To ask the President of the Council when the 2002 Departmental report will be published. [49586]

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer that the Chief Secretary to the Treasury gave on 15 April, Official Report, column 774W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which nations have contributed forces to (a) Operation Enduring Freedom and (b) ISAF; how many troops each of these nations has contributed; and if he will make a statement. [50000]

Pursuant to the answer I gave on 16 April, Official Report, column 824W, I regret to inform you that there was an error in the table given. The nation of Poland should have read Portugal.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the target has been in each of the last five years for efficiency savings as a percentage of total running costs for each of the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible; and if the target was met. [49638]

No New Deal for Young People staff have been employed by non-departmental public bodies in the last four years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his policy is on overtime payments for staff in his Department. [49133]

Overtime work is paid for hours worked in excess of conditioned hours to qualifying grades below the Senior Civil Service at a rate determined according to their overtime band.Staff in overtime band 1 (mainly junior grades) receive non-pensionable hourly payments at the rate of time and a half, Monday to Saturday.Staff in overtime band 2 (more senior grades) receive non-pensionable hourly payments at plain time rate, Monday to Saturday.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. (1) how many staff were involved in each of the last three years in preparing draft answers to written parliamentary questions; [49145](2) what the cost was to his Department of answering written parliamentary questions in 2001; and how that cost was calculated. [49103]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer provided by my right hon. Friend, The Leader of the House of Commons on 17 April 2002.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what notification was received by her Department concerning the possible death of cattle from foot and mouth-disease at Thornhill Farm, Cwymbach, Aberdare on 4 October 2000; and if she will make a statement. [51401]

Inquiries made by the Department indicate that the farmer concerned first informed the National Assembly of Wales (NAW) of his belief that two cattle on his farm had died in August 2000 as a result of foot and mouth disease in a letter dated 3 November 2001 addressed to the First Minister. There is no record of the farmer having made this suggestion to the Department or to the NAW in October 2000, or at any other time prior to his letter of 3 November 2001:There was no reason to suspect the presence of foot and mouth disease in the United Kingdom prior to the discovery of the first suspect case on 19 February 2001.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the economic viability of replacing ozone depleting substances with non-ozone depleting substances. [48073]

[holding answer 10 April 2002]: In December 1998, the Department produced a Regulatory Impact Assessment of the EC's proposal for a Regulation which became EC Regulation 2037/2000. This considered two options; either to agree the proposal as it stood, or to argue for modifications to the proposed controls which went beyond the requirements of the Montreal Protocol where these would deliver no real environmental benefit or where the costs of compliance would he disproportionate. As a result of consultation with interested parties, the Government agreed to the proposal in broad terms following changes made during negotiations to some of the proposed controls that in the UK's view were disproportionate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations her Department has made to other EU Governments regarding the length of period for which use of ozone depleting substances will remain permissible. [48071]

[holding answer 10 April 2002]: My officials meet regularly with counterparts from other EC Member States to discuss issues arising from EC Regulation 2037/2000 on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. Together with the European Commission, the UK and other Member States consider possible EC proposals for improving and strengthening the Montreal Protocol. EC Regulation 2037/2000 itself goes considerably further than the Protocol in controlling and phasing out ozone-depleting substances. For example, HCFCs are to be phased out under the Protocol by 2030 and under the Regulation by 2015.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she proposes to take to promote the use of non-ozone depleting refrigerants which have been developed in the UK. [48072]

[holding answer 10 April 2002]: The key measure is enforcement of EC Regulation 2037/2000 on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer as this puts pressure on producers, suppliers and users of refrigerants to use alternatives to CFCs through the ban on use and supply and HCFCs through use controls on new and existing equipment. The Department with DTI produced the guidance document, "Refrigeration & Air Conditioning—CFC and HCFC Phase Out: Advice on Alternatives and Guidelines for Users". It is available on the DTI's website, www.dti.gov.uk/access/ozone.htm.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what criteria have to be met for sites of special scientific interest to be classified as in good condition. [48538]

SSSIs are notified because of specific biological or geological features, and when those features are being managed in a way which maintains their nature conservation value, they are said to be in favourable condition. Sites are assessed against Common Standards, published by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) which are well established. This publication will be made available to the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures are being taken to ensure that 95 per cent of all sites of special scientific interest within the UK are brought into good condition by 2010. [48544]

