To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made in implementing a sickness management policy for the RUC and the RUC Reserve; what quality controls are in place; and what have been the results on levels of absence owing to sickness in the RUC. [144386]

A sickness management policy was approved by the Chief Constable's Policy Group in December 2000 subject to minor amendments which have now been implemented. The policy is being introduced during January 2001 with management of it devolved to supervisors supported by advice from the Personnel Department. It is not yet possible to determine the effect on absence due to sickness but this will be closely monitored.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many police officers in Northern Ireland there are in each rank; and how many posts there are in each rank. [141940]

The following table shows the established and actual strengths of the Royal Ulster Constabulary as at 3 January 2001:

Rank	Established	Actual	Secondments1
Chief Constable	1	1	—
Deputy Chief Constable	2	1	—
Assistant Chief Constable	9	7	—
Superintendent ranks	161	163	6
Chief Inspector	168	169	2
Inspector	490	493	5
Sergeant	1,414	1,382	19
Constable	6,243	6,053	49
Total	8,488	8,269	81
Full-time Reserve	3,202	2,554	—
Part-time Reserve	1,765	1,097	—
1 Not included in actual figures

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions he has had with the Chief Constable of the RUC about plans to reduce the establishment of Special Branch; to what extent his plans are based on (a) political considerations and (b) research into the potential for both terrorist and organised crime; and if he will make a statement. [144682]

The Secretary of State discusses a broad range of policing issues with the Chief Constable on a regular basis. Changes will be implemented in the light of assessments of the security situation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland has declared a personal interest in the (a) Hamill Inquiry and (b) the Rosemary Nelson Inquiry. [144679]

The Police Ombudsman has declared no personal interest in either the Hamill or Rosemary Nelson Inquiries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what information he received from (a) Mr. Pierre-Yves Gerbeau, (b) Mr. David James and (c) related parties concerning an offer to buy the site of the Millennium Dome. [144711]

[holding answer 11 January 2001]: The Government are currently in negotiation with Legacy plc, the second placed bidder in the competition for the future use of the Dome. If all goes well we hope to be in a position to exchange contracts in February. No offer has been received from Mr. Pierre-Yves Gerbeau, Mr. David James or any other related party to buy the site of the Dome. The Government have received an expression of interest from Mr. Gerbeau, but the rules of the competition do not allow the Government to treat with third parties while Legacy plc continue to have preferred bidder status.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the ownership of each of the Millennium Dome's zones, together with his plans for their disposal, listing the beneficiaries of any sale proceeds in each case. [144715]

[holding answer 11 January 2001]: All except two of the Millennium Dome's zones are owned by the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC). The two not in NMEC's ownership are 'Journey' and 'Talk' which are owned by Ford and BT respectively. The content of the zones is a mixture of items owned outright by NMEC and items hired from third parties. The latter are being returned to their owners as the first priority of decommissioning. A range of NMEC assets are subject to private treaty sale and public auctions which are currently intended to be held between 27 February 2001 to 2 March 2001 at the Dome. The aim is that zone structures and assets not sold by private treaty or auction will be dismantled and disposed of during March, subject to the negotiations with Legacy plc proceeding to timetable and plan. The beneficiary of income from the asset disposals owned by NMEC will be NMEC. Any surplus achieved by NMEC, having regard to its assets and liabilities as a whole, will be passed to the Millennium Commission as repayment of Lottery grant.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many visitors to the Millennium Dome (a) paid full prices, (b) paid a reduced price and (c) entered free in (i) November and (ii) December. [144709]

[holding answer 11 January 2001]: The New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) has advised that it will be publishing full visitor attendance numbers later in the year once the final accounts for the operational year and all the associated data have been audited. At this stage the NMEC has provided the following statistics, but the hon. Member will wish to note the caveats which have been set out in the footnotes.

	November 2000	December 2000
Total free 1	54,446	145,749
Total discounted2	250,312	371,614
Total sponsors from discounted3	16,284	17,540
Full price tickets 4	82,358	219,681
Total attendance5	387,117	737,044
1 Includes free school visits, carers for disabled people, sponsor ticket allocation, accompanying teachers on paying school visits, coach drivers, Greenwich residents, NMEC guests and VIPs. November Free Schools=22,500, December Free Schools=89,500.
2 This reflects a range of promotions and offers which are normal for the visitor attraction business and which are factored into the company's business strategy. For example, NMEC ran a number of offers and promotions with its sponsors for their customers and also ran a special ticket price for entry after 4.00pm. Key promotions with M&S, Boots, Tesco and BT have been undertaken. The Tesco half price promotion was redeemed in October, BT was redeemed in November and December.
3 Sponsor tickets were purchased and allocated per each individual sponsorship contract.
4 This number is an approximation and as such should be used for review purposes only. There is insufficient accuracy for them to be regarded as audited or validated information.
5 Total attendance does not take into account non-attendance by ticket purchasers. It represents visitor footfall via the admission system and not total tickets sold.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what independent valuations of the site of the Millennium Dome have been initiated by his Department. [145412]

[holding answer 16 January 2001]: My Department has undertaken no independent valuations of the Millennium Dome site. A pre-sale valuation of the Dome site has been undertaken in the context of the competition to identify a sustainable long term use for the Dome. This exercise has been led by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. The Government estimate of the financial value of the site is commercially confidential while the process to secure a buyer continues.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many prosecutions for the use of TV equipment without a licence there were in (a) 1998, (b) 1999 and (c) 2000; and what the monthly trend is. [144939]

The number of prosecutions for the use of television receiving equipment without a licence was 104,000 in 1998, 78,000 in 1999 and 144,000 in the year 2000. The BBC, which has responsibility for the administration and enforcement of the television licensing system, has indicated that there is no underlying monthly trend and that prosecution rates tend to be fairly even across the year, except following specific enforcement initiatives.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what support his Department gives to the National Foundation for Youth Music in respect of its youth music action zones. [145431]

My Department set up the National Foundation for Youth Music as an independent charity. Youth Music was launched by the Prime Minister in 1999, with £30 million of Arts Council Lottery funds to ensure that every child has the opportunity to make music. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State launched the Youth Music Action Zones initiative in December. The £10 million Action Zones initiative will enable young people living in areas of social and economic need to experience music and develop their musical talent. My Department continues to pursue a good working relationship with Youth Music and I look forward to seeing the benefits of this new initiative.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he will publish for public consultation the BBC's proposals for new licence fee-funded digital television and radio services. [146228]

