To ask the Prime Minister what his policy is on United States' plans to develop a ballistic missile shield and to seek changes to the ABM treaty. [160633]

I refer the right hon. Member to the answers I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Barnsley, West and Penistone (Mr. Clapham) and to the right hon. Member for Richmond, Yorks (Mr. Hague) in the House on 2 May 2001, Official Report, columns 844–46.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many occasions IRA arms dumps have been inspected by the international inspectors since 6 May 2000; and if he will make a statement. [159620]

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many occasions IRA arms dumps have been inspected by the international inspectors since 6 May 2000; and if he will make a statement. [159627]

The two arms inspectors, Martti Ahtisaari and Cyril Ramaphosa, have issued two separate reports on their inspections of IRA arms dumps. On both occasions they reported the dumps held a substantial amount of military material, including explosives and weapons. They remain confident that these weapons and explosives cannot be used without their being aware of it.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the threat posed by dissident paramilitary organisations to security in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) Great Britain. [159621]

While we believe the main paramilitary groups are maintaining their cease fires there remains a threat from dissidents as evidenced by the recent disruption to the Northern Ireland railway network and the bomb attack on the BBC in London. The security forces are conscious of the threat posed by dissident republicans, and continue to take steps to thwart their attacks.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the security situation in Northern Ireland. [159622]

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the security situation in Northern Ireland. [159626]

The Government believe on balance that the main cease fires are holding. There remains however, a threat from republican dissidents who are opposed to the Good Friday Agreement as evidenced by recent attacks on the railway network in Northern Ireland and the discovery of a Mark 15 barrack buster bomb near Omagh. The security forces are conscious of the threat posed by these groups, and continue to take steps to thwart their attacks.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the requirement for police service and Army force levels in the present security situation. [159630]

Operational security measures are a matter for the Chief Constable and he keeps security at a level appropriate to his assessment of the prevailing threat. As the level of threat changes, this will be reflected in changes to the security force profile.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what further steps he is taking to create a normal security environment in Northern Ireland. [159632]

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what further steps he is taking to create a normal security environment in Northern Ireland. [159641]

The Chief Constable recently announced a number of further normalisation measures including the demolition of the six Fermanagh patrol bases, the closure and demolition of Long Kesh army base and the closure of Strand Road Holding Centre. In the longer term, the number of army bases will reduce to no more than 20. Currently the police routinely patrol without military assistance in 28 of the 29 District Command Units. However, on a number of occasions military support has been utilised for specific purposes. Further measures will very much depend on the removal of the threat from dissident republicans and continued progress towards a normal civil society.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement about progress in implementing the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000. [159623]

A number of the provisions in the Police Act have been commenced, some as recently as 30 March. Implementation is being taken forward where possible, including the provisions enabling 50:50 recruitment and those relating to the Oversight Commissioner.Commencement of a number of the sections and schedules in the Act, however, is dependent on the creation of the Policing Board. The Government want to see a Board established as soon as possible so that the comprehensive programme of change envisaged by the Independent Commission on Policing for Northern Ireland can be fully progressed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the peace process in Northern Ireland. [159625]

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on progress in implementing the Good Friday agreement. [159628]

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the peace process in Northern Ireland. [159644]

I refer my hon. Friends to the reply I gave earlier today to my hon. Friends the Members for Warrington, South (Ms Southworth) and Barnsley, East and Mexborough (Mr. Ennis), Official Report, column 99.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions his Department has had with the US Administration concerning their continued role in the peace process. [159635]

I met the President's National Security Adviser Dr. Rice and Secretary of State Powell when I was in Washington in March. My officials also keep in touch with the Administration, including through the US Embassy in London to keep them abreast of the current political situation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his assessment is of the impact of a stable economy on the peace process in Northern Ireland. [159636]

Northern Ireland now has the fastest growing economy in the United Kingdom and this economic success is directly related to the Belfast Agreement. Seeing and experiencing such tangible benefits helps to maintain support from the business community and the public at large for our continuing efforts to implement the Agreement in full.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made in the review of criminal justice in Northern Ireland. [159629]

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on progress on the review of criminal justice in Northern Ireland. [159643]

I refer my hon. Friends to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Walsall, North (Mr. Winnick) on 26 April 2001, Official Report, column 342W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions he has held with the Taoiseach and the Irish Foreign Minister on matters relating to decommissioning and demilitarisation. [159631]

I regularly discuss the security situation, including the decommissioning and normalisation issues in Northern Ireland with the Taoiseach and the Irish Foreign Minister. I last met the Taoiseach on 31 January 2001 and the Irish Foreign Minister on 3 May 2001.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent developments there have been towards arms decommissioning; and if he will make a statement. [159637]

I welcomed the report issued in March by the Decommissioning Commission announcing its re-engagement with the IRA, and look forward to early positive reports from the Commission that progress is being made.It is vital that all the paramilitary groups on ceasefire fully and actively engage with the Commission so that the issue of illegally held arms can be resolved and decommissioning can occur as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the prospects for achieving arms decommissioning by the June deadline. [159640]

I would like to see decommissioning begin as soon as possible and I was encouraged by the report issued by the Decommissioning Commission in March in which it announced its re-engagement with the IRA. Like the Commission, I hope that it will be possible to make substantial progress by the June target date.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he next expects to meet the Disability Rights Commission to discuss disability rights in Northern Ireland [159634]

