To ask the President of the Council what mechanism exists to verify the certificates by independent auditors that Short money has been properly spent. [139026]

The certificates presented by the auditors are subject to audit by the National Audit Office, as part of their examination of House of Commons expenditure.

To ask the President of the Council how much Short money the main opposition party received in each year from 1995. [139023]

The figures are as follows:

£
Labour Party
1995–96	1,489,749.12
1996–97	1,530,190.51
1997–981	129,017.97
Conservative Party
1997–982	986,762.82
1998–99	1,112,885.74
1999–20003,4	3,377,670.28
2000–015	3,465,131.69
1Part year 1 April 1997–1 May 1997
2Part year 2 May 1997–31 March 1998
3Includes £500,000 for Leader of the Opposition's Office
4In line with the recommendations of the Neill Committee
5Includes £513,000 for Leader of the Opposition's Office

To ask the President of the Council what recent amendments have been made to the arrangements for paying Short money; who requested these changes; what consultations took place regarding them; and under what authority they were made. [139337]

No changes have been made to the arrangements for paying Short money.However, I understand that there was concern about the meaning of parliamentary business and the National Audit Office had also proposed that a letter should accompany the pro-forma audit report, to assist auditors. The Fees Office accordingly issued Notes for Auditors for the first time.The definition of parliamentary business contained in those notes had been approved by the Clerk of the House, as Accounting Officer, and the National Audit Office. The Clerk was acting under the authority given him by the Resolution of the House of 26 May 1999 to determine the form in which auditors report.

To ask the President of the Council, pursuant to her oral answer of 11 May 2000, Official Report, column 1015, on the Audit Commission report "Charging with Care", what the basis was of her statement concerning the Commission's findings about Liberal Democrat councils. [138015]

[pursuant to the reply, 20 November 2000, c. 70W]: Responsibility for home care charges rests with the Department of Health.However, information provided for the Business Statement showed that the percentage of costs recovered through home care charges

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the cost of reintroducing (a) lone parent family premium in Income Support, (b) lone parent rate of Child Benefit and (c) both of the above at their real level as at April 1997. [137055]

The information is in the table.

£ million
Estimated annual long run cost
Reintroducing lone parent premium in income related benefits	150
Reintroducing lone parent rate of child benefit	110
Total	260

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the amount of Housing Benefit fraud in the United Kingdom for each year since 1992. [137128]

[holding answer 14 November 2000]: Housing Benefit fraud was not measured routinely between 1992 and 1997. It is estimated, following a review carried out between September 1997 and March 1998, that confirmed fraud is £180 million but a further £430 million is suspected. We are working on introducing a consistent measure for fraud and error in Housing Benefit in all local authorities for April 2001.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what working estimate was used by his Department for benefit fraud, and what the actual figure of detected benefit fraud was, in each year since 1990; and if he will make a statement. [139336]

Previous estimates have shown that £2 billion a year has definitely been lost through fraud. A further £2 billion to £3 billion may have been lost in cases where fraud is strongly suspected.No checks were made for benefit fraud before 1995.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will take measures to ensure that the Benefits Agency reviews entitlement to Income Support during the lifetime of a claim and that such reviews replace the responsibility of the claimant to notify relevant changes in circumstances. [139290]

The Benefits Agency regularly checks that claimants receiving Income Support remain entitled. We do not intend, however, that these review checks should replace the responsibility of claimants to notify relevant changes in their circumstances, as has been the case for many years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate how much the (a) median and (b) mean Pension Credit payments would be in the current year had the Pension Credit already been implemented based on the figures in the Pension Credit consultation paper (Cm 4900). [139117]

The costs of the Pension Credit will depend on decisions about the detailed design following the consultation exercise—such as the nature of the interactions with other benefits such as Housing Benefit and the detail of the legislation, when it has completed its passage through Parliament. We will bring forward estimates of the Pension Credit once we have considered responses to the consultation exercise.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Northavon (Mr. Webb) of 13 November 2000, Official Report, column 526W, if he will (a) extend his projections up to 2003–04 to include the Pension Credit and (b) indicate the take-up assumptions on which his estimates are based; [139748]

