To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, if he will make a statement on pay and conditions of the clergy. [144810]

Pay and conditions vary slightly from diocese to diocese but the national average stipend for clergy of incumbent status as at July 2000 was £16,480. In addition, clergy receive free accommodation or a housing allowance, membership of a non-contributory pension scheme and should receive full reimbursement of all working expenses.

To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, what restrictions are placed on the sale of church property in inner urban areas. [144812]

The Church Commissioners normally impose covenants on the new owner of a redundant church restricting its use to that approved and prohibiting unauthorised architectural changes, the disturbance of any human remains or memorials, and demolition. When a parsonage is sold there would normally be covenants to protect any adjacent church land.

To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, what the Commissioners' policy is in respect of agricultural rents on church-owned land. [144814]

As a charity, the Commissioners are required to seek the best returns on their assets for the benefit of the Church of England clergy, serving and retired. They also seek to act as responsible landlords. In the case of agricultural tenants, the Commissioners fully recognise the crisis in farming and where there is hardship will consider how best to help. This is done on a case by case basis and tenants are free to discuss their difficulties with agents or staff.

To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, if he will make a statement about the sale of vicarages and rectories. [144815]

There are some 7,800 parsonages in England. During the last five years for which figures are available, a yearly average of 97 parsonages were sold, 42 purchased and 18 built.

To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, if he will make a statement on the number of redundant churches. [144816]

1,623 Church of England churches have been declared redundant since 1 April 1969. However, the rate of closure has been falling and only 16 churches were declared redundant in 2000. Some 16,000 parish churches remain in use throughout England.

To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, if he will make a statement on the pension entitlement of dismissed clergy. [144817]

Anyone who ceases to be in service which is pensionable under the clergy scheme, for whatever reason other than retirement, is entitled to deferred benefits payable at age 65. The pension and retirement lump sum are calculated by reference to the period of pensionable service actually completed and pensionable stipend at the date of leaving. The benefits are revalued to age 65 in line with increases in the pensionable stipend. Once in payment, the pension is increased annually on the same basis as all other pensions in payment under the scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on progress made by the Accelerating Access Initiative facilitated by UNAIDS. [146248]

The United Nations programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) is making good progress on Accelerating Access to HIV/AIDS-related care and treatment. Over 20 countries have expressed interest in participating. Senegal and Uganda have negotiated significantly lower prices for antiretroviral medicines for their national HIV treatment programmes.There has been greater transparency of both the acceleration process in general, and of indicative prices in particular. Although progress is being made, much more needs to be done, both in terms of transparency in prices from suppliers, but also in respect of further discounts on prices. The Cabinet Office Performance and Innovation Unit (PIU) study will further contribute to increasing access to HIV/AIDS care and treatment.However, we must all remain clear that the complexity and toxicity of treatment and the weakness of health systems in many developing countries mean that such initiatives will have a limited impact.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many projects whose principal focus was disability were funded by her Department in the last 12 months; what was the total sum thus expended; and what percentage of her Department's project finance that total represented. [146387]

Forty-two such projects were being funded by my Department in the last 12 months, calendar year 2000. The total sum spent through these activities was £58,078,800.Figures for total DFID programmes for the same period are not available. However, the figure for the last complete financial year (1999–2000) is £2,513,812,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the members of the Byers Committee. [146763]

No Committee of this name exists.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he will make a formal response to "Regulating Cyberspace—Better Regulation for E-commerce" published on December 2000 by the Better Regulation Task Force. [146854]

The deadline agreed with the Better Regulation Task Force for submitting the formal Government response is 23 February 2001.

Thousand
Users of SBS services	Q1 April-June 2000–01	Q2 July-September 2000–01
Local delivery, 0–49 employees (EC definition of a small business)1	78.0	80.5
Local delivery, 50+ employees including no size information	27.0	23.9
Local delivery, individuals1	40.7	37.6
Nationally delivered services1,2	4.2	6.5
Gateway to SBS services call centre2	10.1	8.3
1 Only one use per business is recorded during each quarter.
2 Breakdowns between individuals and business, and business size are not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the Small Business Service has met its operational targets for (a) establishing an Index of Regulation on small business and (b) reviewing business support services and publishing the results. [146502]

The Small Business Service has studied the issue of the Index of Regulation and carried out preliminary consultations internally and externally. These highlighted a number of issues that need to be resolved before a decision can be taken on how to create an index. The SBS review of business support was issued as a consultative document on 2 October 2000. A revised document, taking account of comments received, was published on the internet www.businessadviceonline.org on 22 December 2000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many successful prosecutions have taken place under the Firework (Safety) Regulations 1997 with respect to (a) sales of aerial shells, aerial maroons, bangers, mini-rockets and fireworks of erratic flight to the public and (b) sales of fireworks to under 18-year-olds. [146681]