The BBC has sought my approval, under clause 2.3 of the Agreement between the BBC and the Government, to replace BBC Choice and BBC Knowledge with four new digital television services, to start five new digital radio services and to make the World Service available in the UK. Under the arrangements set out in my Department's revised guidelines for assessing new BBC public services, which were published on 10 January, I intend to publish the BBC's submission tomorrow for public consultation and will place copies in the Library of the House. This consultation is in addition to the consultation carried out by the BBC itself last year, the results of which are attached to the BBC's submission. The closing date for responses is 28 February.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he has selected an aircraft to meet the requirement to replace the Sea Harrier FA2 and Harrier GR7 aircraft of the joint force Harrier; and if he will make a statement. [146335]

The MOD noted in the Strategic Defence Review that the US Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) was a strong contender to meet the requirement to replace the Sea Harrier FA2 and Harrier GR7 aircraft of the joint force Harrier in the early years of the next decade.In the light of further work on the various alternatives to meet the Future Carrier Borne Aircraft requirement, and of the successful progress of the JSF Concept Development phase, it has now been concluded that JSF is the option with the best potential to meet our needs. It has accordingly been decided to join the US as a collaborative partner in the next stage of the programme (Engineering and Manufacturing Development)—subject, of course, to the decisions of the incoming US Administration on the future of the programme.JSF is a single seat, supersonic aircraft, incorporating advanced 'stealth' technology, that is capable of performing multi-role operations from aircraft carriers and land base. Analysis of the available options demonstrated that, on a through life basis, JSF should meet most cost-effectively our military requirements. It promises to be an outstanding aircraft.The UK has been a full collaborative partner with the US in the Concept Development it phase of the JSF programme since 1996. Today in Washington, the Minister for Defence Procurement has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the US Government that covers the next phase of the programme, Engineering and Manufacturing Development.On current plant, contracts are expected to be awarded for this phase of the programme later this year. Signature of the MoU will enable the UK to participate in the selection of the prime contractor, for which two consortia, one led by Boeing and the other by Lockheed Martin, are competing. Demonstrator aircraft from both consortia have successfully completed a series of initial flight trials.The MoU covers only the next development phase of the programme. Defense Secretary Cohen and I have therefore agreed a set of principles that will provide a framework for UK involvement in the JSF programme in the longer term. The principles we have agreed will safeguard UK national interests, ensuring that we retain the military and industrial capability to manage the aircraft effectively through life.UK participation as a full collaborative partner in the JSF programme will represent a significant opportunity for UK industry. UK companies have already played a significant role in the programme to date. They are well placed in both of the bidding consortia to win, on merit, substantial high quality work, both in the next phase and over the life of potentially the largest military procurement programme ever. Some 70 British companies including BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, Smith Industries, Messier Dowty International, Cobham PLC, TRW ASG (Lucas Aerospace) and the Martin-Baker Aircraft Company are well placed in the bidding consortia to win subcontracts on merit.The cost to the UK of the next programme phase will be of the order of £1.3 billion, plus a further £600 million worth of work to meet UK national, requirements.A number of our European allies are considering participation in the JSF programme. JSF will play a crucial part in developing the transatlantic partnership, in enhancing NATO interoperability and in improving European military capability.JSF will form a major part of the UK's future offensive air capability, along with Eurofighter and other air systems, for several decades to come. It has not yet been decided how the total capability requirement will be met over that period. Nor has the JSF variant been decided at this stage that will best meet the UK's requirements, nor the numbers of aircraft that might eventually be purchased. For the Future Offensive Air Systems project, the MOD is continuing to study a range of options, including manned aircraft, cruise missiles and uninhabited combat air vehicles. Allied to these studies will be a programme of technology demonstration, some of which may be collaborative, offering scope for work by the UK aerospace industry.I shall place in the Library, and on the MOD website, copies of the MoU relating to the Engineering and Manufacturing Development phase of JSF, and of my exchange of letters with Defense Secretary Cohen.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to improve the logistics support for the Royal Air Force on deployed operations. [146336]

The Strategic Defence Review identified the need for reinforcements of logistics support to the armed forces. As part of the continuing work to provide this, I have recently approved the expansion of 2 Mechanical Transport Squadron at RAF Stafford and the basing of the new Tactical Provost Wing of the RAF police at RAF Henlow.2 Mechanical Transport Squadron will be expanded by up to an additional 120 Service personnel during financial year 2001–02. These resources will enhance the RAF's capability to deploy its own force by surface means, and, in particular, to establish and operate on a Joint, in-theatre Line of Communications.The creation of Tactical Provost Wing at RAF Henlow will involve the recruitment of an extra 150 RAF police, 50 of them reserves, giving the capability to provide simultaneous coverage of two lines of communication in separate operational theatres. Their task will entail traditional military police skills involving reconnaissance, traffic control and policing of the supply routes, such as those used by 2 Mechanical Transport Squadron, into the operational theatre. The new wing is expected to be fully operational by spring 2002.The expansion of 2 Mechanical Transport Squadron and the formation of the Tactical Provost Wing is good news for defence as they will make a significant contribution to improving the sustainability of our armed forces, particularly the Royal Air Force, on deployed operations. The creation of additional posts at RAF Stafford and RAF Henlow also makes good news for the stations and the local economics.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel take advantage of the Long Service Advance of Pay for house purchase; and what the current year's annual budget is for long service advance of pay. [145146]

At present there are 13,757 personnel on the Long Service Advance of Pay (LSAP) scheme. In 1998–99, 2,711 advances were made; in 1999–2000, 2,876 were made; and during the period from April to December 2000, 2,015 have been made.It is estimated that during 2000–01, long service advances of pay totalling £20.556 million will be made.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many homes in Scotland are funded by means of the Long Service Advance of Pay. [145147]

This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Prime Minister on how many occasions he has received letters from the right hon. Member for South-west Surrey concerning the disparity in waiting times for NHS in-patient treatment between South-west Surrey and Durham in the past year; on how many occasions he has read the letters; and on how many occasions he has replied personally. [143892]

My Office has received three letters on this subject from the right hon. Member. On each occasion the right hon. Member received a reply either from myself or a Minister in the Department of Health.