[holding answers 22 and 23 November 2000]: The costs of the Pension Credit will depend on decisions about the detailed design following the consultation exercise—such as the nature of the interactions with other benefits such as Housing Benefit and the detail of the legislation, when it has completed its passage through Parliament. We will bring forward estimates of the Pension Credit once we have considered responses to the consultation exercise.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will place in the Library an analysis of the costs and benefits of the withdrawal taper for the savings element of the proposed pension credit being set at (a) the current standard rate tax, (b) 30 per cent., (c) 35 per cent. and (d) the current Housing Benefit withdrawal taper. [140668]

The costs of the Pension Credit will depend on decisions about the detailed design following the consultation exercise—such as the nature of the interactions with other benefits such as Housing Benefit and the detail of the legislation, when it has completed its passage through Parliament. We will bring forward estimates of the Pension Credit once we have considered responses to the consultation exercise.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the impact of differences between levels of Housing Benefit and rent in London. [139925]

The information is not available in the format requested as no research has been commissioned to assess the impact of the differences between levels of Housing Benefit and rent in London.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage of households receive (a) Income Support and (b) Family Credit in (i) England, (ii) Scotland and (iii) Wales at the latest date for which figures are available. [139456]

The information is in the table.

The percentage of households receiving Income Support at May 2000 and Family Credit at August 1999
	Great Britain	England	Scotland	Wales
Income Support	14	14	17	17
Family Credit	3	3	4	4

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) when he received the conclusions of the working party reviewing the rates of reimbursement for social security claimants who use their own vehicles to attend appointments on his Department's business; and when he will make a decision on the report's recommendations; [139995](2) when the working party reviewing the rates of reimbursement for social security claimants who use their own vehicles to attend appointments on his Department's business

The review of the rates of mileage allowances payable to social security claimants using their own vehicles to attend departmental appointments is not yet complete.The first meeting of the review working party was on 15 July 1999, its most recent meeting was on 8 August 2000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security for the six-month period before 1 July 1998 and each full six-month period after 1 July 1998, how many social security claimants received reimbursements for use of their own vehicles to attend appointments on social security business; and what was the amount paid out on these reimbursements. [140006]

The information is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if he will list for each Social Security Department administrative area the amount spent on (a) Attendance Allowance and (b) Disability Living Allowance in each of the last five years; [140525](2) if he will list by his Department's administrative areas the amount paid to

The information is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much was spent for each nominal security administrative region on Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance over the last 10 years. [140681]

The information is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has for ensuring an adequate infrastructure for the future delivery of information technology services within his Department; and if he will make a statement. [140955]

The current IT network and office infrastructure will not support our modernisation plans and we need to ensure that it does not constrain either the long-term aspirations of the Department or joined up government in the future.Following the successful completion of negotiations, the responsibility for delivery of a new, more cost effective network service for the Department transferred on 23 November to Arcway, a BT plc-led consortium. This offers the best approach for supporting the integrated IT that will be essential in delivering Government welfare reform.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what representations he has received about the introduction from April 2001 of changes to the backdating rules and to decision making and appeals for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit; and if he will make a statement. [140956]

We are developing a programme of work to resolve difficulties in the administration of Housing Benefit, and our response to consultation on the Housing Green Paper will be published shortly.During separate consultation on draft regulations covering the backdating rules and benefit decision making and appeals, we received representations from the local authority associations and a report from the Social Security Advisory Committee.We have considered very carefully the views of the Social Security Advisory Committee, the local authority associations and others on the proposal to align the backdating rules for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit with the other income-related benefits, and we have concluded that we should not proceed with it. The rules for the backdating of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit will therefore remain as now.We have also considered representations made by the local authority associations about the ability of local authorities to implement from April 2001 changes to decision making and appeals in Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.This is an important new initiative and it is vital that the ability of local authorities to implement it should be reflected in the time available. We have therefore decided that the changes to decision making and appeals for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit should be deferred by three months, to July 2001. This includes discretionary housing payments, which will come in at the same time as the appeals changes.These measures are consistent with the programme of work being developed to resolve difficulties in the administration of Housing Benefit.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the consultants' report into the proposed relocation of DARA at RAF St. Athan to Cardiff International Airport. [138885]