The target under the Department's public service agreement is that 95 per cent of SSSIs in England, by area, should be in favourable (or unfavourable and improving) condition by 2010. Nature conservation is a devolved matter. Some 60 per cent of sites in England are presently in favourable condition.We are addressing the condition of SSSIs on several fronts. English Nature is working with owners and occupiers, advising on management and offering management agreements for positive management of sites. Where necessary, English Nature will also use strong new powers available under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, to tackle the condition of specific sites. With English Nature's advice, we will be looking carefully at the resources necessary to make good progress towards achieving the target.We are also working with other Departments and public bodies, who own sites, or whose operations might affect sites, to ensure that their activities further the conservation of these special places.Within DEFRA, we are looking at implementation of the Rural White Paper, the recommendations of the Commission on the Future of Farming and Food on sustainable farming and, in the longer term, CAP reform measures with a view to addressing some of the incentives to heavy stocking, which can cause damage, particularly to upland SSSIs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish (a) the base year emissions of the participants in the UK Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme 2002, (b) their respective targets and (c) the reductions that they are committed to already, as a result of (i) legislation and (ii) public voluntary commitments. [48979]

[holding answer 15 April 2002]: The Government will publish the baseline emissions (average over 1998–2000) for each of the direct participants in the UK Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme once these have been independently verified by organisations accredited for this specific purpose by the UK Accreditation Service. The respective targets for each direct participant have already been have published on the Department's website. Emission levels required of direct participants through integrated pollution control regulation are already available on the public register. The Department of Trade and Industry's flare consent regime specifies limits on the volume of natural gas flared rather than an emissions level. The 2002 flare consents for British Petroleum plc installations and fields in the Emissions Trading Scheme allow 1,132.55 thousand standard cubic metres of natural gas flared per day. For Shell UK Ltd, the comparable number is 698.17 thousand standard cubic metres of natural gas flared per day. Whilst the Government welcomes any public voluntary commitment made by firms to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, these are a matter for the firms themselves, and not for Government.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what assessment she has made of degradable plastic technology; and what plans she has to promote it; [47575]

We are aware that a number of companies are marketing degradable plastics technology and products manufactured from these materials. However these new technologies are based on modified plastics manufactured from mineral oil. I realise that there is a range of products and applications, for example in agriculture, where controlled degradability may be of benefit when considering disposal options, but it is not clear that this approach is a sustainable option to the general problem of managing plastics waste.The waste strategy for England and Wales, Waste Strategy 2000, emphasises the need to gain more value from waste through re-use, recycling, composting and the recovery of energy. Degradable plastics based on fossil carbon resources, which are specifically designed for disposal with no beneficial recovery potential, run counter to this approach.However I do support the development of biodegradable plastics from non-fossil sources. The Government Industry Forum on Non-Food Uses of Crops was set up in March 2001 to provide strategic advice to Government and industry on the development of non-food uses of crops.The Forum has examined the UK potential to produce compostable packaging materials from mainstream agricultural crops and has concluded that there is a clear opportunity for both UK agriculture and industry to develop these materials. The Forum is developing a series of recommendations designed to encourage industry to respond and develop to supply an expanding market. These recommendations are likely to be published in the Forum's first Annual Report in the summer of 2002.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress there has been in improving air quality in deprived areas to meet the objectives and targets prescribed in the Government's Air Quality Strategy; and whether the target the dates set out in the strategy have been met. [46606]

The Government set out its targets for safeguarding people's health and protecting the environment from air pollution in the Air Quality Strategy for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in January 2000. It includes health-based standards for the eight air pollutants of main concern and objectives for their achievement between 2003 and 2008. Good progress has been made towards achieving most of the targets as a result of the measures put in place by central Government and local authorities. We are, for example, broadly on track to meet our policy objectives for carbon monoxide, benzene, 1,3 butadiene, lead and sulphur dioxide, but more may need to be done in some areas to meet our targets for nitrogen dioxide, particles and ozone.Local authorities have a duty to review and assess the local air quality in their area and to designate air quality management areas where it is likely that the air quality objectives will not be met by the relevant deadline. Out of the 88 deprived areas across England, 35 authorities have designated air quality management areas in respect of one or more pollutants. A full list of those authorities that have designated air quality management areas is available at www.aeat.co.uk/netcen/airqual/aqma/home.htmlThe majority of the air quality management areas have been designated due to likely exceedences of the NO

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action the Government are taking to ensure that scientific risk assessments are carried out before EU legislation is introduced banning or restricting the use of well established chemicals or metals that in her view are used safely and responsibly; and if she will make a statement. [46970]

