To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which Ministers and officials in his Department have (a) been contacted by and (b) contacted (i) Mr. G. P. Hinduja and (ii) Mr. S. P. Hinduja since 2 May 1997; if he will list the occasions on which there was such contact; and if he will make a statement. [148077]

[holding answer 31 January 2001]: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave the hon. Member for Christchurch (Mr. Chope) on 1 February 2001, Official Report, columns 278–79W.It is not the normal practice of the Government to release details of officials' meetings or discussions with private individuals or companies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the current monthly running costs are of the Millennium Dome; for what proportion of these costs the Millennium Commission is liable; and if he will make a statement. [148522]

[holding answer 2 February 2001]: The current monthly running costs of the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) are between £2.5 million and £3.5 million excluding physical decommissioning costs. Monthly running costs are intended to reduce as the company moves towards solvent liquidation. The NMEC is liable for the company's costs but is able to draw on National Lottery grant awarded by the Millennium Commission.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has to ensure that the contents of the Dome are not sold until the future use of the site has been finalised. [149341]

[holding answer 7 February 2001]: Nothing will be sold at the forthcoming auction which would prejudice uses of the Dome including as a visitor attraction. The Government remain in negotiations with the preferred bidder, Legacy plc, in the competition to buy the Dome. The New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) has a timetabled decommissioning programme. Leased assets, such as lighting and sound equipment, have been returned to avoid incurring additional charges. Third party assets, such as Ford's Journey Zone and BT's Talk Zone, are being removed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the impact of the Granada/Anglia merger on the location of jobs in television production and quality of programme production. [149512]

Reorganisation of television production with Granada is a matter for the company itself. The licence commitments of ITV regional companies, which include obligations to provide high-quality programming, remain unaffected by changes in ownership. The recent White Paper, "A New Framework for Communications", announces that the new regulator, Ofcom, will be required to undertake a review of the regional obligations in each ITV licence whenever its ownership changes, and will be empowered to amend licence conditions to meet any concerns arising.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) how many School Sports Co-ordinators have been appointed; and how many are in post; [148708](2) what moneys have been

[holding answer 7 February 2001]: 140 School Sport Co-ordinators are now in place in 33 partnerships across the country. No money has been committed by the New Opportunities Fund to Sport England for this programme. Direct support for activities within the School Sports Co-ordinator Programme is available under the New Opportunities Fund Out of School Hours Learning initiative.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what powers he has to require broadcasters to ensure the transmission of television programmes on the five terrestrial channels. [149669]

The responsibility for ensuring the transmission of television programmes on the five terrestrial channels lies principally with the BBC Governors in respect of BBC1 and BBC2, the Independent Television Commission in respect of Channels 3, 4 and 5 and the Welsh Authority in respect of S4C.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will publish the criteria he intends to apply for digital switchover of radio. [150058]

[holding answer 12 February 2001]: Digital radio is at a relatively early stage of development with take-up by consumers still very low. We have not therefore determined criteria to be met in order to achieve switchover. However, we shall keep our approach under review as the roll-out of digital radio services and receiving equipment increases.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many telephone calls were received in each of the last three months on the television licensing telephone number; and what the cost of responding was. [150342]

TV Licensing, which administers the television licensing system as agent for the BBC, operates several different telephone inquiry numbers. Information provided by the BBC shows that the total number of telephone inquiries received by TV Licensing in each of the last three months for which information is available was:

	Number of calls
October 2000	87,869
November 2000	727,400
December 2000	528,972

Of these, the number of calls to the over-75 helpline were as follows:

	Number of calls
October 2000	242,508
November 2000	150,733
December 2000	104,748

Information on the cost of responding to these calls is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what advice her Department is giving to people who wish to undertake voluntary work in Gujarat State, India, following the recent earthquake. [149464]

India has a great deal of expertise in relief and rehabilitation operations and substantial resources have been mobilised in response to the earthquake in Gujarat, including medical and paramedical personnel, engineers and logisticians.The Department for International Development has advised those volunteers with specialist skills to contact organisations that maintain databases of suitably qualified individuals, such as RedR (Registered Engineers for Disaster Relief; 1 Great George street, London, SW1P 3AA, 010 7233 3116) and the International Health Exchange (1

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what items have been urgently requested of her by the Indian Government following the earthquake in Gujarat State; to what extent her Department is able (a) to supply and (b) to advise on these items; and if she will make a statement; [149463](2) what requests she has received from the Indian Government for assistance to survivors from the recent earthquake in Gujarat State. [149466]

The Indian Government have not made any formal request for assistance, but have announced that appropriate support would be welcome.I refer my hon Friend to my previous response detailing the material and financial assistance my Department has given to date, given on 5 February 2001,

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what long-term programme of assistance and advice her Department is developing with the Indian Government to help in the area affected by the recent earthquake in Gujarat State. [149467]

The Department for International Development's priority is to ensure that those who have survived the earth quake are cared for until normal services can be restored. The Indian Government are developing plans for rehabilitation and reconstruction; it is expected that these will be largely funded by the World bank and the Asian Development bank. We have offered advice to the Indian Government on strengthening disaster preparedness arrangements, which will include Gujarat.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance her Department is offering to the Indian Government to help young children orphaned by the recent earthquake in Gujarat State. [149468]

The Department for International Development has made a total allocation of £10 million for humanitarian assistance to Gujarat.This is being channelled through the United Nations, the Red Cross and a number of non-governmental organisations for the provision of essential relief items such as tents, blankets, medical supplies, food, water and sanitation. All these agencies aim to focus their assistance on the most vulnerable, which will inevitably include young children who have been orphaned as a result of the earthquake.More specifically we have provided £1 million to UNICEF, part of which will support their child protection programme. This programme aims to identify and care for children who have been orphaned or separated from their families.We have also contributed £450,000 to Save the Children for the pro vision of shelter and non-food relief items for children and their families. They will also make efforts to ensure that those children placed in orphanages make contact with any remaining family by offering specialist advice to all organisations working with separated children.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what requests for assistance she has received from the Pakistan Government following the recent earthquake; [149622](2) what reports she has received from the British High Commissioner in Islamabad about the effects of the recent earthquake which affected Pakistan; [149624](3) what discussions she has had with the Pakistan High Commissioner to the UK about the effects of the recent earthquake; and if she will make a statement about the loss of life and damage suffered by Pakistan. [149623]

