To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent representations he has received concerning the level of remuneration received by authors through public lending right. [127824]

I have seen the case for increased funding produced by the Public Lending Right Advisory Committee; I have also received around 160 letters, mainly from authors via their MPs. I am considering these representations carefully as part of the Department's current spending review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what was the value of his Department's funding of public lending right in (a) 1983 and (b) 2000 in (i) cash and (ii) real terms. [127828]

Public Lending Right (PLR) received grant-in-aid funding of £2 million in 1983–84, which would equal £3.921 million in real terms. My Department provided funding of £5.15 million for PLR in 2000–01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of library book withdrawals is represented by children's books; and if he will make a statement. [127826]

Information about the number of book withdrawals is not collected centrally. The annual CIPFA Public Library Statistics, which are held in the House Library and are likely to be available in the larger public library reference libraries, provide information about the total bookstock, including children's books, at 31 March each year. At 31 March 1999, children's bookstock was 19.3 million compared with 19.2 million at 31 March 1998.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of his departmental budget was spent on Public Lending Right in (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999 and (d) 2000. [127827]

The following table shows the proportion of the Department's budget allocation to Public Lending Right as grant-in-aid:

Financial year	DCMS PES total £	Public Lending Right grant in aid £	PLR grant in aid as a proportion of DCMS PES total Percentage
1997–98	904,790	4,921	0.54
1998–99	924,478	5,000	0.54
1999–2000	1,002,139	5,051	0.50
2000–01	1,014,886	5,150	0.50

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much Public Lending Right money was paid to authors of children's books in the last year for which figures are available; and what proportion this represented of total spending on Public Lending Right. [127825]

The Public Lending Right (PLR) computer system does not break down payments to authors by the type of book that they write. However, children's books represented 28 per cent. of registered books borrowed last year, an increase of 30 per cent. in the last ten years. It is therefore estimated that 28 per cent. of payments went to children's writers, which in the last payment round would have amounted to £1.2 million-23 per cent. of the whole PLR fund.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer regarding the level of funding available for Public Lending Right payments. [127823]

We have no scope at present to raise further the allocation to Public Lending Right (PLR) beyond the increases already announced as part of PLR's current three-year funding agreement. However, we have agreed to consider the case for an increase in funding as part of our current Spending Review which will deal with funding for the next three years.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list the countries which have had their debts to the United Kingdom cancelled as part of the debt relief programme for the poorest countries; and what the cost of the programme to the UK has been to date. [126970]

To date, the Government have provided approximately £450 million on export credit debt relief to the following countries, which are classified as Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC):

• Benin;
• Bolivia;
• Burkina Faso;
• Central African Republic;
• Cameroon;
• Cote d'Ivoire;
• Ethiopia;
• Guyana;
• Mali;
• Mauritania;
• Mozambique;
• Nicaragua;
• Niger;
• Senegal;
• Sierra Leone;
• Tanzania;
• Togo;
• Uganda;
• Vietnam;
• Yemen; and
• Zambia.

These countries, along with the rest of the HIPC countries, will have the majority of their debt cancelled when they qualify under the revised HIPC framework. In addition, the Government are unilaterally providing 100 per cent. relief for qualifying HIPCs on any remaining export credit debt.So far, Bolivia, Mauritania, Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda have reached Decision Point, the first milestone under the enhanced HIPC framework at which debt relief starts to flow. Between them, these countries still owe the Export Credits Guarantee Department some £140 million. This will be cancelled when they complete the HIPC process.Aid debts to the poorest countries have already been cancelled.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to her answer of 23 May 2000, Official Report, column 408W, on sexual and reproductive health projects, what proportion of the UK bilateral aid contributions for reproductive health care for the years (a) 1997, (b) 1998 and (c) 1999 were for (i) HIV/AIDS and (ii) family planning and reproductive health. [127214]

In many cases it is not practical to distinguish between the sexual and the reproductive health/family planning elements. There is also often no clear distinction between assisting with work in HIV/AIDS and in other sexual health issues. However, the following is an approximate breakdown of my Department's bilateral contributions to health/family planning and HIV/AIDS in 1997–99:

		£ million
	Reproductive health/family planning	HIV/AIDS
1997	38	15
1998	42	16
1999	40	17

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many men in South Wales were diagnosed by his Department and agencies as suffering from vibration induced white finger in (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999 and (d) 2000 to date.[126655]

I refer my hon. Friend to the written answer I gave my hon. Friend on 14 June 2000, Official Report, column 651W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how he identified the two million men aged between 60 and 64 years whom he deemed likely to be newly eligible for winter fuel payments resulting from the European Court ruling. [126875]