The main route to EU based restrictions on well-established chemicals is through the European Community's Existing Substances Regulation (793/93/EEC). The Regulation requires that risk assessments are prepared before proposals for restrictions or bans can be considered. The UK plays an active role in the operation of the Regulation, including carrying out a number of the assessments. Should unacceptable uses be identified by the risk assessment, the Member State Rapporteur will prepare a risk reduction strategy. This will include an analysis of the advantages and drawbacks of potential risk reduction measures and lead to a recommendation in the Official Journal for further Community action as appropriate. A small number of chemicals are also subject to restrictions through discussions arising from Member State notifications under the Technical Standards Directive 98/34/EC, concerns identified by the European Commission's scientific committees or other international programmes. Whenever these are debated the UK presses for an appropriate risk assessment to be carried out.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what checks are made on illegal imports of products made from endangered species; what plans she has to extend the ban on the import of products made from endangered species; and if she will make a statement. [50470]

[holding answer 16 April 2002]: The United Kingdom is a Party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which controls and monitors international trade in endangered species and products derived from them.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will support the labelling of animal feeds containing or derived from genetically modified organisms in the forthcoming European negotiations on traceability and labelling. [29502]

The Government supports the labelling of feed that consists of, or contains, genetically modified organisms (GMOs). However, enforcement of a requirement to label feed derived from GMOs which does not contain GM material at detectable levels would be at present extremely difficult, because it is impossible to test such feed to distinguish it from its non-GM counterpart, and hence not practical to apply appropriate validation and enforcement measures.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the United Kingdom will be able to reduce discharges of hazardous substances into water supplies to the levels required by the EU Water Framework Directive. [43601]

So far as UK drinking water supplies are concerned, standards are laid down in the EC Drinking Water Directive and enforced through UK Drinking Water Regulations. Water is treated as necessary by the water companes to meet these standards. The Water Framework Directive does not set standards for drinking water.As for the aquatic environment, discharges of dangerous substances are controlled under the existing EC Dangerous Substances Directive and parallel regulations in the UK. These will be superseded in due course under the provisions of the Water Framework Directive. Standards for "priority" dangerous substances will be set in new Water Framework Directive "daughter" directives due to be proposed by the end of 2003.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will reply to the letters of 10 and 14 January from the hon. Member for Totnes about the (a) Totnes and District Show and (b) Kingsbridge Show regarding the range of measures put in place by her Department since the foot and mouth outbreak; and if she will make a statement. [43138]

[holding reply 19 March 2002]: A reply was sent on 19 March covering both letters. I am sorry that the honourable member's Parliamentary Question was not answered as soon as the letter was sent.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will reply to the hon. Member for Shrewsbury and Atcham's letters dated 30 January, 12 February and 14 March and the letters from the Shrewsbury Chronicle dated 11 January, 15 March and 22 March concerning the Bale Us Out campaign sent to the Secretary of State for the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. [830]

We have been unable to trace copies of the correspondence referred to.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to encourage the recycling of (a) waste plastic and (b) waste silage film from farms. [48260]

Waste plastic packaging, of which some 1.7 million tonnes is expected to arise in the UK waste stream this year, is one of the materials covered by the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 1997 (as amended). Since the introduction of these Regulations in 1997, and in particular the recovery and recycling targets for packaging waste which took effect in 1998, the amount of plastic packaging waste recycled has risen from 7 per cent in 1998 to 12 per cent at the end of 2000. Final outturn figures for 2001 are not yet available, but we expect this to have risen to around 15 per cent last year.We will be addressing the question of how to deal with waste non-packaging farm plastics, including waste silage film from farms, in the forthcoming consultation document on agricultural waste. We will consider whether a statutory scheme should be introduced in the light of responses to this consultation exercise.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many press officers there were in her Department on (a) 1 May 1997 and (b) the latest available date. [46881]

[holding reply 10 April]: The average number of staff within the Department for Education and Employment/Department for Education and Skills Press Office for 1997 and 2002 are:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the average level of graduate earnings, broken down by social class. [49804]

[holding reply 17 April]: The table below shows the estimated average gross weekly earnings of graduates with a first degree and in full-time employment. The figures include all graduates who are currently in the labour market and employed full-time, irrespective of age and how long ago they graduated.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many civil servants are employed in the Business Development Unit in her Department; what the Unit's annual budget is; and if she will make a statement on the Unit's activities. [50598]

The Business Development Unit operates under contract to my Department and is staffed mainly by non-civil-servants, but currently includes one civil servant on secondment from the Department. Its budget for 2002–03 is £482,278. The Unit's role is to manage and develop relationships with appropriate key business partners, promoting their understanding of and responses to our educational policies, and securing sponsorship and other support for specific national projects particularly for the schools sector.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many staff were involved in each of the last three years in preparing draft answers to written parliamentary questions; [49154](2) what the cost was to her Department of answering written parliamentary questions in 2001; and how that cost was calculated. [49112]