According to the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) the worst affected state in Pakistan is Sindh Province, where 109,000 houses are said to be damaged (of which nearly 11,000 have been destroyed) with over 180,000 families affected. Fifteen people are reported to have died in Pakistan as a result of the earthquake The UN continues to monitor the situation. To date no appeal for assistance has been made by the Pakistan Government.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the impact of President Bush's reinstatement of restrictions on US international family planning aid. [149613]

The implications of the decision by the new US Administration to block funding to international non-governmental organisations that offer abortion and abortion counselling will become clearer over the coming weeks as guidance is issued from USAID.The Administration's decision is a matter for the US Government; it will make no difference to the commitment of this Government to help poor people access good quality family planning and reproductive health services.

To ask the Prime Minister on how many occasions, and for what purpose, Lord Levy has met one or more of the Hinduja brothers since May 1997 on behalf of the Prime Minister. [148363]

[holding answer 2 February 2001]: None. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Mid-Sussex (Mr. Soames) on 5 February 2001, Official Report, column 391W.

To ask the Prime Minister what the most recent audience figures are for the Prime Minister's broadcasts on the No. 10 website. [148654]

There have been 20 broadcasts, all of which are available on the website.No total viewing figures are available. This is because the broadcasts can be accessed in a number of different ways—either as a streamed file, a downloadable MP3 version or as a transcript.The streamed versions of the broadcasts have been requested nearly 50,000 times since the first one was posted on the site on 11 February 2000. Downloads of the MP3 version and hits on the transcript page will be additional to this figure. The site statistics do not show how often these have been accessed, but the site as a whole received over 99 million hits in the nine months since it was relaunched on 11 February 2000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if it is his policy that user-patients should be informed if the Bio Products Laboratory withdraws blood products on the basis of past donation information relating to CJD protection requirements. [143857]

[holding answer 21 December 2000]: The Department's current guidance, based on the advice from ethical experts, is that clinicians should not tell patients if they have received such products. This is because:

• the risk that vCJD might be transmitted in this way is low;
• there is no diagnostic test for vCJD;
• even if a test was available, there is no treatment.

The guidance goes on to state that:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if Levonorgestrel is licensed for use by girls between the ages of 11 and 15. [147133]

Levonorgestrel is available as a prescription-only medicine, without an age limit. It may therefore be prescribed to women aged under 16 years. When given for the purposes of emergency contraception, prescribers are expected to satisfy themselves, in accordance with guidelines, that the young person understands the advice and it is in their best interests to receive the treatment. From 1 January 2001, pharmacists have been permitted to supply Levonorgestrel 0.75 mg to women aged 16 years and over for use as an emergency contraceptive.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what clinical trials involving girls between the ages of 11 and 15 years have been conducted with respect to Levonorgestrel. [147134]

No clinical trials specific to this age group have been undertaken in the United Kingdom. The marketing authorisation granted in 1999 for Levonorgestrel 0.75 mg tablets as a prescription-only medicine was supported by evidence from two large randomised controlled studies, one conducted by the World Health Organisation, and published data from uncontrolled studies. Most women in the clinical trials were aged between 16 and 48, but a few girls aged 14 and 15 were included. There were no data available for girls between aged 11 and 14 years. Age analysis of efficacy and safety in the randomised studies did not identify any population that responded differently to treatment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much extra money was allocated to the professions allied to medicine under the NHS National Plan. [147276]

Under the NHS Plan there will be an extra £140 million by 2003–04 to support a major programme of training and development for all staff, including the allied health professions (formerly known as the professions allied to medicine). This is in addition to the extra £6 million made available this year to support the strategy for the allied health professions which was published in November 2000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total drugs bill was, in cash terms, for the (a) Hospital and Community Health Service and (b) Family Health Service for each of the last 10 years for which figures are available. [149431]

The information requested is shown in the table.

Total National Health Service spending on drugs (England only)
£ million
Year	Family health services (FHS) cash outturn	Hospital and community health services (HCHS) cash outturn	Total
1990–91	2,080	460	2,540
1991–92	2,317	591	2,908
1992–93	2,641	643	3,284
1993–94	2,951	710	3,661
1994–95	3,230	764	3,994
1995–96	3,498	874	4,372
1996–97	3,774	961	4,735
1997–98	4,085	1,088	5,173
1998–99	4,339	1,211	5,550
1999–2000	4,833	1,369	6,202

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures he is taking to shorten NHS waiting lists in the Jarrow constituency. [148748]

No patients in South Tyneside currently wait over 12 months for inpatient treatment and the South Tyneside Health Care National Health Service Trust has consistently met their over-13-week target for out-patient appointments during the last year.The South Tyneside Healthcare NHS Trust is implementing several initiatives at the Charles Palmer Community Hospital, Jarrow which will help to reduce waiting times for the local community. These include a new digital X-ray service linked to the district general hospital which will allow specialist and one-stop clinics to be provided in a local setting and a new direct access audiology service which will help to shorten waiting lists and times for ear, nose and throat appointments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many air ambulance services are provided in England; and how each of them are funded; [149781](2) what representations he has received about provision of air ambulance services during the last 12 months; [149782](3) what plans he has for the provision of air ambulance services within the NHS; [149783]

We recognise that air ambulance services have a role in delivering emergency care especially in rural areas and where road access is a problem. The services can be an effective way of getting better and faster access to hospital, and valuable in supporting inter-hospital transfers.Information on the number and funding of air ambulances is not collected centrally.During the last 12 months the Department has received letters from the general public and hon. Members asking whether the National Health Service should provide and fund air ambulance services.Evidence supporting the introduction of air ambulances in the NHS, however is not convincing. In 1995, the Department commissioned Sheffield university to report on air ambulances. The report failed to show benefits which would justify NHS investment.This lack of evidence to support the clinical or cost-effectiveness of these services does not support the funding of these services by the NHS. However, we will constantly review the position.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the allocation per weighted head of population for the North Staffordshire health authority for each year from 1996–97 to date. [149638]

