To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 18 December 2001, Official Report, column 195W, which part of Table 3.4, Inland Revenue Statistics gives the yield from the upper rate of income tax which is forecast for the years (a) 2000–01, (b) 2001–02, (c) 2002–03, (d) 2003–04 and (e) 2004–05; and if he will make a statement. [26695]

[holding answer 16 January 2002]: Available estimates of liabilities from the higher rate of income tax are given in the table.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the proposed housing market renewal fund. [51781]

[holding answer 22 April 2002]: We have received a joint representation from the National Housing Federation, Key Cities Housing Group and the Northern Housing Forums, proposing a Housing Market Renewal Fund to address the serious problems experienced by areas affected by low housing demand. We are considering this and other proposals as part of the current Spending Review and our conclusions will be announced in due course.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Customs and Excise officers have been employed on motor fuel smuggling duties in Northern Ireland in each year since 1997. [50026]

[holding answer 22 April 2002]: Up to April 2000, 25 Customs and Excise officers were employed to tackle hydrocarbon oils smuggling in Northern Ireland. The number of staff was increased to 118 in September 2000 and since January 2001 it has been further increased to over 160. The Government plan further enhancements to Customs efforts in this area during the course of this year.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue the insurance premium tax has generated since 11 September 2001. [51475]

Figures for receipts of insurance premium tax are shown in the Office for National Statistics publication "Financial Statistics".

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reason there is no financial allowance for those who collect insurance premium tax for the Exchequer. [51477]

It has always been a general feature of taxation policy that those who are legally liable to account for tax should bear the cost of carrying out their obligations.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to raise insurance premium tax. [51476]

As will be clear from the Chancellor's Budget statement on 17 April, he has no current plan to raise the level of insurance premium tax.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the functions of his Department that have been (a) market tested and (b) outsourced in each of the last five years, specifying the (i) money saving and (ii) percentage saving in each case. [42991]

Three functions were outsourced in the last five years, as follows:The Central Reprographic Unit was outsourced during 2000–01. The money saving is estimated at £70,500, and the percentage saving is estimated at 22 per cent.Historic file storage was outsourced in early 2000. An investment appraisal showed that the outsourcing would result in savings using various assumptions about the cost of storage space in the current Treasury accommodation.The Goods Inwards and Post Room were outsourced in April 2001. The estimated money saving is £46,400, and the percentage saving is estimated at 15 per cent.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he had at the Financing for Development Conference in Mexico on debt relief with the (a) IMF, (b) World bank and (c) regional development banks. [46656]

No Treasury Minister attended the Financing for Development conference, where Her Majesty's Government was represented by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of beer and wine personally imported into the UK was imported in quantities exceeding the maximum indicative limit in 2001. [50043]

Figures for the revenue evaded from cross-channel passenger smuggling of beer and wine in 2001 are contained in the HM Customs and Excise document "Measuring Indirect Tax Fraud" which was published with the November 2001 pre-Budget report and a copy placed in the Library.The latest figures for the revenue avoided through cross-border shopping of beer and wine relate to 1999–2000 and are contained in the same document.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what rate of duty pass-on he assumes to retail prices for each increase of 1p in beer duty. [50045]

Calculation of the expected effects on consumer demand, resulting from changes in duty rates on excise goods, assumes that any change in duty is passed on in full to the consumer.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the Treasury Model of the economy shows to be the consequences of changes in the rate of beer duty on (a) the wider economy and (b) net revenues. [50046]

Estimates of the impact of changes in the rate of beer duty are given in "Tax Ready Reckoner and Tax Reliefs" published in November 2001 by HMT, and available in the House of Commons Library.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the impact of each 1p change in UK duty on the volume of smuggled beer. [50047]

No estimate is available.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the loss of revenue from other taxes on the hospitality industry consequent on each 1p rise in beer duty. [50048]

No such estimate has been made.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what tonnage of illegal meat has been confiscated by UK Customs over the last 10 years. [50452]

Central records of Customs seizures of meat and meat products are available only from 2000. Records for calendar years 2000 and 2001 show:

• 2000: 2.88 metric tonnes seized
• 2001: 9.17 metric tonnes seized.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue has been raised in the first full year of the climate change levy; and how this revenue has been allocated. [50449]

Climate change levy receipts up to 31 March 2002 are £551 million. However, CCL was introduced on 1 April 2001, and revenue was not received until July 2001. Due to start-up effects, therefore, 2001–02 is not a full year.Revenue is recycled to business through a 0.3 percentage point reduction in employers' national insurance contributions. The levy package also includes a targeted programme of support measures for businesses investing in energy-saving technologies and practices. The levy package as a whole is intended to be broadly revenue neutral.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the UK contribution to European Union funds has been for each of the past five years; and how much the UK has received in its rebate in each of those years. [51239]

The UK's gross contribution to the EC budget in 2000–01 and 2001–02 was £10.6 billion and £9.2 billion respectively; the UK abatement for these years was £2.2 billion and £4.4 billion respectively. Details of the UK's gross contribution to the EC budget together with the value of the UK abatement for earlier years can be found in Table 14a of the Departmental Report of the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Departments (Cm 5116) published in April 2001.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the (a) amounts and (b) number of premium bond cash prizes in the past three years. [51540]

The figures are as follows:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has paid Freshfields Solicitors in each year since 1991 concerning the litigation regarding BCCI. [51517]

Nothing in any year.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what monitoring the Financial Services Authority conducts of the number of providers of financial services and investment business advice in (a) cities, (b) small towns and (c) rural areas in (i) England and Wales and (ii) Scotland. [51973]

The FSA does not, as a matter of course, monitor the numbers of providers of financial services and investment business advice in (a) cities, (b) small towns and (c) rural areas. The FSA conducts appropriate risk-based monitoring of all financial services firms authorised by it under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, regardless of where these firms are located.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many firms of (a) solicitors and

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the potential liability arising from the current Gibraltar pension arrangements, should these be found to be incompatible with EC law. [45173]

I have been asked to reply.I refer my hon. Friend to the statement I made in the House on 16 April 2000,

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department spent on information literature, advertising and campaign material in the financial years (a) 1995–96, (b) 1996–97, (c) 1997–98, (d) 1998–99, (e) 1999–2000 and (f) 2000–01; and if she will make a statement. [12272]

The Department has no information relating to the years in the question, as DEFRA was created in June 2001.Undertaking a retrospective analysis using the resources of the predecessor Departments and policy divisions would incur disproportionate costs and the resulting information could not be regarded as reliable or specific to questions about DEFRA expenditure.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the publications issued by her Department in each of the last four years; and what the (a) circulation, (b) cost and (c) purpose of each was. [34204]

The number of firms certified by their recognised professional bodies are as follows:

As DEFRA was created in June 2001, retrospective annual data analysis is not available. Our records show that 491 publications were commissioned and produced by DEFRA at a total cost of £1,038,469.Print production records are held by product/job code, not by publication title; to extract and tabulate these by title, would result in a disproportionate cost.Circulation figures are between 500 and 180,000 depending on the target audience.Postage expenditure for DEFRA, which is additional to production and distribution, was £831,049.The purpose of these publications is to raise public awareness and to convey information to specific target audiences and stakeholder groups. They may have Government statutory significance, be an EU directive or provide guidance on one of the diverse range of subjects covered by DEFRA's ministerial responsibilities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost has been to the public purse of re-branding her Department to accommodate its name change following the last General Election. [14449]

Our records currently show that the cost to the public purse of the re-branding of DEFRA following the last General Election was:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list those members of the Carbon Trust board with (a) skills and (b) experience gained from (i) central Government and the devolved Administrations, (ii) local government, (iii) the energy supply industry, (iv) the energy efficiency industry, (v) the non-governmental sector and (vi) other sectors. [16320]