We do not hold up to date records for all of those who do not receive any pension or benefit at the moment—especially men aged 60–64 who have no need to contact the Department. Therefore, to ensure that the right money is paid to the right person in respect of each year a Winter Fuel Payment is due, it was necessary to develop a claims process.We wrote to around 24,000 people in April who had already registered their details with the Department, enclosing a claim form for completion. During May and early June we also wrote to around 1.7 million newly eligible people who we could identify through the departmental central index. Again, in each case we enclosed a claim form and invited a claim.For those who we are not able to identify, our information and advertising campaign will continue to help ensure that they are fully aware of how to claim. In addition, people can download claim forms from the Department's own website www.dss.gov.uk or they can obtain claim forms on request from the Winter Fuel Payment helpline.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the amount of pension which would be received on retirement by (a) a person who leaves school in 2000–01, who earns average earnings throughout their working life and who remains a member of the state pension scheme throughout, and (b) a man and (c) a woman, who leaves school in 2000–01, who earns average earnings through his or her working life, and who immediately takes out a stakeholder pension into which he or she puts only the value of the National Insurance rebates. [126628]

The information is in the table. The figures are in 1999 earnings terms. In 1999 price terms the figures would be more than double the amounts shown.

Estimated basic and compulsory second tier pension for someone on average earnings throughout their working life and who reaches pensionable age in 2050
	Basic pension	Additional pension	Total pension
All—State scheme (a)	31.00	56.00	87.00
All—Stakeholder	31.00	71.00	102.00
Man—State scheme	31.00	57.00	88.00
Man—Stakeholder (b)	31.00	73.00	103.00
Woman—State scheme	31.00	55.00	86.00
Woman—Stakeholder (c)	31.00	67.00	98.00

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many widowers have applied for compensation following the recent European Court of Human Rights ruling on Widows' Benefit. [127325]

We are aware of 13 such applications including the two cases on which the European Court of Human Rights have published judgments. These two cases have been struck out following acceptance of the Government's offer by way of friendly settlement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 19 June 2000, Official Report, column 87W, on recycled waste, what plans he has to increase the percentage of paper waste recycled; and what percentage of non-paper waste produced by his Department is (a) re-used and (b) recycled. [127687]

The Department in conjunction with its estates partners is working towards recycling all recyclable paper. Information on non-paper waste is not available but waste baselines are being developed.

To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, if he will make a statement on the proposal to set up an Audit Committee for the Administrative Services Vote. [127789]

Among the conclusions of the Braithwaite Review of Management Services which reported to the Commission in June 1999 was a recommendation (paragraphs 15.69 to 15.75 of the Braithwaite Report) that the House should establish an Audit Committee with the aim of improving the process of internal audit and review, and providing support to the Clerk of the House in his responsibilities as Accounting Officer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what contacts he has had with the Quebec authorities on instances of a police service changing its name for operational purposes, but retaining its previous name in the description of the police service. [127662]

None. Neither the Secretary of State nor I have had any contact with the Quebec authorities regarding police name changes. But I have made inquiries through the British High Commission in Ottawa as a result of the contribution made by the right hon. and learned Member for Folkestone and Hythe (Mr. Howard) during the Opposition Day debate on 6 April. A copy of my resulting letter of 9 May to the right hon. and learned Gentleman was placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if it is his policy that the legal framework of internet transmission and caching services for new technologies, with particular reference to Wireless Application Protocol and web TV, will be protected in the UK legislation incorporating the EU Electronic Commerce Directive by ensuring that, in addition to the limitations specified in Articles 12 to 15, the intermediary only becomes liable for illegal material selected or modified during the transmission process when the said transmission alters the integrity of the material in question, in line with recital 43 of the Directive. [125365]

National legislation implementing the E-Commerce Directive will ensure that the liability of intermediaries is limited in accordance with Articles 12 to 15 of the Directive, and takes account of the Recitals of the Directive. The Government intend to consult widely on the options for implementing the directive later in 2000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many mobile phone transmitter masts there are in the UK; how many carry equipment from more than one mobile phone company; and how many are used exclusively by one company. [126411]

This information is not held centrally. I shall write once the necessary information has been obtained.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many times (a) ministers and (b) officials in his Department have held meetings with the United States Special Envoy for Cryptography since 20 October 1999 on (i) encryption and (ii) other issues; what were the dates and locations of each of these meetings; and what other (1) British and (2) United States Government departments took part in each meeting. [127130]

Since October 1999 neither Ministers nor officials have met the United States Special Envoy for Cryptography on encryption or other issues.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what formal procedures the ECGD has for screening for evidence of corruption when underwriting contracts. [127081]

[holding answer 20 June 2000]: ECGD requires applicants for cover to provide details of the amount of commission payable under their contracts including to whom the repayment arrangements are made. Cases are investigated where the level of commission appears excessive for the particular contract or the payment procedures appear unusual. Cover can be refused where the exporter cannot provide proper justification for the levels of commission involved.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what actions he has taken in respect of recommendation 71 (1999) on model agreements on transfrontier co-operation in the field of nuclear safety, agreed by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities in Europe in November 1999. [127571]