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 17 April, Official Report, column 929W by my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House of Commons. Since the election the hon. Member has tabled 225 questions to this Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the cost was of media advertising in each of the past five parliamentary Sessions including the current session, for her Department in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland; and for the last two parliamentary Sessions and the current parliamentary Session, what the media advertising expenditure was per month in (i) England, (ii) Wales and (iii) Northern Ireland. [37414]

The Department does not target Wales and Northern Ireland with its advertising. This means that regional media outside England is not used for Departmental advertising. However, our campaigns do unavoidably receive some coverage in Wales and Northern Ireland through the use of national newspapers, satellite television and other national media which reaches outside England.It is not possible to provide the information as requested by Parliamentary session, or by month, except at disproportionate cost. The figures by financial year are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to her answer of 26 March, Official Report, column 795W, on departmental events, how many such events have taken place on departmental premises in each of the last four years; and at what cost to public funds. [50395]

No central records are kept that would enable the information to be supplied, and it could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to her answer of 26 March 2002, Official Report, column 793W, on publicity expenditure, how much money her Department has spent on advertising since May 1997. [50396]

DTI spending on advertising through the Central Office of Information from 1 April 1997 to 31 March 2002 has been £29,614,332.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the percentage change was in the unit cost of administering bankruptcy and compulsory liquidation in December 2002 by comparison with (a) December 2000 and (b) December 1999. [47339]

[holding answer 10 April 2002]: The unit cost of case administration in December 2001 had (a) increased by 2.7 per cent in comparison with December 2000 and (b) increased by 2.6 per cent in comparison with December 1999. The increase was principally the result of the cost of IT investment and change.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make representations on behalf of Clydesdale Bank employees and other UK staff whose jobs are under threat from plans by National Australia Bank to cut its European workforce; and if she will make a statement. [50573]

Whilst job losses are always of great concern, this is a commercial matter for the firm concerned and I have no plans to make representations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the objectives are of the Britech programme of biotechnological co-operation with Israel; how many (a) British and (b) Israeli companies are involved; what the cost is of the programme; and what monitoring is undertaken to ensure that companies and individuals located in the illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza are not involved. [49736]

The Britain-Israel Technology Fund "Britech" was established by an intergovernmental Agreement between the UK and Israel in May 1999 and

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will investigate the competition implications of supermarkets' refusal to accept meat from UK-registered low throughput abbatoirs. [48269]

Product sourcing decisions are normally a commercial matter for the company concerned. However, if these do raise competition concerns, they should be put to the Director General of Fair Trading, who is responsible for investigating complaints about anti-competitive behaviour.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will set up a joint working group of

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the rates averaged over the three years used for the purpose of formulating the assisted areas map were for (a) the Isle of Wight, (b) the Isle of Thanet, (c) England and (d) the United Kingdom of (i) employment, (ii) residence-based unemployment, (iii) workforce-based unemployment and (iv) manufacturing employment share; and what the standard deviation was for each of the purposes of the European Commission's regional aid guidelines. [51004]

[holding answer 18 April 2002]: The following figures were calculated for the purposes of the regional aid guidelines:her Department and the Food Standards Agency to undertake a risk assessment of toys embedded in foodstuff items. [45764]

I have no plans to do so. Research commissioned by my Department provided no evidence to suggest that toys marketed with foodstuffs pose a greater risk to children than other small toys. The European Commission has also looked at this issue and reached the same conclusion.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures she has taken to encourage retailers to make an assessment of the risk of toys embedded in foodstuff items. [45763]

It is for suppliers—manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers—to take appropriate measures, within the limits of their activities, to ensure that the products they supply to consumers are safe. Risk assessments are generally carried out by the manufacturer of the final product.All toys supplied in the UK must satisfy the essential safety requirements of the Toys (Safety) Regulations 1995 which implement the European Directive on the safety of toys. The Directive is under review and we will give careful consideration to any proposals put forward regarding toys supplied with foodstuffs and warning labels.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what changes to UK law she is considering following the merger between P&O Princess and Royal Caribbean Cruises. [45362]

This is a proposed merger which is presently being considered under the merger provisions of the Fair Trading Act 1973. Further comment would not be appropriate at this stage.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions have taken place with the Dutch Postal Service about the future of Consignia; and if she will make a statement. [48635]