To ask the Prime Minister if it is his policy to reply personally to letters from Back-Bench hon. and right hon. Members concerning issues raised with him at Prime Minister's Questions. [143891]

Where I undertake to provide hon. and right hon. Members with information on matters raised with me during Prime Minister's Questions it is my usual practice to write to the Member concerned personally.

To ask the Prime Minister what plans he has to reform procedures for enforcing the Ministerial Code of Conduct. [144199]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him in the House today, Official Report, column 340.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what guidelines he follows for using civil servants' time to arrange public meetings between Ministers in his Department and prospective parliamentary candidates in that candidate's prospective constituency; [144658](2) what his policy is towards ensuring political balance in public meetings with representatives of opposition parties organised and paid for through the civil service. [144659]

We arrange such events in accordance with the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Code. If the hon. Member has specific concerns, perhaps he would like to tell me.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what guidelines were followed by his Department when they issued an invitation to a public meeting on 18 December 2000 in Henley between the Minister for Europe, the hon. Member for Leicester, East (Mr. Vaz), Mr. Boris Johnson, the Conservative Party prospective parliamentary candidate for Henley-on-Thames, and a leading representative from the Liberal Democrats. [144660]

Participation in this event was conducted in accordance with the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Code.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the cost, of publicity and civil servants time, setting up the debate on 18 December 2000 in Henley between the hon. Member for Leicester, East (Mr. Vaz) and the Conservative Party prospective parliamentary candidate. [144661]

We estimate that the cost of publicity and civil servants' time for the debate came to less than £300.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many suspected war criminals have been arrested by UK forces in Bosnia. [144946]

UK forces serving with SFOR have successfully detained 10 war crimes suspects indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. They have supported Dutch SFOR troops in the arrest of a further two suspects. An indictee was also shot dead by British SFOR personnel acting in self-defence during a detention operation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many chapters of the European Union application for membership by the Republic of Cyprus have been successfully negotiated; how many remain to be discussed; and if he will make a statement. [144907]

I refer my hon. Friend to my reply of 15 January 2001, Official Report, column 28W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the rate of remuneration of Sir David Hannay in respect of his work in Cyprus. [145567]

Sir David Hannay works on a part-time basis and receives a per diem remuneration which is commensurate with his expertise. I am very grateful for his considerable contribution to the settlement process over the last four and a half years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the (a) average starting salary and (b) current average salary for London-based translators working for the Secret Intelligence Service. [145349]

In accordance with long-standing policy, it is not the Government's practice to comment on the details of the salaries of staff of the security and intelligence agencies. Salaries are, however, broadly in line with those of equivalent staff grades within other Government Departments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many London-based translators with the Secret intelligence Service have (a) been recruited or (b) resigned and retired in each of the last five years. [145350]

In accordance with long-standing policy, it is not the Government's practice to comment on details of the staffing of the security and intelligence services.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the applications for exports to Iraq submitted in the last year which have been blocked in the 661 UN Committee by (a) Her Majesty's Government's representative and (b) other members of the Committee; and if he will indicate the value of the exports concerned. [145430]

The UK currently has on hold less than 2 per cent. of contracts, worth $595 million, circulated to the UN Iraq Sanctions Committee We only put contracts on hold where there are serious concerns that the goods could be used in Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction programmes. Holds are generally placed temporarily until assurances have been received about the end-use or in-country monitoring of these goods. By comparison, at the end of October 2000, Iraq's bureaucracy was holding back the delivery of US$1.1 billion worth of goods already approved by the Sanctions Committee.As for holds placed by other members of the Sanctions Committee I would refer my hon. Friend to the detailed information on contracts processing which can be found on the Office For Iraq Programme's website: http://www.un.org/Departments/oip/.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on which date he first received advice from the British Embassy in Japan that discussions should begin with the Japanese on returning the Takahama MOX fuel to the UK, following the discovery of the data falsification at Sellafield. [145693]

We and the Japanese Government regularly discuss all aspects of the disposal of MOX fuel. The British Embassy in Tokyo routinely played a role in this process along with other sections of HMG. Such internal consultations form a necessary part of the business of government, and the preparation of advice for Ministers. The possible return of MOX fuel was one of a number of issues relating to the nuclear industry in which the Embassy was involved.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received concerning (a) violence directed against the Christian minority in India and (b) the recent abduction and beating of two Christian priests in Gujarat. [145759]

We are aware of continuing incidents of religious intolerance in India, including reports of an attack in Rajasthan on two priests from Gujarat in early January. We have regularly raised our concerns over such incidents with the Indian Government, including during my visit to India in November.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to support the Prime Minister of India's recent reaffirmation of his commitment to secularism and religious toleration in India. [145760]

India is a secular country where the right to freedom of religion is enshrined in the Constitution. We support the Indian Prime Minister's commitment to these principles and we will continue to urge him to ensure that the rights of minorities are upheld.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Indian authorities concerning the recent incidents of violence directed against the Christian minority in India, including attacks on churches in Vyara Taluka, Jwalapur and Bokaro, and a serious assault on a Catholic priest in Gwalior. [145758]

We are aware of reports of attacks on Christians in India, including those in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh mentioned. We continue to raise our concerns over such incidents with the Indian authorities. I discussed this issue with my counterpart, Ajit Panja, during my visit to India in November. The Indian Government can be in no doubt of our concern.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of India in respect of the issuing of passports to the proposed delegation to Pakistan of the All Party Hurriyat Conference. [145533]

Our High Commissioner in India, Sir Rob Young, has raised this issue with the Indian Government. He has made it clear that we hope the Indian Government will respect the right to travel to All Party Hurriyat Conference members.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the case for (a) Welsh, (b) Scottish Gaelic, (c) Irish, (d) Cornish, (e) Scots and (f) Ulster-Scots to be specified for the purposes of (i) Part II and (ii) Part III of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. [145868]

The Government are required to apply the provisions of Part II of the Charter in respect of all the languages which meet the Charter's definition of a regional or minority language. The Government have decided to recognise that this definition embraces Welsh, Scottish-Gaelic, Irish, Scots and Ulster-Scots. The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions is, through the Government Office of the South West, co-ordinating an assessment of whether Cornish also meets the definition, with the help of the findings of an independent academic study completed last year.The Government have decided that the language whose use in public life should be promoted under the provisions of Part III of the Charter are Welsh, Scottish-Gaelic and Irish.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the support provided by his Department for British carpet manufacturers. [145773]

