To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Jarrow (Mr. Hepburn) of 28 February 2001, Official Report, column 665W, if the British seafarers referred to by the Chief of Defence Procurement are required to be sponsored reserves; [155391](2) how much his Department intends to charge AWSR Shipping Ltd. for managing the subcontract with Harland and Wolff for two ro-ro ferries; and what safeguards his Department has put in place to ensure that when on his Department's business all six ro-ro ferries are manned by British seamen. [155317]

AWSR Shipping Ltd. will manage the shipbuilding contract with Harland and Wolff on the MOD's behalf until the ships are delivered to the company. Negotiations continue with AWSR for the PFI service contract, which we expect to be signed within the next few months. The terms will reflect the cost of the shipbuilding contract management service to the Ministry of Defence.AWSR Shipping Ltd. have bid, and will be required under contract, to provide British seafarers eligible to be called out as sponsored reserves to crew all six ships when on Ministry of Defence business.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total cost is of the building of HMS Albion; if she is on schedule and to budget; what the expected in-service date is; and if he will make a statement. [155806]

[holding answer 27 March 2001]: The unit production cost of HMS Albion including its Landing Craft and the Integrated Communications System is approximately £385 million. This is within the approved budget. The expected in-service date of the vessel is March 2003, as announced on 13 December 1999, Official Report, column 26W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the costs of basic training of the crews of armoured vehicles are; what the costs were in each of the last three years; how many people Were trained in each of the last three years; how many staff were employed to do this training; and if he will make a statement. [155805]

[holding answer 27 March 2001]: Basic and advanced training of armoured fighting vehicle crewmen is undertaken at Armour Centre, Bovington by a combination of military, Ministry of Defence civilian and contractor's staff. Neither numbers of staff nor costs can be broken down between these categories; the following information is therefore provided.

	1998–99	1999–2000	2000–011
Personnel trained
Basic trainees (Phase 2)	709	847	823
Advanced trainees (Phase 3)	1,671	1,897	1,842
Staff employed
Military staff	279	270	310
MOD civilian staff	139	139	137
Contractor's staff	circa 300	circa 300	circa 300
Total running costs (£ million)	25.047	25.219	27.451
1Projected for financial year 2000–01

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the contracts awarded since 1 May 1997 under the MESAR radar trials letter of offer and acceptance concluded under the 1985 strategic defence initiative memorandum of understanding, along with the name of the contractor and the date of the award. [154795]

Two contracts have been awarded since May 1997 under the relevant letter of offer and acceptance. A contract was let with BAE Systems dated 16 February 1999 and another with Roke Manor Research dated 3 March 1999.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list alphabetically by constituency those hon. Members who have been on visits organised by his Department outside the United Kingdom to armed services units based or deployed abroad in the last three years. [154770]

[holding answer 26 March 2001]: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.Whenever possible, visits by Members of Parliament to armed forces units based or deployed overseas are accommodated dependent on operational commitments at the time.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in which countries members of the British armed forces have been deployed to train (a) overseas Government military personnel and (b) military personnel of organisations opposing an overseas Government since 1971. [155961]

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the members of the (a) Veterans Forum and (b) Veterans Task Force. [155319]

We will not take a final decision on the membership of the Veterans Forum and the Veterans Task Force until their shape, role and agenda have been discussed in more detail with the range of interested parties, including the main veterans' representative groups. However, we currently expect the Task Force, under my own Chairmanship to include Ministers from the Department of Health, the Department of Social Security, the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, and the Department for Employment and Education, as well as the relevant Scottish and Welsh Departments, the Northern Ireland Office, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Lord Chancellor's Department. I will also chair the Veterans Forum which will include members from the major veterans' representative groups. We will ensure that the smaller representative groups are able to present their views and concerns to the Forum.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) new money and (b) new manpower his Department has allocated to the handling of veterans affairs. [155320]

The Veterans initiative will be supported by three new executive staff, together with the budget and support staff required for their effective working. We cannot at this stage predict what new measures might come out of the work of the Veterans Task Force and Forum. We will be commissioning early research into veterans issues and their handling, in addition to that already planned within current departmental programmes. The funding of new measures will be addressed as they are identified.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons responsibility for veterans affairs has been reduced from Minister of State to Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State level. [155327]

The appointment of a designated Veterans Minister, with responsibility across Government Departments for ensuring that veterans' concerns are understood and addressed in a holistic manner, represents a clear enhancement rather than a reduction in commitment. This change, together with the establishment of a dedicated Ministerial Task Force, reflects the Government's determination that veterans' issues should be handled in a co-ordinated way to ensure a properly integrated approach to veterans and their concerns.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made on the establishment of a memorial to commemorate the service personnel killed on duty by terrorist attack since 1945. [155321]

A project team has been established to take this proposal forward. At this early stage, no criteria have yet been established to determine who would or would not be included on the memorial. This will be carried out by a scoping study in consultation with ex-service organisations and other interested bodies. Further information will become available in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list (a) current and (b) proposed NAAFI retail facilities in (i) Bosnia and (ii) Kosovo. [155325]

Current NAAFI retail facilities located in Bosnia are:

• Butmir—one shop
• Sipovo—one shop
• Mrkonjic Grad—one shop
• Sanski Most—one shop
• Glamoc—one shop
• Banja Luka—one shop

Current NAAFI retail facilities located in Kosovo are:

To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire (Mr. Kirkwood), representing the House of Commons Commission, on how many occasions since May 1997 the staff inspector has reported on staffing levels in the office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. [155347]

Since May 1997 the staff inspector has reported on staffing issues in the office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards on three occasions:

1. August 1997, job evaluation review of the post of Personal Assistant to the Commissioner.

2. July 1998, upgrading of the post of Personal Assistant to the Commissioner following introduction of new pay and grading structures.

