guidance to the Director General on the approval of schemes for companies operating wholly or mainly in England. In considering whether or not to approve a new basis of unmeasured charging, key factors are the transitional effects of any change, any proposals for managing such effects and the impact of the new basis of charging on different groups, particularly vulnerable customers. Because of the potential social impacts on customers, the Director should not approve the widespread introduction of new unmeasured charging arrangements, without full consultation with the Secretary of State. There is no statutory bar on such arrangements being based on council tax. The Government will continue to consider any proposals that come forward provided that they address the key factors.The Secretary of State's guidance under the 1999 Act and other background on water charging policy is set out in "Water Industry Act 1999—Delivering the Government's Objectives" published on 3 February, a copy of which is in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many lone parents aged under 18 years (a) are living in semi-supervised accommodation and (b) have lone tenancy of a council house. [121060]

The only information currently available centrally is for new lettings of supported accommodation by Registered Social Landlords. In England from April 1998 to September 1999 there were 276 such lettings to lone parents under the age of 18.As part of the follow-up to the Social Exclusion Unit report on Teenage Pregnancy, local authorities are being asked to carry out an audit of the provision of and need for semi-independent housing with support for 16 and 17-year-old lone teenage parents in their area.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many licences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 for the removal of peregrine have been issued in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [121117]

This information is published in annual reports submitted by my Department, on behalf of the United Kingdom, to the European Commission, to meet the requirements of Article 9(3) of the European Community Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds (79/409/EEC). These reports provide the reasons for each derogation made under Article 9 and therefore contain details of all licences issued under the 1981 Act, including any for the removal of peregrine.The most recent report, the eighteenth, was published in January 2000 and covers the period 1 January—31 December 1998. It contains details of about 230 derogations in relation to peregrines for a variety of reasons, such as research and teaching. The majority do not involve permanent removal. As in previous years, the report will be made available in the House Libraries.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what representations he has received following the publication of the report of the UK Raptor Working Group; and if he will make a statement. [121116]

My Department has received a number of representations on the report of the Raptor Working Group from a range of organisations. I welcome the publication of this report and its recommendations and hope it will help provide an integrated solution to the problems presented by birds of prey to game bird managers and pigeon fanciers. My Department will shortly be seeking English Nature's advice on the implementation in England of the report's recommendations in light of these representations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions which organisations tendered for the project, "A Study into the Raptor Predation of Domestic Pigeons", published in March; which organisation was awarded the tender; and what the qualifications were of the individuals who researched and wrote the study. [121118]

In 1995 my Department let a research contract to assess the impact of raptor predation on pigeons and to investigate the effectiveness of non-lethal deterrents.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when all the air traffic controller posts in NATS will be filled. [121296]

The three vacancies in NATS Airports Services operations are expected to be filled by the middle of June. There are currently no shortages of controllers in NATS Area Control operations.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his estimate of the quantity of hydrocarbons in industrial use in the UK (a) in total and (b) by each standard industrial sector classification. [120428]

[holding answer 8 May 2000]: This information is not currently available to the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions and could not be collated without incurring disproportionate cost.Hydrocarbons are common organic compounds, examples of which include natural gas; butane; propane; petroleum, diesel fuels, diesel oils, motor oils, motor fuels, marine oils, marine fuels, hydraulic fluids, crude oil, lubricating oils. As their type and application are so widely varied the collection of this information would prove extremely resource intensive.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when the hon. Member for West Derbyshire will receive a reply to his letter of 20 March about the Orange Badge Scheme for disabled drivers. [121443]

I responded to the hon. Member on Tuesday 9 May.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans the Government have to alter the rail franchise which covers the Exeter to Waterloo Line; and if he will make a statement. [121225]

The Franchising Director has announced that he is considering replacement of the existing South West Trains franchise with an option to include or exclude Exeter to Waterloo services. This is one of a number of alterations being considered to the existing franchise map, but on which no firm decisions have yet been taken.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the standard spending assessment per head of population for each English local authority for the most recent year for which information is available, ranked in descending order of allocated expenditure per head; and if he will make a statement. [121307]

