To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list those registered social landlords in the London Borough of Greenwich who have imposed rent increases over the rate of inflation in the last two years. [141650]

Twenty registered social landlords (RSLs) owned stock in Greenwich in both 1998 and March 2000. The percentage increase in average rent in March 2000 compared with March 1998 was higher than the rate of inflation over that period for eight of these RSLs. They were:

• South London Family
• Broomleigh
• Hyde
• Family
• London and Quadrant
• Servite
• English Churches
• Anchor Trust.

Comparisons of rent levels in March 1998 and March 2000 for these RSLs may not be on a like-for-like basis because of acquisitions or disposals of stock during that period.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many appeals have been made against rent increases approved by the rent officers in each of the last four years; and how many have resulted in a higher rent being imposed for (a) private landlords and (b) registered social landlords. [141651]

Consistent information on the number of appeals (in England) against rent officer fair rent decisions is available from 1996–97, as follows:

Year	Number
1996–97	7,653
1997–98	6,265
1998–99	7,754

Data for 1999–2000 are not yet available.The results of these appeals (the percentage of appeals that lead to lower, unchanged and higher rents) are published in "Rent Officer Statistics" but without a separate split by private landlords and registered social

landlords. Analysis of the 1998–99 appeals against fair rents shows the following figures:

	Private landlords	Registered social landlords
Percentage of appeals resulting in:
Lower rent	11	13
Unchanged rent	29	16
Higher rent	60	71

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what reasons have been given by rent officers in the London Borough of Greenwich for approving rent increases for tenants of registered social landlords above the level of inflation. [141652]

Rent officers are required to determine rents for properties with a registered fair rent in accordance with the rules set out in the Rent Act 1977. This requires them to take into account a number of criteria including age of dwelling, its state of repair, character and locality but to disregard any premium resulting from a scarcity of similar accommodation in the area.In addition, on 1 February 1999, the Government introduced the Rent Acts (Maximum Fair Rent) Order 1999 which had the effect of limiting most fair rent increases to RPI plus 7.5 per cent. or RPI plus 5 per cent. The Order was quashed in a judgment of the Court of Appeal in January but was declared lawful in a judgment by the House of Lords on 7 December. The effect of the judgment is that the Order has been in force continuously since 1 February 1999 and all applications for registered fair rents since then must comply with it.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the (a) rent increases for each registered social landlord in the London Borough of Greenwich that were applied for in the last two years; and (b) increases that were approved by the rent officers. [141654]

Registered social landlords (RSLs) only apply to rent officers for approval in "fair rent" cases. Figures on applications by individual RSLs for registered fair rents are not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what has been the average rent increase for tenants of registered social landlords in the last two years (a) in the London borough of Greenwich, (b) in London and (c) nationally. [141653]

The average rent increase for tenants of registered social landlords between March 1998 and March 2000 was as follows:

	Percentage
Greenwich	3.7
London	7.9
England	6.6

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions which EU regulation stipulates that the national identification symbol on number plates must be that of the member state. [141518]

Council Regulation (EC) No. 2411/98 of 3 November 1998 provides for the recognition of specified distinguishing signs on number plates as an alternative to the requirements set out in Annex 3 to the Vienna Convention of 1968. The Regulation defines the distinguishing sign as a set of one to three letters indicating the member state in which the vehicle is registered. The use of such signs on number plates for vehicles registered in the United Kingdom will be voluntary.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will take steps to ensure that excess flow valves are fitted inside dwellings. [141363]

This is one of the issues that will be addressed by the Health and Safety Commission and the Health and Safety Executive in taking forward the recommendations following from the Commission's recent Gas Safety Review. In particular, the Commission will develop with industry a strategic research plan that will cover the contribution of technological developments, including safety devices, to the safe use of gas in residential premises. The Commission and the Executive will review the safety case for the fitting of excess flow valves, whether as a legal obligation or as recommended good practice, when the results of this further research are available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his most recent estimate of the amount of carbon saved each year by 2010 as a result of the introduction of the climate change levy. [142423]

[holding answer 12 December 2000]: Our most recent estimates of the levels of carbon saved were published in the UK's climate change programme on 17 November 2000. The programme shows that the climate change levy is estimated to save 2 million tonnes of carbon equivalent (MtC) each year by 2010. The climate change agreements which are being negotiated with energy intensive sectors are estimated to save a further 2.5 MtC by 2010. Additional energy efficiency measures using levy receipts and the establishment of the Carbon Trust are estimated to save a further 0.5 MtC. This means that the climate change levy package as a whole is estimated to save 5 MtC per annum by 2010.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what targets have been set for improvements in energy efficiency on the Government estate; and what progress has been made in achieving them since May 1997. [142420]

[holding answer 12 December 2000]: The target is a 20 per cent. improvement on the 1990–91 levels by the end of 1999–2000. By March 1997, overall progress was 16.0 per cent.; by March 1999, it had risen to 18.9 per cent. Results for FY 1999–2000 should be available in 2001.I am placing in the Libraries of both Houses a revised set of tables of Government estate energy efficiency results. These supersede the tables deposited in the House on 13 November. However, the headline figure of 18.9 per cent. overall progress to the 20 per cent. target is unaffected.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much additional funding will be available for local authority recycling schemes as a result of SR2000; and if he will make a statement. [142287]

[holding answer 12 December 2000]: The Spending Review 2000 provided substantial extra resources for waste and recycling:

An annual increase in the provision for revenue spending by local authorities for environmental and cultural services, including waste and recycling; by the third year this will have risen by £1,127 million over current provision;

£140 million specifically for local authority waste and recycling;

£220 million PFI credits ring-fenced for integrated waste management schemes, which include a recycling component.