This information is not held by the Department and could be obtained only by incurring disproportionate costs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the percentage of customers who were satisfied with performance of Small Business Service in each quarter since April 2000. [146503]

An independent survey undertaken for SBS by MORI in the first quarter of this financial year (April-June 2000) showed that 74 per cent. of all users of locally delivered business support services were satisfied or very satisfied.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) individuals and (b) small businesses have used Small Business Service services in each quarter since April 2000. [146504]

The table shows a breakdown of total SBS usage. Data are available for Quarters 1 and 2 2000–01. In addition to the usage data given, on average 27,000 hits were received per day (April-June 2000) on the SBS website.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with the Governments of Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey about the regional implications of building the Ilisu Dam; and what regional support there is for the project beyond that of the Turkish Government. [145071]

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has not yet had any discussions with the Governments of Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey about the regional implications of building the Ilisu Dam.We are of course aware that the Governments of Syria and Iraq (via the Jordanian Embassy) and the Arab League have expressed concern about the dam. When my right hon. Friend published the two reports which we commissioned on this project in December 1999, he also made it clear that before a decision is made on the availability of ECGD support, we will need to be satisfied on a number of conditions, including that of the downstream flow of the Tigris. My officials are in touch with the Turkish authorities regarding these conditions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the Hull Area Advice Centre Ltd. and its equivalent in Grimsby and Scunthorpe, the Hull Branch of the Federation of Small Businesses and the Humberside District Society of Chartered Accountants were among those organisations approached by A4E when applying for the small business links franchise for Humberside. [146429]

[holding answer 22 January 2001]: The award of contracts for local delivery of Business Link services is an operational matter for the Chief Executive of the Small Business Service. I have asked him to write to my hon. Friend with his response.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he will publish the Treasure Annual report 1998–99. [147199]

The Annual Report covering the operation of the Treasure Act 1996 for the period from 24 September 1998 to 31 December 1999 was laid before Parliament earlier today.The Report is being launched tomorrow morning.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much was paid by each of his Department's administrative areas to (a) the elderly, (b) people with long-term illness or disability, (c) families, (d) unemployed people, (e) children and (f) others in Scotland in each of the last 10 years, indicating in each case the percentage of the budget spent on each group. [145674]

The information is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate, for each local authority, the total amount saved in benefit expenditure in the most recent year arising from anti-fraud initiatives; what this figure was as a percentage of the total expenditure on social security benefits administered by each local authority; and what his aggregate estimate is for Great Britain. [146318]

We aim to ensure that all our anti-fraud initiatives are effective in combating fraud and error. It is not always possible to quantify the precise savings of some measures as they are often designed to prevent fraud occurring in the first place rather than detecting fraud after the event.However, the weekly benefit savings scheme provides a partial measure of benefit fraud based on what local authorities have detected. A table providing the information requested expressed in terms of weekly benefit savings for the most recent year available, 1998–99, was placed in the Library as part of my answer to the hon. Member on 9 June 2000,

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when Ms Williams of Tate and Mrs. Gosling of Chipping Sodbury, whose national insurance numbers have been supplied, will receive their Winter Fuel Payments for winter 2000. [146479]

This is a matter for Alexis Cleveland, the Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency. She will write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what his reasons are choosing 12 December 2000 as the qualifying date for the winter fuel allowance. [146992]

The date of 12 December 2000 has no relevance to the payment of the Winter Fuel Payment.To enable the right payments to be made before Christmas and avoid the Christmas post various processes need to be completed. These require a qualifying week of 18–24 September 2000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what complaints he has received regarding the clarity of Part 2 of the claim form for Winter Fuel Payment; and if he will make a statement. [146611]

The helpline dealt with a number of people requiring help, but details are not recorded separately. We are currently designing a new set of forms for 2001. If the hon. Member has a particular aspect in mind perhaps he will write to me.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the implications of the continuing NIRS2 problems for the implementation of stakeholder pensions. [146349]

Stakeholder pensions are on target for introduction in April 2001. We do not anticipate that this will be affected by the NIRS2 computer system.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 18 December 2000, Official Report, columns 78–79W, what the average incomes of pensioner households for the United Kingdom were in each of the last four years for which figures are available. [146339]

The information requested is not available for the United Kingdom. Information for Great Britain is shown in the table.

Average net income before housing costs, Great Britain
	1995–96	1996–97	1997–98	1998–99
All Pensioners: Mean	174	184	186	192
All Pensioners: Median	136	145	146	148
Pensioner Couples: Mean	246	265	267	272
Pensioner Couples: Median	194	209	209	214
Single Pensioners: Mean	129	133	136	141
Single Pensioners: Medians	111	115	117	118

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Knowsley, South (Mr. O'Hara) of 15 January 2001, Official Report, column 80W, on pensioner incomes, if he will reproduce the table disaggregated by age group for (a) pensioners aged 70 and under, (b) pensioners aged 71 to 75, (c) pensioners aged 76 to 80 and (d) pensioners aged over 80 years. [146889]

The information is in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security on the state pension, how many (a) single pensioners in receipt of the basic state pension and (b) pensioner couples in receipt of the basic state pension are not entitled to the full value of the appropriate basic state pension. [146890]

The information is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he has made of the cost of increasing the rate of the basic state pension to the level of the minimum income guarantee in (a) the UK and (b) Scotland in each of the next five years. [146088]

[holding answer 18 January 2001]: The information is in the table.