Revenue allocation per weighted head of population for North Staffordshire health authority is shown in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will list the reasons why NHS hospital trusts have been prevented from telling members of the public how many adult and children's organs they have retained in their hospitals; [149824](2) when he will tell NHS hospitals trusts the form in which he will require them to set out for public information the numbers of adult and children's organs which are being retained in their hospitals; [149820](3) by what means NHS hospital trusts are required to obtain his permission to tell members of the public how many adult and children's organs are being retained in their hospitals; [149822](4) for what reason NHS hospital trusts have to obtain his permission before they can tell me members of the public how many adult and children's organsare being retained in their hospitals; [149821](5) if he will appoint counsellors to support members of the public who may be distraught after not being given information, on his guidance, by NHS hospital trusts on how many adult and children's organs are being held by their hospitals; [149818](6) for what reason NHS hospital trusts have been told that they can inform the public about how many adult and children's organs are retained in their hospitals only in a form that he approves. [149823]

[holding answer 9 February 2001]: Following the publication of the Royal Liverpool Children's inquiry report last week, a special Commission, under the chairmanship of Professor Margot Brazier, has been established to oversee the cataloguing and return of organs and tissue by National Health Service trusts in England.The Commission has issued comprehensive guidance to trusts on the sensitive and sympathetic handling of inquiries from relatives. This includes establishing dedicated telephone helplines and teams, maintaining contact, and providing bereavement support and counselling where necessary.The Commission has asked trusts not to provide specific information or begin the process of returning organs and tissue until comprehensive and accurate catalogues of organs and tissue have been completed, and approved by the Commission. This is aimed to avoid repeating the problems of misleading information and multiple burials criticised in the inquiry report.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to announce a final decision on whether Manchester, Sheffield or Birmingham will be the fourth transplant centre to remain in operation following the proposed rationalisation of services. [150074]

[holding answer 12 February 2001]: We will issue a document in due course setting out proposals for the future of the National Cardiothoracic Transplant Service. The document will invite views on the proposals from patients, the public and appropriate organisations. A decision will be made following careful consideration of those views.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the expected funding is of (a) the NHS and (b) personal social services in England per head of population in 2000–01. [150224]

The information requested is set out in the table.

£
	Spend per head in 2000–01
Net NHS expenditure1	890
Personal Social Services2	190
1 2000–01 planned expenditure
2 2000–01 planned provision for PSS. Includes resources made available to local councils in England for social services through Standard Spending Assessments and special and specific grants.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what monitoring he undertakes of the handling by the General Medical Council of complaints raised against medical practitioners practising in Scotland; and if he will make a statement. [149503]

Although no specific monitoring of complaints is undertaken, there are regular liaison meetings between departmental officials and the General Medical Council, where both policy and specific cases are discussed. In order to better address the concerns of patients, the GMC is currently carrying out a fundamental review of its structure.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the appeal structure for claimants dissatisfied by the decision of the General Medical Council. [149504]

Currently, the only legal course of action open to complainants is to seek leave for the decision to be judicially reviewed. However, my right hon. Friend the Lord Chancellor has stated in another place on 20 July 2000, Official Report, House of Lords, column WA 103, that there are strong arguments for dealing with these cases at a lower judicial level. I understand a number of organisations, including the General Medical Council, are examining alternative models for new appeals arrangements. I shall expect them to consider whether these should include a legal appeals route for complainants.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS patients have been redirected to private hospitals under his recently announced scheme; and what the position of such patients is in cases where treatment received proves defective (a) at the time of treatment and (b) subsequently. [150424]

There are no centrally held figures for the numbers of patients treated under the terms of the concordat. Health authorities have allocated funds to local commissioning bodies to make local arrangements as the concordat does not set out detailed contractual arrangements; these are left to be secured locally according to local need.Any patient treated making use of the private or voluntary sector under the terms of the concordat remains a National Health Service patient and their treatment remains NHS treatment. Such patients remain the responsibility of the NHS and continue to have full access to the NHS complaints procedure should they have any need to complain about treatment received.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he estimates that all filling stations in the UK will have replaced standard unleaded petrol with low-sulphur petrol. [150227]

This is a matter currently under discussion between my Department and petrol retailers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of filling stations had replaced standard unleaded petrol with low-sulphur petrol by December 2000; and how many he estimates will have done so by April 2001. [150226]

According to HM Customs and Excise's "Hydrocarbons Oils Bulletin", in mid-December 2000, ultra-low sulphur petrol constituted around 46 per cent. of petrol released for consumption in the UK. We are monitoring the continued roll out of ULSP across the country.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which projects involving General Mediterranean Holdings (UK) or its subsidiary companies the ECGD extended credit cover to (a) between 1992 and 1997 and (b) since 1997. [150235]

ECGD has no record of any dealings with this company or any other of its listed subsidiaries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the cost of the climate change levy on each steel factory in England and Wales; if he will list the estimated cost for each of the factories; and if he will make a statement. [150256]

The climate change levy has been designed to safeguard the competitiveness of manufacturing industry as a whole. It recognises the special position of energy intensive industries exposed to international competition, including the steel sector. Sites in these sectors which meet eligibility criteria will, subject to EU state aid clearance, get an 80 per cent. levy discount provided they deliver energy saving targets in negotiated agreements with the Government.The final impact of the levy on individual steel industry sites will depend on whether they participate in the steel sector's energy saving agreement to get the levy discount; and also on the extent to which they benefit from or take advantage of the various levy exemptions, and also the new scheme of enhanced capital allowances for investments in energy efficiency.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of mothers from low-income households work for employers with a policy of allowing employees to reduce their hours on return from maternity leave. [150108]