SR2000 also provided significant resources to the Waste and Resources Action Programme to overcome market barriers to the refuse and recycling of waste. Currently, total funding from Government and the devolved Administrations over the three years is planned to be around £30 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many applications were (a) received and (b) granted for requests for him to set aside the recouping of improvement grants from properties sold within five years of a grant being given in the last five years for which data are available. [142736]

Since the introduction of the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 there have been 17 applications for the Secretary of State's consent not to demand repayment of housing renewal grant. Thirteen applications have been approved, four are pending, and none have been refused.Yesterday my Department issued a general consent to enable local authorities to waive the requirement to repay grant, or to demand a lesser amount, in a wide range of circumstances. This is part of a package of measures to give local authorities greater control over the delivery of private sector housing renewal policy. The four outstanding applications, which were received shortly before the announcement, are covered by the general consent and we have notified the authorities concerned.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when road hauliers will receive their rebate cheques, in respect of the Government's decisions announced in the pre-Budget report. [142739]

Hauliers taking out licences with effect from 1 December have already benefited from lower net licence costs, as their rebate has been deducted at source from the statutory VED rate. Letters inviting hauliers to apply for rebates in respect of vehicles licensed at 30 November 2000 will be issued as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he plans to publish the Aviation White Paper. [142745]

We hope to issue a White Paper on air transport in 2002. This will need to take account of the final decision on a fifth terminal at Heathrow. On Tuesday 12 December we published a consultation document on the future of aviation. This is the first major step towards the White Paper. Copies of the consultation document are available in the Libraries of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what additional information he has given since Monday 13 November to Mr. Robert Kiley of Transport for London about the PPP contracts; and if he will make a statement. [142748]

I understand that, since Monday 13 November, London Underground has supplied Mr. Kiley with the items set out as follows. Some of these items do not relate directly to the PPP contract but provide background information. In addition, my Department has supplied Mr. Kiley with London Transport's report "The Future of London Underground—evaluation of options".

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much has been spent on fees to each consultant involved in the study of each regional airport; and how much has been spent on consultants' fees. [142767]

The programme of studies informing preparation of the Airports White Paper has not taken the form of individual airport by airport studies; rather it is in three principal parts: six regional airports studies and a follow-up regional co-ordination study; the South East and East of England (SERAS) Study; and several strategic studies covering a range of UK wide issues—technology change, commercial trends, air freight and demand forecasting.DETR expenditure to date is given in the table:

	£
Study programmes	DETR expenditure to date
South East and East of England	1,730,000
Regions outside the South East and East of England	965,000
Other Strategic Studies	870,000
Total	3,565,000

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will announce details of the local transport capital settlement. [142833]

The Government's Transport strategy and investment plans were set out in "Transport 2010: the 10-Year Plan", published in July 2000. The 10-Year Plan provided the long-term framework for investment, which is now being implemented. It will put right the effects of years of under-investment that this Government inherited. The 10-Year Plan provided for £59 billion of expenditure on local transport—£30.6 billion of public revenue expenditure, £19.3 billion public capital investment, and £9 billion of private investment.This Local Transport Capital Settlement is the first five-year allocation from the £19.3 billion of public capital investment. The total allocation for English local highways authorities outside London for the period 2001–02 to 2005–06 will be £8.4 billion. The five-year allocation is as follows:

	£ billion
LTP allocations	Major schemes, integrated transport schemes, and maintenance schemes
2001–02	1.36
2002–03	1.52
2003–04	1.67
2004–05	1,94
2005–06	1.93
Five year total	8.43

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions on what date he intends to make an announcement regarding the Local Transport Settlement for 2001–02. [142746]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to my hon. Friend the Member for Scarborough and Whitby (Mr. Quinn).

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he will announce the allocation of resources for housing authorities in England for 2001–02; and if he will make a statement. [143368]

We are issuing details today of the revenue allocations for 2001–02. Details of capital allocations made through the Housing Investment Programme were given last week. Copies of the documents setting out the allocations to individual authorities are being placed in the Library of the House.The £2.6 billion package of housing capital resources for 2001–02 is well over twice the amount allocated in 1997–98, and represents an increase of 24 per cent. in the resources compared to the current year.2001–02 will see the introduction of resource accounting within the Housing Revenue Account (HRA), including the new Major Repairs Allowance (MRA). Resource accounting is part of the new, more businesslike approach to local authority housing and the delivery of better quality services. The MRA will mean that some £1.6 billion of the housing capital resources available next year will be paid through HRA subsidy, to enable all authorities to maintain the condition of their housing stock over the longer term.Introducing the MRA will require changes to the accounting arrangement for HRA. I have made regulations to give effect to these changes and they have today been laid before the House.We are combating years of under-investment in the fabric of our council stock. We are determined to improve the quality of council housing and the services to tenants.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will provide a regional breakdown of the hard to fill (three months or more) (a) nursing vacancies and (b) midwifery vacancies as of September, and a regional breakdown of all nursing vacancies as of September. [142221]

The information on vacancies as of September 2000 is not available centrally. The data collected at 31 March 2000 were only for three months or longer vacancies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions his Department has had with the British Chiropody and Podiatry Association about the future regulation of the profession. [142189]

The British Chiropody and Podiatry Association has been included in the recently completed consultation on the Government's proposals for a new Health Professions Council. The Chair of the Association took part in a recent stakeholder event where he had the opportunity to discuss, in detail, future regulation of the profession with Department officials.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average distance was travelled by patients to gain access to treatment at a NHS general practitioner's practice in each health authority for each year between 1987 and 1999. [142503]