The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe considered Recommendation 71 (1999), "Model Agreements on Transfrontier Co-operation in the Field of Nuclear Safety", at its meeting on 3 May. It concluded that nuclear power-related issues did not fall within the competence of the Council of Europe and that Model Agreements in this field should therefore not be appended to the European Outline Convention on Transfrontier Co-operation between Territorial Communities or Authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he will publish a draft of the Renewables Obligation statutory instrument. [127478]

The Government plan to publish the details of a proposed Order in the autumn, as a basis for consultation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the measures the Telecommunications Regulator has taken to reduce the cost of internet access. [127630]

The Government believe that the best way to ensure sustainable lower costs for internet access is through promoting competition. Through measures such as the introduction of an effective Calls & Access product and Carrier Pre-Selection Oftel is promoting competition to drive down general call charges. For narrow band internet access Oftel has promoted greater flexibility in internet tariffing through the introduction of the Number Translation Service (NTS) formula that allowed the call origination charged to be shared with other operators who also carry the call. Oftel has recently made a determination that requires BT to provide a flat rate internet interconnection product to competing operators. Oftel has negotiated a range of schemes offering reduced price internet access for schools.For broadband access, Oftel is requiring BT to open up its local loop to other operators so that they can compete in the provision of broadband access. Also, once BT has installed ADSL on local lines, it will be required to give other operators access to its upgraded system on nondiscriminatory terms. A recent study produced for Oftel showed that of the five large markets studied the UK had on average the lowest prices for residential access at both peak and off-peak times.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the community finance initiatives operating in England and Wales; what consultation has taken place regarding the Phoenix fund; what criteria must be met for CFI's applying to administer the funds that make up the Phoenix fund; and if he will make a statement. [127839]

There is no single definition of CFIs and therefore no comprehensive list of those operating in England and Wales. CFIs can take a variety of forms, including community loan funds, community investment trusts and micro-finance providers. The largest category of CFIs presently operating in the UK is credit unions, of which there are over 450.The Phoenix Fund addresses certain recommendations of the Policy Action Team Report on Enterprise and Financial Exclusion, which was the subject of widespread consultation. Although no formal consultation has taken place on the Phoenix Fund, officials did hold extensive discussions with interested parties before drawing up the recently published bidding guidance for organisations wishing to apply for Phoenix Fund Support.Copies of the bidding guidance are held in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many of the written parliamentary questions tabled to his Department between 19 October 1999 and 20 April have not received substantive answers, for the reason that the information is (a) not held centrally, (b) not held in the form requested and (c) not available. [127679]

I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 23 June 2000, Official Report, column 313W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what standard for the determination of hydrocarbon oil bulk volume is recommended by the Organisation Internationale de Métrologie Légale; [127363](2) if the recommendations of the Organisation Internationale de Métrologie Légale for standard temperature measurement are adopted throughout the marketing chain for the sale of petrol and diesel. [127364]

OIML publishes documents which mainly take the form of International Recommendations which cover many aspects of measurement of hydrocarbon oil bulk volume, and in particular Recommendation R117 covers Measuring Systems for Liquids other than Water. They do not lay down requirements for standard temperature measurement. They do (as appropriate to the context) specify provisions for conversion devices for temperature compensation. However, these are for optional application, as OIML member states may decide. They have not been made a requirement of weights and measures legislation in the UK.Standard temperature accounting is not adopted throughout the marketing chain for sales of petrol and diesel. The National Weights and Measures Laboratory commissioned a study on the Temperature Compensation of Liquid Fuels which produced several recommendations. These recommendations have been made the subject of an industry consultation. The responses to this consultation are currently being analysed by NWML.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much money has been received by the Highlands and Islands as a result of being included on the Assisted Areas Map in each of the last three financial years; and what proportion of this funding has been received by Inverness. [127012]

I have been asked to reply.Responsibility for aid provided to areas as a result of being included on the Assisted Areas Map in Scotland is a matter for the Scottish Executive.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that hospital wards are kept clean and tidy at all times and that bed linen is changed frequently and whenever soiled. [124219]

National Health Service trust chief executives are responsible for standards of cleanliness in hospitals. All acute trusts have the assistance of an infection control team. The Infection Control Nurses Association and the Association of Domestic Managers have published "Standards for Environmental Cleanliness in Hospitals" which NHS Estates has distributed to NHS trusts.In wards it is for the qualified nurse responsible for the patient's care to decide when a linen change is necessary, but this should occur whenever it is soiled.The NHS controls assurance framework published in November 1999 includes a standard on infection control in NHS trusts. A section on cleanliness is being developed.Both clinical and organisational systems for monitoring and assuring standards of care will be looked at annually as part of NHS performance monitoring arrangements. The standards for hospital cleanliness and infection control will be subject to independent inspections by the Commission for Health Improvement and the Audit Commission.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the work of the National Duplicate Registration Initiative; and what his estimate is of the number of ghost patients in each health authority area removed from local medical lists since its establishment and the consequential saving to the NHS. [125665]

