To ask the Solicitor-General if he has received a recent request from the Wiltshire Coroner to hold a fresh inquest on the death of Ronald Maddison at the defence research establishment at Porton Down; and if he will make a statement. [152378]

Her Majesty's Coroner for Wiltshire and Swindon has requested the Attorney-General's consent for a fresh inquest into the death of Ronald Maddison which occurred in 1953. The Coroner has been asked to provide further information.The procedure is governed by section 13 of the Coroners Act 1988. Only the High Court may order a fresh inquest to be held. The Attorney-General's consent is required for the application to the High Court for that fresh inquest.The application for the Attorney-General's consent will be considered when the further information he has requested arrives. If the Attorney-General grants his consent the Coroner will then be able to make the necessary application to the High Court.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the prisons being built in England and Wales; when each is expected to open; and how many inmate places there will be at each. [152679]

One prison is currently under construction, Dovegate prison, and is due to open on 9 July 2001. There will be 800 prisoner places, of which 200 will form a therapeutic community.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for asylum in the UK have been rejected on non-compliance grounds in each of the last three years; and how many of those claims have subsequently been given substantive consideration (a) prior to an appeal hearing and (b) following a successful appeal. [151625]

The available information on the number of non-compliance decisions is given in the table.Statistical information for each of the last three years on the consideration of non-compliance cases following an initial decision but before appeal is not held centrally and would therefore only be available through examination of case records at a disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason and by what amount Wandsworth prison's budget was cut last year; what other prisons received notification of budget cuts and what the amounts were in each case; and if he will make a statement on the budgetary control system for prisons. [152325]

Under the 1998 comprehensive settlement review (CSR) settlement, the Prison Service was required to make cash-releasing efficiency savings of £18 million, equivalent to one per cent., in 2000–01. Prison establishments were required to contribute efficiency savings towards this target, and their budget baselines adjusted accordingly. The table shows the amounts by which individual establishments' baselines were reduced.The 1998 CSR also provided an additional £226 million over three years for the Prison Service to manage population increases and provide purposeful regimes for prisoners designed to prevent their reoffending. This money was allocated to individual establishments for specific purposes related to this aim.It follows, therefore, that in some cases establishments will have experienced reductions in their baseline at the same time as they received additional CSR funding. The reductions in the baseline reflected required efficiency savings in performing existing functions, while the CSR allocations were to facilitate specific new work.The allocation of budgets and the efficiency savings required of individual establishments are designed to achieve the most equitable allocation of resources across the service in the context of tight financial constraints and the requirement to make efficiency savings.

Establishment	Efficiency savings 2000–01
Acklington	60,000
Albany	80,320
Ashwell	50,000
Askham Grange	50,000
Aylesbury	91,300
Bedford	69,890
Belmarsh	288,000
Birmingham	160,000
Blantyre House	20,570
Blundeston	82,010
Brinsford	70,000
Bristol	153,950
Brixton	163,430
Brockhill	25,000
Bullingdon	126,370
Bullwood Hall	37,320
Camp Hill	79,620
Canterbury	63,230
Cardiff	110,540
Castington	45,000
Channings Wood	90,810
Chelmsford	86,730
Coldingley	54,660
Cookham Wood	30,160
Dartmoor	124,970
Deerbolt	50,000
Dorchester	42,080
Dover	56,750
Downview	61,860
Drake Hall	60,000
Durham	95,000
East Sutton Park	16,480
Eastwood Park	61,550
Elmley	137,910
Erlestoke	53,520
Everthorpe	60,000
Exeter	87,560
Featherstone	60,000
Feltham	162,800
Ford	53,120
Foston Hall	25,000
Frankland	227,000
Full Sutton	231,000
Garth	230,000
Gartree	77,510
Glen Parva	85,000
Gloucester	59,250
Grendon	93,690
Guys Marsh	71,010
Haslar	24,790
Hatfield	50,000
Haverigg	60,000
Hewell Grange	25,000
High Down	162,070
Highpoint	123,190
Hindley	70,000
Hollesley Bay	84,480
Holloway	177,700
Holme House	170,000
Hull	150,000
Huntercombe	68,980
Kingston	39,170
Kirkham	200,000
Kirklevington Grange	35,000
Lancaster Castle	60,000
Lancaster Farms	85,000
Latchmere House	22,680
Leeds	245,000
Leicester	310,000

Establishment	Efficiency savings 2000–01
Lewes	91,030
Leyhill	58,070
Lincoln	105,000
Lindholme	200,000
Littlehey	86,880
Liverpool	860,000
Long Lartin	203,000
Low Newton	35,000
Maidstone	97,010
Manchester	600,000
Moorland	210,000
Morton Hall	25,000
New Hall	95,000
North Sea Camp	35,000
Northallerton	60,000
Norwich	118,420
Nottingham	95,000
Onley	99,760
Parkhurst	103,810
Pentonville	185,780
Portland	88,240
Preston	180,000
Ranby	110,000
Reading	53,630
Risley	160,000
Rochester	77,060
Send	37,510
Shepton Mallet	39,720
Shrewsbury	50,000
Stafford	220,000
Standford Hill	50,280
Stocken	80,000
Stoke Heath	50,000
Styal	60,000
Sudbury	50,000
Swaleside	118,620
Swansea	64,740
Swinfen Hall	40,000
The Mount	95,580
Thorn Cross	95,000
Usk/Prescoed	50,100
Verne	79,750
Wakefield	197,000
Wandsworth	203,160
Wayland	87,370
Wealstun	95,000
Weare	—
Wellingborough	79,610
Werrington	25,000
Wetherby	110,000
Whatton	25,000
Whitemoor	222,000
Winchester	104,480
Woodhill	108,000
Wormwood Scrubs	188,580
Wymott	190,000
Total	13,384,220

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisons operate industrial workshops; how many prisoners are employed in such workshops; what the income and expenditure of each prison workshop is; and if he will make a statement. [151210]