DARA are currently conducting an in-house Investment Appraisal to identify cost effective proposals for the delivery of its future Aircraft Support services. While this process has involved some consultancy support it would not be appropriate to publish details of this commercial sensitive advice. I am therefore withholding this information under exemption 2 (Internal Discussion and Advice) and 7 (Effective Management and Operations of the Public Service) of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what recent representations he has received from the manufacturer of Lynx helicopter rotorheads concerning the sufficiency of their staff involved in the programme of rectification work on the helicopters' rotorheads; [139238](2) how many Lynx helicopters, grounded due to problems with rotorheads, have been returned to service; [139234](3) what plans he has for the completion of the rectification work on Lynx rotorheads; when this work will be completed; and what representations he has received on this matter; [139242](4) what payment has been made to the manufacturer of Lynx helicopter rotorheads for the programme of rectification work on the helicopters' rotorheads; [139241](5) what his estimate is of the total cost of rectification work on Lynx helicopter rotorheads. [139235]

Monobloc main rotorheads, withdrawn as a result of the reduced service life announced in April, are being replaced with new heads of an alternative bolted design. Replacement main rotorheads are being procured through GKN Westland Helicopters, with components sourced from a number of different manufacturers. Long lead times for certain materials means that the recovery programme will take some time.We are in close contact with GKN Westland to ensure that replacement heads are available as quickly as possible. First deliveries are expected in the next month and will continue over the following two years. All available main rotorheads are being managed as a single pool, being fitted to either Navy or Army helicopters as required. Main rotorheads are currently available for around two thirds of the Lynx operational fleet allowing us to meet all our priority commitments. Previous plans already assumed the procurement of new bolted heads as part of a normal replacement programme. These plans have how had to be brought forward. In total, we expect to spend some £40 million on new Lynx main rotorheads in the next two years. Contract negotiations for these heads are ongoing and payments will be linked to deliveries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been allocated for the acquisition programmes for FSCS and TRACER; when he expects them to be operational; and if he will make a statement. [139655]

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what current ISTAR capability and UAVs are available; what Smart Procurement guidelines have been set for the UAV acquisition project; and if he will make a statement. [139654]

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what targets were set for MINDER Route Proving during the competitive assessment phase; what plans there are for the development of a mix of sensors for locating and neutralising anti-tank and anti-personnel mines; and if he will make a statement. [139656]

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the production of the Technology Demonstrator prototype; when is the estimated in-service date; what apabilities the close-in sensors and UWB sensors have for mine detection; and if he will make a statement. [139657]

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total value is of Swan Hunter's and BAE Systems Marine's contracts for the (a) ALSLs and (b) Type 45 Destroyer; what the current status is of the contracted programmes; when the programmes are expected to be completed; and if he will make a statement. [139652]

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what competition has been conducted to procure an enhanced strategic sealift capability under PH arrangements; what the cost of the contracted programme is; when the improved strategic sealift capability will be available to the Royal Navy; and if he will make a statement. [139651]

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department and the War Pensions Agency intend to take to prevent soldiers from contracting vaccine-related illnesses in the future; and if he will make a statement. [139725]

We endeavour to reduce the possibility of vaccine-related illnesses by offering vaccinations only when there is a justification for their use; by using only UK licensed vaccines, as far as possible; endeavouring as far as possible not to give multiple vaccines concurrently; and training MOD medical staff in the correct administration of vaccines.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the proposed relocation of Royal Navy fixed-wing pilots from Yeovilton to the Midlands and on feedback from service families in relation to this proposal. [140127]

As a result of the Strategic Defence Review decision to create Joint Force Harrier, Sea Harrier squadrons (and support staff) from RNAS Yeovilton will transfer to RAF Stations Cottesmore and Wittering in 2003. Relocation briefings have been given to Service and civilian personnel and their families. Informal feedback to date from these briefings indicates interest in schooling opportunities, the availability of Family Married Quarters, house prices and opportunities for work in the local area. The intention is to continue this form of communication with those involved to ensure their family relocation is made as smooth as possible. In addition, a questionnaire has been sent to all personnel earmarked for transfer. The anonymous results of this will be analysed by early spring.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what effects the changes initiated by the Defence Logistics Organisation have had on employment at RAF Henlow. [140077]