3. September 2000, review of workload.

To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire (Mr. Kirkwood), representing the House of Commons Commission, if he will make a statement on the changes in the structure and practices of the Parliamentary Works Directorate. [155229]

I understand that, in accordance with the Braithwaite Review of the Serjeant at Arms' Department, the Parliamentary Works Directorate is currently being divided. By 1 April 2001, the Works organisation, which serves both Houses of Parliament, will consist of an Estates Director concerned with strategy, long-term planning, property management and heritage and curatorial matters, while a Directorate of Works Services will be responsible for the delivery of in-year projects, the placing of contracts, maintenance and the management of capital projects.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action her Department is taking to encourage British local authorities to share their expertise with counterparts in developing countries. [155672]

DFID supports the Commonwealth Local Government Forum's Good Practice Scheme. The scheme brings together local government authorities, so far mainly in the UK and Africa, to exchange best practice on local government management and services. I have recently approved a UK contribution of £2 million covering the next five years of the scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action her Department is taking to share British expertise in handling disability issues with the Governments and peoples of developing countries. [155671]

The Department for International Development is currently supporting more than 40 projects and programmes around the world with a focus on the rights and needs of people with disabilities. In the past year we have approved nearly £40 million of new funding for work in this area. The global drive to reduce poverty will also bring many benefits, in reducing some of the key causes of disability and improving the quality of life and opportunities for people with disabilities.DFID' s strategy on disability is set out in an issues paper published last year, called "Disability, poverty and development". We work closely with Governments, the voluntary and private sectors, and the bilateral and multilateral donor communities, to ensure that disability is addressed in the context of the fight against poverty and the realisation of human rights for all.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the Sudanese Government's commitment to promoting poverty eradication and development; and what her estimate is of the amount spent by the Sudanese Government on (a) health, (b) education and (c) the armed forces in the last 12 months. [155143]

The Sudanese Government's draft Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper will provide an opportunity to consider poverty reducing social and economic programmes. We do not have reliable estimates of the amount spent on health and education although indications suggest that allocations for social sector spending by the central Government are increasing.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much. economic aid has been given to the Palestinian Authority by the United Kingdom in each of the last six years. [155619]

The UK provides bilateral development assistance to the Palestinian Authority and, more broadly, assists Palestinians through our contributions to the EC and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). Our programme with the Palestinian Authority supports sustainable economic and social development that benefits the poor. We do this by seeking to support the Middle East Peace Process and improve Palestinian health care, education, access to water and sanitation, gender equality, integration into the global economy and the effectiveness and accountability of the Palestinian Authority. We provide technical assistance rather than direct funding to the Palestinian Authority.The breakdown of our assistance for the last six years is as follows:

	UK bilateral assistance (£ million)	UK multilateral assistance (EC and UNRWA)
1994–95	5.4	120.6
1995–96	3.5	18.0
1996–97	6.1	21.1
1997–98	6.1	22.7
1998–99	5.1	20.9
1999–2000	8.0	2—
11994 calendar year
2Not yet available

To ask the Prime Minister when he will lay the Intelligence and Security Committee's Interim Report before Parliament. [156139]

I have today laid the Intelligence and Security Committee's Report before Parliament. Following consultation with them over matters which could not be published without prejudice to the continued discharge of the functions of the intelligence and security agencies and in accordance with the Intelligence Services Act 1994, I have excluded the Confidential Annexe.

To ask the Prime Minister what (a) quantitative and (b) qualitative analytical work his Office has commissioned from GGC/NOP since 1 May 1997; and what was (i) the cost of the contract and (ii) the specific nature of the work commissioned. [155670]

None.

To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on his policy in respect of Jonathan Powell appearing before Select Committees. [155473]

Civil Servants attend select committees where appropriate.

To ask the Prime Minister what responsibility he had for determining the target figure in the NHS Plan for additional non-surgical cancer consultants. [155409]

I agreed the overall targets in the NHS Plan in discussions with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what (a) quantitative and (b) qualitative analytical work his Department has commissioned from GGC/NOP since 1 May 1997; and what was (i) the cost of the contract and (ii) the specific nature of the work commissioned. [155665]

The only work commissioned from GGC/NOP since 1 May 1997 has been to conduct a sample of charities. The cost of the work was £293.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if Colin Martin complied with the terms of the licence granted by his Department to work on the wreck of the Hanover; and what the duration of the licence is. [155956]

To the Department's knowledge Mr. Martin has complied with the terms of the licence granted to him to excavate the wreck site of the Hanover. The licence issued to Mr. Martin in August 1997 does not have a time limit.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will take steps to compensate self-employed jockeys who have lost income as a result of the suspension of races during the foot and mouth outbreak. [155440]