A survey of working parents recently conducted by my Department asked mothers whether a number of support provisions were made available to them by their employer on return from maternity leave, including returning to the same job on a reduced hours or part-time basis.83 per cent. of mothers in households with gross income of less than £20,800 said that their employer allowed them to return to the same job on a reduced hours or part-time basis, compared with 60 per cent. of those in households with gross income of £20,800 plus.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of fathers work for employers who allow them to reduce their hours in (a) the aftermath of the birth of a child and (b) for general childcare reasons. [150110]

A survey commissioned by the Department for Education and Employment in 2000 reports that 34 per cent. of fathers in workplaces employing five or more staff said that their employer would allow them to reduce their hours for an agreed period of time at reduced salary.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans the Government have to support enterprise, skills and innovation. [150126]

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Employment and I are today publishing "Opportunity for All in a World of Change: A White Paper on Enterprise, Skills and Innovation" (Cm 5052). Copies will be laid in the Libraries of the House and will be available in the Vote OfficeThe White Paper unveils the Government's active industrial policy to help people and businesses in all regions prosper in our fast-changing world, and sets out the Government's action plan for the future. It sets out the Government's next steps for raising GDP in the regions, closing the skills gap, supporting industry through restructuring and nurturing new industries as they develop.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many United Kingdom companies he anticipates will be covered by article 3(1) of the Companies (EU Political Expenditure) Exemption Order 2001. [149925]

[holding answer 12 February 2001]: The draft Companies (EU Political Expenditure) Order 2001 seeks to exclude activities such as the publication of newspapers from the definition of "political expenditure" under Part IX of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, while at the same time ensuring that the principles of accountability and transparency are properly applied in relation to political donations and expenditure by companies. The draft order would exempt any company or subsidiary undertaking whose ordinary course of business includes the preparation, publication or dissemination to the public of material such as views, opinion and comment on the news, or on public or political affairs and events, from the requirement to seek prior shareholder authorisation in respect of such activities; it would not exempt such companies from the requirement to seek prior shareholder authorisation for donations to political parties and organisations or for other forms of political expenditure.The order has been drafted so as to take account of possible future technological advances, and the Department does not have detailed information on the number of companies which will come within the exemption. The Newspaper Publishers Association, which represents national daily and Sunday newspapers, has eight members. The database of The Newspaper Society, which represents the regional newspaper industry, indicates that there are currently 106 regional press publishers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what response his Department has made to the most recent annual report of the Mortgage Code Compliance Board. [149838]

I have not made a response to this report.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action his Department is taking to (a) tackle and (b) raise awareness of the incidence of workplace bullying. [149992]

Bullying has no place in today's work environment and is unacceptable wherever it occurs.Legislation exists to protect workers from the most serious kinds of bullying, for instance under the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974. Laws also cover harassment and discrimination on the grounds of sex, race and disability.Non-legislative methods currently available include the adoption of best practice and the dissemination of guidance to employers, employees and their representatives i.e. the ACAS 'Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures'.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many ex-miners from (a) Barnsley and (b) Doncaster claiming compensation for chronic bronchitis and emphysema have died before their claims were fully processed. [149631]

IRISC, the Department's claims handlers, have been informed of 10 claimants in the Barnsley area who, sadly, died before their claims were fully processed, and 14 claimants in the Doncaster region.In all these cases, the claim will be continued by the claimants' widow or dependants. In addition, where a claimant's death certificate shows that one of the respiratory disease conditions for which British Coal was found liable either caused or materially contributed to the death, the Department will also make a bereavement award to the claimant's widow.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what his target is for processing Standard Individual Export Licence applications; and how actual performance compared to these targets in the last eight quarterly periods for which figures are available. [149634]

The Government's aim is to provide a substantive response to standard individual export licence applications (SIELs) within 20 working days. Our overall target is to achieve this in 70 per cent. of all cases, excluding applications concerning Iran or Iraq, or applications for licences to export goods which are subject to control solely because of UN sanctions.In December 2000, 47.7 per cent. of SIELs were processed within this target. For figures from January to November 2000, I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Vale of Clwyd (Mr. Ruane) on 9 January 2001,

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will examine the anti-competition implications of the decision of Corns not to sell its Llanwern plant to a competitor. [149358]

Responsibility for investigating any possible breach of competition law by Corns would be a matter for the competition authorities, the European Commission and the Director General of Fair Trading. I have drawn their attention to my hon. Friend's question.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the quinquennial review of the six grant-awarding research councils will take place; and what the terms of reference for the review will be. [150466]

I am today launching the quinquennial review of the grant-awarding research councils.Reviews of non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) are a key part of our programme to modernise government. The Government are committed to achieving better public services that are of higher quality and are more responsive to the needs of the people who use them. Regular NDPB reviews are an important element in ensuring that we have in place the right structures to deliver the Government's agenda effectively and to provide a strong focus on improving future performance.The purpose of the six grant-awarding councils is to deliver Government policy for publicly funded research and postgraduate training. It would be impossible to conduct a fundamental review independently from that policy. For this reason, although quinquennial review of the six councils was due in 1999, it has been appropriate to postpone their quinquennial review until the outcome of the relevant policy reviews had been completed, so that the role of the councils could be considered in that context. Together, the White Papers on Science and Innovation ("Excellence and Opportunity"; Cmd 4814) and the Knowledge Economy ("Opportunity for All in a World of Change"; Cm 2250) now provide the context for the review.The terms of reference for the review of the research councils are:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list for (a) 1992–93, (b) 1993–94, (c) 1991–95, (d) 1995–96, (e) 1996–97, (f) 1997–98, (g) 1998–99, (h) 1999–2000 and (i) 2000–01, (I) his Department"s total spending on quantitative and qualitative surveys of policy issues by focus groups, opinion polling, task forces or other means and (II) the cost of each individual project. [146595]

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not collect separate data on expenditure on the categories listed. It would involve disproportionate expense to retrieve this information from various sources and itemise the individual projects.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his counterparts in the Arab world about the continuation of sanctions on Iraq; and if he will make a statement. [149745]

We maintain regular dialogue with the Governments of the Arab world on Iraq. I recently had the opportunity to discuss this matter with the Foreign Minister of Egypt.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received from the UN Interim Administrator for Kosovo regarding the security situation in Kosovo and Southern Serbia. [149775]