Two tables have been placed in the Library. The first table gives the 2000–01 Standard Spending Assessments (SSAs), the mid-98 population estimate and the SSA per head, together with the ranking for education authorities. The second table provides similar information for shire districts. The tables have been sorted and ranked in descending order of SSA per head. It would be inappropriate to compare shire districts with education authorities since they have vastly different responsibilities.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what representation he has received on the implementation of the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Directive; and if he will make a statement. [121307]

Copies of representations, unless marked confidential, are kept on the Department's files where they may be viewed. The Department has just issued its fifth consultation paper on the implementation of the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Directive. This includes a summary of the representations from the fourth consultation paper.Representations from previous consultation papers have been received from:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason he has not replied to the letter from the hon. Member for Twickenham of 17 August 1999 regarding conditions of service of members of the TA. [120989]

I wrote to the hon. Member on 9 May.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of (a) eggs and (b) egg products purchased for the armed services in the last year for which figures are available were of British origin. [121352]

The supply of food for the Armed Forces is contracted out to "3663". They advise that 100 per cent. of the eggs and egg products supplied to our forces based in the UK in the 12 month period ending March 2000 were of British origin. Supplies of eggs and egg products for our forces based overseas, which make up approximately 7 per cent. of the total requirement, were in the main sourced locally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future of the three garrison churches in Aldershot. [120932]

[holding answer 8 May 2000]: A study is under way to consider the redevelopment of the Aldershot Garrison and this will encompass all the buildings, including the churches. Any proposal concerning the Garrison Churches will be discussed with the relevant bodies prior to any decision being made.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the latest estimate of the cost of the Trident acquisition programme; and if he will make a statement. [121749]

The current estimate of the total acquisition cost of the Trident programme, with payments already made expressed at the prices and exchange rates actually incurred and future spend at the current financial year exchange rate (the hybrid estimate), is now £9,745 million. Leaving aside the effects of price inflation (+£12 million), there has been a real cost reduction since last year of £23 million. Expenditure on the Trident acquisition programme to 30 September 1999 represented some 96 per cent. of this estimate. If all expenditure, past and projected, is brought up to the current year's economic conditions (the non-hybrid estimate) the estimate is £13,170 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to modernise his Department's communications systems. [121806]

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will today sign a contract with Global Crossing to provide a new telecommunications network and associated telecommunications services. The contract has been negotiated as part of the Private Finance Initiative, and will run for a 10 year period. The projected Net Present Value of the contract is £106 million. The total cost of the contract over the 10 year period is projected at £165 million.

To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the policy is of the House in respect of public procurement and buying British goods; and what changes there have been in this policy since May 1997. [120823]

The policy of the House is to procure all works, services and supplies in accordance with the relevant European Public Procurement Directives which ensures that British companies are given equal opportunity to secure House business.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what studies have been undertaken into the compliance costs for (a) further and (b) higher education of their forthcoming involvement in disability discrimination legislation. [119320]

[holding answer 18 April 2000]: The Government issued a consultation document on 17 March covering how disability rights in education might be implemented. The consultation period ended on 28 April. The costs of compliance in further and higher education will be estimated in the light of an analysis of responses to the document.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to widen access to higher education. [121618]

My Department already has a range of initiatives to increase participation of disadvantaged groups. For instance, through the Excellence in Cities programme we are giving 5,000 gifted and talented 16 and 17-year-olds a taste of university life this summer. I can confirm that we will be providing new bursaries, worth up to £1,000 a year, that will give those from disadvantaged backgrounds the extra financial incentive and confidence they need to embark on a higher education course. These bursaries, which will be introduced from next year, will be known as "opportunity bursaries". However, more action is required if we are to extend the opportunities of higher education to all those capable of benefiting from it.Today, I am pleased to announce a further package of measures that will open up new horizons to people from disadvantaged groups. This package includes:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list in date order mergers between further education corporations since April 1993, specifying whether each amounted to a transfer or merger of undertakings. [121301]