[pursuant to his reply, 26 February 2001, c. 492W]: On 31 March 2000 there were 9,527 employed in public sector workshops, not 1,041 as previously stated.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if training of new replacement recruits will be completed before redundant RUC officers leave. [152384]

Officers began to leave the RUC under the terms of the early retirement/voluntary severance scheme in January 2001. The first police trainees will join the Police Service of Northern Ireland in September 2001, and are expected to have completed their training by February 2002.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on what date the Chief Constable of the RUC requested an investigation into the operation of the Force Research Unit; how many items of correspondence he has received from the RUC on the subject of the FRU in the past 12 months; and at how many meetings this subject has been discussed. [150579]

On 19 April 1999 the Chief Constable asked Sir John Stevens to investigate the murder of Mr. Patrick Finucane plus associated allegations contained within the British Irish Rights Watch report on the subject. An investigation into the activities of the FRU is an important part of Sir John's investigation. In the last 12 months neither the Secretary of State nor his predecessor received any correspondence from the RUC specifically on the subject of the activities of the FRU. In that same period the Stevens Inquiry has been discussed at ministerial level in a number of meetings held with a range of individuals.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the use of the Warrior armoured vehicle. [153038]

I announced on 30 November 2000, Official Report, columns 726–27W, that a number of precautionary operating restrictions had been put in place on the use of the Warrior armoured vehicle following the failure of the driveshaft system in some vehicles. A technical solution to the problem has now been developed and the fitting of modified parts commenced on 5 March 2001. The operating restrictions are being lifted from individual vehicles as they receive the modified driveshafts. The programme to convert all Warrior vehicles is expected to be completed by July 2001.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) where ex-servicemen who suffer post-traumatic stress disorder can be treated; [152007]

Ex-service personnel seeking advice on post-traumatic stress disorder from the Ministry of Defence's veterans advice unit are referred to a variety of contacts for assistance, including their own national health service (NHS) GP and ex-service welfare organisations, especially those that specialise in stress-related disorders. However, if any treatment was necessary, it would be carried out by the NHS, as it becomes responsible for the health care of personnel when they leave the armed forces. There are no plans to change this arrangement. The NHS has a range of psychiatric services available, including those that specialise in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. Current NHS guidance provides priority for out-patient and in-patient treatment to be given to war pensioners, where they require treatment for the condition for which they receive their war pension.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list by specialty and rank the number of Defence Medical Services personnel on operational duty in Sierra Leone in September 2000; and if he will make a statement. [151799]

The number of Defence Medical Services personnel on operational duty in Sierra Leone during September 2000 is set out. The majority of these personnel deployed to provide initial medical support to UK troops. A surgical team also deployed briefly to Sierra Leone in support of the UK military operation which successfully freed six members of the Royal Irish Regiment on 10 September, and this is included in the details as shown. Medical support to UK forces was also provided by the UN hospital which was then run by the Indian armed forces.

• Lieutenant Colonel—Consultant General Surgeon
• Lieutenant Colonel—Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon
• Lieutenant Colonel—Consultant Anaesthetist
• Lieutenant Colonel—Medical Officer
• Lieutenant Colonel—General Medical Practitioner
• Major—Consultant Anaesthetist
• Captain—Medical Officer
• Captain—Medical Officer
• Flight Lieutenant—Nursing Officer
• Warrant Officer Class 1—Operating Department Practitioner Class 1
• Warrant Officer Class 2—Combat Medical Technician Class 1
• Staff Sergeant x 2—Operating Department Practitioner Class 1
• Sergeant—Regimental Medical Assistant Class 1
• Sergeant x 2—Operating Department Practitioner Class 1
• Sergeant—Registered General Nurse
• Sergeant x 3—Combat Medical Technician Class 1
• Corporal x 3—Combat Medical Technician Class 1
• Corporal—Environmental Health Technician Class 1
• Corporal x 2—Operating Department Practitioner Class 1
• Ranger x 2—Regimental Medical Assistant Class 2
• Lance Corporal—Combat Medical Technician Class 1
• Lance Corporal—Regimental Medical Assistant Class 1
• Lance Corporal—Operating Department Practitioner Class 1
• Lance Corporal—Regimental Medical Assistant Class 3
• Senior Aircraftman—RAF Medical Assistant
• Private—Combat Medical Technician Class 1.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list by specialty the number of Defence Medical Services personnel who will be deployed as part of Exercise Saif Sareea 2 stating in each case how many are (a) regular and (b) reserves; and if he will make a statement. [151808]

Requirements for medical support to Exercise Saif Sareea 2 have not yet been finalised. Consequently, we are not yet able to determine the numbers and specialties of the Defence Medical Services personnel who will be deployed, nor whether they will be regular or reserves.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions (a) coalition aircraft and (b) UK aircraft patrolling the southern no fly-zone in Iraq have released ordnance in response to violations from 12 January to date, stating in percentage terms (i) the nature of the threat, (ii) the category of the target attacked and the tonnage of ordnance released on each category of target in proportion to the overall tonnage released; and if he will make a statement. [151804]

Between 12 January 2001 and 28 February 2001, coalition aircrew conducting legitimate humanitarian patrols in the southern no-fly zone were directly threatened by Iraqi air defence forces on 39 occasions and responded in self-defence on six occasions against Iraqi military facilities posing a direct threat to coalition forces. UK aircraft released ordnance on four occasions. Details of the threats to coalition aircraft, targets and UK ordnance, in percentage and weight terms as appropriate, are as follows:

(i) Nature of threat:

Anti-Aircraft Artillery/Surface to Air Missile firings—100 per cent.

(ii) Category of Target Attacked:

Integrated Air Defence System—100 per cent.