The new special representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) visited London shortly before taking up his post, and held discussions with me and with senior officials. Staff of the British Office in Pristina are in close touch with him, and we seek actively to support him in his important work. This mandate does not extend to Southern Serbia outside Kosovo, but we receive regular reports on the situation there from various sources.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the security situation in (a) Kosovo and (b) Presevo Valley. [149774]

UNMIK and KFOR are working actively to improve public order and counter extremist activity in Kosovo. Although isolated violent incidents continue to occur, most of the province is calm. There have been a number of violent demonstrations recently in Mitrovica, to which KFOR and UNMIK have responded. British troops, as part of the KFOR reserve, were temporarily deployed there. We fully support UNMIK's efforts to promote greater inter-communal peace in the town.We remain concerned about the risk of serious violence in the Presevo Valley area of Serbia, and commend the FRY authorities for the restraint they have so far shown. We welcome the recent announcement by Belgrade of proposals to resolve the conflict, and the fact that some representatives of the ethnic Albanian armed groups also seem prepared to negotiate. The United Kingdom, with our partners and allies, will want to do whatever we can to support a peaceful outcome.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the UN Interim Administrators for Kosovo regarding the current violence by military demonstrators against NATO peacekeepers in Kosovo. [149776]

We have been in regular contact with the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) about the demonstrations against KFOR peacekeepers in Mitrovica. We condemn all acts of violence against KFOR. We support UNMIK' s attempts to build confidence and ethnic tolerance in the town.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the European Union is required to abide by the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 when it takes over as the new employer of the Western European Union staff. [149899]

I will write to my hon. Friend shortly and place a copy of my letter in the Libraries of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the impact on dealing in illegal diamonds in Sierra Leone of his initiatives on conflict diamonds. [149989]

As part of HMG's initiative to tackle the problem of conflict diamonds, the UK played the lead role in promoting UN Security Council resolution 1306, which was adopted on 5 July 2000 and imposed a ban on the direct or indirect import of all rough diamonds from Sierra Leone to the territory of UN member states. The resolution provided for an exemption from the ban for diamonds controlled by the Government of Sierra Leone through a certificate of origin regime. This exemption came into effect on 6 October 2000 when the UN Sanctions Committee Chairman reported to the President of the Security Council that an effective regime was fully in operation.It is too early to assess the impact of the new regime on the illicit diamond trade. However, we anticipate that it will enhance the capacity of the Government and people of Sierra Leone to benefit from the country's diamond wealth, while limiting the rebels' income from illegal trade. In addition to the combative systems already in place, the UK is promoting a UN Security Council resolution recommending a package of measures against Liberia, identified as the rebel Revolutionary United Front's primary supporter in a recent expert panel report. We also co-sponsored resolution 55/56 on conflict diamonds, adopted by the UN General Assembly last December, and are working with Governments, industry and civil society to develop an international certification scheme, as mandated by that resolution.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what representations he intends to make to the Pakistani authorities over the use of the blasphemy laws in Pakistan; [150210](2) what recent representations he has made to the Pakistani authorities concerning the use of blasphemy laws. [150211]

We remain concerned at reports that Pakistan's blasphemy laws continue to be abused. We have repeatedly raised our concerns with the Pakistani authorities and have called for the abolition of the death penalty under the law, or for them to be repealed. Most recently, an ad hoc EU Troika mission visited Pakistan on 20–21 November and raised these concerns with the Pakistani authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Pakistani Government regarding the situation of Ahmadi Muslims. [150217]

We remain concerned about the position of Ahmadis in Pakistan. We are particularly worried over the application of the blasphemy laws to them. We have ensured that the Pakistani authorities remain in no doubt about these concerns. We continue to raise our concerns with the Pakistanis and will monitor closely the plight of the Ahmadis.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his counterparts in other EU countries regarding seats on the United Nations Security Council. [150115]

The Secretary of State has regular exchanges with a number of EU partners on issues relating to membership of the United Nations Security Council.We continue to press for early enlargement of the Council, including new non-permanent and new permanent seats. We support the creation of five new permanent seats: for Germany and Japan plus three developing states.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will list the new public bodies established by her Department since May 1997. [145639]

Between May 1997 and 30 June 1999, the following non-departmental public bodies were established by the Scottish Office:

NDPB	Date established
Clinical Standards Board for Scotland	1 April 1999
Scottish Advisory Committee on Distinction Awards	9 November 1998
Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission	1 April 1999

The Scotland Office was set up in its present form on 1 July 1999. No new public bodies have been established by my Department since that date.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations she has received on proposals by the Scottish Executive to provide free care for the elderly; and if she will make a statement. [148947]

Health care and social care are devolved matters for the Scottish Executive.

To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee how many hon. Members have been requested to make payments for prepaid House of Commons envelopes which have not been used in accordance with the rules of the House; and how many hon. Members have been ordered to make such payments following complaints since May 1997. [150348]

Supervision and enforcement of the regulations for the use of House stationery and post-paid envelopes are a matter for the Serjeant at Arms. I have asked him to write to my hon. Friend.

To ask the President of the Council what information she received on the contents of the Education and Employment Committee's report on access to higher education, and the proceedings of the Committee prior to the publication of the report. [150052]

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when it is intended to restart test firing of depleted uranium shells at Dundrennan in Kirkcudbrightshire; how many shells will be fired; and over what period. [148152]

[holding answer 1 February 2001]: The current programme of proof firing Charm 3 depleted uranium rounds is due to recommence on 19 February 2001. A total of 60 rounds will be fired in five serials during the next seven months. Subject to weather conditions, the programme is expected to be completed by the end of September.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he is considering the availability of cost-effective alternatives to depleted uranium munitions; and if he will make a statement. [150216]

The Ministry of Defence has for many years conducted research into weapon and armour materials and designs. Research and consultation with allies continues to include the search for potential alternatives to depleted uranium and to identify and characterise their cost effectiveness and environmental impact. Depleted uranium still has a significant margin of operational effectiveness over alternative materials when employed in anti-armour weapon systems. In recent years, a new tungsten round has been developed for the Royal Navy's Phalanx close-in weapons systems that offers superior performance (anti-armour qualities are not important for this weapon system). So, since 1996, all replacement ammunition for the Phalanx system has been of the tungsten variety.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made with work to identify a voluntary screening programme for service personnel and civilians who have served in the Balkans and who are concerned about exposure to depleted uranium. [150464]