The National Duplicate Registration Initiative exercise is being carried out as part of the annual audit of health authorities, under statutory powers available to the Audit Commission. To date some 16,000 duplicate registrations have been identified and removed from general practitioners' lists. There are no consequential savings to the NHS because the payment GPs receive per patient (capitation fee) comes from within the profession's total pay entitlement. Removing list inflation means that payments will be redistributed within the profession on a more legitimate basis but there will be no overall saving.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to implement a London-wide strategy for clinical waste disposal. [126083]

There are no plans, at present, for a London-wide strategy for clinical waste disposal. However, I am informed that this will be reviewed by National Health Service Estates, as part of their facilities management agenda.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans he has to meet Commissioner Byrne regarding the future basis of meat inspection; [R] [126195](2) what discussions he has had with his counterparts in other EU countries regarding the future basis of meat inspection; [R] [126194](3) what representations he has made to the European Commission regarding the future basis of meat inspection. [R] [126196]

My right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture met Commissioner Byrne on 6 March and pressed hard for a change in meat inspection arrangements to one based on risk assessment. The Commissioner acknowledged that a review of the legislation was overdue. The subject was also raised last year at a number of European Union Agriculture Councils. Since then this has become a matter for the Food Standards Agency and the chairman of the agency has also had a meeting with Commissioner Byrne.In line with the recommendations of the Pooley report and the Government's action plan for farming, we are continuing to press the Commission to bring forward proposals for updating Community legislation on meat hygiene to bring in a risk-based system of controls. I understand that the first of these, a new Regulation on hygiene, is expected to be issued later this month. This will set out operator responsibilities, including the implementation of hazard analysis and critical control points in abattoirs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into the effectiveness of the percutaneous vertebroplasty operation; and if he will make a statement. [126266]

The Department is not funding any research into the effectiveness of the percutaneous vertebroplasty operation. Priorities for departmental research and development support for the development of policy are determined through discussion with policy colleagues, the Departmental Research Committee and Ministers. In the National Health Service research and development programme, priorities take account of widespread consultation with those using, delivering and managing services, within a framework overseen by the Central Research and Development Committee for the NHS. In all cases, priorities for our budgets reflect analysis of the burden of disease, potential benefits, our priorities and take account of the responsibilities and work of other funders.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will introduce legislation to remove from the General Medical Council its current responsibilities for regulating the conduct and monitoring the competence of members of the medical profession. [126414]

We have no plans at present to remove functions from the General Medical Council. Indeed, we have recently consulted on proposals to strengthen its fitness to practise procedures and the Order amending the Medical Act 1983 will be laid before Parliament soon.The General Medical Council is undertaking a "Structural and Legal Review" of its fitness to practise procedures. The GMC must not delay in publishing its proposals for modernisation. We will need to consider how far they meet the rising expectations of the public and Parliament for fundamental changes to the way the GMC deals with doctors who do not meet the expected standards of conduct and performance set by the profession.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many television advertisements have been commissioned by his Department since 1 May 1997; and, of these, how many were provided with closed caption subtitling. [126897]

The Department has commissioned 35 advertisements which have been transmitted on television since 1 May 1997. 29 of these have been provided with closed caption subtitling.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what national health information campaigns his Department (a) ran in (i) 1997–98, (ii) 1998–99 and (iii) 1999–2000 and (b) will run in 2000–01; and what issues have been covered by, and what the costs are, for each campaign. [126101]

[holding answer 19 June 2000]: The Department runs a number of publicity campaigns which have provided information for all. The table shows the areas covered, financial years and the expenditure to date.

Campaign	Cost (£)
1997–98
Cot Death	108,759
Learning Disabilities	152,980
Emergency Services Helpline	173,560
Health Care Abroad for UK Travellers	985,000
Health Care Industry Sponsorship—Health Promotion	413,000
Health of the Nation (HOTN)—Accident Prevention	104,022
Health of the Nation (HOTN)—Avoidance of Unwanted Pregnancy	792,309
Health of the Nation—Our Healthier Nation—(OHN)	762,403

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list for (a) Great Britain and (b) each health authority area, the expenditure on health per head of population, expressed in real terms, for (i) 1979, (ii) 1990 and (iii) each year since 1995; and if he will make a statement. [126588]

[holding answer 19 June 2000]: Expenditure on health per head of population for England from 1995–96 to 1998–99, and for each health authority area in England from 1996–97 to 1998–99, expressed in real terms, is shown in the tables. Information relating to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is a matter for the devolved Administrations.Information on a comparable basis is not available for England in 1979 and 1990 and by health authority area for 1979, 1990 and 1995–96.