The information requested is not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on his plans to reduce the incidence of smoking. [142936]

Today the Government have introduced and published the Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Bill. The Department has also issued a press release announcing consultation on the proposal to allow all Nicotine Replacement Products to be prescribed on the National Health Service by general practitioners. Copies of the consultation letter have been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the future of midwifery-led units in the NHS. [141490]

[holding answer 13 December 2000]: The National Health Service provides a variety of types of care for women during pregnancy and childbirth including care in midwife-led units. We would expect to see this variety continue, offering individual choice whenever possible. Locally, health care commissioners and providers need to ensure that a full range of maternity services is available to women as close to home as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he intends to publish his policy on reconfiguring maternity services. [141491]

[holding answer 13 December 2000]: We are currently discussing with the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and the Royal College of Midwives the best way to work together on broader issues around maternity unit staffing and configuration. We expect to make an announcement very soon.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of patients attended appointments with hospital consultants in the last 12 months. [142531]

Statistics for the number of missed appointments or 'did not attend' (DNA) rates are collected quarterly for first outpatient appointments only. Statistics collected for the last two quarters of the year 1999–2000 and the first two quarters of 2000–01 show an average DNA rate of 11.37 per cent.¹Booked appointments allow patients to pre-book hospital appointments and admission dates that are convenient to them, providing scope to reduce DNA rates. The National Health Service Plan target is that by the end of 2005 all patients will be able to plan their appointments and elective admission dates.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the legal fees incurred by St. Mary's Hospital, Manchester, for (a) the application for ward of court and (b) other legal costs, for the application to separate the Siamese twins Josie and Mary Attard. [142737]

The Central Manchester Healthcare National Health Service Trust has so far incurred legal costs of £55,000. This has been in respect of the original court hearing, the appeal court hearing and the action brought by the Pro Life Alliance Group.The trust did not make an application for ward of court in relation to the children.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the outcome was of the claim by speech therapists for equal pay with equivalent professions in the NHS; how much has been provided to health authorities for settlement of compensation claims; and if he will set a target date for all claims to be paid in full. [142753]

Most claims were settled through negotiations which found that 351 speech and language therapists out of some 1,800 who lodged claims were due retrospective payment. The settlement also provided a revised grading structure which gave access to the clinical psychologists' pay spine.The costs of the settlement will be met from within health authority allocations. Every health authority will get a general increase in their allocations to meet pay and other cost pressures. Employers have been asked to make payments within four weeks (or as soon as possible thereafter) of notification that the speech and language therapist has accepted the settlement offer.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what requirements are to be made of developing countries as part of an agreement on trade in services in the World Trade Organisation negotiations. [142545]

Developing countries will decide for themselves what commitments they wish to undertake in the negotiations on the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). The GATS operates on the basis that governments are able to choose the sectors in which, and the extent to which, they wish to liberalise. Thus, all members are free to decide whether or not opening a particular service to external trade is appropriate and advantageous to their economies.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's negotiating position on an agreement on trade in services in the World Trade Organisation negotiations. [142557]

The UK strongly supports the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) negotiations and their objective of progressively opening up trade in a fair and predictable manner. We believe this process offers benefits to all World Trade Organisation members by promoting more efficient, competitive and varied markets domestically and for export.My Department is working to help build the capacity of developing countries to participate in negotiations.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list the (a) non-Governmental and (b) other organisations involved in the WTO negotiations on the general agreement on trade in services. [142544]

Negotiations on the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) are conducted between member Governments of the World Trade Organisation.The following international organisations have full or partial observer status at the negotiations: the United Nations, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the World bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the International Trade Centre (ITC), the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the World Health Organisation (WHO), the World Tourism Organisation, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries (APC).Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) do not have observer status as it is an inter-government organisation and accountability runs through Governments to their people. The UK Government consult with interested organisations when formulating their position.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how funds for the New Cross departmental forum for reducing conflict in Africa will be spent. [142514]

A joint strategy for conflict prevention and peacekeeping is currently being developed co-operatively with the FCO and MOD, as part of the new arrangements for the Africa Conflict Prevention Joint Pool. This will come into effect in April 2001 and is intended to improve the effectiveness, impact and efficiency of HMG's contribution to peacekeeping, conflict prevention and management.DFID currently directly supports conflict prevention programmes in 13 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. For 2000–01 and 2001–02, the three countries in which DFID is expecting to have the highest levels of funding for conflict prevention are Sierra Leone, Uganda and Rwanda. The Conflict Fund will cover much of this expenditure, the bulk of which is likely to be in Sierra Leone.We are promoting security in Sierra Leone by giving substantial support to the police, helping to civilianise and make accountable the country's Ministry of Defence, and helping to reintegrate ex-combatants who wish to return to civilian life.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he has taken to ensure that BAe Systems complies with the undertakings given to him as a condition for his approval of its merger with Marconi Electronic Systems in relation to maintaining competition for sub-contracts in the procurement of defence equipment. [142742]

Under section 75J of the Fair Trading Act 1973, it is for the Director General of Fair Trading to keep under review any undertaking accepted by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in lieu of reference to the Competition Commission. Under the terms of the undertakings accepted from BAE Systems in relation to their acquisition of Marconi Electronic Systems, BAe Systems was required to appoint a Compliance Officer to oversee the company's compliance with the undertakings and to report to the Director General of Fair Trading and the Ministry of Defence on that issue.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) if he will refer the proposed sale by Whitbread plc of the freehold in its public houses to the Competition Commission; [142390](2) if he will discuss the impact of the proposed sale by Whitbread plc of the freehold of its public houses with board members of that company. [142389]