My Department is in regular contact with the British Carpet Manufacturers' Association on a wide range of industry issues and, the full range of support schemes operated by the DTI is available to the industry.More specifically, my Department, through Trade Partners UK, the joint Department of Trade and Industry/Foreign and Commonwealth Office organisation responsible for export promotion, provides export promotion services to the carpet sector, including assistance through Support for Exhibitions and Seminars Abroad (SESA). For instance, we are supporting 15 UK carpet companies who are exhibiting at DOMOTEX in Hanover this month.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent representations he has received about the regulation of direct mail; and if he will make a statement. [144957]

My Department receives correspondence on matters concerning postal regulation, including some with reference to direct mail. This has included representations on the European Commission draft directive on postal services (where it is proposed that direct mail be subject to the same limits as other mail) and on consumer issues, for example concerning the volumes of unsolicited mail.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many of the workers who were declared redundant at the Dewhirst Clothing Factory in Peterlee have been assisted into work by the Textile Taskforce; and if he will make a statement. [144297]

On 23 March 2000, Dewhirst made 504 staff redundant. It is not the responsibility of my Department to monitor their subsequent employment route but I have consulted colleagues at the Employment Service. Despite an extensive tracking exercise it is not possible to produce definitive figures. The latest information available showed 66 former Dewhirst staff had found employment, 68 were still registered as unemployed and the balance have accessed training opportunities. The protocol established by the North East Textiles Taskforce was immediately brought into effect to ensure immediate access to rapid response funding. A strategic response group was set up, led by Easington district council, to co-ordinate the resources available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list those projects which have been allocated funding from the regional selective assistance originally offered to BMW, indicating the amount given in each case. [144824]

The following is a list of projects which have been approved by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and which will count against the £129 million (originally offered to BMW for investment at Longbridge) which was made available to support good quality projects in the West Midlands:

£
	Estimated costs
Initial actions and administrative uplift for Advantage West Midlands (AWM)	300,536
Total	300,536
Projects arising from the Rover Taskforce interim report1,2: Modernisation of the automotive base:
Supplier Scheme	12,000,000
Extend Autolean	250,000
Extend Accelerate	1,750,000
Online learning	100,000
Promoting regional suppliers	250,000
Diversifying the economy:
Attracting inward investment	500,000
Regeneration:
High tech Corridor study	250,000
Support to the workforce:
Publication of a redundancy booklet	35,000
Support to families and the community:
Advice Support and Counselling services	270,000
Total	15,405,000
Grants offered to firms under the Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) scheme:
Marconi	25,000,000
H&R Johnson	1,600,000
Total	26,000,000
Total approved against the £129 million	42,305,536
1 These figures are based on the Rover Taskforce Interim Report: the supplier scheme has since been re-estimated at £8 million.
2 Further proposals based on the Rover Taskforce final report are expected to be submitted shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what powers he has to require the Post Office to keep open (a) rural and (b) urban sub-post offices; and if he will make a statement. [145897]

[holding answer 16 January 2001]: Under successive Governments, no Minister has had the power to require the Post Office to keep open sub-post offices. However because of this Government's commitment to the network, the Post Office have accepted a formal requirement to maintain the rural network and to prevent any avoidable closures of rural post offices placed on them in my letter dated 17 November to the Chief Executive.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received from the Belgian Economics Minister relating to his decision to block the acquisition by Interbrew SA of the brewing interests of Bass plc. [145390]

The Belgian Economics Minister, Charles Picque, wrote to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on 8 January raising a number of points about my right hon. Friend's decision on Interbrew's acquisition of Bass Brewers. Mr. Picque argued that my right hon. Friend's decision did not affect the interests of Scottish & Newcastle and that an

Innovation Budget
£000
Financial year1	1989–90	1990–91	1991–92	1992–93	1993–94	1994–95	1995–96	1996–97	1997–98	1998–99	1999–2000
England	80,536	147,207	268,582	144.704	98,580	91,370	90,729	55,026	106,037	56,064	48,969
East	19,335	17,287	28,286	17,573	8,872	10,897	5,987	4,405	5,611	4,322	4,777
East Midlands	7,198	10,282	9,036	6,711	8,155	5,264	4,351	4,165	3,260	3,749	2,787
London	7,353	74,850	126,064	37,549	27,830	16,812	50,852	21,960	71,894	29,190	25,467
Merseyside	2,053	2,992	5,401	2,741	1,089	1,666	2,227	2,207	3,236	1,478	641
North East	1,434	1,120	4,929	1,738	3,029	2,087	1,083	1,886	1,157	1,012	2,278
North West	4,967	5,855	8,198	5,529	3,171	2,248	2,366	3,246	3,829	826	1,068
South East	16,184	14,184	58,060	45,443	26,266	40,463	10,816	8,116	8,444	5,485	3,834
South West	7,894	6,439	9,211	11,221	7,520	3,120	4,236	3,244	2,227	2,663	1,959
West Midlands	10,207	9,479	14,718	8,742	6,549	4,715	5,052	2,706	3,347	3,645	1,588
Yorkshire and Humberside	3,911	4,719	4,679	7,457	6,099	4,098	3,759	3,091	3,032	3,694	4,570
Scotland	2,233	4,784	27,061	6,641	15,646	3,752	4,900	16,084	5,372	5,764	13,423
Wales	1,153	1,859	4,472	2,646	3,561	2,728	3,313	2,417	2,749	2,057	1,902
Northern Ireland	356	569	506	421	515	298	501	310	590	38	521
Not Applicable2	14,892	30,416	29,686	36,222	21,137	38,130	27,811	39,715	24,694	17,103	11,598
Work Done Abroad	147	424	650	1,383	164	181	67	—	142	19	115
Work Being Subcontracted	221	—	—	—	24	—	—	—	—	—	—
Total	99,538	185,259	330,957	192,017	139,627	136,459	127,321	113,552	139,584	81,045	76,528
1 The data have been extracted from the Department's Selective Assistance Management Information System (SAMIS) database
2 The 'Not Applicable' figures relate to awareness projects, the costs of which benefit nationwide and therefore cannot be broken down further by individual region