The cost of increasing the level of the basic state pension to the level of the MIG from April 2001 for Great Britain, and for Scotland
£ billion
	Great Britain		Scotland
	Cross	Net	Gross	Net
2001–02	8.2	6.3	0.7	0.5
2002–03	8.6	6.7	0.8	0.6
2003–04	9.3	7.3	0.8	0.6
2004–05	10.2	8.1	0.9	0.7
2005–06	11.1	8.8	1	0.7

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many retired pensioners living in the Tooting constituency qualify for the minimum income guarantee. [146497]

I refer my hon. Friend to the Written Answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Knowsley, South (Mr. O'Hara) on 18 January 2001, Official Report, column 386W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when the minimum income guarantee take-up campaign will come to an end; and when the final results will be made public. [146350]

We expect to have the results form the 2000 campaign in the spring.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what the average duration in each of the last three years was of the (a) industrial injuries disablement benefit tribunal cases and (b) appeals against tribunal decisions; and if he will make a statement on trends in the length of cases in years. [145753]

The information is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what changes he proposes to make to the stakeholder pensions regulations. [147207]

The Stakeholder Pension Schemes (Amendment) Regulations 2001 (SI2001/104) have been laid today. Copies are available in the usual way and the regulations will also be available on the internet at www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk. The regulations include changes needed to allow certain types of scheme to register with the Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority. A further set of amendments to the Stakeholder Pension Schemes Regulations 2000 will follow shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the time scale for the House of Lords judgment on the back-dating of part-time workers' pension rights. [146897]

The House of Lords considered the case relating to time limits for granting retrospective membership of occupational pension schemes on 24 July 2000. However, we do not know the precise date when their judgment will be handed down.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if levels of Income Support limits for people in care homes will be uprated in line with increased Department of Health limits for charges. [146990]

No. Local authority support is not relevant for the purposes of setting Income Support (IS) entitlement. From 2002, those cases which remain on IS will transfer to local authority responsibility.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claimants at the latest available date have preferred rights under the Income Support scheme; and if this trial can be broken down on a (a) regional and (b) constituency basis. [145694]

[holding answer 16 January 2001]: Information on Income Support claimants in residential care or nursing homes with "Preserved Rights" by Government Office Region is in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much funding the Government provided to Motability in each year since it was founded, broken down into (a) the equipment fund, (b) the administration fund and (c) any other payments. [146346]

The information is as follows:

Details of funding allocated to Motability since the scheme's inception
£000
	Mobility equipment fund/drivers fund	Administration	Other
1977–78	—	12	—
1978–79	—	168	—
1979–80	—	229	—
1980–81	—	290	—
1981–82	—	310	—
1982–83	—	333	—
1983–84	—	336	—
1984–85	—	348	—
1985–86	—	517	—
1986–87	—	660	—
1987–88	—	682	—
1988–89	—	780	—
1989–90	—	516	15,000
1990–91	—	1,112	—
1991–92	1,000	1,797	—
1992–93	1,000	1,835	—
1993–94	2,000	2,085	—
1994–95	3,000	3,940	—
1995–96	3,000	4,069	—
1996–97	3,000	4,488	—
1997–98	3,000	4,646	—
1998–99	3,000	4,646	—
1999–2000	4,000	3,897	—
2000–01	5,700	2,200	—
1 Interest-free loan to establish the Tenth Anniversary Trust

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what extra resources he will make available to Motability as a result of the extension of higher rate mobility to three and four-year-olds. [146358]

About 6,000 children are estimated to gain from the extension of the higher rate Motability component to three and four-year-olds at annual cost of £15 million. They will be able to take the cash benefit or use it to pay for a standard vehicle through the Motability main scheme. Those that require an adapted vehicle will be able to make application to the Motability Equipment Fund (MEF), administered on behalf of the Government by Motability.From a base of £2 million per annum, an additional £2.4 million was made available to the MEF from 2000–01, and from 2001–02 an extra £1 million per annum is being provided which, with additional contributions from Motability's Tenth Anniversary Trust, is expected to meet overall demand over the next three years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many (a) male and (b) female pensioners living in poverty there were, broken down by five-year age group, in the latest year for which figures are available. [146313]

There is no single measure of poverty. The annual "Opportunity for All" reports include a range of indicators we are working to.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average number of 999 calls placed to the Ambulance Service was in each quarter of the last three years in each NHS region. [141561]