Whitbread's announcement of its intention to sell its public houses reflects a commercial decision by the company. It would not be appropriate for the Government to seek to influence that decision. In the event that the sale qualified for investigation under the Fair Trading Act 1973, it would be for the Director General of Fair Trading to advise my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether or not it should be referred to the Competition Commission.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the impact of receipts generated by the third generation mobile spectrum auction on the broadband fixed wireless access auction. [142686]

In their report to me the Radiocommunications Agency will be examining the factors that may have affected the outcome of the auction, including the receipts generated by the third generation mobile spectrum auction.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made on developing a statement of business principles for the ECGD; and if he will make a statement. [143245]

I am pleased to announce that, following a process of public consultation and with advice from the recently expanded Export Guarantees Advisory Council, a set of Business Principles has now been developed. Copies will be placed in the Library of the House and on ECGD's website www.ecgd.gov.uk.Production of a statement of Business Principles by the end of this year was a key conclusion of the Review of ECGD's Mission and Status which I announced to the House on 25 July 2000. The statement sets out clearly and publicly ECGD's approach to fulfilling its new Mission and will guide ECGD's business practice ensuring that its activities take account of the Government's international policies. The Principles set out ECGD's objectives and policies in relation to matters such as business integrity, transparency, debt sustainability, human rights and sustainable development—which includes the concept of trade being conducted within a framework of good governance and without adverse impact on the environment of others.ECGD will also publish information about an enhanced project impact screening process and how any sensitive cases will be handled.ECGD will report its performance against Business Principles in a full Annual Report to be laid before Parliament next year and will keep its policies and procedures under continuous review, in consultation with the Export Guarantees Advisory Council—which is now operating to a reformed remit.I am pleased that ECGD has taken this important step in implementing the agenda for change we set out in the Mission and Status Review.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the outcome was of the Energy/Industry Council held in Brussels on 5 December; and if he will make a statement. [141625]

I represented the UK at the EU Industry/Energy Council held on 4–5 December.The Council held a debate on innovation and industrial competitiveness. The key themes were the need to catch up with the US and Japan; building bridges between various communities (academia, education, business and scientific research); and the importance of intellectual property, especially the Community Patent. It was agreed that it was important to set both qualitative and quantitative objectives and the Commission urged the forthcoming Swedish Presidency to move from analysis to implementation. The Council adopted conclusions on innovation.The Commission presented its latest report on the world shipbuilding market, which highlighted that the situation in the world shipbuilding market remained very difficult. The Commission stated that it was unfortunate that the bilateral consultations with South Korea had so far not reached agreement on an effective remedy on unfair South Korean pricing.The Commission recommended that while the EU should continue to pursue a solution bilaterally, it should also investigate the Industry complaint under the Trade Barriers Regulation (TBR) with a view to possible action in the WTO. The Commission also indicated that it would propose a defensive temporary support mechanism for vessels subject to Korean unfair competition if no progress had been made with South Korea by May 2001. At the same time it confirmed its opposition to any extension of operating aid after the end of this year. The UK supported this approach.The Council adopted conclusions stressing concern at South Korean unfair competition, urging South Korea to agree an effective remedy as a matter of urgency and calling on the Commission to complete its investigation of the Industry TBR complaint as soon as possible. The Council further instructed the Commission to report back by 1 May 2001, with a view to proposing action against South Korea in the WTO if no bilateral remedy had been agreed with South Korea by then. It also took note of the Commission approach for a temporary support mechanism, but added the safeguard that any such proposal should be under the supervision of the Commission and should not distort competition in the EU.The Multi Annual Programme for the Enterprise and Entrepreneurship (2001–05) was adopted. This provides funding for DG Enterprise's programme of measures in support of SMEs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what projects his Department supports to promote anti-corruption awareness among United Kingdom companies. [142218]

[holding answer 13 December 2000]: Since the UK's ratification of the OECD Bribery Convention in 1998, focusing on the bribery of foreign public officials to obtain or retain business, my Department has been determined to ensure that UK companies understand their rights and responsibilities, and recognise that this Government are not prepared to continue to treat corruption as a necessary part of doing business.Details of the Convention itself can be found on the DTI's website www.dti.gov.uk/worldtrade/bribery.htm. The Convention will also feature in a DTI publication on "OECD's Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises" (which the Government have endorsed) due to be published in the new year. DTI has consulted business and the private sector themselves are keen to adopt a more ethical business policy including a strong anti-corruption message, which we strongly encourage.Overseas, officials engaged in promoting the specific interests to British companies will always give frank advice on the commercial and legal and regulatory frameworks obtaining in those markets. But we are looking to produce more explicit advice to exporters, working in partnership with the Department for International Development.The Export Credit Guarantee Department has also taken steps to reduce corruption by ensuring that applicants for ECGD cover should be asked in future to warrant to ECGD that an export contract has not been secured by corrupt means and divulge whether they have ever been convicted of corruption. ECGD will have the right to deny any insurance cover that it might have given, and recover any loss following the date of conviction.Of course corruption is part of a much bigger agenda on Corporate Social Responsibility to which the Government are committed. Last March, my hon. Friend the Minister for Competition and Consumer Affairs was appointed Minister for Corporate Social Responsibility; this was the first such appointment in any Government in the world and will reinforce private sector efforts to defined responsible business conduct.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how may new transmitter masts will be required in the UK to provide complete mobile phone coverage; and if he will breakdown the various size-groups of transmitters to be used. [141369]