There are two types of mergers: the first is a single dissolution where one further education corporation is dissolved and its property, rights and liabilities are transferred to another corporation; and the second is where two or more corporations are closed and their property, rights and liabilities are transferred to a new corporation. The name of the continuing or new corporation, as the case may be, may also change at the time of the merger.The table lists all mergers between further education corporations since 1 April 1993.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what is his latest estimate for real spending on secondary schools in Somerset for each year from 1992–93 to 2000–01; and if he will make a statement; [121222](2) what is his estimate of real spending per pupil in secondary schools in Somerset for each year from 1992–93 to 2000–01, expressed in 1998–99 prices; and if he will make a statement. [121223]

Spending on secondary schools in Somerset, and on a per pupil basis, from 1992–93 to 1998–99, the latest year for which this information is available, is set out in the table. The figures are based on Net Institutional Expenditure and expressed at 1998–99 prices.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the 20 education authorities with (a) the poorest record of pupil performance in GCSE examinations and (b) the highest administration costs (i) per pupil and (ii) as a proportion of their total education budget; and if he will make a statement. [121224]

The following tables show, for 1999–2000, (a) the 20 local education authorities with the least proportion of pupils gaining five or more passes at grades A to C in GCSE examinations and (b) the 20 local education authorities with the highest central administration costs (i) per pupil and (ii) in relation to their total education budget.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will estimate the impact on the cost of departmental salaries were the national minimum wage for all ages to be raised to (a) £4, (b) £4.20 and (c) £4.50 per hour. [119865]

[holding answer 20 April 2000]: The impact on the cost of departmental salaries were the national minimum wage for all ages to be raised to:

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the pension rights of miners dismissed following the 1984 dispute, with particular reference to (a) those dismissed who had their dismissal confirmed on appeal, (b) those dismissed who won their appeal against dismissal and (c) those dismissed who made no appeal. [120916]

The Coalfield Task Force, established by my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister, recommended that the DTI review the pension entitlements of men who were not reinstated following their dismissal during the 1984–85 miners' strike. I shall shortly be issuing a document which will put forward proposals for addressing these questions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he has taken to incorporate the OECD Anti-bribery Convention into UK law. [121026]

The United Kingdom ratified the OECD Convention on Combating the Bribery of Foreign Public Officials on the basis of existing anti-corruption legislation, in particular, the 1906 Prevention of Corruption Act.My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary will shortly publish the Government's proposals for reform of the law of corruption, which are designed to update existing legislation, taking account of the UK's obligations under the OECD Convention and other international initiatives aimed at eradicating corruption.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to his answer of 2 May 2000, Official Report, column 25W, concerning Companies House, what the results were of the systematic evaluation carried out of Capita's performance in the years (a) 1996–97, (b) 1997–98 and (c) 1998–99; what percentage of their targets Capita reached; and in what areas. [121125]

Capita's performance against the public target is to answer at least 90 per cent. of all incoming telephone calls to the Companies House inquiry unit within 20 seconds.For the periods:

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what powers OFGEM has with regard to monitoring and regulating the supply of bottled liquid petroleum gas; and if he will make a statement. [121084]

The Gas Act 1986, as amended, which set up the gas regulatory bodies, exempts and excepts LPG from its provisions. Therefore, LPG does not fall within the remit of the gas regulator. However, LPG is subject to UK competition law. Responsibility for possible consideration of anti-competitive practices in the market lies with the Director General of Fair Trading.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what criteria are used by Her Majesty's Government to prioritise the use of radio frequencies for emergency transmissions. [121361]

Radio frequencies are set aside specifically for emergency service use. The emergency services have priority within those frequency bands and no criterion other than being an emergency service is used.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will take measures to ensure that ex-directory telephone numbers are not commercially available; and if he will make a statement. [121350]

The formulation and enforcement of policy on the privacy of ex-directory telecoms customers are matters for the Data Protection Commissioner and Oftel. It is important to note that being an ex-directory customer does not guarantee that unsolicited calls will never be received. Ex-directory status means that a number will never be quoted or called up by BT's or any other telecoms company's directory inquiries operators nor will details of the customer be listed in the Phonebook.However, telemarketing companies can use other sources of information to contact people. These sources may contain information given by customers completing coupons for special offers, magazine and catalogue tear-off slips and other promotional questionnaires and flyers where the customer has not specified that such information is not to be disclosed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the recent research by the International Energy Agency on future supplies and prices of oil; and if he will make a statement. [121421]