[holding answer 18 December 2000]: Information about the number of 999 calls to National Health Service ambulance trusts in each NHS region for each of the last three years is contained in the Department of Health Statistical Bulletin "Ambulance Services, England 1999–2000". Copies are available in the Library and on the website www.doh.gov.uk/public/sb0014.htm.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health in what ways (a) patients and (b) patient groups are involved in pilot projects for the development of electronic health records. [144701]

A key component of the Electronic Record Development and Implementation Programme, which was launched in November 1999, was the inclusion of patient representatives in the selection of the sites. The National Health Service Information Authority (NHSIA) has encouraged the sites to involve their own patient communities through appropriate local mechanisms. In some instances this has involved condition-specific patient groups or patient representatives on project boards.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the hospitals in Devon and Cornwall which failed to meet standards of basic hygiene according to the recent survey. [145365]

All hospitals in Devon and Cornwall achieved good or reasonable standards of hygiene in our initiative to improve standards of cleanliness in hospitals.Hospitals in the South West Region are implementing action plans to improve standards of cleanliness and our continuing programme of work will ensure that these standards are maintained in the future.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration he has given to the case of Mr. Jim Norris of Fife Health Board; and what estimate he has made of the implications of this case for (a) health authorities and (b) patients in England and Wales. [145692]

This is a matter for the Scottish Executive Health Department and does not set a precedent for patients in England and Wales. There are no implications for health authorities and patients in England. Issues relating to Wales are for the Welsh Assembly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the total cost of petrol to the NHS for each of the past three years. [145878]

It is not possible to calculate the cost to the National Health Service of petrol over the last three years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if an ambulance authority will be deemed to have met the eight minute target time for an emergency if attendance is by a volunteer under the first responder scheme. [145530]

[holding answer 15 January 2001]: Yes, providing any volunteer in a first responder scheme is equipped with a defibrillator, trained in basic life support and acting as part of an ambulance service's response system. A fully staffed and equipped ambulance must also arrive within 14 minutes in urban areas or 19 minutes in rural areas. What matters is that patients with life-threatening conditions or injuries get an emergency response as quickly as possible. Clinical evidence proves conclusively that early defibrillation and resuscitation saves more lives. Achievement of the eight minute target could save 1,800 lives each year in people under 75 years suffering acute heart attacks.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of deep vein thrombosis have been recorded in each health authority in England and Wales in the last year for which figures are available; and how many there were in the preceding five years. [146095]

The information requested has been placed in the Library.The table shows the number of admissions to National Health Service hospitals in England in 1995–96 to 1999–2000 by health authority of residence for the diagnosis phlebitis and thrombophlebitis of other deep vessels of lower extremities.The information relating to Wales is a matter for the devolved Administration.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the prescription rate of herceptin is in the (a) North of England, (b) south-east of England, (c) United Kingdom and (d) rest of the European Union; and if he will make a statement. [145935]

The drug received its marketing authorisation on 28 August 2000, and information about its use is not yet available. We have asked the National Institute for Clinical Excellence to conduct an appraisal of Herceptin (trastuzumab) and vinorelbine for breast cancer. We expect NICE to issue guidance this summer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the real increase was in (a) nurses' pay and

Average daily number of beds in wards open overnight, NHS trusts and units in Somerset Health Authority area and England, 1985 to 1999–2000
	East Somerset NHS Trust	Taunton and Somerset NHS Trust	Somerset Partnership NHS Trust	Somerset DHA	Total for Somerset HA area	England
1985	—	—	—	3,219	3,219	325,487
1986	—	—	—	3,121	3,121	315,715
1987–88	—	—	—	2,951	2,951	297,341
1988–89	—	—	—	2,742	2,742	282,895
1989–90	—	—	—	2,521	2,521	270,309
1990–91	—	—	—	2,429	2,429	255,479
1991–92	559	1,024	—	646	2,229	242,677
1992–93	508	998	—	571	2,077	232,201
1993–94	464	955	391	—	1,810	219,476
1994–95	445	945	441	—	1,831	211,812
1995–96	418	939	431		1,788	206,136

[holding answer 18 January 2001]: The table details the real-terms increases in pay for nurses and ancillary staff between 1985–86 and 2001–02.1985–86 is the earliest year for which comparable data are available.