RAF Henlow is home to elements of two Defence Logistics Organisation (DLO) business units—the Defence Communication Services Agency (DCSA) and the Directorate General Defence Logistics Information Systems (DG Def Log IS).The former RAF Signals Engineering Establishment Agency, whose headquarters were at RAF Henlow, merged with the DCSA in April 2000 and became the DCSA's Directorate of Engineering and Interoperability, retaining its HQ at RAF Henlow. The future size and shape of this Directorate is under review as part of the DLO's goal of delivering effective front line logistic support at greatly reduced cost. While this review has been under way there have been restrictions on recruitment locally to ensure that staff are not appointed into posts which might be subject to change. There has also been a reduction in contracted-in support. Any changes proposed will be subject to full consultation.Elements of DG Def Log IS have also been established at RAF Henlow. These have incorporated the former Henlow based Logistic Support Services Agency and the Stevenage based Logistics Information Systems (RAF) project. Some 40 posts have been transferred into RAF Henlow as a result.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions have taken place between representatives of Her Majesty's Government and (a) George W. Bush and (b) Al Gore in respect of National Missile Defence; and if he will make a statement. [140310]

[holding answer 24 November 2000]: The Government have held regular discussions on the proposed US National Missile Defence system, and related issues, both with the current US Administration, including Vice President Gore, and with advisers to Governor Bush.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's contribution is to the NATO ballistic missile defence programme. [140017]

[holding answer 24 November 2000]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Buckingham (Mr. Bercow) on 27 November 2000, Official Report, column 417W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much it cost to maintain the system of defence attaches in the last 12 months. [140706]

In the 12 months to the end of October 2000 the cost was £25.88 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British service personnel are deployed at the US base of Diego Garcia. [139980]

[holding answer 27 November 2000]: There are 40 British service personnel based on Diego Garcia. They are responsible for providing various security and administrative functions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what renovations are under way on HMS Coventry; what the cost of the renovations is; what plans the Royal Navy has for HMS Coventry over the next three years; and if he will make a statement. [140740]

There are no renovations currently under way on HMS Coventry. Her last docking period was undertaken earlier this year, at a cost of about £5.5 million, to ensure she will be available for operational duties until she is due to be withdrawn from service in late 2001. Following her naval decommissioning, HMS Coventry will be available for disposal.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the cost to date, including staff costs, consultancies and consultation of the DERA Boscombe Down bid for the future strategic tanker aircraft project. [140587]

The costs to date of the DERA Boscombe Down element of the bid for the main operating base for the future strategic tanker aircraft project are in the region of £175,000. The cost have been incurred over a two year period.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to make further changes to the location of the Territorial Army units. [140883]

Three changes are to be made to the locations of units announced as part of the Territorial Army restructuring on 17 November 1998, Official Report, columns 749–71 by the then Secretary of State for Defence. These involve:

Changing the final location of HQ 101 Bn REME (V) from Harry Weale Hall, Queensferry to Hightown Barracks, Wrexham.

Changing the location for 59 Sig Sqn (V) from Deysbrook to Aintree and sell Deysbrook Barracks complete.

Changing the location of A (The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment)) Company, 52^nd Lowland Regiment from TAC Dalmeny Street to TAC East Claremont Street.

These changes are being made because they represent more cost-effective solutions to locating the units in question.In addition, the intention is to retain the TA Centre in Chorley to house E Sqn 5 GS Med Regt. which will be moving from Hull.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much her Department has spent on publications since 1 January. [136639]

£520,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on aid to Kenya. [136620]

Following the appointment of a reform team in July 1999, a reform agenda was put in place in Kenya. This led to Kenya negotiating new support from the IMF and the World bank, conditional on improvements in economic management and action against corruption. Britain is providing budget support of £30 million on the same conditions. This brings our total planned assistance to poverty reduction in Kenya in 2000–01 to £64 million, including £15 million to help relieve Kenya's worst drought for several decades.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list the individual schools in the Palestinian Authority area which have been the beneficiaries of United Nations Works and Relief Agency development assistance for Palestinian education since 1995–96. [140446]

Funding for UNRWA has been for its core budget, and the development of a five-year education plan, rather than individual schools.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list the individual schools in the Palestinian Authority area which have been the beneficiaries of United Kingdom development assistance for Palestinian education since 1995–96. [140447]

Nearly all of the schools in the Palestinian Authority have benefited in some way. All primary school head teachers, and most secondary school heads, have participated in a School Review and Development Planning programme, and over 12,000 teachers have received support for their personal development.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what have been the overall sums of money (a) spent on and (b) taken in receipts at, the Millennium Dome. [134992]