(iii) UK Weapons Released Against Integrated Ground Based Air Defence System

(A) By tonnage—6.6 tonnes

(B) By per cent.—100 per cent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence under what legal powers recent international military intervention took place in Iraqi no-fly zones. [152460]

I refer my hon. Friend to the statement I made in the House on 26 February 2001, Official Report, columns 620–34, about coalition operations to enforce the no-fly zones over Iraq.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the oral statement by the Minister for the Armed Forces on 9 January 2001, Official Report, column 878, concerning oversight of the firing programme of DU shells at the Dundrennan range, if he will specify the nature and extent of the oversight. [151868]

Officials from the Health and Safety Executive and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and its predecessor organisations were consulted before test firing began at Dundrennan. Inspectors from both organisations have visited the site on several occasions and are kept fully informed of all activities on the site.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many depleted uranium shells were fired in Wales in each of the last 10 years. [152628]

[holding answer 6 March 2001]: No depleted uranium rounds have been fired in Wales in the last 10 years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what reports he has received on the long-term effects of depleted uranium ammunition on the troops responsible for using the ammunition and recovering vehicles damaged by depleted uranium ammunition. [152155]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 26 February 2001, Official Report, column 558W; to the independent analysis by Steve Fetter and Frank von Hippel in Science and Global Security, 1999, Volume 8.2, pages 125 to 161; and to the Ministry of Defence paper "Depleted uranium—Documents explaining the Ministry of Defence position on the risks and health hazards", a copy of which was placed in the Library of the House on 25 January 2001. The Ministry of Defence is also in the process of compiling a list of risk assessments we have undertaken to assess any possible dangers to the environment and human health arising from the use of depleted uranium-based ammunition. That list will be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much the UK has paid out in compensation because of road accidents to non-UK persons for road accidents involving UK personnel; how many civilians have been (a) killed and (b) seriously injured in such accidents in (i) Bosnia and (ii) Kosovo; and if he will make a statement. [152596]

A total of £808,674.78 has been paid in compensation to non-UK persons involved in road traffic accidents involving UK personnel in Bosnia. This sum includes compensation in respect of five fatalities and 50 cases of personal injury. No compensation has been paid so far in similar circumstances in Kosovo.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research facilities exist at the Centre for Defence Medicine; how much money has been earmarked for the development of research facilities; and if he will make statement. [151801]

The Centre for Defence Medicine will develop medical research opportunities which are relevant to the Defence Medical Services in close conjunction with its partners, in particular the University of Birmingham. It will also work closely with other elements of the Ministry of Defence concerned with medical research activities. No dedicated military medical research facilities are currently envisaged.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the state of security at his Department's bases and headquarters in the UK and the steps taken to deter unwanted intrusion; what review of security procedures at his Department's bases and headquarters he plans to undertake; what the remit of the investigations will be; which bases and headquarters will be investigated; when he expects investigations to be completed; and if he will make a statement. [151805]

Security at Ministry of Defence (MOD) establishments is given the highest priority and procedures are kept under constant review. For obvious reasons it is not the practice to discuss MOD security measures publicly. However, I can assure the right hon. Member that wherever a security incident occurs, it is speedily investigated and remedial action is taken if appropriate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many breaches of security were reported at his Department's bases and headquarters in each of the last five years; how many arrests and prosecutions have resulted; and if he will make a statement. [151806]

Taking breaches of security incursions on to the Ministry of Defence estate, the figures for each of the last four years were: 1996–97 67; 1997–98: 87; 1998–99: 182; 1999–2000: 239; central records were not kept prior to 1996–97. The figures cover sites in Great Britain (excluding USAF installations) and Germany. The great majority of the incursions related to anti-nuclear demonstrators, whose activities have increased over the last two years. I will write to the right hon. and learned Member with the numbers of arrests and prosecutions recorded by the Ministry of Defence police. Information on incidents dealt with by local constabularies could be provided only at disproportionate costs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to give mothers and fathers the right to work reduced hours after the birth of a child. [152279]

The Green Paper "Work and Parents: Competitiveness and Choice", published by the Government in December 2000, sets out a number of options to help parents balance their family and work responsibilities. It includes three options on a right to work reduced hours:

whether there should be a right for mothers to work reduced hours during the period of maternity leave,

whether fathers should have a right to work reduced hours during the period of maternity leave,

or whether both parents should have a right to work reduced hours when the mother's maternity leave ends.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to introduce flexible paid parental leave. [152282]

The Green Paper "Work and Parents: Competitiveness and Choice", published by the Government in December 2000, sets out a number of options to help parents balance their family and work responsibilities. It invites views on whether paid parental leave should be introduced, although it notes that the cost to employers and the State of doing so would be considerable. Another option is whether funding should be available to help employers develop more flexible parental leave schemes.The Green Paper makes it clear that not all options can be pursued. Employers, large and small, and parents have been invited to indicate which options are of greatest priority to them. The closing date for comments is 7 March 2001. Responses to the consultation are being considered carefully.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions (a) he and (b) his officials have held with (i) Mercedes-Benz (UK) and (ii) the Retail Motor Industry Federation on the future plans for the sale of Mercedes-Benz cars in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [152097]

(i) Neither I nor my officials have had any discussions as yet with Mercedes-Benz (UK) on the future plans for the sale of their cars in the UK.(ii) My officials have had preliminary discussions with the Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMIF) on the future plans of Mercedes-Benz. The Retail Motor Industry Federation has written to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, requesting a meeting to discuss this subject along with other issues pertaining to the retail motor industry. This is in the process of being arranged.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with the Director General of Fair Trading on the proposals by Mercedes-Benz (UK) for their planned future car sales structure in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [152096]

I have had no discussions as yet with the Director General of Fair Trading on the proposals by Mercedes-Benz (UK) for their planned future car sales structure in the UK. I understand that Mercedes-Benz Dealer representatives have sent a letter to DaimlerChrysler UK calling on the company to justify or withdraw the termination notices, failing which the Dealers intend to commence legal proceedings.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many former miners in Warrington, North have (a) claimed and (b) received payments in compensation for (i) chronic bronchitis and emphysema and (ii) vibration white finger. [152458]