The first phase of work to identify a screening programme, which we intend should be equally applicable to Gulf veterans as to those who have served in the Balkans, has been completed. We are publishing today a consultative document setting out the technical issues associated with such a programme, inviting advice and comment in particular from a wide range of expert bodies. A copy of the consultative document is being placed in the Library of the House, and it will also be available on the MOD internet website.The next step in our work is to develop firm proposals for screening, taking into account the advice and comments we receive in response to the consultative document. Those proposals in turn will be the subject of wide consultation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if enriched uranium, U-236, and other radioactive material from nuclear processing plants is used in the manufacture of depleted uranium munitions in Britain. [147412]

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy (Mr. Llwyd) on 7 February 2001, Official Report, column 521W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to extend the use of HMS Gannet for anti-submarine warfare beyond April 2002. [149852]

Beyond April 2002, HMS Gannet will be used as a forward operating base for anti-submarine warfare activated as and when required, as well as a permanent base for search and rescue operations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress he has made in securing an alternative MOD use for the site of HMS Gannet when it ceases to operate on anti-submarine warfare function in 2002. [149853]

No alternative military use has so far been identified by my Department. Naval Air Command is currently reviewing the options for the provision of single living accommodation (SLA) as part of the conversion of HMS Gannet to a forward operating base. One option could be to retain the SLA on the Greensite, but no decisions have yet been taken.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will consider the availability of adjacent sites to HMS Gannet in his assessment of its alternative future use by his Department. [149854]

No alternative military use for the Greensite at HMS Gannet has so far been identified. The availability of adjacent land has been taken into account, as have the very strict commercial aviation safety regulations which would constrain any development.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list (a) the properties from the Defence Estate (i) disposed of since July 1988 and (ii) scheduled for disposal by June 2002 and (b) the disposal receipts (i) received and (ii) estimated to be received by June 2002. [148938]

I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent on employing short-term locums by the Defence Secondary Care Agency in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [149894]

I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what mess facilities are available to DMS officers at the Centre for Defence Medicine in Birmingham; when a dedicated officers' mess for personnel at the centre will be established; and if he will make a statement. [149895]

Currently, there are no dedicated mess facilities for Defence Medical Services (DMS) officers at the Centre for Defence Medicine, which is to open in April in Birmingham. In the short-term, arrangements are being made to hold some mess functions at other officers' mess facilities in the local area. Several options to provide mess facilities in the longer term are now being explored. Precise time scales cannot be determined, but we envisage having such facilities in place within about four years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which RAF and Royal Navy aircraft are fitted with RADALT; if he plans to introduce RADALT as standard across all aircraft; and if he will make a statement. [149898]

Radio altimeters (RADALT) are fitted to the following Royal Air Force and Royal Navy in-service aircraft types:

RAF—Hercules; C 130K; Nimrod; Jaguar; Canberra; Sentry; Islander; VC10; Sea King; Wessex; Chinook; Puma; Tornado; Harrier; BAE 125; BAE 146; TriStar; Dominic.

RN—Sea Harrier; Sea King; Lynx.

A feasibility study is under way to determine whether radar altimeter fitment to RAF Hawk aircraft would be practical.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the conclusions and recommendations of the inquiry into the fatal crash of a Hawk aircraft over Cumbria in October 1999; what steps his Department is taking to address the conclusions of the inquiry; at what cost; and if he will make a statement. [149897]

The RAF board of inquiry into this accident concluded that the aircraft deviated from a safe flight path and hit the ground.The board recommended that consideration should be given to the fitting of either a ground proximity warning system (GPWS) or a radar altimeter (RADALT) to the Hawk fleet. Due to compatibility difficulties with the existing avionics and the anticipated remaining life of the Hawk fleet, the fitting of a GPWS is not being pursued. However, the feasibility of fitting RADALT to the fleet is being explored as a matter of urgency. The board also recommended that a voice channel should be incorporated in the Hawk accident data recorder (ADR) and this is currently being investigated.The costs associated with the fitting of RADALT or a voice channel in the ADR have not yet been determined.A further minor recommendation, with no safety implications, concerned a revision to post-crash management procedures. This is being done, with no additional costs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many hours of low-flying are logged per day by pilots over Northumberland; how many days of low-flying there are per year over Northumberland; which countries the pilots who practise low-flying over Northumberland are from; and if he will make a statement. [149896]

From information available for the last three years, the number of hours low-flying booked by aircraft in low-flying area (LFA) 12, the airspace over Northumberland, Durham and north-east North Yorkshire, was as detailed:

	Total hours booked in LFA 12
1997	4,926
1998	3,983
1999	3,009

It is likely that LFA 12 would have experienced some low-flying on most weekdays.In 1999 there were 1,917 fewer hours flown than in 1997, a reduction of 39 per cent.An annual statement on the pattern of low-flying in the United Kingdom is produced by the MOD, and this is placed in the Library of the House. The next annual statement will be published in the summer and will cover the period from April 2000 to March 2001.Detailed statistical information by LFA is not held of the country of origin of those pilots flying in the UK low-flying system. However, during 2000 foreign aircraft took part in less than 0.5 per cent. of the total sorties booked in the UK low-flying system.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will take steps to ensure the protection of military personnel from prosecution for their activities in both operational and non-operational activities in the proposed International Criminal Court; and if he will make a statement; [150032](2) what measures he has taken and representations he has made to ensure the protection of military personnel and their activities in both operational and non-operational mode from prosecution in the proposed International Criminal Court. [150031]