Table 1: Health authority areas in England—Expenditure on health by weighted head of population expressed in real terms
£
Health authority	1996–97	1997–98	1998–99
Avon	604.10	608.45	648.12
Barking and Havering	568.42	599.95	609.86
Barnet	617.52	645.96	643.54
Barnsley	533.55	534.57	541.74
Bedfordshire	555.50	559.89	590.57
Berkshire	590.77	585.69	626.01
Bexley and Greenwich	590.08	620.13	651.66
Birmingham	626.21	643.25	657.24
Bradford	592.57	600.26	592.18
Brent and Harrow	626.83	647.74	685.59
Bromley	531.39	568.71	594.66
Buckinghamshire	591.14	598.67	623.29
Bury and Rochdale	635.04	601.40	590.18
Calderdale and Kirklees	545.89	560.51	568.26
Cambridge and Huntingdon	562.83	579.96	626.05
Camden and Islington	679.56	646.10	715.85
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly	562.08	581.08	594.33
County Durham	560.23	560.95	577.59
Coventry	564.20	576.37	573.88
Croydon	558.88	580.04	627.01
Doncaster	566.86	589.19	590.50
Dorset	566.65	588.45	616.76
Dudley	556.55	568.79	596.54
Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow	639.29	635.11	648.62
East and North Hertfordshire	612.06	627.86	672.45
East Kent	541.81	563.49	599.58
East Lancashire	579.46	597.33	600.28
East London and The City	637.65	617.78	611.10
East Norfolk	600.55	609.48	622.62
East Riding	586.16	588.83	595.26
East Surrey	673.78	682.91	732.28
East Sussex, Brighton and Hove	533.12	575.76	591.85
Enfield and Haringey	563.94	572.60	598.76
Gateshead and South Tyneside	575.88	588.81	585.34
Gloucestershire	591.10	604.05	620.19
Herefordshire	609.73	629.95	632.66
Hillingdon	593.55	588.22	620.76
Isle of Wight	610.92	653.43	673.11
Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster	689.84	665.97	678.73
Kingston and Richmond	657.53	671.98	705.85
Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham	605.93	614.46	631.66
Leeds	603.51	623.83	620.30
Leicestershire	594.36	611.33	610.51
Lincolnshire	595.31	616.80	620.69
Liverpool	576.42	606.37	614.80
Manchester	610.93	634.15	664.00
Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth	622.72	632.15	666.83
Morecambe Bay	626.92	640.65	657.00
Newcastle and North Tyneside	587.30	608.90	592.44

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the per capita spend on health in (a) the Yorkshire and Humber region, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales. [126650]

The per capita spend on health by health authorities in the Yorkshire and Humber region during 1998–99 was:

£605.84

Information relating to Wales and Scotland is a matter for the devolved Administrations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doctors, nurses and other NHS staff were employed in genito-urinary medicine in (a) 1970, (b) 1980, (c) 1990 and (d) 1999; and how much their employment cost in each of these years. [126799]

Information about the number of medical staff employed in genito-urinary medicine in 1970, 1980, 1990 and 1999 is shown in the table. Specialty specific information about numbers of nurses and other National Health Service staff and employment costs is not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the average cost was of one hour of a GP's working time, excluding seniority payments but including supporting staff and premises, in (a) 1970, (b) 1980, " 1990 and (d) 1999 at constant prices; [126829](2) what the average cost of a GP was, excluding seniority payments but including supporting staff and premises, in

The latest available data are for the financial year 1998–99. Expenditure on General Medical Services and Personal Medical Services per general practitioner unrestricted principle or equivalent was as follows:

Year	£
1970–71	7,808
1980–81	28,608
1990–91	61,232
1998–99	101,191

Expenditure at 1998–99 prices (based on gross domestic product and GDP deflators) was as follows:

Year	£
1970–71	68,710
1980–81	67,035
1990–91	78,868
1998–99	101,191

Expenditure per GP in 1998–99 excluding seniority payments was £99,540. Seniority payments are not centrally identifiable for the previous years. Information on GPs' working time is not available for the years in question.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost was of the district nurse service in (a) 1970, (b) 1980, (c) 1990 and (d) 1999; and how many were employed in each of those years. [126827]

Numbers of district nurses employed in the service are shown in the table. The cost of the district nurse service in this series of years cannot be disaggregated from general expenditure on community nursing and medicine.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost was of the health visitor service in (a) 1970, (b) 1980, (c) 1990 and (d) 1999 and how many people were employed in the service in each of those years. [126831]

Numbers of health visitors employed in the service are shown in the table. The cost of the health visitor service in this series of years cannot be disaggregated from general expenditure on community nursing and medicine.

NHS hospital and community health services (HCHS): all health visiting staff employed by the NHS, in England as at 30 September each year
	Whole-time equivalent	Numbers (headcount)
19701	5,910	2—
1980	8,760	2—
1990	10,580	12,200
1999	10,160	12,800
1 England and Wales figure
2 Not available

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government are taking to increase the number of NHS dentists (a) nationally and (b) in the North-West; and if he will make a statement. [127069]