[holding answer 9 May 2000]: The International Energy Agency's (IEA) latest "World Energy Outlook (1998)" considers energy demand and supply for 10 world regions over the period to 2020 and concludes that world oil production from conventional sources could peak around 2015. This would result in a transfer from conventional oil to unconventional oil (for additional supplies) and might produce a rise in oil prices. The IEA's conclusions fall roughly in the middle of a range of projections from researchers which, at the extremes, envisage oil production peaking as early as 2005, or as late as 2050.The IEA is currently preparing its "World Energy Outlook 2000", and hopes to publish this document in November 2000. My officials have been in contact with their IEA colleagues and I understand that some changes will be made to the methodology adopted by the IEA which will further improve the value of their research into future world energy demand and supply.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when and how the consultation procedure on coal state aid that he referred to in his statement on Energy Policy on 17 April will take place. [121748]

I have today placed in the Library a consultation document setting out proposals for a coal subsidy scheme. The consultation document is also available on the DTI's internet site at www.dti.gov.uk\consultations\

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 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 are 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. [104490]

[pursuant to his reply, 1 February 2000, c. 531-32W]: The information requested for the headquarters Department is now available. The total amount paid as Millennium extras was £27,430 to 100 staff. Two members of staff received the maximum payment of £1,040 and seven received the minimum payment of £65.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the value of goods exported to other EU countries in 1999; and what proportion of those goods were trans-shipped in Continental ports to go on to non-EU destinations. [121410]

I have been asked to reply.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what was the outcome of her Department's recent legal action against Lloyds TSB. [120915]

Legal action against Lloyds TSB is still proceeding and it would therefore be inappropriate to comment on this matter at present.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what subsidies were paid by the Government to the Pitcairn Islands in each year from 1989–90 to 1999–2000; what is the estimated expenditure for 2000–01; what control the Government exercise over how such subsidy is spent by the Pitcairn authorities; what is the Government's policy towards the level and maintenance of subsidy and bilateral aid to the Pitcairn Islands; and if she will make a statement. [121140]

HMG do not give revenue subsidy to the Pitcairn Government. Last year their Government spent £31,000 subsidising electricity and shipping and freight charges. Figures for previous years are not readily available. An analysis of Pitcairn's financial situation has concluded that Pitcairn will exhaust its Investment Fund (income mainly derived from the sale of postage stamps), without remedial action. Therefore, the Island Council has decided that it should remove subsidies while making provision for vulnerable people.Our Department is consulting the Island Council and the Commissioner for Pitcairn on a medium term financial framework which will look at ways of increasing revenue from areas such as tourism, niche food products, and the issuing of fishing licences.HMG have recently paid for the refurbishment of all the public buildings on the island, a project to market Pitcairn honey and the upgrading of the electricity distribution network.We have also approved a £0.5 million contribution to the proposed "Hill of Difficulty" road which our Department is co-financing with the European Commission.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland 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. [120314]

The Scotland Office requires the production of a birth certificate or similar documentary evidence 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 the Home Department how many incidents of domestic violence the police were called out to deal with in (a) 1970, (b) 1980 and (c) 1999; and what the cost was to public funds. [120658]

The information requested is not available.The latest available estimate of domestic violence incidents recorded by the police, obtained from Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary 1998–99 Annual Statistical Return, is that there were approximately 355,000 such incidents in that year in England and Wales.Another source of information on domestic violence is the British Crime Survey. This suggests that the actual prevalence of domestic violence is significantly higher. For the years 1981, 1991, 1993, 1995 and 1997 the estimated number of domestic violence incidents were as follows:

Changes in the extent to which respondents are willing to divulge their experience may have influenced these trends.The costs of police operations concerning domestic violence are not collected centrally. However, a report by Professor Elizabeth Stanko and others, "Counting the costs; estimating the impact of domestic violence in the London Borough of Hackney", was published by Crime Concern in 1998. This estimated the total cost in 1996 to the public sector of providing services for women and children facing domestic violence in Hackney at around £90 per annum per household. A copy of this report has been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many London borough councils have developed systems with the local police to combat racial incidents within their borough. [121119]