The Disability Rights Commission's remit does not extend to Northern Ireland and anti-discrimination legislation there is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Assembly. The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland deals with disability and other equality issues in Northern Ireland. The Secretary of State met with members of the Equality Commission on 24 April to discuss their work on the statutory equality duty set out in section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps his Department is taking to support the victims of violence in Northern Ireland. [159638]

In 1998 the Victims Liaison Unit was established to implement measures to support victims of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. To date over £18.25 million has been allocated to support victims, and measures including the establishment of a Family Trauma Centre, the Northern Ireland Memorial Fund, a review of Criminal Injuries Compensation, and funding for groups working with victims have been introduced. Further measures will be announced in the coming months.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the progress made in the reforms of the RUC. [159639]

The Government are committed to the implementation of the recommendations of the Independent Commission on Policing for Northern Ireland. The Government and the police are pressing on with a wide range of changes to improve the effectiveness of the service and bring it ever closer to the vision set out in the Commission's report.A representative Policing Board is a key component of the report's proposals and the Government want to see such a board established as soon as possible so that the changes dependent upon its creation can also be progressed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many RUC officers in each of the last three years have been assigned to combating drug trafficking in Northern Ireland. [159642]

All officers in the Royal Ulster Constabulary are drugs aware and capable of combating drugs trafficking. However, there are dedicated units in the Drugs Squad and in District Command Units, previously in Sub-Divisions.While figures are not readily available for the number of officers assigned to duties outside the Drugs Squad, over the last three years it has had an approved complement of 44. It is headed by a Detective Superintendent who reports to the Assistant Chief Constable, Crime Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers have (a) been lost and (b) disappeared from the system since the introduction of the national dispersal and integration policy. [158801]

If an asylum seeker who is supported by the National Asylum Support Service is found to have left their accommodation, support is withdrawn. We do not, however, keep statistics on the number of such cases.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers are located in Essex while awaiting determination of their application or appeal; and what estimate he has made of their total cost to (a) central Government and (b) local government funds. [159952]

[holding answer 1 May 2001]: The available information comes from the National Asylum Support Service (NASS), which began supporting destitute asylum seekers entering the United Kingdom on or after 3 April 2000. NASS records information on the location of NASS supported asylum seekers by region and cluster area but not by county. Statistics from NASS, for the end of February 2001, show that for asylum seekers located in the east of England (which includes Essex) 40 asylum seekers (including dependants) had been allocated accommodation and 810 asylum seekers (including dependants) had been allocated voucher only support.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the impact on local authority housing services of the maximum 14 day notice period within which people housed under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 must leave their accommodation after they receive a positive decision on their asylum claims; what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues about the Audit Commission's recommendation that this period should be reviewed; and if he will make a statement. [160663]

No ministerial discussions have taken place about the 14 day period laid down in the Asylum Support Regulations 2000 during which asylum seekers remain eligible for National Asylum Support Service (NASS) support. This period was discussed and agreed with the Benefits Agency prior to the implementation of the legislation. However talks are currently taking place between NASS officials, the Benefits Agency and interested voluntary bodies about this period.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment his Department has made of the effect asylum seekers opting for support by voucher only are having on the housing shortage in London. [160794]

No assessment of this sort has been made since where an asylum seeker applies for voucher only support he should already have accommodation, possibly with family or friends, available to him.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers whose applications have been rejected cannot be traced; and if he will make a statement.[159442]

This information has never been collected centrally on a systematic basis, and could be obtained only by a special exercise to examine individual case files at a disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what additional financial provision is made for (a) health service provision, (b) education provision and (c) local government services in areas designated as cluster areas for asylum seekers. [159748]

Health authority baseline allocations are intended to cover the health costs of local populations and these include asylum seekers coming into an area. For England, £600 million of additional funding was announced on 28 March 2000, which meant health authorities received average increases of 8.9 per cent. for the financial year 2000–01 (the minimum increase was 8.2 per cent). Separate arrangements apply for Scotland and Wales which each receive a consequential share of funding.On 30 June 2000 my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Employment announced that additional funding, up to £500 per pupil, would be available in the financial year 2000–01 to support the educational needs of children of asylum seekers in receipt of support from the National Asylum Support Service who have been dispersed to cluster areas. In 2000–01 a total of £1.3 million was allocated to schools who have received children of asylum seekers.The grant in England is distributed to local authorities through standard spending assessments which take account of factors such as the size of the population and the number of children needing school places. The grant to a particular local authority will reflect an increase in the size of the population due to asylum seekers moving into that area.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what evaluation his Department has made of the impact of community police officers on the number of anti-social behaviour offences. [160294]

[holding answer 8 May 2001]: Anti-social behaviour offences are not recorded as a separate category, so an evaluation of the effect on them of any specific policing strategy is not possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many community police officers there are in each police area of Greater Manchester; and how many are (a) full-time and (b) part-time; [160292](2) what measures are in place to increase the number of community police officers in the UK; and what impact they have had on the Greater Manchester area. [160293]

[holding answer 8 May 2001]: The information requested for Greater Manchester has been provided by the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester police and is set out in the table.