There are currently 17,821 dentists working in the General Dental Services in England and 2,261 in the north west region, more than ever before. Problems have arisen because more dentists are devoting more time to private dental work, working part-time and there are some areas where dentists seem reluctant to practice. We have accepted the Doctors' and Dentists' Review Body recommendation for a commitment scheme rewarding loyalty to the National Health Service. The scheme will cost £17 million per annum for England. The personal dental services pilot scheme, including dental access centres, is encouraging health authorities to be locally responsive and contribute to make NHS dentistry more widely available. Investing in dentistry saw £10 million in grants given to NHS dentists in return for promises of up to 900,000 new NHS registrations. Further measures will be contained in our dental strategy, due to be published this summer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the guidance given to medical practitioners by the NICE with regard to the treatment of Parkinson's Disease. [127297]

At present National Institute for Clinical Excellence has not issued any guidance to medical practitioners with regard to the treatment of Parkinson's Disease. However, we are currently considering a number of possible additional topics for appraisal by NICE during the remainder of the current year and in later years. Announcements will be made in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of child abuse (a) allegations and (b) convictions there were in the five years (i) before and (ii) after the changes in court procedures following the implementation of the Children Act 1989. [127548]

The Children Act 1989 was implemented in October 1991. However, although the Children Act 1989 changed the private and public functions of the civil law relating to the welfare of children, it did not change the criminal law in respect of offences against children.In terms of allegations of child abuse, no statistics are available on the number of referrals to social services departments for the five-year period (1986–87 to 1990–91), prior to the implementation of the Act. However, "Child Protection: Messages from Research" (Department of Health, 1995) indicates that there are about 160,000 cases referred to social services departments per annum.Statistics relating to convictions for offences against children, as set out in Section 1 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933, are shown in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will review the obligations on general practitioners to carry out tests and examinations as recommended by drug manufacturers (a) prior to placing patients on medication and (b) during treatment; [127482](2) if he will review the obligations on general practitioners and chemists to provide patients with dosage for prescription-only medicines. [127481]

General practitioners should carry out a proper assessment before initiating a patient on any treatment and thereafter review the patient's treatment at regular intervals.The British National Formulary, which is issued twice a year to all GPs and pharmacists, recommends that the dose and the dose frequency should be stated on a prescription, which will then be put on the label by the pharmacist.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients in each NHS region were readmitted to hospital within one month of their discharge in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. [127165]

[holding answer 22 June 2000]: Information on the number of patients readmitted to hospital within one month of discharge was originally published in June 1999 in "Quality and Performance in the NHS: Clinical Indicators, Technical Supplement". This document contains data for 1996–97 and 1997–98 and is available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many primary care groups have made representations against conversion into primary care trusts. [127488]

[holding answer 23 June 2000]: All 22 primary care trusts (PCTs) already operating or announced enjoy the full support of their predecessor primary care groups (PCGs).

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many of the written parliamentary questions tabled to his Department between 19 October 1999 and 20 April 2000 have not received substantive answers, citing as the reason that the information is (a) not held centrally, (b) not held in the form requested and (c) not available. [127434]

Out of the 2,797 Parliamentary Questions tabled to the Department in the period between 19 October 1999 and 20 April 2000, we were unable to give substantive answers to 82 because the information was either not held centrally or not available. Substantive answers to a further two Questions could not be given because the information was not held in the form requested.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many parliamentary questions were tabled to his Department between the 19 October 1999 and the 20 April, which requested information, pursuant to his previous answers. [127672]

Of the 2,797 questions tabled to this Department in the period between 19 October 1999 and 20 April 2000, 79 were pursuant to previous answers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) children and (b) adults in (i) Coventry, (ii) the West Midlands and (iii) the United Kingdom receive treatment for cystic fibrosis and conditions resulting from cystic fibrosis. [127449]

It is estimated from the incidence data in the Morbidity Study of General Practice for 1991–92 and data from the mid-1992 census estimates, that 3,725 patients in England and Wales consulted their general practice with cystic fibrosis. These figures are the latest available. This information cannot be used to estimate the number of general practice consultations in the West Midlands region or Coventry.The figures in the table show the number of hospital admissions in 1998–99 in Coventry, the West Midlands region and England, where the primary diagnosis was cystic fibrosis. Information about hospital admissions in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales is a matter for the devolved administrations.

Area of residence	Children (Aged 0–17)	Adults (18+)	Total
Coventry	24	7	31
West Midlands	460	257	717
England (area of treatment)	5,065	4,109	9,164

The databases available to the Department do not record whether one particular condition has resulted from another, and figures about other conditions caused by cystic fibrosis are therefore not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what advice he has issued to hospitals on dealing with patients who receive treatment as children but have it discontinued when they reach adulthood due to insufficient resources; [127445](2) what provision is made for young adults with cystic fibrosis when they cease to qualify for treatment in children's wards; [127447](3) if he will make a statement on the treatment received by people with cystic fibrosis when they cease to qualify for treatment in children's wards. [127446]