Department of Trade and Industry—Grants—Regional Selective Assistance and Regional Enterprise Grants Expenditure
£000
Financial year1	1989–90	1990–91	1991–92	1992–93	1993–94	1994–95	1995–96	1996–97	1997–98	1998–99	1999–2000
England	106,433	97,252	81,588	76,891	102,812	124,866	126,977	110,739	125,765	114,288	89,379
East2	—	—	—	—	33	641	2,066	1,510	2,114	691	546
East Midlands	1,315	1,645	994	937	1,484	5,283	7,245	10,535	10,535	7,055	3,982
London2	—	—	—	—	64	576	1,724	2,961	2,692	3,196	2,269
North East	34,406	30,049	29,122	28,810	33,608	36,397	45,257	23,637	36,789	19,989	17,477
North West3	32,922	29,069	25,535	20,263	22,269	34,112	25,106	23,847	22,227	28,233	25,571
South East2	—	—	—	—	36	921	4,127	4,092	4,382	3,240	5,020
South West	5,030	5,150	6,437	5,895	7,220	9,147	7,567	7,541	4,463	9,354	4,160
West Midlands	20,146	17,512	8,721	10,733	14,356	14,799	14,247	25,434	29,816	30,595	20,569
Yorkshire and Humberside	12,614	13,827	10,779	10,253	23,742	22,990	19,638	11,182	12,747	11,935	9,785
Scotland	39,260	69,594	66,231	61,939	72,540	79,167	73,087	74,743	77,747	74,449	52,043
Wales	35,896	31,738	56,534	59,490	50,646	58,158	54,613	48,479	76,820	81,219	46,456
Northern Ireland4	127,100	132,100	138,000	105,600	117,600	132,900	131,200	137,100	156,100	153,300	133,000
Total	308,689	330,684	342,353	303,920	343,598	395,091	385,877	371,061	436,432	423,256	320,876
1 Data have been extracted from the Industrial Development Act 1982 Annual Report for the Financial Years 1992–93 to 1999–2000
2 Regional Selective Assistance was not available in the East, London and the South East before 1993–94
3 The figures for the North West include data for Merseyside-these data cannot be broken down further
4 Northern Ireland operate their own scheme and the grants provided have a different range of financial incentives to those provided in the rest of the United Kingdom

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for each year between 1989–90 and 1999–2000, how much DTI grant aid was awarded (a) within each of the regions of England, (b) to Scotland, (c) to Wales and (d) to Northern Ireland. [145208]

A detailed breakdown of the Department's grants by regions is given in the following annexes for the Innovation Budget, for Regional Selective Assistance and Regional Enterprise Grants.The Department of Trade and Industry does not collate information on a regional basis for other grant schemes and such information could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what issues are involved in the decision on whether to grant export licence application 16047 from Aylesbury Automation; and to which other Government Departments he has circulated this export licence. [145333]

[holding answer 15 January 2001]: Licences to export arms and other goods whose export is controlled for strategic reasons are listed by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry acting through DTI's Export Control Organisation (ECO). All relevant individual licence applications are circulated by the DTI to other Government Departments with an interest as determined by those Departments in line with their policy responsibilities. Licence application 16047 was circulated to FCO and MOD.All applications, including ELA 16407, for a licence to export arms and other goods on the Military List (Part III of Schedule 1 to the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1994) are considered against the consolidated EU and national arms export licensing criteria, as announced by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr. Hain), on 26 October 2000,

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many export licence applications were received by the Export Control Organisation in August 2000; how many of those applications are still awaiting a decision; and if he will make a statement. [145331]

[holding answer 15 January 2001]: In August 2000, the Export Control Organisation (ECO) received 927 applications for a Standard Individual Export Licence (SIEL). On 11 January 2001,86 of these applications were awaiting a decision.The ECO also received 35 applications for an Open Individual Export Licence (OIEL) in August 2000. On 11 January, 15 of these applications were awaiting a decision. It is to be expected that these cases will take longer to process than SIELs because of the potentially wide variation in the goods and country coverage of OIELs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the duties of the Postal Services Commission in respect of the United Kingdom; who its members are; by whom they were appointed; when next they will report; and to whom. [144828]

The duties of the Postal Services Commission are set out in the Postal Services Act 2000. These include the responsibility to: exercise its functions in the manner which it considers is best calculated to ensure the provision of a universal postal service at a uniform tariff; further the interests of users of postal services, wherever appropriate by promoting effective competition between postal operators; promote efficiency and economy on the part of postal operators; and have regard to the need to ensure that licence holders are able to finance activities authorised or required by their licences.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what draft legislation is under consideration by the institutions of the European Community concerning upper limits to state postal monopolies; what alternative limits are being proposed; and what parliamentary proceedings (a) have taken place and (b) need to take place prior to imposition of such limits. [144827]

On 30 May 2000, the European Commission adopted a proposal for a Draft Directive, COM (2000) 319, to amend the existing Directive 97/67/EC, to further open up to competition the European market for Postal Services. The key element of the Commission's proposal is to reduce the price/weight limit from the current level of 350 grams/5 times the standard letter tariff at the fastest category, to 50 grams/2.5 times the standard letter tariff in 2003, and then to do a review before deciding on the next steps for further market opening to take effect in 2007.The European Parliament has considered COM(2000)319 and has proposed a number of amendments to the European Commission proposal—including an alternative weight formula of 150 grams. Member states have discussed the European Commission proposal in the Council but have not reached any agreement.This proposal is subject to Parliamentary scrutiny and is being considered by House of Commons and House of Lords Scrutiny Committees. An Explanatory Memorandum (10544/00) and the European Commission proposal, were submitted to Parliament on 9 November 2000, followed by a supplementary Explanatory Memorandum (10433/00) on 11 December 2000. The House of Lords Select Committee on the European Union has examined the proposals and issued a report (Session 2000–01, HL Paper 6).