In the area of Warrington, as defined by the postcodes WA2, WA3, WAl2 and M44, which encompasses the Warrington, North constituency, IRISC, the Department's claims handlers, have registered 274 claims in respect of compensation for respiratory disease and 176 claims in relation to Vibration White Finger, VWF. To date, there have been 65 individual payments totalling £236,000 in respect of respiratory disease and 59 individual payments in respect of VWF amounting to £358,000.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how he intends to take forward the proposals in his Department's consultative document on directors' remuneration. [152845]

My Department received 140 responses to its consultative document on directors' remuneration. Most respondents supported the Government's proposals to promote a more effective linkage between performance and boardroom pay. The Government have now decided to introduce secondary legislation under the Companies Act 1985 which will require quoted companies incorporated in Great Britain to publish a report on directors' remuneration as part of the company's annual reporting cycle. Companies will be required to disclose within the report details of individual directors' remuneration packages, the role of the board's remuneration committee and the board's remuneration policy, including information on performance linkage, directors' service contracts and compensation payments.The Government recognise that it is also important that directors are accountable to shareholders in this area, not least because boards of directors face a conflict of interest in relation to directors' remuneration. The Government continue to be concerned that many quoted companies are failing to respond adequately to the best practice recommendations on accountability, but they are also aware that the Company Law Review is looking at a number of issues in adjacent areas. I will therefore take a final decision on how to improve accountability on boardroom pay, including whether or not to introduce a compulsory vote on the board's remuneration report, in the light of the Review's wider recommendations on company law reform.Ahead of this there is of course nothing to stop institutional investors taking action now. I have had helpful discussions with the Association of British Insurers and the National Association of Pension Funds and with some of their members about the action they are taking to improve compliance with best practice in this area. In particular, I will be looking to see further evidence that:

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when Foresight was established; which of its reports are placed in the public domain; how many (a) departmental and (b) non-departmental special advisers participate in its work; how many regular (i) non-departmental and (ii) departmental staff participate in its work; and how many of these work for Foresight on a full-time basis. [152037]

Foresight was established, and the first round launched in 1994, with a second round starting in 1999. All the reports produced by Foresight are in the public domain.No departmental or non-departmental special advisers participate in the work of Foresight. (However, special advisers give advice to Ministers on the programme and its outputs from time to time as they do for any other Departmental activity.)There are currently 40 people in the Foresight Secretariat in the Office of Science and Technology/DTI, and these are the only people fully occupied on Foresight. They are made up as follows:

Organisation	Full-time	Part-time
DTI	24	3
Other Government Departments	3	—
Research Council Secondees	2	—
Industry Secondees	1	1
Consultant	1	—
Temporary/Agency Staff	5	—

In addition, of the 500–600 people who were members of the 14 Foresight Panels and 64 associated Task Forces in the current round, 18 were DTI officials and 72 were officials from other Government Departments and the Research Councils.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many claims have been received by former miners in the Cannock Chase area under the respiratory disease compensation scheme; and how many of these claimants have received (a) interim payments and (b) full and final payments. [152412]

In the area of Cannock, as defined by the postcodes WS11, WS12 and WA15, which encompasses the Cannock Chase constituency, IRISC, the Department's claims handlers, have registered 1,961 claims in respect of compensation for respiratory disease. To date, there have been 539 interim payments made, including bereavement awards, and 42 full and final settlements totalling together £1,685,000. Until now, it has not been possible to make full and final settlements in all cases because compensation for some heads of damages, e.g. pensions, had not been agreed. This has now been settled, as I announced last week, and more full and final awards can be made.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the post offices that have been closed in (a) North and (b) South Wales in the past year. [150521]

This information is not available in the form requested.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the post offices in Wales, indicating those he defines as rural. [150520]

Details of individual post offices are maintained at a local level and a centralised listing of the type requested is not available.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the Government's investments. [152738]

Following a detailed review of the gold sales programme, which considered the recommendations made in the recently published National Audit Office Report on "The sale of part of the UK gold reserves", we have today confirmed our plans to sell 120 tonnes of gold in 2001–02. As in previous years the sales will be made through Bank of England auctions. There will be six auctions during 2001–02, which will be held every other month starting in May. The auctions will be of approximately 20 tonnes and will continue to be conducted on a single price basis.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of workers on adult rates of pay in part-time employment have hourly earnings, including and excluding overtime pay, that are less than (a) £5, (b) £6, (c) £7 and (d) £3.60 in (i) Scotland, (ii) each of the unitary local authority areas in Scotland and (iii) Great Britain, broken down by (1) male manual, (2) male non-manual, (3) all male workers, (4) female manual, (5) female non-manual, (6) all female workers, (7) all manual, (8) all non-manual and (9) all workers; what the average weekly earnings are, including and excluding overtime, for part-time workers in (A) Scotland and (B) each of the local unitary local authority areas in Scotland for (X) all employment and (Y) non-manual employment. [152153]

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

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest assessment is of tobacco and alcohol smuggling and its impact on Government revenues; and what action he is taking to tackle it. [153056]