To date, mobile operators' networks cover an area in which 99 per cent. of the UK population live. To the best of my knowledge these networks currently use between them 9,000 transmitter masts, of which 2,000 are poles similar in size to a lamppost and 1,700 carry equipment from more than one operator. It is not possible for me to conjecture how many additional transmitter masts will be required in the future although the Government do encourage operators to use existing sites and to share masts wherever it is appropriate to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many dependants of pensioners who claim Income Support due to the removal of a State Pension after six weeks in hospital there were at the latest date for which figures are available. [142299]

Entitlement to a State Pension is never removed on hospitalisation, although the rates paid are lowered, by 40 per cent., or 20 per cent. if a person has dependants, after six weeks and to the pocket money rate after 52 weeks. The pocket money rate cannot go lower than 20 per cent. of the basic State Pension.We do not keep records of why people claim Income Support beyond their basic condition of entitlement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the (a) cost and (b) number of recipients of the pension supplement for those over 80; what the cost is of increasing it to (i) £5 per week and (ii) £10 per week; and what the administrative cost is of delivering the benefit. [142303]

The cost of the age addition is £30 million per annum and 2.4 million people are in receipt.

Cost of increasing the age addition by £5 and £10
£ million
	Rate of addition
	£10	£5
2001–02
Gross cost	1,300	700
Net cost	800	400
2002–03
Gross cost	1,400	700
Net cost	900	400
2003–04
Gross cost	1,500	800
Net cost	900	400
2004–05
Gross cost	1,500	800
Net cost	1,000	500

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many under-pensionable age recipients of Income Support who lose benefit due to being in hospital for six weeks or more there were at the latest date for which figures are available. [142300]

As at August 2000, there were 5,100 Income Support claimants under State Pension age, receiving a reduced rate of benefit due to hospitalisation, of whom 5,000 were under age 60.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many recipients of a State Pension are removed from entitlement after six weeks' NHS hospitalisation; and what the equivalent figure was for each of the last six years. [142298]

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what the value was of unclaimed benefits in the UK and Scotland for each financial year from 1995–96 for which figures are available. [142598]

Figures for Great Britain can be found in the "Income-related Benefits Estimates of Take-up in 1998–99". Figures for Scotland are not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when the hon. Member for Walsall, North will receive a reply to his letter of the 13 November regarding increasing the earnings limit before benefits are affected. [142734]

A reply was sent on Wednesday 13 December 2000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will set out, including statistical information relating as directly as possible to the constituency, the effect on the Blackpool, South constituency of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [142222]

The Department's policies and initiatives have made a significant contribution to the Government's overall objectives of:

Eradicating child poverty in 20 years, and halving it within 10;

Promoting work as the best form of welfare for people of working age while protecting the position of those in greatest need; and,

Combating poverty and promoting security and independence in retirement for today's and tomorrow's pensioners.

These goals are being pursued nationwide and our achievements are set out in our annual "Opportunity for all" reports. Our second report, "Opportunity for all—One year on: making a difference" (Cm 4865, September 2000) sets out what progress has been made in the past year, as well as highlighting what more needs to be done. Nationwide statistical information is necessarily more complete than constituency level data, but the following provides a comparative guide to the effect of the Department's policies and actions in Blackpool, South since May 1997.We are spending an additional £7 billion a year on support for families and children. This includes significant increases in child benefit, which is now worth £15 a week for the eldest child and £10 a week for other children: nationally about 7 million families receive child benefit, and in Blackpool, South 12,394 families benefit.We have launched the New Deals to help lone parents, the young unemployed, the long-term unemployed, the over 50s and partners of the unemployed to move from benefit into work. In the period since August 1998 the number of people receiving Jobseekers' Allowance nationally has reduced from 1,205,800 to 972,700; in Blackpool, South, the number has reduced from 2,100 to 2,000. The number of lone parents who claim Income Support has decreased over the same period from 955,000 to 910,100 nationally and in Blackpool, South the number has remained the same at 2,300.Next year we will be spending £4.5 billion a year extra in real terms on pensioners as a result of our policies. Winter Fuel Payments have continued to tackle fuel poverty. So far this winter, around 11 million people, of whom around 21,200 live in Blackpool, South, have benefited from the payment. The scheme has been extended to include eligible people from age 60 so that even more older people will benefit. For this winter only, households that qualify will receive an increased payment of £200. The Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG) targets the poorest 1.6 million pensioner families, of whom 5,000 live in Blackpool, South. These pensioners will benefit from our alignment of all MIG rates from April 2001, giving single pensioners at least £92.15 each week—a real increase of £12.45 for the poorest pensioners.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what the average number of days taken to process new Housing Benefit applications was in each local authority in (a) 1997, (b) 1998 and (c) 1999. [142066]

The information requested is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the number of people in each client group who have been found to have submitted invalid claims for Housing Benefit under the verification framework since its introduction. [141383]

The administration of Housing Benefit and the identification of invalid claims is the responsibility of individual local authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what contingency funds have been made available to local Social Fund budgets in areas affected by the recent flooding; and if he will make a statement. [141311]

The discretionary social fund holds a contingency reserve, to reimburse Benefits Agency districts for any payments they make as a result of an accident or disaster that occurs in their vicinity.The first payment from the reserve, as a result of the flooding, has been made today to the Community Care Grant budget held by the Bradford and Keighley District. Applications are expected from a number of other districts over the next few weeks and months as people return to their homes. Details of all further payments made during this financial year will be placed in the Library of the House at the beginning of April 2001.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security for the last three financial years, (a) how much was recovered in benefits by the Corporate Recovery Unit, (b) in how many cases has benefit recovered, (c) what were (i) the amounts and (ii) number of cases in relation to (a) and (b), under each prescribed occupational disease; and if he will make a statement. [141328]

The current Compensation Recovery scheme is working in accordance with the principles and objectives set when the reformed scheme was introduced in October 1997.The amount recovered is in respect of benefits already paid to the claimant in consequence of their accident, injury or illness and is recovered direct from the compensator, and never from the claimant.The information requested is given in the tables. It should be noted that the description of the disease as recorded by the Compensation Recovery Unit may not match exactly the precise description of the disease as recorded for Industrial Injuries Scheme benefits purposes.