Greater Manchester police—Community police officers by division
	Full-time	Part-time	Total
A Division (North Manchester)	52	0	52
C Division (South Manchester)1	94	2	96
F Division (Salford)	71	0	71
G Division (Tameside)	38	0	38
J Division (Stockport)	44	2	46
K Division (Bolton)	57	0	57
L Division (Wigan)	59	2	61
M Division (Trafford)	34	2	36
N Division (Bury)	34	2	36
P Division (Rochdale)1	34	4	38
Q Division (Oldham)	44	0	44
Total	561	14	575
1 South Manchester and Rochdale Divisions are considering increasing their numbers of Community Police Officers by two and one respectively

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if it is his policy that the Horserace Betting Levy Board will not be abolished until alternative funding arrangements are agreed by both the racing industry and the betting industry. [160673]

Our stated intention is to abolish the statutory levy on horserace betting, on the basis that commercial agreements between horseracing and other industries, including bookmaking, are capable of producing sufficient income for racing to flourish as a national sport without the need for such a levy. We would expect to see discussions on future funding arrangements make progress, but introduction of the necessary legislation is not conditional on the conclusion of commercial agreements.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received regarding threats to deprive horserace tracks of payments made from Horserace Betting Levy Board money if such tracks sign media rights agreements not agreed by the British Horseracing Board. [160675]

I am told we have received no representations on this matter.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if payments to horserace tracks from Horserace Betting Levy Board money can be withdrawn other than by breach of the conditions of these payments. [160674]

The allocation of funds from the levy is a matter for the Horserace Betting Levy Board. However, I understand that the board has not given any consideration to withdrawing payments that have already been agreed.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (a) when Tibetans were first classed as Chinese nationals for asylum purposes in the UK, (b) by which Government Department the decision was taken and (c) if Tibetans are classified as Chinese nationals by other EU member states; and if he will make a statement. [160504]

The 1951 Refugee Convention requires that, unless stateless, a person's claim to refugee status be assessed in relation to the country of which they are a national. The United Kingdom does not recognise China's claims of sovereignty over Tibet, but recognises that Tibet is not independent, and Tibetans hold Chinese nationality. This has been the position argued y the Foreign and Commonwealth Office since the 1951 annexation of Tibet by China. Further, an individual may claim asylum on the basis of persecution by the Chinese authorities because of their Tibetan ethnicity, but at the time and place of their claimed persecution they are held to be Chinese nationals.Therefore, the classification of Tibetan in the context of nationality is independent of the consideration of individual asylum claims. This has been the approach adopted in all available United Kingdom asylum statistics. No other European member state classes Tibetans as a separate nationality for asylum purposes.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he will take to ensure that the development of a new police complaints system takes account of the lessons to be learned from Operation Lancet. [160870]

We published the Government's proposed framework for a new police complaints system in December 2000. In developing the new arrangements we

Name	Start Date	Previous Position
David Petch	5 March 2001	Ministry of Defence, with attachments to Northern Ireland Office and Cabinet Office
Diane Hughes	2 April 2001	Senior Lecturer in law at Manchester University
Deborah Glass	2 April 2001	Chief Executive of the Investment Management Regulatory Organisation
Susan Swindell	2 April 2001	Senior Crown Prosecutor
Lionel Pilkington	2 April 2001	Senior Crown Prosecutor

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the aims and objectives are of the new task force on child protection on the internet; and if he will make a statement. [160688]

I met representatives from the industry involved in providing internet services in the United Kingdom, children's charities, law enforcement agencies

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what appointments to the Police Complaints Authority have been made since 1 March. [160871]

I have recently appointed Mr. Ian Bynoe to the second position of Deputy Chairman of the authority. His appointment is for two years with effect from 1 May 2001.Ian Bynoe has served as a member of the authority since 1998, both reviewing investigations and disciplinary proceedings and supervising investigations. He comes from a legal background and, prior to joining the authority, he was a self-employed policy researcher and legal trainer.Also, I have appointed five new full-time members to the Police Complaints Authority. Their appointments will be for three years. The five new members are:and others on 28 March 2001, where it was agreed to form a Task Force on Child Protection on the Internet.The task force is a partnership of representatives from: internet service providers (ISP); retailers and manufacturers; children's charities; representatives from the main opposition parties; law enforcement agencies; and academics. It has the following aims and objectives:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will apply greater pressure on the authorities in Khartoum to improve their human rights record. [160243]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Vale of York (Miss McIntosh) on 23 April 2001, Official Report, column 126W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of the arrest of Christians in Khartoum on 10 April and their treatment by riot police; and if he will make a statement. [160145]

We received a number of reports of the events on 10 April from our Embassy in Khartoum and Church organisations both within and outside Sudan. Our Ambassador in Khartoum has expressed our concerns to the Government of Sudan. We shall follow the Government's actions on the events in Green Square and at the Episcopal Cathedral, and on freedom of religious expression in general.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Pakistani Government concerning the persecution of members of the Ahmadiyya Islamic Movement. [160625]

On 3 April, the Under-Secretary, my noble Friend Baroness Scotland, met the Pakistani Attorney General and Minister of Law, Justice and Human Rights, Ms Shahida Jamil, and reiterated our concerns about the position of the Ahmadi communities in Pakistan and allegations of their persecution under Pakistan's blasphemy laws.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what proportion of trainee teachers left before completing their course in each year from 1992–93 to 1999–2000; and i he will make a statement. [157514]

[holding answer 9 April 2001]: Information about the proportion of trainee teachers who leave a teacher training course before completing is not collected centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the failure rate by those taking vocational A-level assessments. [158247]