[holding answer 10 April 2002]: Consignia took part in discussions about a possible merger of Consignia's postal activities with the Dutch Postal Service (TPG). However, no satisfactory agreement was reached and Ministers therefore agreed with the company that discussions should cease. It has been the policy of successive Governments not to go into the detail of such commercially confidential matters.Since the government has given Consignia commercial freedom, within the public sector, it is entirely appropriate that Consignia has been considering its commercial strategy, including the possibility of relationships or ventures with other operators.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her policy is towards the proposals contained in the EC White Paper, Strategy for a Future Chemicals Policy; and if she will make a statement. [48928]

The UK Government supports the aims and objectives of the EU Chemicals Strategy. We wish to see a workable strategy that protects the environment and human health by targeting chemicals of most concern through the authorisation process while at the same time minimising animal testing, encouraging innovation and maintaining the competitiveness of the chemicals industry. We support the addition to the authorisation process of chemicals that are at the same time persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBTs) and that are very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvB), once the necessary criteria for identification of PBTs and vPvBs are established; and also the inclusion of known endocrine disruptors when agreed scientifically valid test methods and criteria are established to identify these substances.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the impact on the UK chemicals industry of the EC White Paper, Strategy for a Future Chemicals Policy. [48929]

The White Paper estimates that testing costs to industry in the EU would be 2.1 billion euros over 11 years and that 190 extra staff will be needed at the European Chemicals Bureau. No extra costs are envisaged for regulatory authorities and the Commission argues that a saving in industry human resources can be expected. An initial Regulatory Impact Assessment carried out on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs suggests that the costs to the UK might be in the order of £760 million (about 1.2 billion euros). The consultants Risk and Policy Analysists Limited are currently carrying out a Business Impact Assessment on behalf of the Commission for the whole of the EU. This report is due to be published next month.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the terms of reference are for the Chemical Innovation and Growth Team; and if she will make a statement. [49856]

The terms of reference for the Chemicals Innovation and Growth Team are that it will evaluate the key factors that will impact on the chemicals industry globally and identify the opportunities and challenges for the UK; formulate a vision of what the future chemicals industry might look like and how to get there: and make recommendations to industry, Government and others for specific actions.The Chemicals Innovation and Growth Team consists of representatives from the chemicals industry and other key stakeholders and is chaired by Byron Grote of BP Chemicals. It is focusing on four major areas: innovation; regulation and reputation; customers and markets; and skills and competences. It will report later this year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking to control the activities of businesses which represent themselves as public agencies enforcing the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998. [49903]

I refer the hon Member to my replies to the hon. Member for Batley and Spen (Mr. Wood) of 5 February 2002, Official Report, columns 906–907W; and the hon Member for Weston-super-Mare (Mr. Cotter) of 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 196W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many contracts the Wales Office has with consultants; what level of professional indemnity insurance is standard in contracts with small consultants; whether he can make exceptions to the level of professional indemnity insurance; and what recent discussions he has had with other Government departments about the level of professional indemnity insurance. [50835]

[holding answer 18 April 2002]: My Department currently has one contract. There is no standard level of insurance required, it would depend on the nature and purpose of the contract.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the cost-effectiveness of the Environment Act 1995 (Commencement No. 20 and Saving Provision) (Wales) Order 2001; and if he will make a statement. [51127]

The essential purpose of the Order was to bring into force, in Wales, the provisions of the Environment Act 1995 relating to the remediation of contaminated land. As such, and having regard to information I received from the National Assembly for Wales, I was satisfied that it raised no untoward financial implications.The detailed implementation of these provisions is a matter for the National Assembly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the cost-effectiveness of the Artificial Insemination of Cattle (Emergency Licences) (Wales) Regulations 2001; and if he will make a statement. [51128]

That is a matter for the National Assembly for Wales.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the outcome was of the General Affairs Council held in Brussels on 15 to 16 April; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including its voting record; and if he will make a statement. [50858]

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs represented the UK at the General Affairs Council (GAC) in Luxembourg on 15 April. The Council adopted the "A" points listed in document 7057/02. It also noted the resolutions, decisions and opinions adopted by the European Parliament listed in the documents 7059/02, 7060/02 and 7061/02. Copies of these documents will be placed in the Library of the House. No formal votes were taken. Council Conclusions were adopted by consensus.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if Zimbabwe was discussed during the EU General Affairs Council on 15 April. [51811]