Period	Number of cases recovered	Amount recovered (£)
April 1997 to March 1998	6,931	166,906,114
April 1998 to March 1999	6,512	201,468,600
April 1999 to March 2000	7,088	202,105,188
April 2000 to November 2000	8,883	129,976,638

Description	Number of cases	Amount recovered (£)
April 1997 to March 1998
Occupational Deafness	28	164,242.47
Asbestosis	322	2,232,955.83
Cancer	310	1,738,904.36
Asthma	109	1,044,592.45
VWF/Raynauds Disease	120	611,969.96
Dermatitis	98	458,521.62
Eczema/Skin Disease	1	343.37
RSI	315	1,696,272.41
Non Coded Disease	173	1,521,676.32
Total	1,476	9,469,478.79
April 1998 to March 1999
Occupational Deafness	43	239,802.34
Asbestosis	373	2,779,901.79
Cancer	199	1,163,700.68
Pneumoconiosis	2	31,645.86
Mesothelioma	86	428,459.23
Bronchitis/Emphysema	2	1,180.60

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what level of co-operation exists between the UK, other member states and third countries on fisheries control and enforcement. [143246]

There is extensive co-operation between enforcement authorities in the UK and those of other member states and third countries. Such co-operation is important to ensure the effective application of measures designed to conserve fish stocks. Examples of co-operation involving enforcement authorities in the UK over the last 12 months include:

exchanging and sharing intelligence on enforcement activity;

bilateral meetings with Irish and Norwegian authorities;

joint enforcement operations with the Netherlands in the North Sea;

participation of inspectors from other member states and Norway in UK enforcement training courses;

participation in the International Conference on Monitoring, Control and Surveillance organised by the European Commission in Brussels;

enforcement operations in waters covered by the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission;

the development of an operational protocol on satellite monitoring with France, Spain, Belgium and Ireland. Similar operational protocols are also being developed with other member states and Norway.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what research he has commissioned into BSE; and if he will name the organisations involved. [141646]

All of the research projects into TSEs currently funded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food are listed in the "Research" section of the MAFF website (www.maff.gov.uk/research). The current costs and organisations involved are also given. In addition, the current and past projects are listed in each update of the BSE progress report; again with the organisations involved. All of the projects receiving UK public funds are listed on the MRC website (www.mrc.ac.uk). By the new year this site will also include summaries of the aims of all of the projects.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food who has responsibility for coordinating his research programme for BSE; and if he will make a statement on what progress has been made to date. [141647]

The research programme into BSE and related diseases is co-ordinated by the head of the TSE Research and Surveillance Unit who reports to the head of the Animal Health and Environment Directorate. The unit was formed in December 1999 to bring together the management of TSE research and strategic aspects of TSE surveillance. The main research aim of the unit has been to implement the recommendations of a SEAC sub-group on research and surveillance on TSEs in sheep. The unit has commissioned new and updated animal accommodation to house this research. An Open Competition (the TSE Research Requirement's document) was held to advertise for new research projects. As a result of this, contracts have been issued for four new projects and a further 27 are under negotiation for funding. A list of the TSE research projects currently funded by MAFF is given on the Research section of the MAFF website (www.maff.gov.uk/research).

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the scientific tests used by other EU countries to test for BSE in slaughtered bovines. [141716]

[holding answer 11 December 2000]: The European Commission has undertaken an evaluation of a number of rapid BSE tests. Three tests were found to perform well in the evaluation exercise in 1999 and have been adopted by other EU countries to test for BSE in slaughtered bovines. These are tests developed by Prionics, Enfer Scientific and CEA. These are in addition to the more traditional, less rapid tests of histopathology, immunocytochemistry and, electronmicroscopy for scrapie associated fibrils.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the dates the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee considered each of the post mortem tests being used in other EU countries to detect BSE in bovines; and if he will place the reports of the their findings in the Library. [141718]

[holding answer 11 December 2000]: SEAC has not formally considered any of the post mortem tests used in the EU. However the EC has conducted independent validation of a number of tests submitted. Three tests are now recognised by member states and a further six are currently undergoing validation.I will arrange for a copy of the latest EC report to be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the current tests available to detect the presence of BSE in (a) living and (b) carcases of, bovine subjects; and if he will make a statement on their unit costs and reliability and practicality for mass screening programmes. [141553]

[holding answer 12 December 2000]: There is no validated test available to detect the presence of BSE in living cattle. However, this is an active research area.A number of post mortem tests are in use. These include histopathology, immunocytochemistry, electron microscopy and scrapie-associated fibrils, ELISA tests and immunoblotting.The European Commission has undertaken an evaluation of a number of the more rapid BSE tests. Three of these tests were found to provide good results in terms of sensitivity and specificity in comparison with histopathology. These three tests may now be used by member states in mass screening programmes.Test kits are available for unit costs of between approximately £20 and £50 but the costs of collection of samples, identification, handling, transport and examination have to be added to the unit costs. The unit costs may well fall as the tests become more widely used.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the extent to which the application procedures for the cattle passport scheme need to be simplified. [142253]