The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis informs me that all 32 London boroughs have Community Safety Units which are the focal point of liaison between the police and local councils in relation to racial incidents.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will fund the National Programme on Substance Abuse Deaths publication entitled "Drug-related Deaths" as reported by coroners in England and Wales. [121263]

The Government are currently reviewing data collection requirements in relation to drug-related deaths and it would be premature to take a decision on the funding of the database maintained by the National Programme on Substance Abuse Deaths while this review is ongoing.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners serving life terms in United Kingdom jails have served (a) more than 25 years, (b) more than 30 years, (c) more than 35 years and (d) more than 40 years; and how many such prisoners there are in total. [121262]

Responsibility for persons detained in prisons in Scotland and Northern Ireland lies with the First Minister of the Scottish Executive and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, respectively.As at 31 March 2000, a total of 4,469 persons were serving life sentences in prisons in England and Wales. A breakdown of these inmates, showing the time elapsed since reception under sentence, is given in the table. Prisoners who had been released on licence and subsequently recalled are included in the statistics. Such time spent on licence is included in the calculation of the time since sentenced.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the (a) minimum and (b) maximum penalty for (i) violent demonstration and (ii) destruction of private property. [121347]

There is no specific offence of violent demonstration. Section 1 of the Public Order Act 1986 prescribes a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment for the offence of riot which involves the use, or threat, of unlawful violence for common purpose such as to cause fear for personal safety. It can only be committed where 12 or more people so act. Under section 2, similar behaviour committed by three or more people (violent disorder) is punishable with a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment. Section 3 relates to similar behaviour where only one or two people are involved (affray). The maximum penalty for this offence is three years imprisonment.The destruction of private property would normally amount to criminal damage. The maximum penalty for criminal damage is 10 years imprisonment.There are no minimum penalties for these offences.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the (a) minimum and (b) maximum penalty for dousing a person in petrol and setting fire to them. [121345]

The penalties available would depend upon the offence charged. A person convicted of attempted murder would face a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. If the victim died, this could result in a conviction for murder, for which the mandatory sentence is life imprisonment. A conviction for causing grievous bodily harm with intent would also carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.There are no minimum penalties for these offences.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the (a) minimum and (b) maximum penalty for breaking and entering for the purpose of (a) theft and (b) an offence against the person. [121346]

The behaviour described would be charged as burglary. The maximum penalty for burglary is 14 years imprisonment. Additionally, for those convicted of a third domestic burglary, there is now a mandatory minimum sentence of three years imprisonment.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from the emergency services concerning the cost to them of proposed changes to radio channels. [121337]

[holding answer 9 May 2000]: The spectrum currently used by the police and fire services for radio communications has serious limitations and is the key reason why we arranged for the provision of new spectrum. The plan is that emergency services will use high quality spectrum, released at no cost by the Norther Atlantic Treaty Organisation, which will enable emergency services radio systems to function more efficiently than that provided by current schemes. We are achieving this by the introduction of the new Public Safety Radio Communications Service. We are doing so in accordance with an internationally agreed harmonized plan for use of Public Safety radio spectrum.Both the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Association of Police Authorities have concluded that the Public Safety Radio Communications Project (PSRCP) meets technical requirements and offers value for money at a national level. However, a number of Police Forces and Police Authorities have raised the question of affordability of the PSRC Service.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of police numbers in Somerset in March 2001; and if he will make a statement. [121227]

I understand from the Chief Constable that he currently projects 3,030 officers available for ordinary duty at the end of March 2001 for the Avon and Somerset Constabulary. The Chief Constable is unable to provide a figure for only Somerset. He distributes resources between the eight territorial divisions according to need and operational priorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what conclusions about the adequacy of central Government support for policing in Somerset he has reached on the basis of recent research commissioned by his Department into the costs of policing in rural areas; and if he will make a statement. [121226]

I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for North-East Hertfordshire (Mr. Heald) on 21 February 2000, Official Report, columns 118–19W.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the reclassification of Gammahydroxybutrate as a drug rather than as a medicine. [120437]