In March 2000, Customs and Excise forecast that tobacco duty revenues for 2000–01 would be £7.4 billion. In fact, tobacco duty revenues for 2000–01 are now expected to be £7.5 billion, the first time in four years that the forecast yield has been exceeded.Last March, the Government announced their "Tackling Tobacco Smuggling" strategy, which is designed first to slow the growth in tobacco smuggling, which has been on a strong upward trend, and then to put it into decline within three years. The strategy provided £209 million for investment in 1,000 extra staff and a national network of X-ray scanners. This strategy is at an early stage but it is already beginning to show results. In the first nine months of 2000–01, Customs have seized more than 1.4 billion cigarettes in the UK and helped overseas enforcement agencies seize nearly 700 million cigarettes en route to the UK. Customs investigators have also broken up 38 major organised crime gangs involved in the smuggling and supply of huge volumes of illicit cigarettes. As more front-line staff are put in place, new X-ray scanners come on line, and tobacco pack marks come into force, Customs will be able to take even more effective action against the criminals involved in tobacco smuggling.As part of the "Tackling Tobacco Smuggling" strategy, Customs are pursuing a target for 2000–01 of holding illicit market penetration to 21 per cent. of the UK cigarette market, equating to £2.8 billion in lost revenues. Customs' assessment for the calendar year 2000 suggests that 22 per cent. of the UK cigarette market is made up of smuggled cigarettes, equating to £2.9 billion in lost revenues. Customs also estimate that 70 per cent. of cigarette consumption in the calendar year 2000 was of UK tax paid product and 8 per cent. was legitimately purchased for personal consumption free of UK taxes.Detailed estimates of revenue lost (excise and VAT) through cross-border shopping and smuggling of alcohol and tobacco for the calendar year 2000 and revised figures for 1999 are contained in the tables. In reaching these estimates using the best information currently available, Customs' assessment is that overall cigarette consumption in 2000 was approximately 81 billion cigarettes.

Table 1: Revenue lost through all forms of tobacco smuggling
£ million1
	1999	2000
Cross-Channel smuggling of2:
Hand rolling tobacco	670	890
Cigarettes and other tobacco	320	470
Total cross-Channel smuggling of tobacco	985	1,360
Tobacco smuggling by air passengers, Internet and parcel	110	120
Freight smuggling of cigarettes3	1,600	2,300
Assessment of all forms of tobacco smuggling and evasion4,5	2,700	3,800

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will outline the Government's financing plans for 2001–02. [152844]

Information concerning the Government's financing plans for 2001–02 can be found in the "Debt and Reserve Management Report 2001–02", which has been published today. Copies of the Report are available in the Library of the House.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, with reference to Protocol 5 of the Maastricht Treaty concerning budget deficits and the document known as the Stability Pact, he will list (a) the last published paper issued by Her Majesty's Government containing the text of the Protocol, (b) the Treaty Base of the Stability Pact and the date on which it was (i) first published and (ii) approved by the Ministerial Council, (c) when it was presented to Parliament, considered by a Committee of either House and reported upon, and (d) the debates held or Resolutions made in respect of the document in either House of Parliament. [151496]

The Protocol on the Excessive Deficit Procedure is annexed to the Treaty Establishing the European Community, as a result of the Treaty on European Union agreed at Maastricht on 9–10 December 1991. Royal Assent was given to the European Communities (Amendment) Act 1993 on 20 July 1993, amending UK law, following its third and final reading in the House of Lords.Detail on the legal bases used for the Stability and Growth Pact and background on the submission of the proposals for UK parliamentary scrutiny is contained in the comprehensive Explanatory Memorandum which covered them, submitted to Parliament by HM Treasury on 3 June 1997 (6946/97 and 6947/97).The House of Commons Select Committee on European Legislation noted, in its Second Report of the 1997–98 Session, that the documents had been the subject of a full day's debate on the Floor of the House, and had cleared scrutiny by virtue of the Resolution come to at the end of that debate. I refer my hon. Friend to column 896 of the

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if it is the practice of the Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency to sign the substantive replies to hon. Members who have written to him on behalf of constituents. [152615]

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he will announce the outcome of the Government's consultation on the future of the minimum funding requirement. [153039]

I am setting out the Government's proposals on the future of the minimum funding requirement in a joint DSS/HMT paper "Security for Occupational Pensions: The Government's Proposals", which I am placing in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many firms have said they intend to replace their existing occupational pension scheme with a stakeholder pension. [152440]

No firms have contacted us to say they intend to replace their existing occupational pension scheme with a stakeholder pension, and we would not expect them to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if (a) a British pensioner living in France and (b) a French pensioner living in Britain is entitled to the Winter Fuel Payment. [152352]

Winter Fuel Payments are one of the initiatives in our commitment to tackle fuel poverty in Great Britain. They are not only paid to pensioners and are not linked to receipt of State Retirement Pension.Winter Fuel Payments are paid to people aged 60 and over who satisfy the qualifying conditions during the relevant qualifying week. One of the main qualifying conditions is that a person should be ordinarily resident in Great Britain.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people requesting copies of the Pension credit consultation paper have been told that it was out of stock; for what periods it was not available; and if he will extend the consultation period to take account of such periods. [152353]

The consultation paper has been continuously available since November 2000 on the internet. During this period 4,233 copies of the consultation document have been issued. Due to the high demand for copies, the Department ordered a second print of the command paper to replenish stocks. Printed copies of the document were not available for a short period of 12 days while delivery was awaited. During this time 441 orders were placed for 515 copies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if the (a) Benefits Agency and (b) Benefits Fraud Inspectorate will accept the use of electronic signatures by claimants as valid. [152421]

The Department does not currently accept the use of electronic signatures on claims or other applications. It is envisaged that electronic signatures will be accepted as soon as the necessary legal, security and authentication issues have been resolved.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the total cost of advertising campaigns run by his Department and its agencies in each year since 1992 and the projected cost for the current year. [151453]

The information is in the table.The estimated increase in spending on Advertising for the year 2000–01 takes into account the work being undertaken by the Department around the Minimum Income Guarantee take up campaign, Pensions Education and anti-fraud activity.