The Carbon Trust is a company limited by guarantee and appointments to its board are not made by the Government.Currently five directors are senior civil servants in national and devolved Government with responsibility for low carbon issues. Two of these also have experience of local government issues.Seven other directors have direct experience of delivering energy efficiency, through the development and deployment of energy efficiency products and services and/or the management of energy budgets in private companies. Five of these directors also have energy supply experience, and four are closely involved with Government low carbon energy policy initiatives.The remaining five directors work or have experience in the NGO and other sectors. One is environment director of a leading business representation organisation. One was recently a director of a leading investment bank. One is a leading trade union general secretary. One was recently the chief executive of a research council. One is the head of environmental policy of a leading green NGO.Biographical details of all the Carbon Trust board members are available on the Carbon Trust website at www.thecarbontrust.co.uk.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the total real terms expenditure of her Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies on publicity in each of the years (a) 1997–98, (b) 1998–99, (c) 1999–2000, (d) 2000–01 and (e) 2001–02 (i) to date and (ii) as estimated for the whole of the present year; and if she will break these figures down to indicate expenditure on (A) advertising and (B) press and public relations. [36158]

As DEFRA was created on the 8 of June 2001 annual retrospective budget expenditure does not exist.Our records show centrally funded budget expenditure for publicity activities that included advertising, press and public relations, for the period June 2001 till March 2002 totalled £3,196,519, this excludes expenditure relating to publicity and communications support in dealing with the foot and mouth disease crisis.Further analysis, and information not held centrally for non-departmental public bodies, agencies and decentralised DEFRA budget expenditure could only be supplied at a disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the annual budget for communications activities, including press, public relations, marketing and internal communications, was for her Department for each financial year from 1997–98 to 2001–02.[39918]

As DEFRA was created on the 8 June 2001 retrospective annual budget information is not available for the new Department. The budget for the Communications Directorate for DEFRA for 2001–02 was £10,264,900.Non-departmental public bodies, agencies and DEFRA directorates, where the expenditure has not been centralised have not been included, as recovering this information would be at a disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cases (a) her Department and (b) its agencies have defended in (i) industrial tribunals and (ii) the courts in each year since 1997; how many were concluded in their favour; and what the total cost to his Department of litigation was in each year. [41114]

The information requested is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what tests have been commissioned by the Government to examine the effects of excess fluoride. [42978]

So far as the effects on the aquatic environment are concerned, a review of the effect of fluoride on a range of aquatic life was carried out for the Environment Agency as part of the work in drawing up the Proposed Environmental Quality Standard for Fluoride in Water which was published in 2000. The review draws on research carried out by a range of recognized scientific laboratories. A copy has been deposited in the Library of the House.As for tests to examine the effects on human health, this is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of how much financial support (a) Merseyside and (b) other metropolitan waste disposal authorities will receive from central Government over the next financial year. [44308]

Joint Waste Disposal Authorities (JWDAs) are funded by their constituent Waste Collection Authorities, not central Government.However, the Government recently announced plans for the distribution of the £140 million fund for local authority waste minimisation and recycling schemes. Greater Manchester and Merseyside Metropolitan JWDAs may apply for a grant from this fund but the Government have made no estimate of how much either authority might receive, should they choose to apply.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps have been taken to assess the (a) environmental, (b) economic and (c) economic impacts of exploiting natural resources in environmentally fragile ecosystems; and what account these have taken of research on the circumstances of those areas assessed. [46556]

In the appraisal of policies it is standard practice within DEFRA to consider the economic, social and environmental impacts of policy options, taking into account all relevant information. This will include the results of research relating to the area being assessed.The environmental effects of development proposals are assessed in accordance with the EU Environmental Impacts Assessment Directive, and the Wild Birds and Habitats Directives. Consenting regimes take account of factors shown by environmental assessment by setting conditions to monitor and mitigate possible impacts on these fragile ecosystems. Additionally, in the marine zone we are working through the OSPAR Convention to develop and pilot ecological quality objectives for threatened and fragile ecosystems.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) since the launch of the farm biodiversity action plan, how many plans have been implemented and how much money has been spent on all plans; [48537](2) what monitoring systems are in place to ensure that the farm biodiversity action plans are properly implemented; [48540](3) of the farm biodiversity action plans implemented, what percentage have fully achieved all objectives within the individual plans. [48542]

Farm biodiversity action plans are provided commercially by the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG), and are not implemented or monitored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. DEFRA provides financial and other support to FWAG, but not specifically for farm biodiversity action plans.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what evidence she has received that male fish in inland waterways are changing gender; and if she will make a statement. [48560]