Further to my reply of 28 February 2000, Official Report, column 107W, I can report that Gammahydroxybutrate has now been referred to the Scientific Committee of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drugs Addiction for a formal risk assessment.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what account he has taken in implementing the Government's anti-drugs strategy of the relationship between drug-related offending by women and the number of women sentenced to imprisonment. [120439]

In 1998, 968 females and 9,777 males were given an immediate custodial sentence for drugs offences (Great Britain). Statistics on drug-related offences are not collected by the Home Office, but by a programme of research at Cambridge University on behalf of the Home Office. This involves drug testing of arrestees, and indicates a strong connection between drug misuse, particularly heroin and crack/cocaine, and crime, and suggests that about one third of all property crime is committed in order to buy these drugs. The initial findings also showed that for most drug types, female arrestees were as likely, if not more likely, than males to test positive and that females were significantly more likely than males to test positive for opiates.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of claims in the Police Foundation's report on the results of cannabis decriminalisation in the Netherlands. [120448]

The committee of inquiry set up by the Police Foundation has produced a thorough report with a large number of recommendations and the Government will give it careful attention. However, the Government have made it clear that they do not support the Inquiry's recommendations on the re-classification or depenalisation of cannabis.The Government have a clear and consistent view about the damage which drugs can cause to individuals, their families and the wider community, the link between drugs and crime—and the corresponding need to maintain firm controls. The Government are opposed to any lessening of controls on currently illicit drugs but favour a wide-ranging approach—we see a need for a balance of policies involving supply reduction, demand reduction and harm reduction.The Police Foundation's report acknowledges that there are significant contradictions between Dutch drugs policy—under which small-scale possession and supply of cannabis remains illegal but the laws are not enforced—and international agreements. The Preamble to the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs 1961, states that effective measures against abuse of narcotic drugs require co-ordinated and universal action and that such action calls for international co-operation guided by the same principles and aimed at common objectives. The Government support these principles and have no intention of breaching their obligations under the 1961 United Nations drugs convention which commit the international community to working together against the illicit drug trade. It naturally follows from this that the Government also have no intention of allowing for the systematic non-enforcement of the law.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans he has to issue NHS guidance on continence in place of the existing guidelines; [120751](2) what action he is taking to ensure national minimum standards in the NHS in dealing with continence problems; [120752]

"Good Practice in Continence Services" was issued on 19 April 2000. This guidance suggests targets for primary and community teams, health authorities and National Health Service trusts. It includes appropriate references to the NHS Performance Assessment Framework, which is used to plan and monitor the delivery of services.A National Service Framework for Older People is currently being developed. This will supplement the guidance on continence services by placing it in the wider context of improving NHS services for older people.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement about proposals to increase the number of inspectors at the European Union's Food and Veterinary Office. [120364]

The annual report of the European Commission's Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) for 1999 gave no indication that there are further proposals to increase the number of its inspectors. It did, however, report that during 1998 and 1999 the number of its inspectors had more than doubled to 87. This was as a result of the FVO's increased responsibilities, in both member states and third countries exporting to member states, for the protection of consumer health.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children there were in foster homes in (a) 1970, (b) 1980 and (c) 1999; and of these, how many were from (i) broken families, (ii) single parent family units and (iii) intact families. [120675]

The information available is given in the table:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to pay the PTB staff for the 1998–99 pay year. [120914]

Professional and Technical B staff received a 2 per. cent. pay increase from 1 April 1998 rising to 3.8 per. cent. from 1 December 1998.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the Government's proposals for generic medicine pricing on (a) the patient pack and (b) the availability of generic medicines; [121034](2) if pharmacists will be reimbursed for stocks of generic medicines bought under the old pricing regime. [121033]

Our proposals for setting maximum prices for generic medicines aim to protect the position of the National Health Service by correcting the effect of last year's price increases, while allowing reasonable returns to those in the supply chain. We believe that the proposed new prices, which are currently subject to consultation, should stimulate a good supply of generics, including patient packs, to the NHS.Community pharmacists, along with other parties in the supply chain, have several months in which they can reduce their stockholdings before the proposed legislation requiring price cuts takes effect. In addition, reimbursement prices will not be brought into line with the new selling prices until the following month, thus providing a further time interval during which stocks can be run down and replaced with new stock at the lower price.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to make implant therapy for neurological diseases available to all NHS patients. [120761]