[holing answer 23 April 2001]: We are committed to ensuring that the new vocational A-level is as rigorous as the GCE A-level. However, responsibility for assessing the standards of qualifications rests with the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority and with the awarding body. QCA is meeting with all awarding bodies to review the outcome of the assessments and consider whether there are lessons to be learned.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the issues raised at the 9 November Education and Youth European Council, pertaining to (a) the Social Agenda, (b) the Blois seminar, Learn the History of Europe, (c) Young People and Europe, (d) the Youth Programme, (e) Social Inclusion of Young People and (f) measures to combat racism in the young; and if he will list the documents concerned and place them in the Library. [158751]

[holding answer 24 April 2001]: The outcome of the Education and Youth Council was reported in the answer given by the Under-Secretary of State for Education and Employment, my hon. Friend the Member for North Swindon (Mr. Wills) on 14 November 2000, Official Report, column 601W. In respect of the particular issues the hon. Member raises, further information is as follows:

a) The Social Agenda: the Council adopted an opinion on "the Social Policy Agenda" to forward to the Employment and Social Policy Council. This opinion welcomed, inter alia, that the Social Policy Agenda accepted the role of education and lifelong learning in the preparation and adaptation of the labour market. An Explanatory Memorandum on the European Social Agenda was deposited in the Library on 19 December 2000;

b) The Blois seminar: this item was included on the agenda as an information point. The Council was informed by the Presidency of the outcome of the seminar held in Blois from 13 to 15 October 2000 on the topic "learning the history of Europe". No discussion took place;

c) Young People and Europe: an open debate, as part of the Commission's consultation process to develop a White Paper on the future youth policy. The Council agreed the importance of involving young people at European level and the need to create opportunities to consult with young people at national and European level;

d) The Youth Programme: the Commission informed the Council of the adoption and implementation of the Youth Programme to run for seven years from 2000 to 2006. The Council Decision establishing the Youth Community Action Programme was recorded in the Official Journal of the European Communities, L117, of 18 May 2000;

e) Social Inclusion of Young People: the Council adopted a resolution that recognised the distinctive position of young people. It encouraged member states to develop young people's social inclusion and to improve their social and economic situation. The Council Resolution was recorded in the Official Journal of the European Communities, C374, of the 28 December 2000;

f) Measures to combat racism in the young: the Council took note of a German statement on the need to tackle the problem of racism and xenophobia among young People.

Depositable papers were not available for those items without listed documents.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many (a) consultation documents, (b) regulations, (c) revised and corrected regulations,(d) guidance notes, (e) requests for statistical information and (f) letters from Ministers have been sent to schools by his Department since May 1997. [158920]

In my reply to the hon. Member on 19 April 2001, Official Report, column 563W, I gave the number of mailings for the years 1996 to mid 2000. The tables cover mailings to primary schools and mailings to secondary schools in the whole of the year 2000 and in the year 2001 up to 2 May. Since September 2000, we have had a presumption against sending materials direct to schools. Instead most information is available on request.

Primary schools
Topic	2000	2001 to 2 May 2001
Consultation Papers1
School Finance	1	0
School Standards	0	1
Guidance
Early Years	1	0
Literacy and Numeracy	6	3
School Curriculum	11	1
School Discipline	1	1
School Finance	2	1
School Governance	2	2
School Health and Safety	3	1
School Organisation	1	2
School Premises	1	0
School Standards	1	1
Special Education	3	0
Teaching Profession	22	2
Data collection
Early Years	3	1
Class size	2	1
School Discipline	2	2
School Finance	0	2
School Standards	9	9
Special education	1	1
Teaching Profession	1	1
Letters from Ministers
To primary schools	7	2
1 In general DfEE now only consults a sample of schools, usually 10 per cent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the amount his Department has spent on advertising (a) between December 2000 to May 2001 and (b) between May to October 1997. [158998]

[holding answer 26 April 2001]: The role of advertising is to make the general public aware of the opportunities available to them for example in employment, training or education, to enable them to fulfil their potential.During the period May to October 1997 the DfEE spend on advertising was nil. During this period the Department was developing its policies.During the period December 2000 to May 2001 the total DfEE spend on advertising was £14,755,321. This reflects the DfEE's need to communicate to a diverse and broad range of target audiences what the Department's policies mean to them.The campaigns include:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many places in English medical schools were allocated to overseas students in each of the last three years; and what percentage of the total this represents. [157905]

[holding answer 26 April 2001]: The available data are shown in the table.

Intake numbers of pre-clinical medical students in Higher Education Institutions in England by domicile (Thousands)
	UK	Overseas	Total
1997–98
Number	3,438	311	3,749
Percentage	91.7	8.3	100.0
1998–99
Number	3,389	346	3,735
Percentage	90.7	9.3	100.00
1999–2000
Number	3,650	322	3,972
Percentage	91.8	8.1	100.0

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what percentage of higher education students are not paying tuition fees in (a) London and (b) English universities and higher education establishments. [159613]

In England and Wales, students on undergraduate courses and their families are expected to make a contribution towards their tuition fees only if they can afford to do so.In academic year 1999–2000, the latest year for which data are available, for students who are normally domiciled in London as a whole (studying in the UK), the proportion of students who are liable for fees under the Education (Student Support) Regulations and who do not have to pay a contribution towards their fees is estimated to be 58 per cent. For students normally domiciled in England (studying in the UK) this figure is estimated to be 45 per cent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to increase the amount of funding available for training through individual learning accounts.[160304]