[holding answer 10 April 2002]: Results of a five-year research programme, funded by NERC, DEFRA, the water industry and the Environment Agency, were published by the agency on 26 March. This followed on from an earlier programme of research, which demonstrated the presence of feminised roach in a number of UK rivers. an apparent relationship between severity of feminisation and proportion of treated sewage effluent in rivers, and implicated natural and synthetic steroids in effluent as the causal agents.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to reintroduce measures contained in the Animal Health Bill; and if she will make a statement. [48563]

[holding answer 10 April 2002]: The recent motion passed in another place has had the effect of suspending further consideration of the Animal Health Bill.However, the Government continues to believe that the measures contained in the Bill are necessary and are a proportionate response to the very real threat of a future outbreak of serious animal disease in this country. Were there to be another outbreak of serious animal disease in the near future we would hope to see co-operation from Opposition parties in introducing any necessary emergency powers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects to decide grants for the year 2002–03 under the Processing and Marketing Scheme. [49321]

Decisions on awards under the Processing and Marketing Grant are generally made quarterly. In 2002–03, this will be in May, August, November and February. Regional Managers of DEFRA's Rural Development Service, who chair the Regional Appraisal Panels at which grant awards are made, may however hold such Panels more frequently if the number of applications to be considered are sufficient to ensure an appropriate level of competition.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what EU criteria there are regarding maximum and minimum grants for individual applications under the Processing and Marketing Scheme. [49322]

Maximum and minimum grants under the Processing and Marketing Grant were approved by the European Commission as part of national rural development programmes.The England Rural Development Programme states that:The maximum rate of grant will be 30 per cent. of the total eligible cost; There is a minimum total project cost threshold of £70,000. Projects may be of any size above this figure but there is a ceiling on the maximum grant payable of £1.2 million per project.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what (a) maximum and (b) minimum amounts are payable to individual applicants under the Processing and Marketing Scheme in (i) cash terms and (ii) percentage terms. [49319]

The maximum cash amount payable to individual applicants under the Processing and Marketing Grant is £1.2 million on a single project.The rate of grant under the Processing and Marketing Grant is 30 per cent. of total eligible costs.There is a requirement for a minimum total project cost of £70,000. The minimum cash amount payable is dependent on the eligible costs of the project.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total budget was for the Processing and Marketing Scheme for (a) 1997–98, (b) 1998–99, (c) 1999–2000, (d) 2000–01, (e) 2001–02 and (f) 2002–03; and what the largest individual grant was in each year in (i) cash terms and (ii) as a percentage of the total sum of all grants. [49320]

The Processing and Marketing Grant was re-introduced as part of the England Rural Development Programme (ERDP) in 2000. The previous scheme was closed in England in 1996.A budget for the ERDP Processing and Marketing Grant was first held in 2001–02; this was £4 million. The budget for 2002–03 is £8 million.The largest individual grant awarded in 2001 was £314,949.21 which represents 17.12 per cent. of the total sum of all grants approved in 2001.The largest individual grant awarded in 2002 (to date) was £596,043 which represents 18.11 per cent. of the total sum of all grants awarded in 2002 (to date).

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what the cost was to her Department of answering written parliamentary questions in 2001; and how that cost was calculated; [49111](2) how many staff were involved in each of the last three years in preparing draft answers to written parliamentary questions. [49153]

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him by my right hon. friend the Leader of the House on 17 April 2002, Official Report, column 929W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which Bills introduced by her Department in the last five years have contained sunset clauses; and what plans she has for the future use of such clauses. [49627]

None.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans the Government have to change the legislation permitting visitors to the United Kingdom to bring their own meat for personal consumption. [50451]

UK import rules permit personal imports from third countries of no more than 1 kg of meat for personal consumption. This meat must be heat treated in a hermetically sealed container (e.g. a tin). This is somewhat more restrictive than EU rules. We have raised with the European Commission the need to tighten up EU rules on personal imports and we understand the commission are preparing proposals for further discussion.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if computer systems in the Rural Payments agency are capable of handling payments in euros; and if she will make a statement. [50458]