[holding answer 26 March 2001]: My right hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment has the lead responsibility for the Rural Task Force which was set up as a direct result of the outbreak of foot and mouth disease. No Governments have paid compensation in such circumstances. We are however offering a package of measures to help those adversely affected by the outbreak which my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment announced to the House on 20 March 2001, Official Report, column 191. The Rural Task Force will be continuing its work and further measures will be announced as appropriate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what specific information the BBC collects on applications for the concessionary television licence scheme. [155419]

TV Licensing administer the free licence scheme as agent for the BBC. They collect the information necessary to check the entitlement of applicants to the concession; to manage the concession within the general television licensing system; to satisfy the Department of Social Security and the National Audit Office that the sums claimed by the BBC represent free licences and refunds properly issued and legitimate administrative expenses; and to demonstrate the efficiency and value for money of the administrative arrangements.Applicants for the free over-75 licence are requested to provide their name, address, date of birth and national insurance number. The first two pieces of information are required to run the television licensing database; the third and fourth are used to check entitlement to the concession by comparison with the information provided for that purpose by the Department of Social Security.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he has taken to ensure that domestic satellite receivers are able to pick up unscrambled digital satellite channels. [155266]

All domestic satellite receivers are capable of picking up unscrambled satellite channels. However, as satellite services are receivable across international frontiers, all digital satellite channels, including the UK free-to-air services available on digital satellite, are scrambled for copyright reasons.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many ministerial meetings with hon. Members have been cancelled by Ministers since 1 January. [155244]

No ministerial meetings with hon. Members have been cancelled during this period, but a small number of meetings have had to be postponed or rearranged in response to other pressures.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps his Department is taking to ensure the hotel industry meets the requirements of disability legislation. [155460]

We are committed to widening access to tourism opportunities for all, including disabled people. We are encouraging the hotel sector to recognise the importance of meeting the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 not only because it is a legal requirement but also because it makes sound business sense. For example last year my Department organised a Disability Conference, "Towards 2004", where we engaged with our sectors, including tourism, concentrating on the requirements and implications of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. In additional, the English Tourism Council have recently published "Accessible Britain 2000—01" which is an official guide for disabled people to Quality Assured National Accessible Scheme accommodation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of hotels in the United Kingdom have adequate accessibility for the disabled to (a) buildings, (b) restaurants and (c) showers and baths. [155463]

We do not have this information. However, all businesses which provide a service to the public, including hotels, have a duty placed on them under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. Since 1 October 1999 service providers have had to make "reasonable adjustments" for disabled people in the way they provide their services. From 2004 they will also have to make "reasonable adjustments" to the physical feature of their premises to overcome physical barriers to access.

City of Westminster
£
Nature of funding (examples include:)	1997–98	1998–99	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02
Estate Action—Lisson Green Estate	6,000,000	2,060,000	1,701,400	2,201,400	4,227,600
Estate Action—Mozart Estate	3,055,000	3,600,000	600,000	485,400	0
Housing Investment Programme (HIP)	10,275,000	7,554,000	8,385,000	25,535,000	17,346,000
Basic Credit Approvals (HRA element)1	1,872,000	2,372,000	3,655,000	17,483,000	2 —
Major Repairs Allowance	3 —	3 —	3 —	3 —	11,580,932
Capital Receipts Initiative	2,039,000	6,618,000	7,176,000	0	0
Total	23,241,000	22,204,000	21,517,400	45,704,800	33,154,532
1 The amount of Basic Credit Approvals (IIR A element) for 2001–02 is not available at this time.
2 Not available.
3Grant introduced from 1 April 2001.

With the exception of Estate Action funding, it is for the local authority to decide where, within its boundaries, these resources are invested.

Royal borough of Kensington and Chelsea
£
Nature of funding (examples include)	1997—98	1998—99	1999—2000	2000—01	2001—02
Housing Investment Programme (HIP)	6,358,000	5,723,000	6,306,000	16,395,000	12,910,000
Basic Credit Approvals (HRA element)1	2,921,000	2,210,000	2,968,000	7,444,000	2 —
Major Repairs Allowance	3—	3—	3—	3 —	11,580,932
Capital Receipts Initiative	1,095,000	3,119,400	4,319,000	0	0
Total	10,374,000	11,052,000	13,593,000	23,839,000	24,490,932
1 The amount of Basic Credit Approvals (HRA element) for 2001–02 is not available at this time.
2 Not available.
3 Grant introduced from 1 April 2001.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list each housing capital improvement in (a) Westminster and (b) Kensington and Chelsea since May 1997. [155350]

The following housing capital improvement schemes have been allocated funding from the Department in the City of Westminster and the Royal borough of Kensington and Chelsea since 1 May 1997:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list each housing capital improvement project financed by his Department in Battersea since 1 May 1997. [155126]

The following housing capital improvements schemes have been allocated funding from

£
Nature of funding (examples include):	1997–98	1998–99	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02
Housing Investment Programme (HIP)	10,147,000	8,249,000	8,484,000	20,832,000	13,123,000
Basic Credit Approvals (HRA element)	2,368,000	0	535,000	12,728,000	1 —
Major Repairs Allowance	2—	2—	2—	2—	14,772,563
Capital Receipts Initiative	2,741,341	8,722,000	7,716,000	0	0
Total	15,256,341	16,971,000	16,735,000	33,560.000	27,895,563
1Not available
2Grant introduced from I April 2001