[holding answer 12 February 2001]: A principal purpose of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Bill now before Parliament is to ensure that UK service personnel are protected from malicious or ill-founded prosecution by the ICC. The Ministry of Defence has been closely involved with the legislative details to guarantee this.The Bill has been constructed to achieve this protection by using the principle of complementarity embodied in the ICC statute. Complementarity means that individuals cannot be tried before the ICC if they have been subject to genuine and effective national legal investigation or proceedings. Any allegations of war crimes against UK service personnel would therefore be dealt with by the UK and not by the ICC.All offences included in the ICC Bill are already reflected in international law, and the armed forces are already bound by them in their conduct of operations.To preserve the principle of complementarity, it is essential that domestic law allows investigation and, where necessary, prosecution of all offences contained in the ICC statute. The ICC Bill accordingly defines offences exactly as in the ICC statute. To do otherwise, or to exclude service personnel from the provisions of the Bill, would leave them without full protection from malicious or ill-founded allegations and prosecutions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many work permits have been issued to non-European Economic Area (a) professional basket ball players, (b) golf professionals, (c) rugby football union players, (d) rugby football league players, (e) horse racing jockeys, (f) cricket players, (g) ice hockey players and (h) association football players in (i) England and Wales and (ii) Scotland in (A) 1996–97, (B) 1997–98, (C) 1998–99 and (D) 1999–2000. [148882]

[holding answer 7 February 2001]: Information held by the Department does not distinguish between England and Wales, and Scotland, and it does not separately identify rugby football union players from rugby football league players. As the seasons between the different sports overlap, for ease of reference the information requested has been presented by calendar year.

	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000
Professional basketball players	85	92	70	88	87
Golf professionals	0	0	0	0	0
Rugby players	227	261	204	180	158
Horse racing jockeys	12	3	3	3	6
Cricket players	189	239	263	285	352
Ice hockey players	66	55	52	64	79
Association football players	53	53	67	78	76

Figures include all approvals for work permits, work permit extensions, and change of employers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will set out, including statistical information, the effect on the Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [149121]

Details of the effect on the Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency and Lancashire LEA of a range of the Department's policies have been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many (a) primary and (b) secondary school teacher vacancies there are in schools in the London borough of Wandsworth. [149367]

Full-time teacher vacancies in maintained schools in the London borough of Wandsworth at January 2000 are as follows.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the impact of tuition fees and the abolition of maintenance grants on (1) student drop-out rates; [149456](2) the number of applicants for university. [149457]

We have no evidence to suggest that the student support arrangements we introduced are affecting non-completion rates or the demand for higher education. The non-completion rate in the UK has remained broadly steady at 17–18 per cent. since 1991–92. Data from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) on the number of people accepted for entry to full-time and sandwich courses in higher education in the UK in 2000–01 show an overall rise of 1.5 per cent. or over 5,000 students compared to the previous year. This follows an increase in enrolments in both 1998–99 and 1999–2000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many students have been expelled from universities in England and Wales as a result of nonpayment of debts in each of the last five years. [149459]

Data are not held centrally on expulsions from higher education institutions as a result of nonpayment of debts.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what recent representations he has received from higher education bodies and institutions on the recommendations of the Bett report. [149664]

My Department has received several representations from higher education bodies, institutions and individuals. The Bett report was to the employers, not the Government. However, the Government recognise that funding is a factor in recruitment and retention of staff and is providing £50 million in 2001–02, rising to £110 million in 2002–03 and £170 million in 2003–04, to support increases in academic and non-academic pay. The Higher Education Funding Council for England is currently consulting institutions, representative bodies and unions on the human resource strategies which will underpin the allocation of funds.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the effect of the cost of living in the south of England on recruitment of non-academic staff in higher education. [149665]

My Department has made no such assessment. The recruitment of staff is a matter for higher education institutions. However, the Government are providing £50 million in 2001–02, rising to £110 million in 2002–03 and £170 million in 2003–04, to support increases in academic and non-academic pay. This will give higher education employers more flexibility to address recruitment and retention difficulties and modernise their reward systems.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many children are assisted with their fees with the music and ballet scheme; how many are recruited annually; and what is the average cost per child to public funds. [149751]

In the current academic year 2000–01, 749 children hold aided places under the music and ballet scheme at an average cost per pupil to public funds of £14,845. All parents using the scheme are required each year to make a declaration of the family's income in order for their contribution towards school fees to be assessed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the conclusions of the recent review of the music and ballet scheme and the subsequent consultation with interested parties. [149753]

We value the music and ballet scheme, and want to see it continue and develop. The final report on the review was received in summer 1999 and we consulted more than 60 organisations and other interested parties in the autumn of that year. We announced last April that we accepted, in principle, all 20 recommendations in the report: they covered scheme objectives and decision-making, scheme development, and financial arrangements (including the restructuring of the parental contribution scales). In response to one of the key recommendations, we established last summer an advisory group for the music and ballet scheme to advise my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on the operation, monitoring and future development of the scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what studies he has commissioned into the future demand for supported employment involving the first or rehabilitated employment of persons disabled and out of work and of the unit cost of widening access to employment for those in these categories. [149754]

My Department has not commissioned recent studies into the likely future demand for supported employment, though such studies have been commissioned in the past. I announced radical improvements to the Supported Employment Programme on 8 December 2000 which will result in the programme being opened up, for the first time, to people who were formerly claiming incapacity benefits or were long-term unemployed. The programme will be known as Workstep from April 2001.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what studies he has commissioned into incentives to move into open employment from supported employment and the likely impact on those providers of supported employment who fail to qualify for those incentives. [149756]

My Department has not commissioned studies into incentives to move into open employment from supported employment, although my Department and the Employment Service receive regular feedback from providers and clients on this issue. We will continue to provide the training and support people need to progress from supported to mainstream employment. This is an important part of the modernised Supported Employment Programme (Workstep) which I announced on 8 December 2000. We expect that rates of progression from the programme will vary between providers and we will monitor the effects of incentives during the early years to see if there is a need to make any changes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what studies he has commissioned into the nature of open employment taken by those leaving supported employment and into the skill grades and remuneration involved compared with those available under their previous supported employment. [149757]