On 15 April, the EU General Affairs Council imposed a moratorium on bilateral ministerial level contacts with Zimbabwe until further notice, except for the conduct of political dialogue intended to promote democracy, human rights, and the rule of law in Zimbabwe, and on issues relating to regional security or for addressing humanitarian needs. The Council decided to defer consideration of additional targeted measures against the Government of Zimbabwe until its next meeting in May. An EU Troika will visit Southern Africa soon, to discuss the situation in Zimbabwe with SADC countries (not Zimbabwe itself).We have made clear that the people of Zimbabwe have been denied their fundamental right to choose by whom they are governed. We support efforts by South Africa and Nigeria to facilitate dialogue between ZANU (PF) and MDC, to try to restore democracy and the rule of law in Zimbabwe. We remain in continuous contact with our EU, US, Commonwealth and SADC partners.

To ask the Solicitor-General what the running costs were of (a) her Ministers' private offices, separately identifying expenditure on staff and (b) her Department in each year from May 1997 to the nearest date for which the information is available. [41034]

Of the Departments for which the Attorney General is responsible, only my own Department, the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers, has a small private office of four staff which serves both the Attorney General and me. The cost of running the private office cannot be separated from the cost of running the Department as a whole and so the figures provided below relate only to part (b) of the question. The figures provided below include staff costs.

To ask the Solicitor-General how many (a) complaints and (b) items of correspondence have been received by (a) the Attorney General, (b) the Solicitor-General and (c) the Crown Prosecution Service in relation to historical sex abuse investigations in the United Kingdom in (i) 1999, (ii) 2000 and (iii) 2001. [49830]

Correspondence and complaints sent to the Law Officers are recorded primarily by the name of the sender. They are not categorised by recipient nor by subject in the manner set out in the question. The CPS has no central records of complaints or correspondence. The information requested could only be obtained by examining all correspondence received since 1998. This would incur disproportionate costs.

To ask the Solicitor-General when the 2002 Departmental report will be published. [49594]

[holding reply 17 April 2002]: The 2002 Departmental Reports will be published by 31 May 2002.

To ask the Solicitor-General, pursuant to her answer of 11 February, Official Report, column 1112W, on mobile phones, how many staff of the Crown Prosecution Service were provided with mobile telephones and other associated equipment in (a)1998–99, (b)1999–2000, (c)2000–01 and (d)2001–02. [50552]

[holding answer 18 April 2002]: The Crown Prosecution Service provided the following numbers of mobile phones with associated equipment in 1998–9, and subsequent financial years.

To ask the Solicitor-General how many special advisers there were in her Department; and what their salaries were in each of the last five years. [46956]

[holding answer 9 April 2002]: None of the departments for which the Attorney General is responsible employ special advisers or have done so in the last five years.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) audits and (b) investigations have been conducted by the Inland Revenue of taxpayers with a gross annual income of (a) £15,000 or less, (b) £15,001 to £25,000, (c) £25,001 to £50,000, (d) £50,001 to £100,000, (e) £100,001 to £200,000, (f) £200,001 to £500,000, (g) £500,001 to £1,000,000 and (h) more than £1,000,000, for the most recent available accounting period. [49297]

[holding answer 15 April 2002]: The Inland Revenue does not have figures analysed in this way. The Board of Inland Revenue publishes the results of its work tackling non-compliance in its annual report, which is available in the Library. The latest figures are in Appendix 2 and cover the year to 31 March 2001.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimated annual total cost of non-compliance with Inland Revenue laws and rules in each of the last five years. [49294]

[holding answer 15 April 2002]: There is no reliable measure of the total income tax and national insurance contributions lost to evasion. In his report, published in March 2000, Lord Grabiner QC commented on the scale of the hidden economy and said:

"By its nature, the size of the informal economy is hard to measure. Most estimates are based on analysing high-level economic aggregates, such as labour market statistics or income and expenditure surveys, and calculate the result as a percentage of GDP. However there is research which suggests that these estimates tend to be exaggerated."

"It would be impractical to arrive at a precise and meaningful figure as to the scale of the problem without a considerable investment of time and resources."

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what his duties are in relation to Royal issues. [49938]

None of the Parliamentary Secretaries in the Lord Chancellor's Department has delegated responsibility for Royal matters.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement on energy costs incurred by his Department in each of the last 10 years. [42434]

I apologise for the delay in answering this question. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Rural Affairs on 19 March 2002, Official Report, column 268W.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department (1) what the difference was between the price offered in reaching preferred bidder stage and the final contract price for the five largest PFI contracts let by his Department in each of the last four years; and if he will make a statement; [45598](2) what the difference was between the price offered in reaching preferred bidder stage and the final contract price for PPP contracts let by his Department in each of the last four years; and if he will make a statement. [45613]

The only private finance initiative (PFI) or public private partnership contract signed by this Department in the last four years to have gone through a preferred bidder stage was the PFI contract for the Probate Records Centre. There was no change in contract value between the preferred bidder stage and contract signature in July 1999. PH contracts for magistrates' courts have not been included in this reply because they are let by local authorities.