The New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) has advised that in cash terms total expenditure to 31 October 2000 was £728,113,000. Receipts to 31 October were £159,529,000 trading income (tickets, sponsorship (including value-in-kind), and other commercial income), and £571,980,000 National Lottery grant.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will provide details of the county court judgments that have been made against the New Millennium Experience Company. [139039]

[holding answer 20 November 2000]: The details of the four county court judgments to which the hon. Member refers are as follows:

£
Company	Claimed and paid
Stocksigns	235.06
Power Plant Services	939.83
Display World Supplies	301.91
Service Point UK Ltd.	131.49

All the above have been removed from the Register.The New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) has advised that it has been notified of three further county court judgments. All three payments have been made:

£
Company	Claimed and paid
Glen Howard Neil Salway	150.00
Telecline Ltd.	2,054.94
Tyne & Wear Passenger Transport	5,812.00

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps were taken by the management of the millennium dome to minimise the dangers to the public from the operation carried out by the police on 7 November. [138912]

[holding answer 21 November 2000]: The New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) worked closely with the police over many weeks to formulate and refine an Operational Plan which would ensure minimum risk and maximum safety for its staff and visitors. No action was taken to apprehend the suspects until they had reached a point where they could be easily contained by the police. The area where the vault is located was not open to the public and the immediate staff members were withdrawn to a place of safety before or at the start of the incident. The safety of staff and visitors was a top priority for NMEC and the Metropolitan police service.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many children have performed in "Our Town Story" at the Dome to date; and how many schools have participated. [139016]

[holding answer 22 November 2000]: The New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) has advised that, by the end of the year there will have been 220 performances of "Our Town Story" in which 210 local education authorities (LEAs) will have participated. As the LEAs have selected each cast of 100 it is not possible to give details of the number of schools which have taken part. Details of the current performance schedule, however, are included in the table. By the end of the year approximately 20,000 children will have performed in "Our Town Story"."Our Town Story" is one of a number of extremely successful National Programme initiatives that have been an integral part of the Millennium Experience at the Dome. The programme has enabled and encouraged thousands of communities to participate in events and activities.

Education authority and local borough	Date
Stirling	5 January
London Borough of Camden	6 January
London Borough of Ealing	7 January
Oldham	10 January
Blackpool	14 January
Warwickshire	17 January
Dudley	18 January
Slough	20 January
Reading	21 January
Oxfordshire	23 January
City of Edinburgh	25 January
Bath and North East Somerset	28 January
Trafford	31 January
South Gloucestershire	1 February
Wakefield	2 February
London Borough of Lambeth	3 February
Torbay	4 February
Kingston upon Hull	7 February
Calderdale	8 February
Warrington	10 February
Argyll and Bute	11 February
Tameside	14 February

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what date he has set for Lazard to conclude negotiations with the Legacy consortium over the purchase of the Millennium Dome; and what plans he has to re-open the competition to new bidders in the event of those negotiations being unsuccessful. [139796]

The involvement of Lazard in the process for selling the Millennium Dome has concluded with the award of preferred bidder status to Legacy plc. The competition team will now take forward the negotiations with Legacy plc. Progress will be reviewed regularly, and if all goes well we expect to exchange contracts during February.In the event of the failure of negotiations with Legacy plc, the Government would pursue other possible uses of the Dome.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of likely revenue resulting from the sale of the contents of the Millennium Dome. [140151]

The information requested is commercially confidential. To release details of likely revenue from the sale of assets could impair the ability of the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) to negotiate with potential buyers and to obtain the best value from the sale of the assets.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will publish an inventory of the contents of the Millennium Dome and list their legal owners. [140183]

[holding answer 24 November 2000]: A full inventory of the contents of the Dome comprises many thousands of items from the building and the exhibit structures, to the knives and forks in the restaurant, to the desks and chairs in the New Millennium Experience Company's (NMEC) office space. This information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what work is being undertaken by PricewaterhouseCoopers regarding the invoicing of catering and hospitality services at the Millennium Dome. [140423]

[holding answer 27 November 2000]: I understand that no such work is being undertaken by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many of the major capital projects recently awarded grants of more than