For the programmes listed above, it is not possible to determine how much of this money has been spent on Battersea. It is for the local authority to decide where, within its boundaries, these resources are invested.The amount of Basic Credit Approvals (HRA Element) for 2001–02 is not available at this time.In addition to the programmes listed, the London Borough of Wandsworth has received Single Regeneration Budget funding in respect of improvements to the Arndale Estate:

£
Nature of funding (examples include):	Single Regeneration Budget (round 3)
1997 –98	51,000
1998 –99	65,000
1999 –2000	297,000
2000 –01	906,000
2001 –02	3,043,000

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his reply on the Sellafield MOX plant, 18 January 2001, Official Report, column 296W, if he will place in the Library a copy of the revised economic case for the MOX plant prepared by BNFL. [148659]

My Department and the Department of Health have today published a consultation paper inviting public comments on BNFL's proposals for operating the Sellafield MOX plant. This includes a copy of BNFL's latest evaluation of the economic case for the plant.The DETR and MAFF invited public comments on the company's plans in 1999 and the further consideration of the case needed to take into account the consequences of the data falsification incident at BNFL's MOX demonstration facility. BNFL have now submitted a revised economic case and it is right to give people a further opportunity to comment.Independent consultants are also being appointed as a parallel procedure to evaluate the economic case put forward by BNFL. The consultation will last eight weeks and consultants will report in around 10 weeks. The consultees will not therefore see the consultants' report but the consultants will take account of the responses to the consultation exercise in reporting back to the Departments.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what impact the construction of the Ribble Link between the Lancaster Canal and the River Ribble will have on radiation levels in the Ribble estuary [155230]

Plans for the construction of the Ribble Link have included environmental assessments of the potential impact on radioactivity levels in the estuary and associated areas. These assessments indicate that the impact on the river and the estuary will be very low. The estimated increases in the levels of radioactivity are 3 per cent. and 0.2 per cent. respectively. The assessments also indicate that the radiation dose impact of the work to members of the public will be insignificant. The dose to those most likely to be affected—Ribble netsmen and consumers of local fish—is calculated to be less than 2 microSieverts a year. This is 2 per cent. of the relevant public dose limit trom man-made sources of 1,000 microSieverts. (The average dose from background radiation is 2,200 microSieverts a year.) The estimated dose levels are below the levels of regulatory concern set in the relevant legislation.The Environment Agency will continue to undertake its own independent environmental radioactivity monitoring programme of the River Ribble and the estuary area and will publish the results in its annual report.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what recent representations he has received concerning the damage caused to wrecks by divers; [155156]what plans he has to introduce legislation controlling diving around wrecks; [155150]

There have been no representations that my Department has been able to identify.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list (a) each category of grant and (b) the amount of each grant paid by his Department to each London borough in (i) 1997–98, (ii) 1998–1999, (iii) 1999–2000 and (iv) 2000–01; and what the projected figure is for 2001–02. [155427]

The data requested by my hon. Friend are not readily available and will take some time to compile. I will therefore write to my hon. Friend with the information and place a copy of the letter in the Libraries of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will estimate the cost of renationalising the rail network and train operating companies. [155598]

It is not possible to produce an accurate estimate of the cost of renationalising the rail network and train companies. However, Railtrack's market capitalisation, based on its current share price, is some £4 billion. The cost of renationalising Railtrack would be significantly more than that because, for example, all Railtrack's spending would be a charge to public expenditure.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what arrangements are in place for the supervision of housing associations in relation to severance payments to staff; and if he will make a statement in respect of the Liver Housing Association in Liverpool. [155547]

The Housing Act 1996 prohibits registered social landlords from making payments or providing benefits to their staff which are non-contractual without the consent of the Housing Corporation.Liver Housing Association has been the subject of a statutory inquiry by the Housing Corporation. The inquiry was prompted by Liver's plan to make severance payments to three senior directors worth over £1.7 million as part of a proposed merger with Grosvenor Housing Association. The Corporation's inquiry found that certain members of Liver's Board had been responsible for mismanagement in handling the construction of redundancy, retirement and severance policies and in the application of those policies to the three directors. The Corporation has used its powers to make three new appointments to strengthen Liver's Board. The proposed merger between Liver and Grosvenor will require the approval of the Corporation.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what discussions he has had with British Waterways about the level of charges for hire boat licences they will impose this year on operators affected by canal closures. [155251]

[holding answer 23 March 2001]: Decisions on the level of charges for hire boat licences are an operational matter for British Waterways. They recognise that canal closures have presented difficulties for waterway businesses and have agreed to defer the date for payments of hire boat licences from 1 April 2001 to 1 June 2001. This arrangement applies to both those who pay by instalments and those who pay in a single payment.I refer the hon. Member to my statement to the House on 20 March 2001,

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps he is taking to encourage people to cycle more. [155464]