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the public service agreement targets which have been revised and those which have been introduced since the publication of the 2001 departmental report. [43260]

The 2001 departmental report provides details of progress against Public Service Agreement targets developed under the Comprehensive Spending Review 1998 and lists the published Public Service Agreement targets for Spending Review 2000. From 1 April 2001 the Spending Review 2000 Public Service Agreement, which covers the work of the Lord Chancellor's Department until March 2004, replaced the Comprehensive Spending Review targets.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to seek compensation from the Affinity Consortium for the delay to the Child Support Reforms New Rules Implementation IT project. [46316]

[holding answer 26 March 2002]: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many CSA cases have been referred to the Parliamentary Ombudsman in each year since the creation of the agency from (a) the Angus constituency, (b) Scotland and (c) the UK. [31582]

The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are registered with the Child Support Agency; how many people registered in (a) January and (b) February; and how many are forecast to register in April. [45344]

The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the new CSA computer system was subject to OGC Gateway reviews. [47970]

The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many departures from Child Support Agency assessments have been (a) applied for and (b) approved in each year since the scheme's inception. [51061]

The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many parents without care have failed to pay the necessary maintenance to parents with care for (a) six to 12 weeks, (b)12 to 26 weeks and (c) more than 26 weeks in each year since the creation of the Child Support Agency; and what proportion they represent of all parents against whom maintenance orders are kept. [51063]

The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the (a) planned cost was and (b) current estimated cost is of the Child Support. Reforms New Rules Implementation IT project. [46315]

[holding reply 26 March 2002]: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the implications for future broadcasting rights contracts of ITV Digital's stated inability to meet the terms of its agreement with the Football League. [50897]

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the implications for future broadcasting rights contracts of ITV Digital's stated inability to meet the terms of its agreement with the Football League. [50898]

Subject to the requirements of the 1996 Broadcasting Act, relating to "listed events", contracts for the broadcasting rights to sports events are matters for commercial negotiations between the rightsholders and the broadcasters concerned.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what meetings she has had with representatives of (a) Granada plc and (b) Carlton Communications plc since ITV Digital's entry into administration; [50710]

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received from the Chairmen and chief executives of (a) Granada plc and (b) Carlton Communications plc since 27 March. [50668]

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with representatives of Granada plc and Carlton Communications plc since ITV Digital went into administration. [50847]

Over the past weeks I have been kept closely in touch by all sides involved in the ITV Digital negotiations. However the decisions taken by ITV Digital are commercial decisions for them, and them alone, to take.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many contracts her Department has with consultants; what level of professional indemnity insurance is standard in contracts with small consultants; whether she can make exceptions to the level of professional indemnity insurance; and what recent discussions she has had with other Government departments about the level of professional indemnity insurance. [50825]

[holding answer 18 April 2002]: The DCMS does not maintain a register of contracts under £5,000 in value. Over that value there are fifteen current contracts in which contract conditions stipulate "that policies of insurance should be effected and maintained providing an adequate level of cover in respect of all risks". To date there have been no discussions with other Government Departments concerning levels of professional indemnity insurance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport by what criteria she will assess the continuing need for the statutory ban on Christian broadcasters holding different categories of broadcasting licence when reaching a conclusion on these issues prior to the publication of the Communications Bill. [50579]

In considering whether to restrict religious bodies holding broadcasting licences, the Government takes into account, amongst other things, the need to promote the efficient use of scarce resources in order to safeguard pluralism, cater for a variety of tastes and interests and avoid discrimination between the many different religions practised in the United Kingdom.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the circumstances under which a television licensing officer can enter a private dwelling. [51073]

[holding answer 18 April 2002]: TV Licensing officials may enter a private dwelling only with the consent of the occupier or if authorised to do so by a warrant issued by a magistrate. Under section 15(1) of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949 (as amended), a magistrate may issue such a warrant if satisfied, by information provided on oath, that there is reasonable ground for suspecting that an offence under the Act has been or is being committed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the circumstances in which the owner of a television in the United Kingdom (a) does not and (b) does require a television licence. [51072]