Cost of advertising campaigns since 1991–92
Year	Cost (£)
1991–92	4,834,813
1992–93	4,452,277
1993–94	5,964,988
1994–95	3,597.308
1995–96	6,383,467
1996–971	3,691,170
Average Yearly Cost	4,820,671
1997–98	1,430,698
1998–99	4,671,862
1999–2000	2,788,062
2000–01	11,336,000
Average Yearly Cost	5,056,656
1Figures only available for the Department's Headquarters.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list for each of the past 20 years (a) the number of National Insurance numbers, (b) the number of National Insurance numbers created, (c) the number of National Insurance numbers cancelled and (d) the population aged 16 years or older. [151921]

[holding answer 5 March 2001]: The information for the past 12 years is in the tables. There is no confirmed information available for earlier years.There are currently 82 million NINOs in existence. This includes:

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 7 February 2001, Official Report, column 552W, on national insurance numbers, what reasons underlay the increase in the number of national insurance numbers removed from the Departmental Central Index. [152442]

The primary objective of the Departmental Central Index (DCI) Data Cleaning Project was to undertake an analysis of the DCI database to identify specific data issues which would need to be resolved to clean up the DCI database.The Project removed 182,000 National Insurance Numbers (NINOs) during this financial year—more than in the whole of the last Parliament. The increase in the number of NINOs removed is due to the Project designing various enhanced IT scans which identified high risk records and continued to target duplicate records. Since the Project commenced only 10 fraudulent NINOs have been discovered, the vast majority were duplicates.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many new national insurance numbers have been (a) created and (b) cancelled in each year since 1992. [148487]

[pursuant to the reply, 7 February 2001, c. 552 W]: The information is in the table.

January to December	NINOs created on DCI	NINOs removed from DCI
1992	9,765,000	21,000
1993	3,292,000	19,000
1994	1,057,000	15,000
1995	1,008,000	16,000
1996	979,000	55,000
1997	1,018,000	58,000
1998	1,027,000	38,000
1999	1,023,000	61,000
2000	996,000	182,000

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if his Department's annual report on timber procurement to the Committee of Green Ministers will be published. [152106]

My Department will provide information on timber procurement to DETR as part of the Green Ministers' Committee reporting process.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much certified timber has been purchased by his Department over the past six months; and what proportion of total timber purchases this represents. [152146]

Figures on timber procurement are not readily available. The interdepartmental timber working group is working to develop a common reporting template which will form the basis for future reporting on timber procurement. New FCO guidance has been issued to help buyers to work to ensure that timber procurement is in accordance with international agreements such as CITES and bought from sustainable legal sources.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to increase the resources his Department devotes to international science and technology work. [152947]

As part of their contribution to the Government's competitiveness agenda, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office funds and manages a Science and Technology Network currently based in 10 countries. As a result of the 2000 Spending Review they can now allocate an additional £3 million to Science and Technology work over the next three Financial Years (2001–04). This will mean doubling the number of countries in which our diplomatic posts have specialist Science and Technology staff, and the creation of a dedicated Science and Technology Unit in the FCO.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings he has had with representatives of the Commonwealth regarding the situation in Zanzibar. [151693]

We remain in close touch with the Commonwealth Secretariat over the situation in Zanzibar. We have encouraged the Commonwealth Secretary General to become personally engaged in the search for a solution to the continuing political impasse on the islands. We have reiterated our support for the implementation of key provisions of the Commonwealth brokered agreement between the parties, which we continue to see as the best way of achieving a durable solution.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government have taken to ensure that the Government of Tanzania discontinue the harassment of opposition politicians on the islands of Zanzibar and Pemba. [151694]

We were shocked by the killings, mass arrests and other human rights abuses carried out by the security forces on Zanzibar at the end of January against civilians exercising their democratic right to peaceful assembly.We believe that progress can be made only through serious dialogue between the Government and the Opposition.When I saw the Tanzanian Foreign Minister on 15 February I urged him to ensure that the security forces acted with restraint and that the Governments of Tanzania and Zanzibar entered into dialogue without preconditions with the Opposition.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is in respect of the elections held in Zanzibar in 2000; and if he will press for a re-run of the elections. [151695]

The organisation of the elections on Zanzibar in October and November 2000 was inadequate. International observers noted numerous irregularities, including the excessive use of force by Government forces against opposition supporters.A re-run of the elections in the same circumstances would be unlikely to advance the cause of democracy in Zanzibar. The only way forward is through the establishment of serious dialogue between the Government and the Opposition, to enable needed reforms to the Zanzibar electoral and judicial systems to be discussed and implemented. I made this point to the leader of the Zanzibar Opposition when I saw him on 1 February and also discussed it with the Tanzanian Foreign Minister at my meeting with him on 15 February.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department has taken to prevent human rights abuses on the islands of (a) Zanzibar and (b) Pemba, following the arrests and deaths of political opponents of the Government of Tanzania. [151696]

Following the shocking incidents in Zanzibar and Pemba over the weekend of 27–28 January 2001, the EU issued a statement condemning the actions of the security forces and calling on the Government of Tanzania to ensure respect for human rights. We also raised our concerns with the Government of Tanzania and pressed for swift humanitarian access to those injured and detained on both islands. The ICRC have since been given access to Zanzibar and Pemba.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many technical committees and working parties of the EU Council of Ministers have been (a) attended and (b) led by Scottish Executive officials in a UK capacity since 1 July 1999. [152354]

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department collects on companies involved in (a) germ line therapy, (b) stem cell techniques and (c) transgenic technologies. [146859]

Stem cell techniques are very widely used in human and animal cell research. During 2000 over 4,000 scientific papers were published in peer-reviewed journals. Applications for stem cell research involving the use of embryos require a licence from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. No companies have applied for a licence.Transgenic techniques are used in many areas of scientific research including work with plants and animals. All transgenic techniques involving animals and plants fall under the definition of "genetic modification" as defined in the Genetically Modified Organisms (Contained Use) Regulations 2000. This includes germ line therapy in animals. All premises where genetic modification is undertaken have to be notified to the competent authorities (CA) under these Regulations. Where the genetically modified animal or plant poses a greater risk to humans than the non modified animal or plant, the activity must be notified to the CA. For England and Wales the CA comprises the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the Secretary of State and the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. For Scotland the CA comprises the HSE and Scottish Ministers.When transgenic techniques are used in humans these are for the purpose of gene therapy. A list of all United Kingdom gene therapy trials is published in the annual report of the Gene Therapy Advisory Committee, copies of which are available in the Library.Germ line therapy is not permitted in humans.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the hon. Member for Broxbourne will receive a reply to her letters of (a) 5 October 2000, (b) 31 October 2000, (c) 22 November 2000, (d) 29 November 2000, (e) 9 January and (f) 8 February relating to her constituent, Mr. S. Russell of Wormley. [150335]