[holding answer 8 May 2001]: Spending plans for individual learning accounts for the next three years show a marked increase from the £42 million in financial year 2000–01. The figures are as follows: £46.6 million (2001–02) £72 million (2002–03) and £71.2 million in 2003–04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many people have (a) applied for and (b) used an individual learning account, broken down by (i) gender, (ii) occupation and (iii) the nature of learning scheme taken up. [160303]

[holding answer 8 May 2001]: Latest figures are that over one million people have opened individual learning accounts (ILAs) in the UK. This is a remarkable achievement and means that our manifesto commitment to open one million accounts across the UK by March 2002 has been met almost 12 months early. The one million figure includes over 200,000 opened during the pilot phase which preceded the introduction of the national framework to administer ILAs.Since the launch of the national framework to administer ILAs in June 2000, almost one million people have inquired about ILA membership in England, 785,379 people have opened an account and 346,559 (44 per cent.) have already made use of their ILA to support a course of learning.Of the 785,379 who have opened an account, 459,782 are women and 322,674 are men. Of the 346,559 who have already made use of their account, 203,124 are women and 142,177 are men.Over half of the learning is IT related with Computer Literacy and Information Technology (CLAIT) and European Computer Driving Licence being the most popular courses. A wide variety of non-IT, non-recreational learning makes up the balance. A breakdown of the accounts opened arid accounts used by occupation is given in the following table:

Accounts opened by occupation
Occupation	ILAs
Housewife/Homemaker	67,290
Manual/Factory Worker	41,745
Manager (own business less than 250 staff)	27,170
Office/Retail Worker	145,795
Senior Manager/Professional	79,576
Skilled Worker/Tradesperson	62,000
Teaching/Lecturer	37,087
Data not supplied	173,403
Other	151,313
Total	785,379

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when he will publish the national standards for day care and childminding following the consultation on draft standards last year. [160944]

The national standards for under eights day care and childminding are being published today, and I am placing copies in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what proposals he has to extend the use of work-focused interviews for working-age claimants to benefits. [160874]

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Security and I are establishing, later this year, Jobcentre Plus, an Agency for people of working age. This will bring together labour market and benefit services for people of working age and enable us to provide a more integrated approach for our customers.As we announced on 14 March this year, as a first stage in the launch of Jobcentre Plus, we will be introducing around 50 Pathfinder offices. Additionally, we will be introducing work-focused interviews for everyone of working age making a claim to benefit in around a further 40 offices to the same time scale. A provisional list of the locations in which these offices are based is set out in the table. People of working age making a claim for benefit in these offices will be required to participate in a work-focused interview as an integral part of the benefit claims process and will be offered specialist support to help them into work. My right hon. Friend will shortly be laying regulations under the Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999 for this purpose.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the pass rates for GCSE examinations for pupils in Shropshire for each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [160519]

The pass rates for GCSE examinations for pupils in Shropshire who gained at least one GCSE (or GNVQ equivalent) at grade G or above since 1997 are shown in the table.

Percentage
1997–98	97.5
1998–99	97.3
1999–2000	97.0

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the Sure Start Programme in Shrewsbury and Atcham. [160516]

There are no Sure Start programmes operating in the Shrewsbury and Atcham constituency.Our aim is to establish 500 programmes in areas of disadvantage by 2003–04. To date, 260 programmes have been announced. Further programmes will be announced later this year.Districts are invited to submit plans for a Sure Start programme because collectively they have high levels of need and disadvantage, according to the DETR Index of Multiple Deprivation, and give a good spread between different types of area around the country.We will also be looking at ways that Sure Start can reach young children in areas with smaller pockets of deprivation.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how much the Government spent on education in the Reading, West constituency in each of the financial years from 1995–96 to 2000–01, indicating the specific areas on which the funding has been spent. [159614]

Most funding provided by the Department is distributed via local education authorities. Total Devolved Formula Capital allocations for schools in the Reading, West constituency amounted to £708,500 in 2000–01. Allocations between the years 1997–98 and 2000–01 under the New Deal for Schools scheme are set out in the table. The Department does not hold information on other support provided to Reading, West constituency schools since 1995–96. The Secretary of State wrote to my hon. Friend on 16 February setting out the total funding for his local education authorities (Reading and West Berkshire) for the years 1998–99 to 2001–02. Due to local government reorganisation, figures are not available for earlier years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what proposals he has to extend the use of work-focused interviews for working age claimants to benefits. [160873]

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and Employment and I are establishing, later this year, Jobcentre Plus, an Agency for people of working age. This will bring together labour market and benefit services for people of working age and enable us to provide a more integrated approach for our customers.As we announced on 14 March this year, as the first stage in the launch of Jobcentre Plus, we will be introducing around 50 Pathfinder offices. Additionally, we will be introducing work-focused interviews for everyone of working age making a claim to benefit in around a further 40 offices to the same time scale. A provisional list of the locations in which these offices are based is set out in the table. People of working age making a claim for benefit in these offices will be required to participate in a work-focused interview as an integral part of the benefit claims process and will be offered specialist support to help them into work. I will shortly by laying regulations under the Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999 for this purpose.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his written answer to the right hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field) on 15 March 2001, Official Report, column 716W, if he will update his estimates of the number of pensioner units with an income of (a) under £50, (b) £50 to £99, (c) £100 to £149, (d) £150 to £199, (e) £200 to £210, (f) £211 to £221 and (g) £221 and above who are in receipt of (i) Housing Benefit, (ii) Council Tax Benefit, (iii) Council Tax Benefit and Housing Benefit and (iv) one or more of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit. [160872]