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the references in the Official Journal of the European Community and Union concerning the lowering of the permitted upper ceiling on state monopoly postal services, indicating the parliamentary proceeding in respect of each, and the limits so imposed in grams and ounces. [144826]

The proposed Directive is document COM (2000) 319, and has yet to be published in the Official Journal. This is the first proposal to lower the permitted upper ceiling agreed in Directive 97/67/EC. The changes to the permitted price and weight limits and the requirement for parliamentary scrutiny are detailed in my previous answer which was answered early today, PQ No. 144827.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will tabulate the successive upper limit required by European Union legislation on permitted national monopoly letter delivery indicating the date of commencement of each, the weight in grams and ounces and the inland stamp value in the United Kingdom at the end of each period. [144825]

The EU 1997 Directive 97/67/EC on common rules for the development of the internal market of community postal services and the improvement of quality of service set limits on the postal services which may be reserved to items weighing less than 350 g and costing less than five times the standard letter tariff in the fastest category. The then UK monopoly limit of £1 by value was within this threshold. In September 1999 the Postal Services Regulations (S.I. 1999/2107) defined the UK limits £1 and 350 g in line with the Directive.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the applications by Knight Piesold for export guarantees in the last 20 years and the projects subsequently approved. [145315]

ECGD has received from Knight Piesold over the last 20 years the following applications in respect of capital goods, projects and related services which have been the subject of an ECGD guarantee.

Exporter	Details of project	Guarantee issue date	Value of guarantee £ million
Vosper Thomeycroft	Develop and Extend Naval Base at Mombassa	27 May 1987	20
Kvaerner	Installation of Gas Turbine Generator	31 July 1986	8.7
Knight Piesold	Design and Construction of a hydro Electric Dam	14 August 1986	17.5
Knight Piesold	Hydro Electric Power Project (Ewaso Ngiro)	4 October 1990	21
Crown Agents	Pipeline Equipment to Import White Oil Products	1 July 1988	1.7
Crown Agents	Spur Pipeline to Moi Inter Airport	24 March 1986	2.4
M. J. Gleeson	Rehabilitation of Jomo Kenyatta Int. Airport	2 August 1990	33.5
A&T	Supply of a Rural Telecommunications System	20 July 1990	13
BOC Ltd.	Oxygen Producing Plant	16 June 1982	2
British Rail Board	Supply 74 Railway Coaches	16 April 1982	27.9
Crown Agents	Supply of Plant and Equipment	30 April 1982	22.4
Line of Credit	Various	29 October 1982	3.5
Line of Credit	Various	22 August 1985	3.6
Airbus	Two A310–300 Airbus	9 May 1986	23.9
Vosper Thorneycroft	Fast Patrol Craft	1 August 1984	108.2
Vosper Thorneycroft	Patrol Craft Refit	19 December 1988	11.6
Short Brothers	12 Tucano Aircraft	13 September 1988	31.2
Crown Agents	Salvage and Berthing Tugs	3 November 1982	13.6

Details of applications which have not been the subject of a guarantee are subject to legitimate confidentiality and are not included in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on how many occasions paperwork for applications for export credit guarantees received by the ECGD has gone astray in the last 20 years; and what procedures are in place to prevent this from happening. [145317]

ECGD has no record of such instances. ECGD believes its procedures for handling applications are entirely adequate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the applications for credit guarantees relating to Kenya received by the ECGD in the last 20 years, indicating the companies, amounts and projects in Kenya involved. [145314]

Over the last 20 years, ECGD has issued 27 guarantees worth £381 million in respect of exports of capital goods, projects and related services to Kenya.Details of the project are no longer held on nine of these guarantees worth £12 million which were issued between 1982 and 1988 and which have since lapsed. Five of these guarantees were issued to Booker Agriculture, two to Marconi, and one each to Cable & Wireless and Slough Smith Rail.Details of the remaining 18 guarantees are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what export credit was given in relation to the building, construction and consultancy work associated with a concrete arch dam in Ewaso Ngiro, Kenya. [145316]

ECGD's records show that they have provided support for two projects involving the construction of dams in Kenya.In August 1986, ECGD supported a £10.8 million loan between ANZ Banking Group and the Government of Kenya to assist in the financing of a contract between The Kerio Valley Development Authority and Knight Piesold for the provision of services in relation to the construction of a hydro-electric dam.In 1990, ECGD supported a £37 million loan between ANZ Grindlays Bank and the Government of Kenya. The purpose of the loan was to assist in the financing of a contract between Knight Piesold and the Kenya Power Company. Under the contract, Knight Piesold would provide various services in relation to the Ewaso Ngiro (South) hydroelectric project.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects the full environmental impact assessment report on the Ilisu dam to be completed. [145924]

We understand that the revised environmental impact assessment report was presented to the Turkish authorities in December. The Export Credits Guarantee Department is awaiting an invitation to a presentation of the report to the export credit agencies involved in the project. We do not yet know when this will take place. We have said that the report will be made publicly available before a decision is taken regarding ECGD support. However the report is not our property, and we cannot make it available without permission of the owners, Sulzer, the Swiss main contractor. The Export Credits Guarantee Department has written to Sulzer recommending that the report should be made publicly available as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many workers have benefited from the introduction of the minimum wage in the Vale of Clwyd. [144453]

[holding answer 8 January 2001]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans the Office for National Statistics has to provide monthly GDP statistics for Wales; and if he will make a statement. [144055]

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the current level of unemployment within the Greater London area is among (a) men and (b) women. [144135]

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will review his decision not to donate Darwin House, Shrewsbury to the National Trust; and if he will make a statement. [144099]

[holding answer 8 January 2001]: Darwin House is currently occupied by the Valuation Office Agency. The building is not surplus to the Agency's requirements and the Agency has no plans, at present, to vacate the building.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the economic activity rate in Scotland is for (a) men, and (b) women, for age groups (i) 16 and 17, (ii) 18 to 24, (iii) 25 to 34, (iv) 35 to 49, (v) 50 to 59, (vi) over 60 and (vii) 16 and over in each year from 1995 to 2000. [145662]

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total cost of mortgage tax relief was in Scotland in (a) 1996–97, (b) 1997–98, (c) 1998–99 and (d) 1999–2000; and what the estimated cost is in 2000–01. [145667]

The total cost of tax relief on mortgage interest repayments in Scotland in 1996–97 to 1999–2000 is published in table 5.3 of "Inland Revenue Statistics", copies of which are held in the House of Commons Library. The total cost of mortgage interest tax relief in Scotland in 2000–01 will be published in "Inland Revenue Statistics" by October 2001. The estimated cost of mortgage interest tax relief in the United Kingdom for 2000–01 is in the Tax Ready Reckoner and Tax Reliefs booklet published by HM Treasury in November 2000.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the cost to the Scottish economy of the recent rail disruptions. [145660]