Percentage
	Real increase
	Nurses and midwives	Ancillary staff
1985–86 to 1986–87	5.1	2.9
1986–87 to 1991–92	13.9	1.8
1991–92 to 1996–97	3.2	1.2
1996–97 to 2001–021	6.5	4.1
1 The pay offers for 2001–02 have been included although they are still to be formally accepted

The increases have been calculated using pay settlement data for each year. Figures for 1995–96 and 1996–97 are estimates as these pay settlements contained an element of local flexibility.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital beds were in use by the (a) East Somerset NHS Trust and (b) Taunton NHS Trust for each year since 1985–86. [144598]

[holding answer 18 January 2001]: The information requested is shown in the table. It shows the average daily number of available beds in wards open overnight for East Somerset National Health Service Trust and Taunton and Somerset NHS Trust from 1991–92 to 1999–2000.Figures from 1985 are not available in the form requested as the two organisations existed as NHS trusts only from 1991–92; therefore it is not possible to provide earlier separate figures.Prior to NHS trusts being established, bed numbers were collected by district health authority. To ensure as complete a picture as possible the table also includes figures for Somerset DHA for 1985 to 1992–93. For 1991–92 and 1992–93 the DHA figures are for the mental health and community units which gained trust status in 1993–94 (called Avalon in earlier years, now Somerset Partnership). For comparison the figures for England for the same period are also included.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance has been issued to NHS trusts about the use of refrigerated vans or lorries to store bodies when hospital mortuaries have insufficient capacity; and on what dates that guidance was issued. [146465]

[holding answer 22 January 2001]: The joint Health Service/Local Authority Circular "Winter 2000–01: Capacity Planning for Health and Society Care" (HSC 2000/016: LAC 2000/14) issued on 23 May 2000 stated:

NHS trusts should ensure that mortuary capacity is adequate to meet peaks in winter deaths and take steps to provide additional facilities where this is likely to be required. Temporary mortuary facilities must meet minimum standards to respect patients' dignity. Refrigerated vehicles or trailers must not be used.

Copies are available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons Nick Court, Director of Communications of the Eastern Region of the Department of Health, failed to respond to requests for a telephone conversation with Andy Lever, Editor of the Thurrock Gazette; and what the date and timing of each request was. [146300]

[holding answer 22 January 2001]: I understand that Mr. Court did not fail to respond to Mr. Lever, editor of the Thurrock Gazette. He returned his call on 16 January 2001.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many acute beds there were in the (a) Royal Berkshire and (b) Battle hospitals (i) in May 1997, (ii) in May 1998, (iii) in May 1999 and (iv) at the end of December 2000. [146364]

[holding answer 22 January 2001]: Bed statistics are collected by National Health Service trusts, not individual hospital sites. Figures on the average daily numbers of beds for each NHS trust are published annually in "Bed Availability and Occupancy, England", copies of which are available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients are waiting to get onto a waiting list in Berkshire. [146363]

[holding answer 22 January 2001]: Information is not available centrally in the form requested.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many nursing vacancies are (a) unfilled and (b) filled by agency and temporary staff in the NHS in England; [146366](2) how many nursing vacancies at the Royal Berkshire Hospital are

[holding answers 22 January 2001]: Information on unfilled vacancies as at 31 March 2000 is shown in the table.

	Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff three month vacancies1
Royal Berkshire and Battle Hospitals National Health Service Trust2	80
England	9,870
1 Posts that had been vacant for three months or more. Numbers are whole-time equivalents rounded to the nearest 10.
2 The Trust covers the Royal Berkshire and Battle Hospitals.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average hourly rate of pay is of a junior nurse on the full-time payroll. [146367]

[holding answer 22 January 2001]: The current hourly rate of pay for a newly qualified D grade nurse working full-time is £7.62 outside London and £9.16 in inner London including London Allowance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to ensure that the number of keyhole operations is not reduced on financial grounds. [146769]

It is for clinician s to make a clinical judgment as to the best course of treatment for a patient, taking into account clinical and cost-effectiveness as well as patient preference. When making this judgment, we would expect clinicians to take full account of any relevant national guidance, such as that issued by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people had (a) keyhole heart operations and (b) other heart operations on the NES in the last five years in England and Wales. [146770]

Until very recently cardiac procedures were not carried out using minimally invasive therapy (keyhole surgery). Research is currently under way into the use of such therapy for heart operations.The number of heart operations carried out in the National Health Service during the last five years rose by 20 per cent. The figures are:

	Number
1995–96	153,784
1996–97	162,186
1997–98	161,508
1998–99	177,711
1999–2000	184,671

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what his latest estimate is of the total value of the derating of agricultural hereditments calculated on the basis used in the oral answer given to the right hon. Member for Holborn and St. Pancras on 4 December 1980, Official Report, column 409. [145346]

[holding answer 15 January 2001]: Agricultural premises have been exempt from rates since 1929 and are not valued for rating purposes. There is therefore no reliable basis on which to make an estimate because a number of factors come into play but, very approximately, it is likely that rates would yield less than £140 million for England.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent representations he has made to Her Majesty's Treasury to ensure that agrimonetary compensation is paid automatically each year. [145091]

[holding answer 15 January 2001]: No such representations have been made since the Council regulation providing for agrimonetary compensation expires at the end of this year.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many fishing vessels were registered on 1 January in each of the last five years. [146270]

The information is in the table.