National lottery awards to capital projects over £15 million since 1 May 1997
Region/country Project title/description	Distributing body	Recipient	Award date	Award amount (£)
East Midlands
The National Space Science Centre	Millennium Commission	National Space Science Centre	11 June 1997	26,000,000
East Midlands total				26,000,000
Eastern
Norfolk and Norwich Millennium Project	Millennium Commission	Norfolk and Norwich Millennium Company Ltd.	11 June 1997	30,069,000
Eastern total				30,069,000
London
English National Stadium, Wembley	Sport England	Wembley National Stadium Ltd.	17 October 1997	120,000,000
British Museum—Education and Information Centre	Heritage Lottery Fund	British Museum	20 October 1997	15,055,000
Victoria and Albert Museum British Galleries	Heritage Lottery Fund	Victoria and Albert Museum	22 July 1998	15,000,000
The Millennium Dome1	Millennium Commission	New Millennium Experience Company	4 February 2000 to 5 September 2000	179,000,000
London total				329,055,000
North East
Conversion of the Baltic Flour Mill to a contemporary visual art centre	Arts Council of England	Gateshead Metropolitan borough council	10 June 1997	37,905,000
Stage 3: Music Centre	Arts Council of England	Gateshead Metropolitan borough council	19 October 1999	43,810,000
North East total				81,715,000
North West
Upgrade, refurbishment and expansion of facilities and reinstatement works	Arts Council of England	The Royal Exchange	13 May 1997	17,110,250
Manchester Commonwealth 50 Pool	Sport England	Manchester City council	21 May 1997	21,869,600
Manchester Millennium Quarter	Millennium Commission	Manchester City council	8 July 1998	20,090,000
NMGM 2001 Celebration of Links	Heritage Lottery Fund	National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside	22 July 1998	22,746,800
Eastlands SportCity (incorporating Commonwealth Games Stadium and UKSI NW Network Centre)	Sport England	Manchester City council	29 March 1999	92,000,000
North West total				173,816,650
South East
Stage 3 refurbishment of the Brighton Dome	Arts Council of England	Brighton Festival Society Ltd.	29 July 1998	15,000,000
South East total				15,000,000
South West
The Eden Project	Millennium Commission	The Trustees of The Eden Trust	20 May 1997	42,150,000
South West total				42,150,000

[holding answer 22 November 2000]: According to the latest information supplied by the distributing bodies, the number and total amount of National Lottery awards to major capital projects of £15 million or more since 1 May 1997, broken down by region and country, are as shown:

Region/country	Number of projects awarded grants of£15 million or more	Total amount awarded to projects awarded grants of £15 million or more (£)
East Midlands	1	26,000,000
Eastern	1	30,069,000
London	4	329,055,000
North East	2	81,715,000
North West	5	173,816,650
South East	1	15,000,000
South West	1	42,150,000
West Midlands	1	20,000,000
Yorkshire and Humberside	4	79,676,000
Northern Ireland	1	45,000,000
Scotland	1	35,000,000
Wales		27,000,000

The schemes which received these Lottery grants are listed in the following table:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement on his plans for the future regulation of the BBC. [140140]

We intend to publish the Communications White Paper next month, and it will propose new measures to replace current legislation on broadcasting and telecommunications. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State cannot say at this stage what the White Paper will say on future regulation of the BBC.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the criteria he will apply in making any recommendations about the appointment of the next Chairman of the BBC. [140139]

The criteria for the post of Chairman will be set out in the job specification at the relevant time.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has to hold discussions with the Prime Minister about the appointment of the next Chairman of the BBC. [140138]

The appointment of the Chairman of the BBC Board of Governors is made by Her Majesty The Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will have the opportunity to offer his views to the Prime Minister as part of the normal appointments process, at the appropriate time.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what his policy is on political impartiality to be observed in appointments to senior positions in the national broadcasting authorities. [140141]

All appointments to the Department's public bodies are made on merit. Candidates are asked to provide information on significant political activity in the past five years. This reflects the guidance set down by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Appointments to management positions are the responsibility of the broadcasting bodies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to his answer of 6 July 2000, to the hon. Member for Cleethorpes (Shona McIsaac), Official Report, column 287W, on free TV licences, if he will estimate the total cost of extending free TV licences to all those aged 60 or above. [140301]

The estimated cost of extending free television licences to everyone aged 60 years or above is £560 million a year at current licence fee levels, excluding administrative costs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement on the operation of the supporters direct scheme for football clubs indicating the (a) number of trusts agreed, (b) number of trusts established and (c) number of elected supporter directors. (140090]