[holding answer 18 April 2002]: A television licence is required to instal or use television receiving apparatus to receive television programme services, as defined by section 2(4) of the Broadcasting Act 1990. The BBC, as Licensing Authority, has responsibility for determining television licensing requirements in individual cases, subject to the ultimate authority of the courts.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many private finance initiative projects have been subject to refinancing after the contracts have been signed; and what has been the financial effect in each case. [50279]

None

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the target has been in each of the last five years for efficiency savings as a percentage of total running costs for each of the non-departmental public bodies for which she is responsible; and if the target was met. [49640]

Information about the efficiency targets and performance of the Department's sponsored bodies can be found in their published Annual Reports, which may be obtained from the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to her answer of 22 March 2002, Official Report, column 575W, regarding creche facilities, how many places were taken up in 2001–02 at the four central London sites to which she refers. [50427]

During 2001–02 a total of five places were taken up at the four central London sites referred to.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost in 2001–02 was of the pay increase to staff in her Department, agencies and the non-departmental public bodies for which she is responsible; and what the cost of the forthcoming increase will be in 2002–03. [50403]

With regard to pay settlements made in 2001 by the sponsored bodies for which information is available, estimates of the annual cost of the pay increase at the time of the settlement are set out below. The average headline settlement was 3.48 per cent. The Department cannot give costs for 2002–03 because pay increases have not yet been agreed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will introduce proposals in the Communications Bill for the Government to take responsibility for reviewing the amount of televised music on terrestrial television. [48737]

The Government's proposals for the future regulation of communications will be set out in a draft Communications Bill which we expect to publish shortly. It is, however, a long-standing principle that the Government does not itself take responsibility for the scheduling or content of broadcasting and we do not propose to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what communication she has received from the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions since 20 January about Bishopsgate Goods Yard. [37872]

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and DCMS officials have had contact with DTLR Ministers and officials since 20 January about Bishopsgate Goods Yard.Discussions centred on the impact of any listing of the Braithwaite Viaduct or the buildings in the Goods Yard on the new East London Line Extension project. The Secretary of State's decision to add the Braithwaite Viaduct to the list of buildings of special architectural or historic interest was announced on 8 March.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients received treatment abroad at the direction and expense of the NHS in (a) 2002 to date and (b) each of the last three years. [47648]

Under the pilot scheme to treat NHS patients overseas 181 patients received treatment overseas between 18 January and 12 April 2002.The E112 scheme is the process through which patients may receive treatment in other European Economic Area (EEA) countries at the expense of the NHS. Applications are almost always instigated by patients rather than at the direction of the NHS. 310 applications for treatment were approved between 1 January and 12 April 2002. The figures for the last three years were as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 27 February, Official Report, column 1405W, concerning the Departmental website, what the reasons are for the increase in (i) hosting and maintenance charges and (ii) website development costs. [48251]

The increase in hosting and maintenance charges for the Departmental website between 1998 and 2002 was caused by two factors:

(a) the number of databases made available increased from one at the beginning of 1998 to around sixty in 2002. Hosting for each is charged separately; and

(b) Office of Government Commerce's charging arrangements for website hosting and maintenance changed annually during the period 1998 to 2002.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health which health authorities have implemented schemes to provide safe havens in which violent patients can be treated. [47858]

The Department issued Health Service Circular 2000–01 "Tackling violence towards GPs and their staff" to health authorities on 28 January 2000. Health authorities were asked to audit levels of violence, assess risk and put appropriate plans into place which address safer working, in close consultation with local medical committees (LMCs).A recent survey of fifty LMCs found that 22 health authorities had provided advice on how to deal with violent patients; 10 had provided secure facilities for consultation and treatment of violent patients; 4 had other successful schemes in place; and 9 health authorities and LMCs had discussions in progress.The following health authorities have secure facilities or other schemes in place:Health Authority areas where secure facilities are provided:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what resources are used to enable the work of Workforce Numbers Advisory Board to continue. [47844]

The Workforce Numbers Advisory Board (WNAB) is part of the Department's new workforce planning structures. It plays a key role in determining future commissioning levels and engaging the NHS in planning the future workforce.It does not have a budget but is supported by civil servants and may call upon the resources of the Department to commission work as required.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many positions in neo-natal units in each health authority area have been vacant for over three months. [47872]

Information about the number of vacant positions in neo-natal units is not collected. Staff for neo-natal units comprises neonatal nurses, midwives, paediatric nurses, other nursing staff and paediatricians. Vacancy information is only available for midwives and paediatric nurses and this is shown in the table.