The Rural Payments agency is operating a system for paying traders in euro where requested. This system covers schemes outlined in a statement by the Minister in 1998, for example export refunds. internal market schemes and intervention. Due to the complexities of the legacy computer systems direct aid payments to farmers are not yet covered.The Rural Payments agency (RPA) has included euro capability in the design for its new business system. The needs of the RPA's customers will be central to the development work which we plan on completing by the end of 2004.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans her Department has for the future assessment of community vibrancy according to parish. [50616]

We announced in the Rural White Paper that we were asking the Countryside agency to bring together, and report on in their State of the Countryside report, a set of headline indicators including one on Community vibrancy, under the theme A Vibrant Countryside. This was to measure "percentage of parishes in four categories (vibrant, active, barely active, sleeping) assessed on numbers of meeting places, voluntary and cultural activities, contested parish elections". The purpose of the indicator is to measure on a national basis the trend over time.The indicator which was first reported on in April 2001 in the State of the Countryside report is still under development and we recognise that there are a number of short-comings in the data from which it has been compiled. For instance, the indicator does not reveal the extent to which smaller settlements and parishes are able to take up community activities in neighbouring parishes. Furthermore, communities in all sizes of parish may exhibit community vibrancy in other ways than those assessed through the Rural Services Survey.The Countryside agency intends to look at the whole issue again, through consultation on the methodology, rather than amending individual classifications. This will include working with DEFRA and the National Association of Local Councils. The revised approach will be piloted with a number of communities or their representative bodies.Differing views over individual classifications is inevitable but the Countryside agency would prefer to address these in a review of the indicator rather than on a case-by-case basis. In particular, the naming convention of the groups may be re-considered to more accurately reflect the underlying information.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the Government expect to announce their intentions regarding the reimbursement of the additional expenditure incurred over refrigerator disposal. [R] [50867]

[holding answer 18 April 2002]: An initial statement on funding for local authorities was made on 4 December 2001. The £6 million announced then was to cover costs in 2001–02. A Government announcement on further local authority funding will be made shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the reliability rate of the computer model used during the 2001 foot and mouth disease outbreak to predict the spread of the virus; what percentage of error was expected from the model; if her Department has commissioned a new computer programme for predicting disease spread; and if she will make a statement. [51457]

The "Interspread" model was used extensively and on a daily basis in the 2001 foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreak. It proved to be of great value to epidemiologists as an aid to understanding the epidemic and providing advice on control. The simulation proved to be accurate in determining the ultimate size of the epidemic.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the hon. Member for Scunthorpe's, answer of 18 March 2002, Official Report, column 130, on the Mari Geni, under which sector of the United Kingdom fleet the Mari Geni was registered; and what was the total amount of (a) tonnage and (b) kilowatts the sector has been reduced by due to the decommissioning of the Mari Geni. [51445]

The Mari Geni was registered under the "Demersal trawls, seines and nephrops" segment. The vessel had a gross tonnage of 315 and a kilowatt power of 709.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her answer of 20 March 2002, Official Report, column 375, on fish quotas, if she will make a statement on the relationship between the Shetland Island Council and (a) the Shetland Development Trust and (b) the Shetland Leasing and Purchasing Company; and how much money was expended by SLAP for the purchase of fish in the years (i) 1998 (ii) 1999 (iii) 2000 and (iv) 2001. [51443]

The relationship between the Shetland Island Council, the Shetland Development Trust and Shetland Leasing and Property Ltd. (SLAP) was explained in the Official Journal of the European Communities for 12 February, (Official Journal, 12 February 2002, c. 38–39). As stated in my answer of 20 March 2002, Official Report, column 375. SLAP spent £2 million on quota purchase in 1998: there was no expenditure on quota purchase by SLAP in 1999, 2000 or 2001.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the political affiliations are of each member of each existing advisory panel that she appoints. [51720]

Ministerial appointments to DEFRA's advisory committees, which are non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), fall within the remit of the Commissioner for Public Appointments and are covered by the OCPA Code of Practice. Applicants are not required to declare their political affiliation and appointment is on merit.For other bodies such as the Rural Affairs Forum for England, we did not request nor are we aware of members' political affiliations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what consultations (a) her Department is conducting and (b) have been conducted by her Department since May 2001. [51416]