The operation of the cattle passport scheme is closely monitored and kept under constant review. The BCMS have set up an Industry Forum at which all stakeholders meet to identify how services may be improved. We have responded to the Forum's request to provide for electronic data transfer and from early in the new year it will be possible for farmers to choose to register an animal simply by visiting the BCMS website. They will continue to have the options of completing a paper application form or sending an e-mail, if they prefer.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what guidance is made available to farmers regarding the cattle passport scheme. [142254]

The British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS) has published nine information leaflets offering advice and guidance on the cattle passport scheme. A copy of each of these leaflets has been sent to every cattle keeper in the country. Welsh language versions have also been produced for Welsh speaking farmers.The BCMS has also produced two explanatory video tapes, which have been circulated to farmer organisations to be shown at any of their regular discussion group meetings. If requested, BCMS can provide speakers for such meetings. BCMS staff also attend the principal agricultural shows throughout the country to meet with farmers directly.The Cattle Tracing website—part of the MAFF website www.maff.gov.uk—gives detailed information (including a question and answer section) on the scheme. The BCMS telephone helpline also provides help and advice.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what implications the EU animal by-products regulations will have on the composting of domestic kitchen waste. [142250]

The EU Animal By-products Regulation, as currently drafted, does not propose controls on the composting of kitchen waste, although it would control the composting of animal by-products. The UK will be requesting clarification of the scope of the Regulation during the negotiations.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what guidance he offers regarding the application of the animal by-products regulations to the disposal of kitchen waste, with special reference to meat, in waste dumps. [142252]

The Animal By-Products Order 1999 does not control the disposal of kitchen waste in landfill sites. However, it does require that ruminants, pigs and poultry are not fed, or allowed access to, unprocessed kitchen waste containing meat, meat products or products of animal origin wherever they are disposed of. Guidance on the disposal of animal by-products and catering waste is to be issued shortly and will reiterate this point.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what the procedures are for a resubmission of an application for placement on the National Seed List; and what restriction there is on the time period before that resubmission can be tabled for acceptance. [142099]

[holding answer 12 December 2000]: Under the current regulations for National Seed Listing, the procedures for resubmission of an application for National Listing of a variety are the same as those that apply for any new application for National Listing of a variety. There is no restriction on the time period before an application for National Listing of a variety may be resubmitted.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will commission an inquiry into the role of his Department during the recent application to place Chardon LL on the National Seed List. [142097]

[holding answer 12 December 2000]: No. My Department acted properly in accordance with its knowledge at the time when considering the application to place Chardon LL on the National List of plant varieties.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish the evidence that his Department planned to submit to the inquiry regarding the application to place Chardon LL on the National Seed List. [142098]

[holding answer 12 December 2000]: The purpose of the Chardon LL hearing, now adjourned, is to take submissions and oral evidence from persons affected by the proposal to add Chardon LL to the National List of plant varieties. No decision to add Chardon LL to the National List can be taken until the evidence from the hearing and other written representations are considered. There is no provision in the Regulations for my Department to submit evidence to the hearing and there are no plans to do so. Chardon LL will only be added to the UK National List if all the legal requirements have been met in full.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on his Department's policy on the export of live farm animals. [142797]

The Government's preference is for meat exports. However, the European Court of Justice has made it clear that a ban on the trade in live animals for slaughter is not an option. We will press for improvements in the rules when discussing the Commission's review of the EU legislation on the protection of animals during transport.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list (a) the number of applications for visits by the Farm Business Advisory Service in Somerset to date, (b) the number of applications received for registration as consultants and (c) the number of consultants appointed. [142154]

The figures up to 7 December 2000 are as follows:

(a) 199

(b) 82

(c) 59 to date.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if an independent expert will be able to analyse the data from medical assessment programme consultations involving Porton Down volunteers to assess whether patterns of ill-health are associated with particular exposures; [142417](2) if he will list the ways in which the Ministry of Defence will publicise the offer of a thorough medical assessment to the service personnel who have taken part in trials at Porton Down. [142416]

Data about specific individuals referral to the Medical Assessment Programme will be medically confidential. However, it is planned to aggregate and anonymise the data to form a case series for analysis. Such data could, with volunteers' consent, be made available to independent researchers, as has been the case with equivalent data relating to Gulf Veterans.I announced on 21 November 2000,

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if the contact address and telephone number of the Porton Down Veterans Support Group will be added to the leaflet and website which publicises the Porton Down Volunteers Helpline run by the Defence and Evaluation Research Agency; [142413](2) if the Defence and Evaluation Research Agency will undertake to include the contact address and telephone number of the newly-formed Porton Down Veterans Support Group in all letters which are sent to volunteers in response to queries about their participation in trials. [142414]

My Department has not been asked to publicise details of the Porton Down Veterans Support Group.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will place in the Public Record Office a copy of the document "possible long-term sequelae of exposure to nerve agents-a retrospective survey" (CDE Technical Note 1010, August 1989); [142384](2) for what reasons the Chemical Defence Establishment Porton Down initiated the survey of the health of service volunteers exposed to nerve agents which was reported in the document "possible long-term sequelae of exposure to nerve agents-a retrospective survey" (CDE Technical Note 1010) in August 1989. [142383]