The Government are committed to tripling the number of cycling trips from a 2000 base by 2010 and quadrupling them from a 1996 base by 2012. £8.4 billion of Government funding has been provided to local authorities in the recent local transport settlement. This will help to promote sustainable transport measures, including cycling. The cycling strategies included in the authorities' local transport plans should identify gaps in the local cycle network and result in improvements to the cycling infrastructure. Initial monitoring suggests that the strategies will result in considerable additional provision for cycling.We are also actively marketing the main message of the National Cycling Strategy. Early outcomes are the launch of an NCS website and production of a promotional video. We are also currently running a series of cycling seminars throughout England aimed at local authorities, major employers and health and education practitioners.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the annual tonnages of methane discharged into the atmosphere from abandoned coal mines in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement. [155580]

In 1994, the Watt Committee on Energy estimated that the net flow of methane from abandoned coal mines was likely to be negligible. Recognising the great uncertainties involved, and the extent of mine closures, my Department has sponsored a study of information currently available with a view to including this source in the UK greenhouse gas inventory. This indicates that emissions from abandoned coal mines constitute a declining source and could currently be in the range 20,000 to 300,000 tonnes of methane per year, or between 0.05 per cent. and 0.8 per cent. of total UK greenhouse gas emissions in 1990. We do not have separate estimates fro England and Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what discussions he has had with the construction industry on adapting for climatic change. [155616]

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has had no specific discussions with the construction industry on the subject of climate change. However my Department is in regular contact with the construction industry on a wide range of environmental issues, including those specifically related to climate change. Since I launched our strategy for more sustainable construction: "Building a Better Quality of Life" a year ago, my colleagues and I have been encouraging the industry and its clients to address the issues set out in that strategy, including the reduction of greenhouse gases, by eliminating wasteful and polluting practices which contribute to climate change.My Department supports research aimed at raising awareness within the construction industry on the implications of climate change. We have recently commissioned a study jointly with the Scottish Executive, the Environment Agency and others to prepare guidance on the flood proofing of buildings and to look at what further research needs to be done in this area. We support the UK Climate Impacts Programme at the University of Oxford to help organisations assess their vulnerability to climate change. We have also invited the Construction Research and Innovation Strategy Panel to consider what research the construction industry needs on climate change.I commend the recent report from the Foundation for the Built Environment on "Potential Implications of Climate Change on the Built Environment" which sets out ways in which the construction industry can adapt to meet these challenges.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions which firms have provided testing of (a) ash residues and (b) air emissions at the Byker, Edmonton, SELCHP, Tyseley and Teesside incinerators since 1996. [155336]

[holding answer 26 March 2001]: The information is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will set out, including statistical information relating as directly as possible to the North Devon constituency, the effects on North Devon of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [155907]

The principal funding that this Department has provided to North Devon and Mid Devon District Councils and to Devon County Council in the years 1997–98 to 2001–02 is shown in the table. These include grants and borrowing approvals for revenue and capital expenditure

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what discussions the Rural Taskforce has had on support for the racing industry during the foot and mouth outbreak. [155441]

[holding answer 26 March 2001]: The Rural Taskforce has discussed measures to alleviate the impact of foot and mouth on all affected rural businesses including the racing industry. The Taskforce welcomes constructive suggestions. I announced to the House on 20 March 2001, Official Report, columns 191–210, a preliminary package of measures which the Taskforce had discussed earlier that day.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many supported housing places will be needed to meet the 2003 target set for the Government's Teenage Pregnancy Programme; how many such places have already been and are in the process of being provided; how many applications to provide new places have been received; and how many have been funded. [155786]

Although precise data are not available, we estimate that around 1,500 units of supported accommodation will be needed to meet the Government target that by 2003 all teenage lone parents under 18 who cannot live with their family or partner should be placed in supervised semi-independent housing with support rather than in an independent tenancy.An audit of existing provision of supported accommodation for housing teenage parents undertaken by local authorities as part of the 2000 Housing Investment Programme identified between 4,000 and 5,000 units of accommodation as available for lone parents with onsite or floating support, of which around two thirds (2,749 units) was available for teenage parents under 18 years of age. However, it is doubtful whether all of this accommodation is located in line with need or is of sufficient quality to meet the support requirements of teenage parents.Local authorities are responsible for assessing the need for additional accommodation for teenage parents within their areas. Currently 128 new units of accommodation for teenage parents are being funded through the Housing Corporation's Approved Development Programme (ADP). Next year's Approved Development Programme includes 205 new units of accommodation. In addition under the new Safer Communities Supported Housing Fund, £4 million has been allocated to provide 134 new units of accommodation for teenage parents and bids have been received to provide floating support for nearly 200 units of accommodation. The Housing Corporation will be announcing shortly the number of floating support bids, which it will be approving for funding in 2001–02.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what performance targets have been set for Encams for waste awareness as a condition of funding. [155763]

Encams' flagship waste awareness initiative is the Waste Theme Month that it co-ordinates each October. This year DETR grant of £30,000 funded its entire costs: promotional activity that included leaflets, newspapers, a theme month pack and a national seminar, all of which Encams evaluated through a questionnaire.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) if the "Are you doing your bit" and "Use it: Recycle it" campaigns are active; [155917](2) if he will make a statement on the impact of the "Are you doing your bit" and "Use it: Recycle it" campaigns. [155766]