My Department has not commissioned studies into the nature of open employment undertaken by people leaving supported employment because the numbers making such a move have been very small. One of my aims in modernising the Supported Employment Programme is to introduce improvements which will increase the numbers of people who move from the programme and into mainstream employment. The modernised programme, which will be known as Workstep from April 2001, will be subject to evaluation to provide information about what happens to people who leave it.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what monitoring he has carried out of the responses of the Council of the University of Liverpool to the Royal Liverpool Children's Inquiry; and what assessment he has made of the ability of the Council of the University of Liverpool to investigate the matter and take disciplinary action where appropriate. [149874]

My right hon. and noble Friend the Minister for Education and Employment in the Lords has asked the Council of the University of Liverpool to keep her informed of progress in the Council's consideration of disciplinary action of those employees of the University named in the Redfern report on the Royal Liverpool Children's Hospital. I understand that the president of the University Council has already established a panel of lay members of Council to take this work forward. I am confident the Council will properly discharge its duties.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what payments have been made to (a) Wildcat Corporation and (b) other bodies for consultancy services given in relation to New Deal and the reform of New Deal; and if he will list the subject of each project, the consultancy provider and the fee paid in each case. [149891]

[holding answer 12 February 2001]: All payments to the Wildcat Corporation have been made from private funds. Information on consultancies is not kept centrally, and could not be gathered in the form requested without incurring disproportionate costs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what initiatives embarked upon since May 1997 have benefited Pendle; and if he will make a statement. [149912]

The information has been placed in the Libraries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what additional standard spending assessment for Leicestershire would be required were it funded at the average for English counties for (a) primary and (b) secondary pupils based on the SSA for 2001–02. [149985]

The following table shows the 2001–02 education SSA per primary and secondary pupil for Leicestershire and England.

£
SSA	Leicestershire	England
Primary per pupil	2,292	2,588
Secondary per pupil	2,960	3,313

If Leicestershire's SSA per pupil for primary and secondary schools were the same as the national average it is estimated that its 2001–02 education SSA would be £14.8 million higher. Between 1997–98 and 2000–01, funding per pupil in Leicestershire has increased by £310 in real terms. In addition to an increase of £14.7 million in education SSA, schools in Leicestershire will benefit from an estimated £6.7 million in Direct Grant in 2001–02. The authority will also receive £100,000 as its share of the extra £52 million made available to provide support to help some LEAs manage funding changes in 2001–02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what proportion of the (a) £6 million additional funding announced in press notice 2001/0073 and (b) £23 million funding for Education Business Links will be ring-fenced for that purpose and what proportion is discretionary expenditure for learning and skills councils. [150114]

All of the £23 million for Education Business Links, of which the additional £6 million is a part, will be ring-fenced for that purpose.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment in which local education authorities teaching staff are eligible for London weighting allowance. [150191]

There are separate allowances for inner and outer London and the fringe. For these purposes:1. "The Inner London Area" means the area comprising the areas of the inner London councils as defined in section 163(2) of the Education Reform Act 1988 and the areas of the London boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Brent, Ealing, Haringey, Merton and Newham;2. "The Outer London Area" means Greater London, excluding the Inner London Area; and3. "The Fringe Area" means:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the future of education. [150204]

I refer my hon. Friend to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 12 February 2001, Official Report, columns 22–24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when a response will be made to the founder of the Stagecoach Theatre Schools, about whether the Stagecoach Schools will be required to register with Ofsted's Early Years Directorate and be subject to the relevant training criteria and staffing ratios. [150347]

It is not our intention that Ofsted should normally register activity-based settings such as drama, dance, or music schools where child care is incidental to the main purpose of the provision. We are exploring how that can be achieved effectively. I shall write to the founder of Stagecoach Theatre Schools shortly with a proposed way forward.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when he expects to publish the North Southwark Education Action Zone account for 1999–2000. [150349]

The 1999–2000 annual accounts for North Southwark Education Action Zone will be signed off and laid before Parliament by the Comptroller and Auditor General when the National Audit Office (NAO) has completed its work and is satisfied it can give a full opinion. The NAO will then publish the accounts.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will meet representatives of the Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service to discuss its funding. [150339]

Arrangements have already been made for a meeting with Home Office officials on 13 February. The above request will be considered in the light of the outcome of that meeting.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Putney (Mr. Colman), of 2 February 2001, Official Report, column 338W, if he will make it his policy to list applications from Tibetan asylum seekers separately. [150057]

[holding answer 12 February 2001]: For statistical purposes, asylum claims from Tibetans are classed as applications received from the People's Republic of China. There are no plans to change this procedure.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the hon. Member for Putney will receive a reply to his letter of 14 November on behalf of his constituent Mr. Juricic (Ref. J252287). [148438]

[holding answer 9 February 2001]: I wrote to my hon. Friend on 12 February 2001.I am sorry for the delay in responding.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) male and (b) female prison inmates in category (i) A, (ii) B, (iii) C and (iv) D, were being held in prisons in England and Wales on 1 January. [149620]

Provisional information showing how many sentenced adult male prisoners are in category A, B, C and D prisons is given in the table. Remand prisoners are not usually categorised except for some remand prisoners held as category A prisoners. 7,857 male prisoners were being held on remand at the end of January. Of these, 241 were being held as category A prisoners.Women and young offenders may be placed in category A establishments but are otherwise categorised as suitable for open or closed conditions. Provisional information shows that at the end of January 2001 there were three sentenced adult female prisoners and one remand female prisoner in category A prisons. Sixteen male young offenders were also held in category A prisons.

Number of sentenced adult males held in each category of Prison in England and Wales for the end of January 2001
Category of prison	Number1
Category A	703
Category B	7,701
Category C	26,817
Category D	4,030
1 Excludes sentenced adult males recently arrived and awaiting categorisation

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) men and (b) women were serving a life prison sentence for murder in England and Wales on 1 January. [149619]

Provisional information for 31 December 2000 shows that there were 3,325 males and 124 females serving life sentences for murder in prisons in England and Wales at that time. Information on prison population is available in successive volumes of "Prison Statistics England and Wales" (Chapter 1 of the 1999 edition, CM 4805).

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the date of application of the earliest application for naturalisation which is awaiting determination by his Department. [147634]