[holding answer 4 May 2000]: Implant therapy can, in some patients, be highly beneficial for people with neurological conditions. However, it is a relatively new and developing field and the merits of this form of treatment compared with traditional therapies have not yet been thoroughly tested. It is for a patient's neurologist to decide if implant therapy would be beneficial given the circumstances of each individual patient.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the review on implant therapy for neurological diseases will be completed; and if he will make a statement. [120760]

[holding answer 4 May 2000]: There is some evidence that neurostimulation may help a small number of patients with severe Parkinson's Disease. There is no clear evidence however, about whether it is a clinically or cost effective alternative to another surgical technique (lesional surgery) or best medical treatment. In addition, there are three kinds of neurostimulation and at present the long-term safety of one type of stimulation (sub-thalamic) has yet to be established.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Prescription Pricing Bureau will resume paying pharmacists for actual costs. [121120]

The Prescription Pricing Authority (PPA) continues to pay pharmacists for actual costs. The PPA is at present making balancing adjustments (which may be a credit or debit) to convert interim payments to payment of actual costs three months later than normal. Current forecasts indicated that this delay will reduce to two months by February 2001 and normal payment arrangements are expected to resume from September 2001.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 20 April 2000, Official Report, column 624W, on slimming drugs, upon what grounds the urgent advice of the Committee on the Safety of Medicines has been sought concerning the drug amfepramone.

[holding answer 8 May 2000]: The Committee's advice was sought following the suspension by the European Court of the European Commission Decision to withdraw amfepramone products from the Community market. The Committee was asked to consider the public health implications of the reinstatement of the licences for amfepramone.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the cost to the NHS of treatment for obesity that will arise from the withdrawal from the market of the drug phentermine and related products; and if he will make a statement. [121108]

[holding answer 8 May 2000]: The decision to withdraw a product from the market is based on the safety and efficacy of that product and the associated impact on public health, not cost to the National Health Service. The decision to withdraw phentermine from the market was a European Commission Decision, with which the United Kingdom was obliged to comply, according to the legislation governing medicinal products in the European Union.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many home carers there are in (a) Great Britain and (b) Scotland. [121326]

The latest available information on informal carers shows that in 1995 the estimated number of informal carers in (a) Great Britain was 5.7 million and (b) Scotland was 741,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what checks are undertaken to ensure that NHS employed consultants who also work in private practice are able properly to account for their time. [121455]

Any National Health Service consultant who does private work is expected to devote substantially the whole of their professional time to their NHS work. It is for employers and employees to agree the balance between private and NHS work. Their responsibilities for the clinical care of their NHS patients must come first. It is for NHS management locally to ensure that all consultants are fulfilling their contractual commitments, and to take action if these are not being met in individual cases.A whole time consultant is permitted to have private practice earnings of up to 10 per cent. of their gross NHS salary. If asked by their employer, they must provide fully audited accounts showing their gross income from private practice. If their private practice income exceeds 10 per cent. of their NHS salary in two consecutive years, they have the option of a maximum part-time contract, which means that the consultant foregoes one eleventh of whole time salary, in return for the removal of the restrictions on private practice earnings. However, whether on a whole time or maximum part time contract, there is a clear contractual obligation to devote substantially the whole of their professional time to their NHS duties.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what checks are undertaken on the expense claims submitted by consultants working for the NHS. [121456]

The monitoring of expense claims submitted by consultants is a matter for individual employing bodies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason the Meat Hygiene Service inspector, Mr. Yogarathnum, was suspended from his duties at the Mead Webber Abattoir at Eardisley and replaced on 10 April 2000 by Mr. Turner of the St. David's Veterinary Practice at Exeter. [121215]