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Huddersfield (Mr. Sheerman) on 28 November 2000, Official Report, column 582W.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his assessment is of the degree of convergence between the UK and economies in the euro zone between 1992 and 2000; and what his estimate is of the degree of convergence between 2001 and 2004. [145635]

Sustainable convergence between Britain and the economies of a single currency is one of the five economic tests set out by the Government. The Chancellor of the Exchequer has said we will make another assessment of the five economic tests early in the next Parliament.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the attitude of Scottish business towards (a) entering and (b) staying out of the euro. [145658]

The determining factor underpinning any Government decision on joining the single currency is whether the economic case is clear and unambiguous. Because of the magnitude of the decision, the Government believe that, if a decision to enter is taken by Government, it should be put to a referendum of the British people.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what average price per ton was secured by the Bank of England for the recent sale of gold which he instructed them to carry out. [145631]

[holding answer 15 January 2001]: As stated in the National Audit Office report on "The Sale of Part of the UK Gold Reserves", published on 12 January, the average price secured for the gold sold at the nine auctions held to date is $275.01 per ounce (paragraph 8 and 2.16).

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the average growth in earnings for service industries in each year from 1974, at 2000 prices. [145741]

[holding answer 16 January 2001]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many countries are receiving debt relief through the Highly Indebted Poor Countries initiative. [145849]

[holding answer 16 January 2001]: So far 22 countries have reached Decision Point under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. This is the point where debt relief has been agreed; 100 per cent. relief in the case of the UK.The Chancellor announced on 2 December last year that the UK would no longer benefit from the historic debts of the 41 HIPC countries. This means that, for those countries yet to secure debt relief because of civil wars, external conflict, or absence of a poverty reduction programme, all payments will be held in trust for the day that they become eligible for debt relief.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how much funding in each of the last three years he has given to the Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth Health Authority; [145158]

The table outlines cash funding from the Department to Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth Health Authority in the three year period 1997–2000. The funding is broken down into cash limited and non-cash limited services.

Funding for Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth, 1997 to 2000
£000
	Cash limited1	Non-cash limited
1997–98	402,653	32,800
1998–99	422,066	30,010
1999–2000	495,416	33,380
1 Includes payments made on HAs behalf

The figures given in the second table are for total income of the St George's Hospital National Health Service Trust from the Department. However, it should be noted that this includes income other than that received from the Department (via health authorities and primary care groups) by means of contracts.

St. George's Healthcare NHS Trust—total income from Department of Health
Year	£
1997–98	173,135,000
1998–99	185,927,000
1999–2000	227,622,000

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total cost per annum to the NHS is of (a) all public relations staff, materials and related expenditure including external contracts and (b) annual reports of health authorities, trusts and PCGs. [144934]

The information requested is not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what impact his proposals for the NHS to pay for nursing care in nursing homes from October 2001 will have on the amount residents are charged when they are being helped with their fees by the social services. [144922]

[holding answer 15 January 2001]: There will be no change in their personal contribution for most people currently receiving means-tested nursing home care through social services, because their incomes will not be high enough for them to be contributing to the cost of their nursing care. Any personal contribution they make to their care will go towards the cost of the services provided by social services.Nursing home fees are made up of three components—nursing care, personal care and accommodation costs (accommodation, heating, food etc). Subject to legislation, the National Health Service will become responsible for the nursing care provided by a registered nurse. This will reduce the proportion of the fees for which social services are responsible. The proportion of the fees for which a means-tested contribution may be made will be reduced by the amount paid by the NHS. Where people's personal contribution means they are currently' paying towards their nursing care, they will in future receive their nursing care free through the NHS.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what account was taken in respect of payment of fees for services in nursing homes, of the high level of fees paid by self-funders, and of the likely change in fee levels over the period covered by the Comprehensive Spending Review. [145870]

The spending review has included provision for forecast future inflation, including fee levels in residential and nursing homes. It has also made provision for the introduction of free nursing care in nursing homes from October 2001. The main beneficiaries of this change will be the people who currently pay all their care costs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what statistical data he collects on the provision of local authorities of day care for the elderly. [145580]

Annual information is collected from local authorities in England on the number of clients aged 65 or over who, following an assessment of needs, are receiving day care provided by or on behalf of the local authority. Detailed statistics are available in the statistical report "Community Care Statistics 1999–2000—Referrals, Assessments and Packages of care for adults". Data on expenditure by local authorities in England on non-residential services for the elderly are also collected annually and are published in the Statistical Bulletin "Personal Social Services current expenditure in England: 1998–99". Copies of both publications are available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to change the guidelines on the use of general wards in hospitals for patients with mental disabilities; and if he will make a statement. [145452]

[holding answer 15 January 2001]: The Department does not issue guidelines on the use of general wards in hospitals for patients with mental disabilities. In common with any case involving co-morbidity, we would expect local services to develop appropriate liaison services to ensure the patient is treated in the setting which meets his or her priority needs.A thorough assessment of a patient's risk and attention to their individual care needs should be carried out when first being admitted into hospital; this is particularly important where a patient possibly has dementia or is otherwise confused.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he has been notified by NICE of the date for completing its technology appraisals of beta interferon and glatiramer; and if he will make a statement [145722]

We expect the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) to consult on draft guidance later in the year, following the development of further economic modelling on beta interferon and glatiramer acetate (Copaxone). Subsequently, NICE plans to issue its guidance to the National Health Service by November 2001, unless there are appeals against the outcome of the appraisal.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the link between hospital cleanliness and the frequency of occurrence of infection in patients; and if he will make a statement; [145743](2) what cost savings he estimates the NHS will make by reason of a reduction in the frequency of occurrence of infection in patients as a result of his recent initiative on hospital cleanliness; and if he will make a statement. [145787](3) what estimate he has made of the future costs to the NHS of an increased frequency of occurrence of infection in patients as a result of a lack of hospital cleanliness. [145744]

[holding answer 16 January 2001]: Recent research at Thames Valley University has identified, through clinical evidence, links between poor environmental hygiene and the transmission of microorganisms causing hospital-acquired infection. It has not been possible to make any meaningful assessment relating to cost savings, because of the lack of clear evidence on the connection between dirty hospitals and the rates of hospital-acquired infection.Patients have a right to be treated in a hospital that has a high standard of cleanliness. No one should be treated, or, have to recuperate, in a dirty or uncared for environment. An initiative to improve standards of cleanliness in hospitals is now well underway. An inspection of 405 National Health Service acute trusts was carried out last year. Unannounced visits to these trusts are taking place now and will be completed by the end of February. These visits will help us establish what has been done and what improvements still need to be made. We will ensure that standards of cleanliness are improved, and more importantly, that they are maintained in the future.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for improving the delivery of substance misuse treatment orders. [145940]

The cross-departmental review of illegal drugs that reported as part of last summer's spending review 2000 concluded that a new national treatment agency should oversee a pooled treatment budget for substance misusers, with the aim of increasing the numbers treated and raising the standard of that treatment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 9 January 2001, Official Report, column 538W, concerning hospital discharges, if he will publish the results of the survey completed on 11 December 2000 in the same format. [145871]

These data have not yet been collated centrally; they will be published in due course.