[holding answer 13 February 2001]: A reply to the hon Member's letter was sent on 5 March 2001.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the contracts that exist between Serco

	Period	Value (£)	Coverage
Leicestershire Royal Infirmary (University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust)	August 1996-July 2003	40 million over seven years	All non-clinical support services
Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust	April 1994-March 1999	20 million over five years	Full Facilities Management contract (catering, estates, portering, transport, switchboard, domestic). Contract partially cancelled July 1998 except catering and domestic which continued until the end of the contract in March 1999
Norfolk and Norwich Health Care NHS Trust	January 1999-December 2001 (option to extend to December 2003)	7.5 million over two years	Domestic, portering and ward beverage service. Contract is for existing hospital
	August 2001-July 2006	11.1 million per annum	Soft services within the PFI new hospital Services include grounds maintenance, domestics and portering, catering, waste disposal, laundry, car parking and security, non-emergency transport and utilities dealt with as they pass through
Premier Health NHS Trust	October 1999-September 2002	(a) £48,000	(a) Wheelchair modification
		(b) £22,000	(b) Preventative maintenance
Mid Staffordshire General Hospitals	October 1999-September 2002	(a) £69,000 (indexed) per annum for repair	Wheelchair services
		(b) £33,000 (indexed) per annum for annual inspection
Birmingham Specialist Community Health	April 1994-September 2001	130,000 per annum	Wheelchair repair service
Worcestershire Community and Mental Health	April 2000-March 2003	67,000 per annum plus £13.65 per hour for modifications	Repair service for all wheelchairs and minor modifications
Rampton Hospital Authority	September 2000-August 2001	Estimated at £2,000. Time charge basis as and when required	Authorising Engineer Services for three disciplines—high voltage, low voltage, pressure systems
University Hospitals of Leicester (LRI, Leicester General and Glenfield	August 1996-July 2003	7.2 million per annum	Full facilities management comprising of: Estate service, catering, domestic, car parking, switchboard, portering, security, reception, linen service, post room service.
North East Essex Mental Health	1998-ongoing	10,000 per annum	Serco subcontract gardening services from the trust to fulfil contract with new possibilities
New Possibilities NHS Trust	Rolling Contract	500,000 per annum	All non-clinical services
Southend Hospital	January 2001-ongoing	6,000 per annum	Medical Records Storage
Ashford and St. Peters Hospitals NHS Trust/Sussex Ambulance NHS Trust	April 1994-March 1999	20 million over five years	Facilities and Estates Management
Sussex Ambulance NHS Trust	Rolling contract	1,000 per annum	Wheeled Bin Collection Service for commercial waste
Eastbourne Hospital NHS Trust	1 June 1995–7 September 1998	33,543.28	Trust contract van hire
	1 April 1996–10 March 1999	104,862.31	ECS contract van hire
	30 April 1998–11 May 1999	5,585.89	Contract van hire and excess mileage charge

NHS bodies with contracts for goods or services provided by Serco since May 1997 are:

	Period	Value (£)	Coverage
Hastings and Rother NHS Trust	Rolling contract until 5 March 2001	4,222.40 per annum	Refuse disposal at Bexhill Hospital and Rye Clinic
Medway NHS Trust	Rolling contract since 1995	7,500 per annum	Staff discount scheme at local leisure centre
Kent Ambulance Service	Rolling contract since 1997	100 per annum	Waste Collection—Herne Bay
	Rolling contract since 1997	200 per annum	Waste Collection—Canterbury
Parkside Health NHS Trust	April 1999-March 2004 (option to extend to 2006)	574,000 per annum	Wheelchair maintenance
South West London NHS Trust	April 2001-March 2006	430,000 per annum	Wheelchair maintenance

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration he has taken since the enactment of the Human Rights Act 1998 of its implications for the exercise of his powers of ministerial decision on proposed developments within the NHS to which community health councils have lodged official objection. [151257]

[holding answer 26 February 2001]: Under section 6 of the Human Rights Act 1998 it is unlawful for a public authority, including the Secretary of State, to act in any way incompatibly with the rights under various articles of the European Convention on Human Rights. When making any decision, the Secretary of State will consider and seek appropriate advice on any relevant human rights issues, in particular whether his actions would be compatible with those Convention rights.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much additional funding above the GDP deflator will be available to East Surrey Health Authority for the 2001–02 financial year; and what the change in cash resources will be available to East Surrey Health Authority to spend at its discretion in meeting local health priorities above the GDP deflator for the 2001–02 financial year. [151687]

[holding answer 5 March 2001]: East Surrey Health Authority (ESHA) will receive a total cash increase of £22,572,000 for the 2001–02 financial year. This is a 8.46 per cent. total cash increase or 5.82 per cent. in real terms. In monetary terms the additional funding in real terms is £15,516k.The total cash increase figure includes the increase owing to the extra £140 million resources issued in February plus cost of living and performance fund elements. This gives the total recurrent/non-recurrent cash increase available to ESHA.East Surrey health community, in line with all other health systems is currently implementing the NHS Plan at a local level through its annual planning process. The local priorities are set out in the East Surrey Health Improvement Programme and demonstrate robust close partnership working.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what comments Her Majesty's Government have made on the recommendations made in the Mission report (ref. XXIV/1042/99 MR Final 22–26 Feb '99) to the Food and Veterinary Office on 26 April 1999; what visits Her Majesty's Government have received from EU officials to discuss the placing on the market of live bivalve molluscs and of fishery products in member states; what future visits have been notified to Her Majesty's Government under the EU's FVO Missions Programme for 2001; what progress has been made in implementing recommendations made to Her Majesty's Government following previous inspections; and if he will make a statement. [152094]

The Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) wrote to the European Commission following receipt of the draft Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) report of its mission to the United Kingdom to evaluate implementation of Directive 91/492/EEC. A number of comments were submitted both to correct inaccuracies in the draft report and to provide clarification on certain points. The CVO commented on two issues which had been identified as requiring immediate corrective measures. These concerned the immediate closure of production areas following the detection of diarrhoeic shellfish poison and the coverage of the phytoplankton and biotoxin monitoring programme in England and Wales. Action has been taken on these two recommendations. The CVO also welcomed the Commission's evaluation of the Directive within the European Community and indicated that the UK would play a full and active part in the proposed commission working group to discuss further some of the issues which were identified during the inspections visits to member states.Apart from the visit by FVO inspectors in February 1999 Commission inspectors visited the UK in October 1995 and in May 1996 to evaluate implementation of Directive 91/493/EEC. No specific dates for a future visit to the UK have been decided but the FVO programme of visits for the first half of this year indicates that the FVO will visit the UK to carry out inspections of fishery products and bivalve molluscs.Following all visits, in those cases where deficiencies were noted by the inspectors in individual establishments, the relevant local food authorities were asked to ensure that corrected action is taken. In those cases where the recommendations are addressed to the competent authority, action has generally either been taken or is being considered as part of a wider strategy.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the annual cost is of equipping the NHS with conventional hypodermic needles; what assessment he has made of the annual cost of equipping the service with safer needles; and if he will make a statement. [152074]

[holding answer 6 March 2001]: Sales of hypodermic syringes and needles to the National Health Service via the NHS Logistics Authority total £15.5 million per annum. This may not be the total figure because some NHS trusts may have their own contracts for these items for which records are not held centrally.The cost to the NHS to introduce safer products and to replace the standard ones already available could be anything up to five times this amount depending on the type of product selected (from simple needle guard protectors to highly sophisticated products which automatically retract the needle into the syringe barrel).There is not one single, optimum product which will meet everyone's needs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library information relating to (a) the number of hospital pharmacists, (b) their recruitment and retention rates, (c) the number employed and the number of vacancies in each trust and (d) their pay scales in 2000 and 2001; and what plans he has to review the status and pay of hospital pharmacists. [152058]

[holding answer 6 March 2001]: The information requested has been placed in the Library. Information requested about hospital pharmacists' recruitment and retention is not collected centrally.Offers have been made to health care pharmacists in line with those for other non pay review body staff of pay increases from 1 April 2000 of 3.25 per cent. or £300 if greater, and from 1 April 2001 of 3.7 per cent. or £380 if greater. We are working closely with unions and employers on a new pay system for National Health Service staff, and future arrangements for determining the pay of health care pharmacists are the subject of those negotiations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many settlements the NHS has made for needlestick injuries; how many of these cases were settled out of court; and what the total value of cases settled was in each of the last three years for which figures are available; [152075]

[holding answers 6 March 2001]: Data on needlestick injuries to National Health Service staff and any absence resulting from such injuries, are not collected centrally unless the incident involves the risk of transmission of a blood borne virus. Information on needlestick injuries would be reflected in incident reports held locally by individual NHS employers.Data collected as part of the National Surveillance of Occupational Exposure to Blood Borne Viruses in Health Care Workers between July 1997 and December 2000 indicated that 1,044 NHS staff were exposed to blood borne viruses during this period.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in providing more flexible working conditions for NHS staff; and if he will make a statement. [151942]

[holding answer 6 March 2001]: We are fully committed to investing in National Health Service staff. We recognise that a modern NHS must offer staff a better deal in their working lives including the provision of more flexible working practices.The Improving Working Lives Standard, launched in October 2000, has been developed to set a model of good employment practices against which NHS organisations will be measured. NHS organisations are required to provide a portfolio of evidence showing that they are delivering more flexible working for all staff by April 2003.Evidence of flexible working is a component of trusts' pledge to achieve Improving Working Lives accreditation. In a number of trusts including Warrington General Hospital, where a ward pilot is currently taking place, a self-rostering system has been introduced to give staff more control and flexibility in their working lives. Team based self-rostering is also evident in Blackburn, North Manchester and Stepping Hill Hospitals.The NHS has received funding of £1 million to support Improving Working Lives during 1999 and again in 2000. The NHS Plan announced investment building up to over £30 million by 2004 to boost child care arrangements and give parents more affordable, accessible, good quality child care.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made towards setting up a registration system for health care assistants; and if he will make a statement. [151944]

[holding answer 6 March 2001]: We are consulting the other Health Departments with a view to publishing the De Montfort University report on support workers shortly, and expect to follow this up with proposals for the effective regulation of support workers later this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures he intends to introduce to prevent the use of oral tobacco products from overseas sources. [152455]

[holding answer 6 March 2001]: So long as oral tobacco from overseas sources does not fall within a banned category, complies with United Kingdom Customs and Excise duty regulations and carries health warnings, its use in the UK is not illegal.However, we want to ensure that people have information about health risks. We are, therefore, seeking to develop greater awareness of the health risks associated with oral tobacco as part of our tobacco information strategy. We are working on a dedicated campaign, focused on high risk ethnic minority populations, to address the health risks of smoking and the use of oral tobacco in order to decrease demand for these products. We are also training trading standards officers in this area.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the recommended level of angiographers per 1,000 head of population is; and which health authorities are (a) above and (b) below this level. [152627]

[holding answer 6 March 2001]: There is no recommended level of staff performing angiographs per head of population.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency will publish its framework document. [152682]

We are pleased to announce that the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency's framework document has been published today and copies have been placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the criteria for assessing applications for financial support for economic and physical regeneration initiatives for funds administered by his Department; and how they take account of (a) the variation in the availability of previously developed land and buildings and (b) other considerations of environmental capacity. [152340]

I do not administer any regeneration initiatives, although many public bodies in the culture and leisure field, including many funded by DCMS, participate in them.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what measures are being taken to improve the efficiency of the funding system for dance projects which are of benefit to public health. [152533]