UK fishing fleet1
Number of UK registered fishing vessels at 1 January	Total
1996	9,720
1997	8,667
1998	8,458
1999	8,271
2000	8,040
1 Including Channel Islands and Isle of Man

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent discussions he has had with sea fishing industry representatives with regard to stock recovery programmes in waters fished by UK registered boats. [146271]

The UK Fisheries Conservation Group discussed the west of Scotland and North sea cod and the Northern hake recovery plans on 10 January. I was present for part of the meeting and heard the industry's concerns first hand. The industry were present in Brussels during last week's discussions of the cod recovery plan and were kept fully informed and consulted as the negotiations proceeded. They will also be similarly involved in the continuing discussions on the cod recovery plan this week as well as on the hake plan.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will introduce flood protection grants to mobile home owners towards the cost of raising the height of their homes above ground; and if he will make a statement. [146643]

I am replying as this Department is responsible for policy on flood and coastal defence. I have no plans to introduce such grants. Grant is available to operating authorities for capital defence schemes that meet specified criteria, and such schemes may provide flood alleviation for mobile home owners where it is sustainable to do so.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 15 January 2001, Official Report, column 60W, what plans he is making to improve flood defences in Gloucestershire; and if he will make a statement. [146608]

The responsibility for deciding which flood defence projects to promote and their timing rests with local operating authorities (the Environment Agency, Local Authorities and Internal Drainage Boards). The operating authorities have submitted bids for funds to accelerate river flood defences over the next three years, as part of the package of an additional £51 million announced following the recent flooding. The bids are being considered and decisions on allocations will be announced shortly.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many fishing vessels were registered in the UK in (a) 1971 and (b) 2000. [146640]

At 31 December 2000 there were 7,243 registered fishing vessels in the UK fleet (excluding Channel Islands and Isle of Man).The available figures for the end of 1971 show there were 6,071 fishing vessels in the UK fleet.These figures are not directly comparable because the 1971 data covered only UK vessels known to be fishing commercially. Also the coverage of the inshore fleet was likely to have been incomplete.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will introduce an early retirement scheme for tenant farmers after 55 years of age; and if he will make a statement. [146149]

[holding answer 22 January 2001]: After wide consultation we decided that the limited funds available for implementing the EU Rural Development Regulation would be better directed towards other measures to assist the industry, because the type of early retirement scheme available under the Regulation could not be targeted effectively towards those who should benefit.

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many agricultural holdings were registered as at 1 January; and of that number how many were classified as smallholdings. [146641]

The number of agricultural holdings in England registered at 1 January 2001 is:

Main holdings: 123,911

Minor holdings: 31,012

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many acres were in productive use in (a) 1971 and (b) 2000. [146637]

The information is as follows:

Total area on agricultural holdings in England (including common rough grazing
Year	Hectares	Acres
1971	9,985,399	24,673,921
2000	9,496,827	23,466,660

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what monitoring his Department undertakes of the levels of depleted uranium in fish and shellfish caught in the Irish Sea. [144984]

I have been asked to reply.Monitoring the radioactive contamination of fish and shellfish caught in the Irish Sea is the responsibility of the Food Standards Agency. It does not undertake monitoring for depleted uranium contamination specifically but does monitor levels of total uranium contamination arising from discharges from Sellafield and other sources. This monitoring indicates that levels of uranium in fish and shellfish are only slightly enhanced above that expected from natural background. Detailed results of such monitoring are given in the annual Radioactivity in Food and the Environment report published jointly by the Food Standards Agency and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

To ask the President of the Council if she will make a statement on the (a) cost to Her Majesty's Government and (b) impact on the UK of the millennium bug. [146698]

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the oral statement on the millennium bug, which I made on 20 January 2000, Official Report, columns 975–83, and the update, which I provided on 28 February 2000, Official Report, columns 135–36W, and 20 April 2000, Official Report, column 596W. No significant problems have been reported since then.The estimated cost of the millennium bug to central Government was £380 million. The Government's preparations were an outstanding success, with the UK almost untouched by the bug. However, things did not go right by accident. The bug was shown to have the capacity to wreak havoc among essential services. The Government's objective was to ensure that the bug did not cause material disruption to these services. That objective was achieved.The work has wide-reaching benefits which were drawn out in a command paper, "Modernising Government in Action: Realising the benefits of Y2K", which I placed in the Libraries of the House on 18 April 2000, as stated on 18 April 2000,

To ask the President of the Council when the Government will implement proposals set out in the First report from the Liaison Committee, Session 1999–2000, HC 300; and if she will make a statement. [145535]

I have nothing to add to the Government response to the Liaison Committee Report, which was set out in Cm 4737.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what steps he is taking to ensure cooperation between the public and private sectors in reacting to flood damage to major roads; [144842](2) what his powers are in relation to the combating of prolonged flooding of major roads; [144841](3) what role has been played by the Environment Agency in connection with the recent flooding of the A22 in Whyteleafe; [144843](4) what action he has taken over the recent flooding of the A22 at Whyteleafe; and if he will make a statement. [144844]