On 10 April 2000 St. David's Farm and Equine Veterinary Practice, Exeter commenced provision of contract official veterinary surgeons (OVSs) to the Mead Webber abattoir at Eardisley on behalf of the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS). Prior to this Mr. Yogarathnum, a Meat Hygiene Service employee, had undertaken both the OVS and principal official veterinary surgeon (POVS) duties at the premises.Mr. Yogarathnum was relieved of his OVS duties at the Mead Webber abattoir, in order to allow him to spend more time on his POVS duties in a number of plants in the area. This included remaining as POVS at the Mead Webber abattoir.Mr. Turner is a partner of the St. David Farm's and Equine Veterinary Practice. While providing locum cover for the new OVS that he had appointed to the Mead Webber abattoir, he identified a number of deficiencies in the operations and structure of the premises to which he drew management's attention. As a result of these findings, the MHS Regional Director responsible for the Mead Webber abattoir visited the premises. He also discussed his concerns with plant management, Mr. Yogarathnum and the MHS meat inspection team. Mr. Yogarathnum was subsequently suspended, pending an investigation into his performance as POVS to the premises.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what costs were incurred by the Meat Hygiene Service through the employment of Mr. Turner to inspect the Eardisley meat plant. [121216]

Mr. Turner is a partner of the St. David's Farm and Equine Veterinary Practice at Exeter. The practice was successful in its tender to supply Contract Official Veterinary Surgeons on behalf of the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) to Mead Webber abattoir at Eardisley. The rate per hour quoted in their tender for the provision of Contract official veterinary surgeons (OVSs) to the plant was £24.98. On the basis that the OVS will be present at the plant for 21 hours (in line with previous OVS attendance), the total costs of providing contract OVSs to the plant is therefore £524.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many Meat Hygiene Service veterinary meat inspectors were employed from 1995 to 10 April 2000 in the Mead Webber plant at Eardisley. [121217]

Between January 1997 and April 2000, fourteen official veterinary surgeons (OVSs) have carried out OVS duties on behalf of the Meat Hygiene Service at the Mead Webber plant at Eardisley. The vast majority of these provided locum cover for employed OVSs at the premises and as a consequence would only have spent a relatively short period of time in the plant.In the time available it has not been possible to collate all of the information relating to the number of OVSs who worked at the plant between 1995 and December 1996, or the total number of meat inspection staff who have worked there between 1995 and April 2000. I will place a copy of this information in the Library when it is available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to ensure a new licence is issued to the Eardisley Abattoir. [121220]

No action to revoke the slaughterhouse licence No. 4103, issued on 4 March 1993 to The Abattoir, Eardisley, Hereford, has been taken. Revocation has not been recommended by the Licensing Authority (the Food Standards Agency) or its executive agency the Meat Hygiene Service, nor has it been requested by the abattoir operators (Mead Webber Ltd).

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people have applied for money from the Social Fund and how much money was issued in loans through the Social Fund, in each of the last three years in (a) Scotland, (b) Wales, (c) England and (d) North-West England. [120099]

The administration of the Social Fund is a matter for Alexis Cleveland, the Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency. She will write to my hon. Friend.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what progress is being made in clearing the backlog of payments of winter fuel allowance to those who lost their original cheque. [120126]

The administration of winter fuel payments is a matter for Alexis Cleveland, Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency. She will write to my hon. Friend.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the total number of lone parents on income support, broken down into those with children (a) below and (b) above school age, for each month since April 1992. [121036]

The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table.As many lone parents have more than one child whose ages can be either above or below five years, figures have been provided for all three categories, i.e., lone parents with under fives only, lone parents with over fives only, and those parents with children in both categories.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what reviews have been carried out to assess the success of the single work-focused gateway. [121100]

There will be a thorough evaluation of the ONE service, which will use a range of standard evaluation techniques; quantitative and qualitative research, operational research and cost-benefit analysis. The success of the pilots will be evaluated by comparing the outcomes for participants in the pilot areas with those for similar people from other, comparable areas. The evaluation will also include assessments about the effectiveness of ONE compared to the present system and it will compare data from the different model pilots to assess their relative effects.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will set up an independent review of the workings of the appeals system against refusal and downgrading of disability living allowance applications; and if he will make a statement. [121196]

A full evaluation exercise is currently being carried out following the changes to the decision making and appeals procedures introduced last year. All areas affected by the changes are being monitored.We are aware that the Benefits Agency is experiencing some problems in dealing with revisions and appeals on Disability Living Allowance and this is being addressed separately.