The information is in the tables.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much additional expenditure on pensioners there has been since May 1997 over and above the cost of annually uprating the state pension in line with prices. [160640]

Including forecast expenditure for the current year, the Government will have spent an additional £8.9 billion on new measures over and above inflation increases in the state pension since April 1997.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when the hon. Member for Putney will receive a reply to his letter of 17 April about the reclaiming of benefit from the war disablement pension of his constituent, Mr. Roland Riggs. [160527]

An initial reply was sent on 8 May 2001 to my hon. Friend's letter of 17 April 2001, on behalf of Mr. Roland Riggs, and I expect to follow this up with a full reply as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he will reply to the letter of 29 March, from Mrs. Mary McCreadie Harrison, a constituent, concerning her pension entitlement. [160789]

A reply was issued on 4 May 2001.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what the (a) earliest and (b) latest date is on which the new CSA rules will be applied to existing CSA cases; and if he will make a statement on how the new CSA arrangements will be phased in for existing cases. [160683]

The new child support scheme will be introduced for new cases by April 2002. Existing cases will be moved on to the new scheme when it is seen to be working well and maintenance is being paid regularly and reliably to new cases.To give parents who have existing child support assessments time to adjust to the new amounts, child support liability will be phased over a period of five years and in stages of £2.50, £5 or £10, depending on the non-resident parent's net weekly income.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what consultations were held with (a) the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, (b) the Wild Life Trust West Wales, (c) Pembrokeshire county council and (d) the National Assembly for Wales on environmental sensitivity, prior to a decision being made to allow genetically modified farm scale trials to go ahead at Mathry, Pembrokeshire. [157570]

[holding answer 9 April 2001]: No consultations on environmental sensitivity were held with the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, the Wild Life Trust West Wales, Pembrokeshire county council or the National Assembly for Wales, prior to a decision being made to propose genetically modified farm scale evaluations at Mathry, Pembrokeshire.The genetically modified (GM) maize to be grown at Mathry has European Union wide approval for unrestricted cultivation. The fields at Mathry were offered by Aventis CropScience on behalf of the industry body SCIMAC and selected by the research consortium undertaking the evaluations in accordance with the criteria set by the independent committee of scientists overseeing the Farm Scale Evaluations. It is not a decision Ministers take. As soon as DETR officials were notified of the site locations by SCIMAC they informed National Assembly officials about the three sites in Wales. DETR issued a press release on 3 April listing the proposed sites and on the same day also wrote to Pembrokeshire county council and the local community council to inform them of the sites and to provide information about the Farm Scale Evaluation programme. This received extensive local and Welsh media coverage. DETR officials and experts were then available to discuss any environmental concerns arising from the proposed evaluation in Mathry.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what environmental impact assessments have been carried out on the proposed genetically modified farm scale trial sites at Mathry, Pembrokeshire, before the decision to grant a licence was made. [157568]

[holding answer 9 April 2001]: The genetically modified (GM) maize to be grown in the Farm Scale Evaluations at Mathry has been subject to detailed risk assessments as part of the requirement for its authorisation under EU Directive 90–220, which controls releases of GM organisms. These risk assessments showed that it could safely be cultivated anywhere within the EU. Accordingly it was granted consent for commercial cultivation in 1998. This consent applies throughout the European Union. Directive 90–220 requires that the use of GM crops with commercial approval may not be prohibited or impeded except on sound scientific grounds, in particular, risks to human health or the environment. Any such action would need to be agreed by other Member States. This is in keeping with such crops having passed a robust risk assessment at EU level and being assessed as safe for use. No additional environmental impact assessment is therefore required under EU legislation. Equally there is nothing to prevent such an assessment being carried out, though none in practice has.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the locations of each development on (a) green belt land and (b) non-green belt greenfield land that he has given planning permission for since 1 May 1997. [158709]

[holding answer 23 April 2001]: The locations of the 119 sites where the Secretary of State has approved development in the green belt are set out in a table which has been placed in the Libraries of the House. Sixty six per cent. of these sites involved the use of previously developed land and the conversion of existing buildings. The total area of the sites on which approval was given equates to 0.08 per cent. of the total area of green belt in England. In the same period, the Secretary of State refused development on 132 sites in the green belt.Information on non-green belt greenfield sites is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how much money central Government had paid out by 26 April under the matched funding scheme for public donations to foot and mouth relief. [159939]

Up until the 26 April, the Countryside Agency, which is implementing the Government's commitment to match donations from the public to help alleviate hardship as a result of the foot and mouth disease, had made payment of one grant worth £52,000 to the Hadfield Trust in Cumbria.On Friday 4 May the Countryside Agency announced details of three further charities that had been awarded funding worth almost £1.5 million under the scheme. The ARC-Addington Fund will receive match funding of £1 million, the Rural Stress Information Network will receive £332,000 and the Cumbrian Community Foundation will receive £91,843.The Countryside Agency continues to receive applications for match funding which it aims to turn around as quickly as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what representations he has received from Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for the relaxation of pollution control regulations in relation to (a) open burning of slaughtered livestock carcases and (b) tyres used to aid combustion; and if he will make a statement. [159854]