The "Are you doing your bit" campaign, which promotes water conservation, waste reduction, energy efficiency and transport messages, has been running since 1998. My hon. Friend also mentions "Use it: Recycle it", which is a reference to the "Are you doing your bit" campaign's "Use it again" waste and recycling website.Research into awareness, motivation and actions by individuals, has been commissioned to assess the campaign's impact and inform its strategic approach.Research conducted in December 2000, a month after the most recent advertising, showed high levels of campaign recognition: nine out of 10 people recognised the campaign; seven out of 10 said that the advertising made them think they should be doing their bit; over six out of 10 say they had started or increased campaign actions in the last 12 months.The campaign's success in 2000–01 also included more than 48,000 visitors to the interactive roadshow in 24 locations and approximately 1,060 pieces of media coverage generated on campaign messages. In addition, there have been almost 70,000 visitors to the campaign websites www.doingyourbit.org.uk and www.useitagain.org.uk since their launch in May 1999 and April 2000 respectively.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what funding sources will be used in order to deliver the National Waste Strategy. [155765]

In the National Waste Strategy, the Government have set out their objectives for sustainable waste management over the next 20 years. The Spending Review 2000 provided substantial extra resources for waste and recycling over the next three years to begin to deliver these objectives, as set out in the reply to the hon. Member for Ashford (Mr. Green) on 14 December 2000, Official Report, column 200W.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much his Department estimates it will cost to deliver the National Waste Strategy. [155767]

The Government's Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) for the National Waste Strategy is set out in "Waste Strategy 2000" (Cm 4693–2, Annexe C). The RIA models differing assumptions about the growth in waste arisings and the development of different waste treatments over this period and suggests additional costs ranging from £3.4 to £7.7 billion (present value of costs from 2000 to 2020).

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to add to the targeted programme of trunk road improvements. [156106]

The regional planning bodies brought forward proposals for 30 schemes which could be separately progressed from the Multi Modal Studies (which are currently looking at solutions to problems within main trunk road corridors). These schemes have been assessed using the New Approach to Appraisal (NATA) and I have arranged for copies of the appraisal summary tables to be placed in the Library. We have also sought the views of the Government's statutory advisers (English Nature, the Countryside Agency, English Heritage and the Environment Agency) on the proposed schemes. Having considered the NATA appraisals and comments from the statutory advisers we have decided to add the following schemes to the targeted programme of improvements:

• M62 Junction 6 Improvement
• Al Peterborough—Blyth Grade Separated Junctions
• A14 Haughley New St.—Stowmarket Improvement
• A38 Dobwalls Bypass
• A46 Newark—Widmerpool Improvement
• A595 Parton—Lillyhall Improvement

These schemes will now be taken forward by the Highways Agency in consultation with the statutory advisory bodies to ensure that any concerns which they might have are properly addressed in developing detailed designs for the schemes. Every effort will be made to minimise impacts on sensitive sites.In addition, I am also able to announce today that, after further studies undertaken since the 1998 Roads Review, the following schemes are being added to the targeted programme of improvements:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement about light rail schemes. [156078]

I am today announcing decisions on three schemes, as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will set out the business experience of each member of the South East England Development Agency. [155957]

Short biographies of each of the board members of the South East England Development Agency have been placed in the Libraries of the House. These are also available on DETR's website at www.detr.gov.uk and SEEDA's website at: www.seeda.co.uk.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he expects to receive a copy of the report of the Health and Safety Executive's study of employees' health at the National Semi-Conductor plant in Greenock; and if he will make a statement. [155259]

This study is being taken forward by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as a matter of priority. Work to trace members of the work force is nearing completion. HSE will then link this to information on deaths and cancer registrations to determine which workers have suffered cancer. The final report is currently expected to be published in late summer 2001.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to speed up the action taken against businesses which operate without planning permission. [155947]

Local planning authorities have a wide range of discretionary enforcement powers to enable them to deal swiftly and effectively with unauthorised development that is harming amenity in the neighbourhood. Last August we announced improvements to enforcement appeal procedures which will increase their speed and efficiency. We are now preparing the necessary statutory instruments and guidance to implement the changes.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to allow people who protest against a planning decision to appeal against favourable decisions by local councils. [155948]

Local people already have the opportunity to make their views known on development proposals before local planning authorities determine planning applications. There is also the right to challenge the grant of planning permission by a local planning authority by seeking judicial review. We have no current plans to introduce a third party right of appeal against authorities' decisions to grant planning permission.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what performance targets he has set the Rent Service for 2001–02. [156138]

Key targets have been agreed for the Agency. They are included in the Agency's Business Plan, which includes management objectives, performance indicators and key tasks. Copies of the Business Plan will be placed in the Library in due course.The key targets for The Rent Service are:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he has decided to agree to the National Trust's proposals for a bridge across the A21 Lamberhurst Bypass at Scotney. [156140]

I am pleased to say that following discussion with the Trust over the last few months. I have asked the Highways Agency to develop proposals to maintain the existing access to Scotney Castle and remove the severance caused by the bypass. Further development work will now be undertaken leading to the publication of those proposals in the summer.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he will announce the key tai gets for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency for 2001–02,. [156141]

I will shortly lay in the House library a copy of the Agency's Business Plan which includes its key targets for 2001–02. The key targets are:

to complete the review of the statutory safety regime for fishing vessels of 12–24 metres and to prepare a Code of Practice for these vessels by January 2002.