[holding answer 24 November 2000]: Supporters Direct has been contacted by groups of supporters representing 91 clubs since its launch on 5 September, ranging from Premier League sides to non-league clubs playing in the Football Association's National Game pyramid.16 supporters' trusts have been formed so far, with a further seven agreed in principle. Nine clubs have some form of supporter representation at Board level.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the applications for National Lottery grants and the amounts refused by each (a) parliamentary constituency in Staffordshire and (b) Lottery board for each of the last five years. [139856]

We have contacted the National Lottery distributing bodies to request the information required, and I will write to the hon. Member as soon as it is available, placing copies of my letter in the Libraries of both Houses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) if he will rank by parliamentary constituency the total value of National Lottery grants awarded by the lottery boards since May 1997; [139857](2) what the average value is of National Lottery grants given to each constituency by the lottery boards since May 1997. [139858]

I have placed copies of a table showing the total amount awarded to each parliamentary constituency, the average value of these awards, and the average amount awarded per constituency since 1 May 1997 in the Libraries of both Houses. The parliamentary constituencies are ranked in descending order according to the amount of Lottery grants they have received since 1 May 1997. The table was compiled using information on awards supplied to us by the distributing bodies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will publish details of the elite sports funding review announced by the Prime Minister on 19 October. [140774]

UK athletes did exceptionally well in Sydney, our best performance for 80 years. We now want to build on that to produce an even more effective performance at the Commonwealth Games in 2002 and the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Following the decision of the Sports Cabinet on 6 October that there should be a review, the Prime Minister has asked my right hon. Friend the Member for Copeland (Dr. Cunningham) to lead a group examining the way our top athletes are supported through the Lottery, looking especially at two key components:

the world class performance programme structure and funding and

the underpinning support structures provided by the UK Sports Institute

taking into account the work of the Sports Strategy Implementation Groups. The review is urgent given that the Commonwealth Games are only 20 months away and the UK Sports Institute is being developed.

My right hon. Friend has been appointed by the Prime Minister in consultation with myself and will report directly to us. The group will be advised by Sue Campbell, sports adviser to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Education and Employment. The first meeting of the group is planned for Tuesday 28 November.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many indemnity undertakings were given by Departments, under section 16 of the National Heritage Act 1980, for the six-month period ended 30 September; and what was the value of (a) contingent liabilities in respect of such undertakings given under that section which remained outstanding at 30 September, (b) non-statutory Government indemnities in respect of loans handled by the Government Art Collection which remained outstanding at 30 September and (c) non-statutory undertakings to Her Majesty in respect of loans from the Royal Collection which remained outstanding at 30 September. [140830]

The provision for the Government Indemnity Scheme is made by the National Heritage Act 1980. The scheme facilitates public access to loans of works of art and other objects for public display made to museums, galleries and other such institutions by private owners and non-national institutions. It does this by indemnifying lenders against loss or damage to their loan. Loans covered by the scheme must be for public benefit. The scheme also covers loans of such objects for study purposes within borrowing institutions where this would contribute materially to the public's understanding or appreciation of the loan. Examples of this are enhancing interpretation or explanation to the public of objects or bringing into the public domain the conclusions of any study. In the six-month period ended 30 September 2000, the following undertakings to indemnify were given under section 16 by the relevant Departments for objects on loan to national and non-national institutions:

Numbers
Department for Culture, Media and Sport	664
Scottish Executive Education Department	89
The National Assembly for Wales	56
Department of Education for Northern Ireland	33

The value of contingent liabilities in respect of undertakings given at any time under section 16 and which remained outstanding as at 30 September 2000 is:

£
Department for Culture, Media and Sport	1,343,458,706
Scottish Executive Education Department	905,848,807
The National Assembly for Wales	67,609,314
Department of Education for Northern Ireland	4,039,502

The value of non-statutory Government indemnities to cover loans handled by the Government Art Collection and which remained outstanding as at 30 September 2000 is:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the creditors' ledger of the New Millennium Experience Company was last reconciled. [140425]

[holding answer 27 November 2000]: The New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) has advised that creditor ledger reconciliations are performed on an ongoing, daily basis.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people are currently employed by the New Millennium Experience Company; and how many will be employed on (a) 1 January 2001, (b) 1 February 2001 and (c) 1 March 2001. [140422]