[holding answer 2 May 2001]: There is a continuing dialogue between various Government Departments, and with the Environment Agency, about options for the disposal of carcases.In order to expedite the burning of animal carcases resulting from the foot and mouth crisis, we have made regulations—The Pollution Prevention and Control (Foot-and-Mouth Disease) (Air Curtain Incinerators) (England and Wales) Regulations 2001, SI 2001–1623)—which came into force on Tuesday 1 May 2001, allowing the permitting of air curtain incinerators for this purpose, which can be preferable to the use of pyres.The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food would not generally sanction the use of tyres to aid combustion, and has made no representations to my Department on this matter.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what research he has commissioned on the technical modifications necessary to the Sellafield MOX plant to enable the plant to process plutonium for immobilisation. [159781]

[holding answer 8 May 2001]: My Department has not commissioned any research on this subject. We are aware of the recent report by Fred Barker and Mike Sadnicki, "The Disposition of Civil Plutonium in the UK", which, among other things, identifies some modifications which could enable the plant to dispose of plutonium through a process of immobilisation.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what the (a) allocated and (b) forecast level of public funding to Railtrack is in each of the next three years. [160297]

[holding answer 8 May 2001]: Railtrack will receive network grants from the Strategic Rail Authority. While the precise amounts will depend on future movements in the retail prices index, payments are expected to be as follows:

£ million
2001–02	505
2002–03	900
2003–04	2,005

In addition, Railtrack will receive some £2 billion each year in revenue from passenger train operators, the large majority of whom receive subsidy from the Strategic Rail Authority and passenger transport executives.Additionally, in 2003–04 network grants to Railtrack will be increased by an adjustment for freight access income. This will consist of one third of the difference between the total amount of freight income allowed for in the second regulatory control period in the Regulator's final conclusions on passenger access charges and that to emerge from the Regulator's freight charging review.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what action he is taking to ensure that the Government comply with Article 9.1(c) of Council Directive (79/409/EEC) on the conservation of wild birds with respect to the possession of live and dead birds; and what measures are taken to differentiate between those birds of captive origin and those which are not. [160631]

The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which implements Council Directive (79/409/EEC) in Great Britain, protects all wild birds. Captive-bred birds are not covered by the provisions of the Directive, although they are covered by certain provisions of the 1981 Act. It is an offence under section 1 of the Act to possess any live or dead wild bird, or derivative of such a bird. Section 1 also includes a defence if the possessor of such a bird can show that it had either been legally taken from the wild or that it was captive bred. Ultimately, only the courts can definitively interpret the legislation and decide whether defence is met in any individual case.Section 16 of the 1981 Act implements Article 9 of the Directive and provides for licences to be issued derogating from the protection afforded to birds for certain purposes.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what guidance he has issued on the selection of options in multi-model shares and their consistency with the Transport White Paper, "A New Deal for Transport: Better for Everyone". [160526]

I assume my hon. Friend is referring to multi-modal studies. My Department issued Guidance on the Methodology for Multi-Modal Studies (GOMMMS) in March 2000. This develops the new approach to appraisal that was introduced in the White Paper into a fully multi-modal appraisal framework.The framework covers the identification and assessment of problems, the identification of options, and the assessment of those options against the five objectives of environment, safety, economy, accessibility and integration which were set out in the Transport White Paper, "A New Deal for Transport: Better for Everyone".

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the number of homeless acceptances resulting from the termination of support by NASS following a positive decision on claims for asylum; what future plans he has to monitor the number of households who are accepted as homeless in these circumstances; and if he will make a statement. [160660]

These figures are not recorded and we have no current plans to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the support needs of homeless refugees and those given exceptional leave to remain in the UK once they have been given a positive decision on their asylum claims; what guidance will be given to local authorities in this area under the proposed new duty on local housing authorities to produce homelessness strategies set out in the Homes Bill; and if he will make a statement. [160662]

Local authorities must consider the support needs of all homeless client groups, including refugees.Guidance on strategies will encourage local authorities to consider the support needs of all homeless client groups, including refugees.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what guidance is available to local authorities about the needs of refugees who are (a) victims of rape or torture and (b) suffering from post-traumatic stress; what plans he has to ensure that local housing authorities consider such needs in assessing whether a person is in priority need under the homelessness legislation; and if he will make a statement. [160661]

The Code of Guidance on Parts 6 and 7 of the Housing Act 1996 requires local authorities to consider whether eligible applicants for social housing are vulnerable as a result of having suffered harassment or violence. Where this is the case, the applicant will have a priority need for accommodation, regardless of his or her background.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list capital projects in Shrewsbury and Atcham since 1997 aimed at improving the environment; and if he will make a statement. [160520]

The table sets out figures for funding provided by DETR to Shrewsbury and Atcham council since 1997, both for all capital purposes, which could include environmental expenditure, as well as for specific capital projects for improving the environment. Returns to the Department also indicate that, between 1997–98 and 1999–2000, Shrewsbury and Atcham council raised around £3 million of usable capital receipts from the sale of assets, which they would have been able to use for any capital purpose, including environmental expenditure, depending on local needs and priorities.