to implement the internationally agreed revisions to Chapter V (Safety of Navigation) of the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention in time for the implementation date of 1 July 2002;

to achieve full implementation of the International Convention on Standards of Training. Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW95) by 1 February 2002;

to complete at least 95 per cent. of the agreed programme of vessel inspections;

to decide on the search and rescue response to accidents and life-threatening situations, and initiate action if necessary, within five minutes of being alerted in at least 95 per cent. of cases;

to implement the agreed recommendations of the UK SAR (Search and Rescue) Helicopter coverage and provision review by 31 March 2002;

to implement the agreed recommendations of the Emergency Towing Vessel (ETV) review by 31 Match 2002;

to establish measurable efficiency indicators covering: search and rescue activities; the survey and inspection service; and Agency management, by 31 July 2001;

to undertake customer surveys to assess the level of customer satisfaction with the work carried out by MCA, with particular emphasis on the operational side of the business, and to establish benchmarks for future surveys, by 31 March 2002.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what performance targets he proposed to set the Planning Inspectorate agency for 2001–02. [156323]

The Planning Inspectorate continues to play a key role in improving the efficiency and certainty with which the planning system delivers quality services to business and other users 1 have therefore set demanding key performance targets for the Inspectorate for 2001–02. These include tougher targets for handling planning appeals in line with our Public Service Agreement targets.The tougher appeals targets I am setting the Inspectorate to continue improving its service to customers makes it essential that all parties to the appeals process play their part by cooperating with the Inspectorate in meeting deadlines and agreeing dates offered for inquiries.The targets for 2001–02 are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he will announce the outcome of the second round of applications for housing private finance initiative schemes. [156324]

I am announcing today the names of 12 local authorities with whom my Department will work on the development of a second round of housing PFI schemes.The authorities are: Ashford borough council, the London borough of Camden, the London borough of Islington, the London borough of Hackney, Leeds City council, The London borough of Lewisham, Manchester City council, The London borough of Newham, North East Derbyshire district council, Oldham metropolitan borough council, Rochdale metropolitan borough council, and Sandwell metropolitan borough council.Whether schemes ultimately proceed will depend on authorities working up business cases which satisfy the scrutiny of the inter-Departmental Project Review Group (PRG), which considers all local government PFI schemes seeking central government support. Endorsement by PRG is essential before schemes can proceed to EU competition.These projects are all aimed at tackling the backlog of renovation and repairs in existing council housing and many include wider estate regeneration proposals. They form an important element in authorities' wider housing and regeneration strategies.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what guidance he plans to give relating to the use of footpaths in exclusion zones; and if he will make a statement. [155271]

I have been asked to reply.Government published advice to the general public on countryside activities and visits, based on guidance from the Chief Veterinary Officer, on 16 March. Further guidance for local authorities on use of footpaths will be issued shortly.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will break down the publicity budget for publicising the 2001 census; what the timetable is for the publicity campaign; what its objectives are; what initiatives are being taken to target specific ethnic groups and regions; what are the objectives of each; and what initiatives are being prepared to make children aware of the census. [146679]

[holding answer 23 January 2001]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimates he has made of the number of workers in Scotland who have benefited from the introduction of the statutory minimum wage, broken down by employment sector. [1557771

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 estimate he has made of the annual savings to the (a) quarry, (b) aviation, (c) farming, (d) manufacturing and (e) other industries arising from the rebated rates of duty on red diesel. [154699]

Data on payments of duty on rebated gas oil do not indicate the end-use; therefore no estimate has been made of the annual savings to different industries resulting from the rebated rates of duty on red diesel.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the annual savings to industry from using red diesel instead of ultra low sulphur diesel. [154700]

Rebated gas oil, also known as red diesel, is liable for duty at the rate of 3.13 pence per litre and is used in excepted vehicles and as a heating and industrial fuel. Assuming the current level of use, raising the rate of duty on gas oil to the rate applying to Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel would raise additional duty revenues of around £3 billion. In practice the additional revenue would be significantly less than this because a fourteenfold increase in the duty rate would reduce the demand for rebated gas oil.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how much the Treasury estimates that small and medium enterprises in Wales will have to pay under the climate change levy; [154554](2) by how much he estimates that costs to small and medium enterprises in Wales will decrease as a consequence of the reduction in employers' National Insurance Contributions. [154556]

The climate change levy will be revenue neutral overall, and broadly neutral between services and manufacturing. The levy will raise an estimated £1 billion in its first year, all of which will be recycled back to business via a 0.3 percentage point cut in employers' National Insurance Contributions and through support for business energy efficiency. The effect on any specific business sector or area will depend on a number of factors, including their future energy consumption, their levels of employment, eligibility for discounts, use of exempt renewable energy or combined heat and power, and the extent to which they take up energy efficiency advice and the enhanced capital allowances for energy saving investments.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he has taken in the year since the publication of the Cruickshank report to reduce the excess profits being earned by the leading clearing banks identified by the report. [155594]

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the Government's response to the Cruickshank report, which was published on the 4 August 2000, and to Chapter Three of the Economic and Fiscal Strategy Report, which was published on 7 March 2001.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what change has taken place in the share of the four leading clearing banks in the current account market since the publication of the Cruickshank report. [155597]