Number of pupils aged 11–15 in each local education authority with a selective admission system January 2000
	Number of pupils aged 11–15 in maintained secondary schools1	Percentage of pupils aged 11–15 in grammar schools	Percentage of pupils aged 11–15 in modern schools	Percentage of pupils aged 11–15 in comprehensive schools
Barnet	17,432	10.5	0.0	89.5
Bexley	14,722	21.5	33.3	18.1
Bromley	16,817	7.1	0.0	92.9
Enfield	17,151	5.4	0.0	94.6
Kingston upon Thames	6,951	18.9	51.4	19.0
Redbridge	14,716	8.1	0.0	91.9
Sutton	11,556	28.7	0.0	71.3
Birmingham	61,558	7.9	0.0	92.1
Walsall	18,391	5.1	0.0	94.9
Wolverhampton	14,052	3.8	0.0	96.2
Liverpool	29,083	2.1	0.0	94.8
Wirral	20,556	21.9	16.2	57.2
Trafford	14,049	36.2	55.5	3.0
Calderdale	12,775	11.7	0.0	88.3
Kirklees	23,425	3.2	0.0	90.5
North Yorkshire	34,056	4.3	3.8	85.9
Buckinghamshire	26,783	39.1	58.1	0.0
Poole	6,402	20.0	0.0	33.8
Bournemouth	8,628	17.6	0.0	13.7
Stoke-on-Trent	14,242	3.2	0.0	96.8
Wiltshire	23,496	5.0	8.5	81.3
Reading	5,380	20.1	0.0	79.9
Slough	6,522	37.0	29.1	26.5
Devon	34,949	1.6	0.0	98.4
Plymouth	15,629	13.0	0.0	87.0
Torbay	7,335	26.6	0.0	73.4
Essex	76,006	2.8	0.0	97.2
Southend-on-Sea	9,622	28.9	33.0	24.3
Kent	76,810	28.1	34.1	28.5
Medway	16,810	22.1	35.9	20.3
Lancashire	70,252	3.7	2.4	93.9
Telford and Wrekin	9,675	6.9	0.0	85.9
Cumbria	29,261	2.1	0.0	97.9
Gloucestershire	32,310	12.7	0.0	87.3
Lincolnshire	37,734	24.1	43.6	32.3
Warwickshire	28,778	6.8	23.6	65.3
1 Including grammar, modern, comprehensive, technical, middle deemed and other secondary schools

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list, for each local authority retaining a selective admission system, the name of each grammar school and its legal status and for each school (a) the total number of pupils, (b) the number of pupils in the sixth form and (c) the number of pupils in the sixth form as a percentage of the total number of pupils. [145026]

[holding answer 16 January 2001]: The schools specified in The Education (Grammar School Designation) Order 1998 No. 2219 as amended by The

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list for each local authority retaining a selective admissions system (a) the total number of pupils in years seven to 11 in maintained schools and (b) the percentages of this total in the schools designated by his Department as (i) grammar, (ii) modern and (iii) comprehensive. [145028]

The information requested is shown in the table.Education (Grammar School Designation)(Amendment) Order 1999, No. 2456 are those designated as grammar schools for the purposes of Chapter II of Part III of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. The list of schools and subsequent amendments can be found in the Statutory Instruments 1998 No. 2219 and 1999 No. 2456 on the following Government website www.legislation.hm so.gov.uk.Information about individual schools is not normally published. Where individual school information is published as in the School Performance tables, the

information is first checked with the schools concerned. These data on

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the schools in the Leeds, Central parliamentary constituency which have received funding under the New Deal for schools since May 1997, showing the amount of funding in each case. [145341]

[holding answer 15 January 2001]: The following table shows those schools in the Leeds, Central constituency which have benefited from investment

New Deal for Schools—allocations for schools in the Leeds, Central constituency
Year/school	Project	Total allocation (£)
1997–98
Included within packages:	General maintenance	11,402,000
Copperfield College
Agnes Stewart CE High
Blenheim Primary
Grafton School
Merlyn Rees High
Mount St. Mary's RC High	Toilet provision/refurbishment
1998–99
Included within a two school package:	Replacement of dangerous staircases	1146,625
Mount St. Mary's RC High
Included within a five school package:	Implementation of Fire Officer's safety recommendations	184,000
Matthew Murray High
Primrose High
Included within a five school package:	Implementation of Fire Officer's safety recommendations	168,250
Merlyn Rees High
St. Francis of Assisi RC	Replacement of old boilers	82,500
St. Joseph's Primary
Included within a two school package:	Replacement of old boilers	154,000
Merlyn Rees High
1999–2000
Included within an eight school package:	Fire Officer's safety recommendation package	115,000
Copperfield College
Included within a 10 school package:	Fire Officer's safety recommendation package	115,000
Grafton School
Included within a 10 school package:	Replacement of boilers and heating plant	428,950
Hugh Gaitskell Primary
2000–01
Matthew Murray High	Electrical refurbishment	701,500
Mount St. Mary's RC High	Science facility refurbishment	538,301
Mount St. Mary's RC High	Maths faculty refurbishment	301,684
Included within a six school package:	Heating improvements	329,588
Rosebank
Included within a seven school package:	Heating improvements	336,050
Corpus Christi
Rosebank
Included within an eight school package:	Electrical works	675,625
Cottingley
Included within a 15 school package:	Kitchen refurbishment	405,375
Richmond Hill
1 Denotes allocations made to package projects. Leeds local education authority will be able to advise the value of investment made in these schools.