£000
Basic Credit Approvals1
1996–97	649
1997–98	342
1998–99	276
1999–2000	431
2000–01	2,052
2001–02	518
Supplementary Credit Approvals2 for contaminated land
1996–97
Spring Gardens, Shrewsbury	26
Capital grant
2000–03
Renovation of Flaxmill and former malt kiln	2,800
1 Basic Credit Approvals are issued annually to all local authorities in England and may be used for any kind of capital expenditure.
2 Supplementary Credit Approvals are normally issued for specific types of expenditure.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make it his policy to review the Bellwin rates to allow local authorities to claim for increased expenditure on flood emergency works. [160513]

Following the floods that were experienced between October and December 2000 my Department is reviewing the operation of the Bellwin scheme in co-operation with the Local Government Association.A "Bellwin" scheme of emergency financial assistance may be activated to help a local authority with uninsurable clear-up costs following a disaster or emergency that involves destruction of, or danger to, life or property. Grant is normally paid at a rate of 85 per cent. of an authority's qualifying expenditure above a threshold. The threshold is the provision that a prudent authority might reasonably be expected to make for contingencies and emergencies (approximately 0.2 per cent. of its revenue budget).

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) if his Department will incorporate the text of paragraph 9 to the annexe to Circular 2/92 in the final wording of the paper "Safeguarding Aerodromes, Technical Sites and Military Explosives Storage Areas"; and if he will make a statement; [160710](2) what measures his Department proposes to take to ensure the continued protection of

My Department is currently conducting a public consultation on a proposal to revise Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions Circular 292 on the safeguarding of aerodromes, technical sites and military explosives storage areas. The existing circular is concerned mainly with the role of local planning authorities in official safeguarding, but it also recommends a form of unofficial safeguarding to operators of other aerodromes and of gliding sites. No change of policy is proposed on the unofficial safeguarding of these other aerodromes or of gliding sites. But we envisage that instead of this brief reference in a departmental circular there will be a specific safeguarding publication to be issued by the Civil Aviation Authority. This will be addressed in particular to aerodromes licensed by the authority, but the advice will also be relevant to the operators of unlicensed aerodromes and of gliding sites. We will consider, in our further work on the revision of the circular, whether we should complement the Authority's advice with a recommendation to local planning authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he will make an announcement on the action he will take on the voluntary code of practice on commercial property leasing. [160619]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Reading, East (Jane Griffiths) on 23 April 2001, Official Report, columns 5–6W.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the distribution of the National Bus Company pensions settlement. [160869]

I am very pleased to say that I have been informed by the National Bus Company pension trustees that the representative beneficiaries have now reached an agreement which will enable the trustees to formulate their proposals for the final distribution of the settlement. This agreement removes a major impediment to further early progress.Court approval will be necessary for the representative beneficiaries' agreement and for the trustees' proposals. I understand that beneficiaries will be given an opportunity to express their views prior to this approval being sought. The trustees and the representative beneficiaries will be issuing an information bulletin in this regard very shortly.The trustees' aim is to obtain the court's approval this summer which should mean that the distribution will be very largely completed this autumn.I urge all the parties involved to ensure that this latest very positive progress is continued over the next few months and we will remain in close touch with developments.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he will make regulations under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 in relation to access land, rights of way and local access forums. [160946]

We have issued a consultation paper on proposals for regulations under section 11 of the Act to enable the Countryside Agency to prepare draft maps of open country and registered common land. The closing date for comments is 20 June and we expect to lay regulations before the summer recess. At that time we would expect to consult on a framework for regulations under section 94 of the Act relating to the establishment of local access forums with a view to laying regulations in the autumn. Before the end of the year we propose to consult on regulations relating to the issue of provisional maps of open country and appeals against them with a view to laying regulations early in 2002. We shall also be consulting on regulations relating to exclusions and restrictions under Chapter II of the Act and dedication of land for access under section 16. We would hope to lay such regulations in the first half of 2002. Consultations on the remaining regulations under Part I will follow.Certain of the rights of way provisions in Part II of the Act are already in force, for example the power to order removal of an obstruction under section 64. However the provisions of Part II are complex and there is much work to be done in producing the required regulations. We shall wish to consult before making many of the regulations, which adds to difficulty in providing specific timings. We are committed to improving the rights of way network as soon as possible and are focusing on a number of key issues to achieve this. Guidance on rights of way improvement plans and further provisions to aid the speedy removal of obstructions will he dealt with as a priority and we would hope to have these in force before the end of this year. Other aspects of Part II will be dealt with as quickly as possible over the next two years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list those Grade I listed buildings whose façade has had to be compromised by reason of the requirements of the Health and Safety Executive; what procedures are followed by way of consultation between the HSE and conservation bodies to resolve such issues; and if he will make a statement. [R] [159577]

This information is not available. Any such issues would need to be considered on a case by case basis, taking account of the statutory requirement to obtain listed building consent for any works which would affect the character of the building concerned. English Heritage is a statutory consultee in this process.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what criteria are used when deciding whether to list a building. [160307]

[holding answer 8 May 2001]: When deciding whether to list buildings, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has regard to the statutory criteria set out in section 1 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1979, and to the criteria contained in section 6 of the Government's Planning Policy Guidance Note 15: Planning and the Historic Environment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations he has received concerning listing buildings in Redbridge. [160308]

[holding answer 8 May 2001]: My right hon. Friend is currently considering requests to list two buildings in the Redbridge area—the Odeon Cinema, Gants Hill and Wanstead Police Station. He has asked English Heritage, his statutory adviser on the historic environment, to assess these buildings and will carefully consider its advice and any other available evidence before making his decisions. Since 1994, the Department has been asked to consider 19 buildings in the Redbridge area for inclusion on the statutory list, and of these nine have been listed.