As I told the Treasury Select Committee on 30 January (ref: para. 452) the share of the four leading clearing banks in the current account market when the Cruickshank report was published was around 68 per cent. It is now around 70 per cent.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made on the recommendation in the Performance and Innovation Unit report "Wiring it Up" to develop a strategy for performance information. [156221]

A strategy for performance information "Improving Performance Information"—setting out the initiatives the Government have put in place to improve performance information—was published today.As part of the strategy a guide to performance information: "Choosing the right FABRIC: a Framework for Performance Information" has also been published.This document is published jointly by the Treasury, the Cabinet Office, the National Audit Office, the Audit Commission, and the Office for National Statistics and contains principles behind performance information.I am placing a copy of both documents in the Libraries of both Houses. The documents can also be found on the Treasury website at www.hm-treasury.gsi.gov.uk/ perform_info.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the outcome was of the most recent meeting of the Standing Committee on preparations for EMU. [156222]

The most recent meeting of the Standing Committee took place on 22 January 2001. I have arranged for copies of the minutes to be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimates Her Majesty's Customs and Excise has made of the extent of excise duty lost in the smuggling of fuel; and what targets he has set for the reduction of smuggling of tobacco, alcohol and fuel. [155944]

Customs have made no estimates relating specifically to excise duty lost from the smuggling of fuel into the UK.Customs' targets for reducing tobacco smuggling and cross-Channel alcohol smuggling are set out in the "Tackling Tobacco Smuggling" document published on 22 March 2000, a copy of which is available in the Library. There is no specific target for fuel.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what investigations (a) he and (b) Oftel have carried out into incidences of a UK-licensed telecommunications operator short-terminating calls in the UK between Bell Canada customers and Madagascar. [155835]

[holding answer 27 March 2001]: Neither the Government nor Oftel have received any representations about the short termination of calls between Bell Canada customers and Madagascar, and no investigations have been carried out. Oftel will investigate any complaints made to them that an operator licensed under the Telecommunications Act might be acting in breach of its licence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received from British Energy regarding the future of new nuclear power plant development in (a) Scotland and (b) the rest of the UK. [155848]

[holding answer 27 March 2001]: None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what provision will be made for parliamentary scrutiny of lists of acceptable destinations for exports under the framework agreement concerning measures to facilitate the restructuring and operation of the European defence industry; [155487](2) if exports with significant United Kingdom participation, agreed under the framework agreement concerning measures to facilitate the restructuring and operation of the European defence industry, and exported from and licensed by another of the parties to the agreement, will be included in the United Kingdom annual report on strategic export controls; [155489](3) what process will be used to draw up a list of acceptable destinations for exports under the framework agreement concerning measures to facilitate the restructuring and operation of the European defence industry; and what role industry will play in this process; [155486](4) if the

The annual report on strategic export controls will provide details of all export licences issued by the UK relating to framework agreement projects in a similar way to current reporting.The process to draw up lists of acceptable destinations or White Lists is set out in Article 13(3) of the framework agreement. The Ministry of Defence, with support from both DTI and FCO is continuing discussions with other participating countries on the modalities of the operation

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what quantities of reprocessed uranium have been sold by British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. and for what purposes in each of the last three years. [154420]

[holding answer 26 March 2001]: Details of BNFL's commercial transactions—including its trade in uranium products—are a matter for BNFL and its customers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will set out, including statistical information relating as directly as possible to the North Devon constituency, the effects on North Devon of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [155902]

The Department has provided the following support for businesses in North Devon Constituency since May 1997.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) who from (a) regional development agencies, (b) regional assemblies and (c) other organisations was invited by the right hon. Member for Sheffield, Central (Mr. Caborn), to attend his meeting with Central Railway plc on 28 February; who attended the meeting; and if he will make a statement; [155825](2) by what date the right hon. Member for Sheffield, Central, asked regional development agencies and regional assemblies to report their views on the Central Railway project following the meeting of 28 February; [155822](3) what were the conclusions of the meeting of February between the right hon. Member for Sheffield, Central, representatives of Central Railway plc and regional representatives; [155823](4) what contacts there have been between

[holding answer 27 March 2001]: I have had a number of private meetings with representatives of Central Railways in my capacity as Member for Sheffield, Central.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) sub and (b) main post offices there were in the Romsey constituency in (i) 1992, (ii) 1997 and (iii) 2001. [155855]

I understand from the Post Office that data on the post office network are not held on a parliamentary constituency basis.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many ex-miner claims for compensation for respiratory disease there were (a) as at 30 October 2000 and (b) at present. [155643]

[holding answer 27 March 2001]: At 29 October 2000, IRISC, the Department's claims handlers, had registered 124,376 claims in respect of respiratory disease. To date, the number of claims initiated is 141,158 and, on average, 1,000 new claims continue to be registered each week.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the average settlement figure for those ex-miners who have settled their claims under the fast-track procedure. [155644]

Before September last year, expedited offers of between £1,050 and £5,750 were made to claimants in full and final settlement following spirometry (the first stage of the medical process). As a result of the fast-track initiative in September, these offers were increased to between £2,050 and £14,500, the offer being dependent on spirometry results and underground working history with British Coal. In addition, eligibility was broadened to include some claimants who were previously ineligible for an expedited offer. Those who had offers made under the old tariffs received a top-up in line with the new awards. The average settlement figure is £4,700.