[holding answer 11 January 2001]: The A22 at Whyteleafe is a local road for which Surrey county council is the highway authority. As the highway authority, the county council are responsible for the maintenance of the road, including dealing with any flooding problem. The Secretary of State does not have powers under the Highways Act 1980 to direct a local highway authority in the discharge of its maintenance duties under the Act.The flooding of the A22 at Whyteleafe was caused by a periodic flow of the Bourne due to the rising groundwater levels in the chalk aquifer as a result of the heavy autumn rainfall. The Bourne is normally a dry watercourse and records show it has flowed on only three occasions in the past 20 years. On this occasion the water was prevented from draining away as a result of blockages downstream of the A22. The water backed up to form a lake that covered the road which was closed for safety reasons on police advice. Alternative diversion routes were set up by Surrey county council and the London borough of Croydon.To deal with the A22 flooding the Surrey county council and Tandridge district council set up a pumping arrangement to bypass the blockages and take away the excess Bourne water. This was not a straightforward operation and factors such as the need to protect the Kenley water works had to be considered. The pumping operation was successful and the road re-opened to traffic on 8 January.A hydrogeologist from the Environment Agency visited the site of the flooding on 20 December and has liaised with officials of Tandridge district council. The Bourne watercourse is not a "Main River" and is therefore the responsibility of the riparian landowners. Tandridge district council and Surrey county council staff have been working to remove the blockages from the course of the Bourne and Tandridge district council have taken the lead in bringing together key organisations to minimise the risk of a repetition of the local flooding. The Environment Agency have provided advice to some individuals who contacted them about the flooding of their properties.In response to the countrywide flooding problems experienced as a result of the heavy autumn rainfall the Government have established a Hoods Task Force, chaired by the MAFF Minister for Fisheries and the Countryside, which draws together all relevant departments and aims to ensure effective co-ordination of central Government's support for communities recovering from the effects of flooding. The Task Force will share examples of good practice.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what action he (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to help ensure that trains are designed to provide better access for people with disabilities, with particular reference to wheelchair and power scooter users. [145394]

We are fully committed to providing a public transport system which is accessible to disabled people, providing them the same opportunities to travel as other members of society. We are introducing technical regulations under Part V of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA), to require new trains, as well as buses and coaches and taxis, to be accessible to disabled people, including wheelchair users.The Rail Vehicle Accessibility Regulations have applied to all new rail vehicles entering service since 1 January 1999. These Regulations considerably improve access for disabled passengers to new rail vehicles and include, among other features, a requirement for a boarding aid, either a ramp or lift (where the gap exceeds prescribed dimensions), dedicated wheelchair spaces and on-board accessible toilets for those trains in which toilet facilities are provided.The Regulations specify the maximum wheelchair dimensions that can be accommodated in regulated vehicles. The dimensions of the occupied "reference" wheelchair are set at an overall width of 700 mm, length of 1,200 mm and height of 1,350 mm. These dimensions are based on the international wheelchair standard. This is bigger than the majority of wheelchairs in this country and is able to meet the needs of almost all wheelchair users. There may be some scooters which exceed these dimensions, or in addition, there may be operational reasons why some scooters cannot safely be carried on trains. These dimensions were set after extensive consultation and with the agreement of our statutory advisers on the transport needs of disabled people, the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee. The dimensions also have to be technically achievable within the constraints of vehicle design and operation.The DDA does not allow for an "end" date to be set by which all rail vehicles must comply with the Regulations. However, the Disability Rights Task Force, in their report to the Government, have recommended that this point should be addressed in any future disability legislation. We are now in discussion with the industry about how that recommendation can be taken forward.For existing trains, the Rail Regulator is currently revising his Code of Practice, "Meeting the needs of Disabled Passengers", which I understand will deal with refurbishment of existing vehicles.Clearly, disabled people need to have reliable information about whether their mobility equipment can be accommodated. My Department is therefore working with the wheelchair manufacturing industry to ensure that disabled people are able to make their choice of a scooter or wheelchair based on their particular life style, including their transport needs.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the annual capital spending on housing by Leeds city council for each of the last 20 years. [146000]

Information on housing capital expenditure, reported by Leeds city council to the Department as part of their annual Housing Investment Programme submissions, is set out in the table.