For health care to be effective National Health Service commissioners will need to ensure that there are clear pathways to provide a continuity of care taking patients from childhood, into adolescence and beyond. This is particularly important in chronic conditions such as cystic fibrosis which have benefited from advances in medical science and where patients now survive into adulthood. The new arrangements for commissioning specialised services will develop a more systematic approach to commissioning that will ensure there are properly co-ordinated arrangements for the delivery of services for all cystic fibrosis patients.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what resources are available for the treatment of cystic fibrosis and conditions resulting from cystic fibrosis for (a) children and (b) adults in (i) Coventry, (ii) the West Midlands and (iii) the United Kingdom; [127450](2) what assessment he has made of a reasonable distance to travel for treatment for people with cystic fibrosis; [127448]

Patients with cystic fibrosis and conditions resulting from cystic fibrosis have access to an extensive range of diagnostic and remedial resources both in hospitals and in primary care. For some treatments patients may need access to specialist skills or equipment that are best provided in a smaller number of centres where clinicians can regularly see a large number of patients. In these circumstances patients may need to travel to gain access to that expertise. The Hospital Travel Costs Scheme, which is part of the National Health Service Low Income Scheme, is available to assist those who are in receipt of a qualifying benefit.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what powers his Department has to prevent crop contamination. [123920]

[holding answer 5 June 2000]: In respect of possible transfer of pollen from GM crops to conventional or organic crops, my Department has wide powers under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to prevent the marketing or planting of GMOs without a valid consent.The Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment assesses the safety implications of all forms of possible gene transfer from GM crops and only those which present no adverse implications to public health or the environment are granted approval to be grown.My Department has recently announced that checks for the presence of GM material will commence on imported conventional seed. In addition, the Ministry of Agriculture has launched a review of GM crop separation distances.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions on which date he requested the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment Department to give advice on whether the crops of GM contaminated Hyola oilseed rape were safe for the environment, when he received the advice; and what it was. [124323]

The information given by Advanta, at their meeting with officials from my Department and MAFF, on 17 April was extremely sketchy. At that stage, Advanta had been warned by the German authorities that some GM contamination in some supplies of seeds might have occurred. They did not at that stage know for sure whether a GM had been involved, or which GM it was, or which seed batches had been affected, to which countries those seed batches had been dispatched, or in which years. Advanta informed my Department at that time that they were initiating urgent inquires. However, it took until 10 May to obtain sufficient information, particularly on which GM was involved to be able to provide ACRE with a basis for their decision, and in some respects the investigation is still going on.ACRE' s advice is that there are no adverse implications for human health or the environment.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions on what basis he and his advisers concluded that there was no environmental risk arising out of the contamination of Advanta rapeseeds. [124155]

[holding answer 5 June 2000]: The first step was to identify the types of genetically modified seeds present in the affected batches of oil seed rape.The affected seeds were in fact a well-known herbicide-tolerant rape line grown commercially in North America. This line has also been grown in field trials in the UK and there are currently 12 consents for field trials of these plants. On each occasion, the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE) had considered a full dossier on information about the GM rapeseed and its possible environmental impact, before consent was granted.Therefore, when ACRE were consulted about the Advanta seeds, they were able to give advice about the possible environmental risks from growing oilseed rape containing a small proportion of these seeds.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on (a) the effectiveness of his Department's no-smoking policy and (b) the proportion of his Department's offices that do not allow smoking. [125155]

My Department operates a no-smoking policy in all of its buildings with smoking permitted only in designated rooms. The policy is considered to be effective. My Department will review this policy when the Health and Safety Executive issues the new Approved Code of Practice on Smoking.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he will define the phrase quality combined heat and power plant in relation to the climate change levy in respect of the greenhouse industry. [125722]

Good Quality combined heat and power is generation which delivers a high level of useful heat and electricity from the same fuel input. Good Quality CHP will achieve efficiencies significantly above those of conventional generation, where the waste heat is simply vented away.I announced key decisions on the detailed methodology for assessing the quality of CHP, and the operation of the mechanism for assessing existing and proposed schemes, in my statement to the House on 17 May 2000,

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) how long a local authority planning department has in which to object to the proposed installation of (a) telephone booths, (b) telephone boxes and (c) information kiosks; [126283](2) what planning powers are available to local authorities in respect of work by telecommunications operators to convert public telephones to IT kiosks. [126285]

Certain telecommunications operators licensed by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry under the Telecommunications Act 1984 (the 1984 Act) are granted special rights to assist in the installation and maintenance of their systems. These powers, which are set out in Schedule 2 to the 1984 Act—the "Telecommunications Code"—are further governed by provisions in operators' licences and Town and Country Planning legislation, which impose exceptions and conditions on the use of these powers.Under the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995, as amended, (GPDO) code system operators have permitted development rights for the installation, alteration or replacement of a range of telecommunication apparatus.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions on what evidence his Department has based its view that HFCs are not sustainable technology in the long term. [127002]