I have today arranged for a copy of the document to which the hon. Member refers to be placed in the Library of the House. Consideration as to whether or not the document should be placed in the Public Records Office will be given under the terms of the Public Records Act 1958 and 1967.The work which led to CDE Technical Note 1010 was a small scale study initiated by staff at Porton Down. This was intended to identify any long-term health effect of exposure to nerve agents during the volunteer programme. The work did not reveal any increased incidence of ill health among the volunteers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his estimate is of the number of individuals who have been exposed to nerve agents at the Chemical Defence Establishment, Porton Down. [142411]

My Department estimates that 3,400 volunteers may have taken part in nerve agent studies at Porton Down, although it is probable that not all of these volunteers were exposed to nerve agents as some would have worn protective equipment or been involved as part of control groups. We plan to research the records to establish the definitive numbers, which will be published in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list his Department's spending on official publications for (a) 1996–97, (b) 1997–98, (c) 1998–99, (d) 1999–2000 and (e) 2000–01 and the planned expenditure for 2001–02. [141442]

[holding answer 11 December 2000]: The Department does not hold the information in the format requested. The sums expended on Commercial and HMSO publications can be identified for the years requested and are shown in the table. These sums include those for on-Vote Agencies but do not include off-Vote Trading Funds or staff costs.

Commercial and HMSO Publications
	£ million
1996–97	6.866
1997–98	7.250
1998–99	6.910
1999–2000	7.499>
2000–011	6.055
1 Estimate

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what training facilities in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) British bases overseas are being used by members of the Colombian armed forces. [142316]

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what deployment of members of the UK armed services is required by participation in Plan Colombia. [142312]

There is no UK armed forces involvement in Plan Colombia.

To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee what is the cost of the bridge between Portcullis House and Norman Shaw South. [142550]

When the work is complete, the cost is expected to be some £590,000 inclusive of VAT and fees.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many cases have been reviewed by the Independent Monitor of Entry Clearance Refusals in each month of the current year to date. [142792]

The Independent Monitor reviews each year a random sample of eligible entry clearance refusals. He or she decides when to do this. Dame Elizabeth Anson reviewed 1,800 refusal decisions from 1999 for her last report, dated 28 June 2000. A report by the new Independent Monitor, Rabinder Singh, covering refusals in 2000, will be laid before Parliament by the end of 2001.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Russian Government concerning the disappearance of Raoul Wallenberg in 1945. [141524]

Sweden set up a bilateral Commission with Russia to look at all available evidence regarding the disappearance in 1945, of the Swedish diplomat, Raoul Wallenberg. This commission is due to issue a joint conclusion in Stockholm in January 2001. We await this conclusion with interest but have not participated in the investigation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many primary schools (a) were invited to participate and (b) submitted entries to his Department's competition entitled "My Vision of Europe". [141315]

We issued an open invitation to all of the UK's primary schools to enter the competition. We received winning entries for eight regions from the co-sponsor Time Group Ltd., from which the panel of judges selected the national winner.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much was spent by (a) his Department and (b) schools on his Department's competition entitled "What Europe Means to Me". [141317]

To date the costs of the "What Europe Means to Me" competition have been borne by the co-sponsor, British Midland. We are not aware of any expenses accruing to schools.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if essays critical of further integration were eligible for the competition entitled "What Europe Means to Me". [141313]

All entries on the theme "What Europe Means to Me" were eligible for this competition.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much was spent (a) by his Department and (b) by schools on his Department's competition entitled "My Vision of Europe". [141316]

We estimate that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will spend approximately £6,000 on this competition once all bills are in. This covers the cost of the awards ceremony on 30 October, and the transport costs of the schools that submitted the winning entries. Some London schools attending the ceremony carried their own costs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what age groups were invited to participate in his Department's competition entitled "My Vision of Europe". [141314]

The "My Vision of Europe" competition was open to all of the UK's primary schools.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of the recent meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council regarding the situation in Chechnya. [142378]

The OSCE Ministerial Council, held in Vienna on 27–28 November, did not reach consensus on a Declaration, due in part to differences over the draft language on Chechnya. The Austrian Chair-in-Office issued a statement on her own authority. On Chechnya she noted that a political solution to the conflict was essential, that Ministers had requested Russian support for the immediate return of the OSCE Assistance Group, and called for independent investigation and prosecution of alleged human rights violations and breaches of international humanitarian law.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the "Your Britain, Your Europe" roadshow will visit Northern Ireland; which locations it will visit; and if he will make a statement. [142403]

I plan to visit Northern Ireland on 22 January. My officials are in contact with the Northern Ireland Executive about the programme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on proposals for the establishment of new visa centres in the Indian subcontinent. [142857]

The new offices will be in Jallandhar and Ahmedabad in India; Sylhet in Bangladesh; and Lahore in Pakistan. We continue to discuss with the Governments of the countries the details of the proposed operations. We need their agreement before we can proceed any further.The new offices should save visa applicants unnecessary travel and expense. They will:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on vote re-weighting in the European Union following the European Council at Nice. [142875]

The Nice IGC agreed that on 1 January 2005 member states' votes in the Council would be re-weighted according to the following table.

	Current weighting	From 2005
Germany	10	29
UK	10	29
France	10	29
Italy	10	29
Spain	8	27
Poland	—	27
Romania	—	14
Netherlands	—	13
Greece	5	12
Czech Republic	—	12
Belgium	5	12
Hungary	—	12
Portugal	5	12
Sweden	4	10
Bulgaria	—	10
Austria	4	10
Slovakia	—	7
Denmark	3	7
Finland	3	7