Housing capital expenditure by Leeds city council 1980–81 to 1999–2000
	£000
1980–81	29,202
1981–82	24,212
1982–83	41,337
1983–84	37,023
1984–85	29,903
1985–86	26,631
1986–87	33,465
1987–88	36,933
1988–89	39,708
1989–90	41,469
1990–91	32,419
1991–92	34,174
1992–93	37,894
1993–94	34,713
1994–95	41,136
1995–96	44,212
1996–97	43,736
1997–98	26,861
1998–99	30,852
1999–2000	35,068

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many road schemes were (a) accepted, (b) provisionally accepted and (c) rejected in the Local Transport Settlement 2000. [146038]

Three road schemes were accepted, 36 provisionally accepted and one rejected. In addition, we were unable to take decisions on 34 schemes bid for by authorities because they had provided insufficient information about them. These schemes have been treated as work in progress and there will be an opportunity for authorities to resubmit them with their first-year progress reports on their local transport plans this July.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list those major road schemes (a) accepted and (b) provisionally accepted in the Local Transport Financial Settlement 2000 which may affect a nationally designated site of environmental importance, indicating the designation in each case. [146037]

(a) None.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment. Transport and the Regions (1) on how many occasions the Government have traded shares in Railtrack; [146003](2) what plans he has to dispose of the Government's equity stake in Railtrack; [146002](3) when Her Majesty's Government took a 0.2 per cent. equity stake in Railtrack. [146004]

The Government's holding of Railtrack shares originates from the time of the Railtrack flotation in 1996 when some 4 million shares were held back in order to meet a contractual obligation to distribute bonus shares to shareholders who held their shares for three years. Some 3 million were distributed as bonus shares on 31 May 1999. The residual shareholding represents 0.2 per cent. of Railtrack's share capital of 500 million shares.Apart from the specific arrangements for the flotation of Railtrack, including the issue of bonus shares, the Government have not traded in Railtrack shares. The Government have no current plans for disposing of their residual shareholding.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what quality control checks are in place to ensure that the re-railing of track meets the industry's standards; and if he will make a statement. [146005]

Railtrack has prime responsibility for the safety and security of the railway it controls and for the health and safety of those who are affected by its activities.Railtrack's contracts for infrastructure maintenance and track renewal require contractors to be compliant with specified standards designed to ensure safe and secure operation. The contractors are required to inform Railtrack of any deficiencies found and of any remedial work they consider necessary.In order to continue to discharge its statutory safety obligations under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, Railtrack must accept responsibility for all decisions that relate to infrastructure maintenance, repair and track renewal works.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many (a) road and (b) rail accident fatalities there have been in the United Kingdom since 1971; and if he will make a statement. [144607]

[holding answer 18 January 2001]: Figures for fatalities in rail and road accidents are published by the Department in the annual publication "Transport Statistics Great Britain". The latest figures for Great Britain are set out as follows:

	Rail accident fatalites		Road accident fatalities
	Number	Of which: died on trains	Number
1971	112	13	7,699
1972	83	20	7,763
1973	82	18	7,406
1974	72	6	6,883
1975	115	57	6,366
1976	79	18	6,570
1977	73	12	6,614
1978	98	22	6,831
1979	94	20	6,352
1980	59	7	6,010
1981	65	7	5,846
1982	51	11	5,934
1983	63	10	5,445
1984	71	30	5,599
1985	61	6	5,165
1986	68	27	5,382
1987	67	10	5,125
1988	93	40	5,052
1989	59	18	5,373
1990	73	4	5,217
19911	60	11	4,568
19921	32	5	4,229
19931	33	6	3,814
19941	39	12	3,650
19951	24	7	3,621
19961	21	1	3,598
19971	42	10	3,599
19981	32	3	3,421
19991	60	33	3,423
1 Since April 1991 rail fatality statistics have been collected by financial year, for example the rail death figures shown for 1991 were for the financial year 1991–92.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will consider recommendations for oil pollution to be subject to MARPOL standards and legislation. [146158]

The relevant provisions of the MARPOL Convention and its Annexes, notably "Annex I: Prevention of pollution by oil", have been incorporated in UK law through regulations under Merchant Shipping legislation and are in force.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what provision his Department makes available to meet the costs of oil pollution in ports. [146159]

My Department does not make provision to meet the costs of oil pollution in ports. Compensation for oil pollution damage resulting from spills of persistent oil carried in bulk as cargo by tankers is available from the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund, under the framework of the 1992 Protocols to the International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage 1969 and the International Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage 1971, UK legislation applies strict liability for all oil pollution from shipping, and this therefore obliges non-tanker owners to meet the costs up to the limits according to the ships' tonnage under the Convention on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims 1976.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the dates on which parts of the (a) Bakerloo, (b) Central, (c) Circle, (d) District, (e) East London, (f) Hammersmith and City, (g) Jubilee, (h) Metropolitan, (i) Northern, (j) Piccadilly and (k) Victoria London Underground lines were closed to passengers during 2000; and if he will set out in relation to each closure the stretch of line closed and the purpose of the closure. [145703]

[holding answer 18 January 2001]: This is an operational matter for London Underground (LUL) but they have provided the information in the table.LUL keep a variety of records of incidents on the London Underground system. For the purpose of answering this question, LUL have taken