The Government's draft climate change programme includes a new policy statement on HFCs because they are powerful greenhouse gases and are included in the basket of gases controlled under the Kyoto Protocol. We recognise that HFCs are necessary replacements for ozone-depleting substances in some applications, but we are concerned that emissions from these sources are forecast to grow strongly in the near future. This trend is unsustainable in the longer term and action needs to be taken to limit the projected growth.Our position would allow HFCs to continue to be used where they are necessary, but we recognise that the successful phase out of ozone-depleting substances is being achieved with a range of technologies. We believe that continued technological developments will mean that HFCs may eventually be able to be replaced in applications where they are currently necessary. We therefore believe it is right to give a clear signal to industry and users to look closely at these alternatives and to select those that are more environmentally acceptable where they do exist. Of course safety, technical feasibility and cost effectiveness should be taken into account before investment decisions are taken.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the occasions in the last 12 months on which Ministers in his Department have met (a) Greenpeace, (b) other environmental groups and (c) representatives of the refrigeration industry to discuss the future use of HFCs. [126976]

There have been no meetings between DETR Ministers and any group to discuss specifically the future use of HFCs. However, in January I met representatives from Greenpeace and EnvirosMarch consultancy to discuss the report "UK Emissions of HFCs, PFCs and SF₆ and Potential Emission Reduction Options" which was prepared for the DETR by EnvirosMarch.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the applications that are outstanding by type and capacity for the construction of incinerators. [126761]

In England and Wales the Environment Agency is responsible for regulating waste incineration processes described in part A of sections 1.3(C) and 5.1 of the Environmental Protection (Prescribed Processes and Substances) Regulation SI19991/No. 472.The operators set out have made an application to the Agency for an IPC authorisation, or for a variation to conditions attached to their current authorisation. The list also incorporates any variations to conditions that have been initiated by the Agency. The lists do not include applications made for incinerator units acting as abatement equipment (e.g. chemical manufacturing plant), or for the incineration of waste in plant whose primary purpose is some other purpose (e.g. cement works). The capacity of each individual incinerator application is not held centrally by the Agency.Information on land-use planning applications is held by local planning authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what recent representations he has received about the SBS system of aerobic degradation and municipal waste; and what responses he has made. [126764]

I am not aware of any representations made to my Department about the application of the anaerobic Sludge Blanketing System to municipal waste.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham (Mr. Loughton) of 24 May 2000, Official Report, column 539W, on dioxins, what levels of dioxins have been identified in the environment of East Sussex for each year since 1991; and if he will make a statement. [126261]

[holding answer 19 June 2000]: The Government have made no measurements for dioxins specifically in the environment of East Sussex since 1991.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to implement the recommendations of the Stewart Inquiry relating to planning regulations affecting mobile phone telecommunications masts. [127154]

In their response to the report of the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones, issued on 11 May 2000, the Government said that they

Table 1: UK Greenhouse gas emissions, percentage change on previous year
Percentage
Gas	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998
CO2	0.6	-2.4	-2.6	-0.5	-1.5	3.3	-4.4	0.4
CH4	-1.4	-2.6	-10.0	-7.4	-0.9	-2.2	-3.2	-4.6
N2O	-2.8	-11.2	-6.6	8.8	-4.3	3.4	2.7	-4.2
HFCs	4.3	4.1	4.5	7.1	10.1	7.2	13.3	9.6
PFCs	-22.1	-48.7	-15.2	25.5	14.2	-17.8	-28.2	-1.7
SF6	0.8	0.7	0.7	11.2	1.9	9.3	-2.0	0.5
Total GWP	0.1	-3.2	-3.5	-0.2	-1.4	2.9	-3.4	-0.1
Change on 1990 levels	0.1	-3.0	-6.5	-6.7	-8.0	-5.3	-8.5	-8.7

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will set out the monitoring arrangements for levels of greenhouse gas production in the UK. [127147]

My Department compiles and publishes an annual inventory of UK greenhouse gas emissions by sources and removals by sinks to fulfil international reporting requirements of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the European Union Monitoring Mechanism. Separate greenhouse gas inventories are also published for England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The inventories are produced according to guidelines published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and conform to internationally agreed good practice.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list for (a) Scotland, (b) England and Wales and (c) the UK the changes in the levels of production of the six greenhouse gases in each year since 1990; and what the forecast reduction is for the following 10 years. [127148]

UK emissions of the "basket" of six greenhouse gases, weighted by their global warming potential (GWP), fell by 8.7 per cent. between 1990 and 1998. UK emissions of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, fell by 7 per cent. over the same period. The changes in the levels of emissions of the six greenhouse gases in each year from 1990 to 1998 for the UK are given in Table 1. 1998 is the latest year for which we have complete data. Disaggregated data are only available for the years 1990 and 1995 for Scotland and England and Wales at present (Table 2) but data for 1998 will be available later this year.Table 3 shows projected changes in UK emissions of the six greenhouse gases between 1990 (the baseline year for our climate change targets) and 2010, before the impact of the measures set out in the UK's draft climate change programme, published in March. There are currently no disaggregated projections for England and Wales and Scotland although my Department is funding a research contract to provide disaggregated projections of the non-carbon dioxide greenhouse gases which will be available later this year.