[holding answer 19 April 2002]: (a) The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is currently conducting 22 consultations. These consultations are listed in reverse chronological order of deadline date:following 44 consultations, which are listed, also in reverse chronological order:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many veterinarian surgeons left the State Veterinary Service in each year since 1990; what the reasons were for their departure; and what employment they left for. [51733]

[holding answer 22 April 2002]: Details of the numbers of veterinary surgeons leaving the State Veterinary Service and the reasons for their departure are set out in the table.Information about employment destination is not readily available in all cases and could be identified only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her answer of 10 April 2002, Official Report, column 271W, on gender-based assessments, if she will publish the assessment reports relating to her Department's gender, ethnic, disability and full time/part time categories completed since June 2001. [51741]

[holding answer 23 April 2002]: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was created on 9 June 2001. The new Department brings together staff previously employed in parts of both DETR and the Home Office with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Robust data on staff in post in DEFRA were not available until recently. An assessment was undertaken on 15 March 2002 and the resulting data are included in the table. This position reflects the staff profile for permanent staff in the core-Department on that date.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of whether the PSA target to ensure that secondary treatment is provided for all sewage discharges from towns with a population of at least 15,000 by 31 March will be met. [47218]

[holding answer 10 April 2002]: As at 31 March 2002, 536 (99 per cent.) of waste water treatment plants in England serving communities greater than 15.000 population (or its equivalent) met this target. We will continue to monitor that secondary treatment for the few remaining discharges is provided as soon as practicable.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps have been taken by the Government since the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 to (a) set goals on environmental protection and (b) improve eco-efficiency and resource productivity relating to minerals and metal issues; and what these (i) goals and (ii) improvements have been. [44342]

I have been asked to reply.The Government have been working with others within the EU to set emissions standards which will protect the environment but also strike an appropriate balance with the economic and social aspects of sustainable development.More specifically, as they are dominated by multinationals, we have been actively encouraging the minerals and metals industries to work globally to establish their sustainable development credentials. Work on indicators to measure performance are being developed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she has taken at international level to increase forest protection and improve forest management; and if she will make a statement. [51237]

I have been asked to reply.The UK has a long record of contributing to the shaping of international forest policy. This takes place at the level of expert working groups, as well as intergovernmental negotiations such as: the United Nations Forum on Forests; the Convention on Biological Diversity; and the G8 Action Programme on Forests. All of these processes seek to improve the management and protection of forests.The UK leads on tackling illegal logging within the G8. We have made progress domestically, with the introduction of the Government's new timber procurement policy, and internationally, through collaborative work with a number of key timber exporting countries. The Memorandum of Understanding singed between Indonesia and UK on 18 April is the first of its kind and signals a real determination to deal with this problem.DFID's bilateral programmes and DEFRA's Darwin Initiative provide support to forest management and protection in many developing countries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent by Ministers in his Department on food, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks for official entertainment purposes in each of the last five years. [47055]

As the information you have requested is not held centrally, an answer could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent by departmental special advisers on food, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks for entertainment purposes in each of the last five years. [46844]

As the information you have requested is not held centrally, an answer could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which Bills introduced by his Department in the last five years have contained sunset clauses; and what plans he has for the future use of such clauses. [49619]

Over the past five years two Bills introduced by my Department contained sunset clauses: the Northern Ireland Arms Decommissioning Act 1997 and the Northern Ireland Arms Decommissioning (Amendment) Act 2002. Each contains a provision limiting the maximum duration of the amnesty period under a decommissioning scheme.I shall continue to use such clauses where it is appropriate to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which of the services of his Department have not been reviewed under the Better Quality Services Initiative; and when they will be reviewed. [50308]

The Northern Ireland Office's executive services are delivered by the Department's three agencies—the NI Prison Service, Compensation Agency and Forensic Science Northern Ireland. The requirements of the Better Quality Services Initiative were addressed in the terms of reference of recent quinquennial reviews of each of the agencies. No definite timetable has yet been determined for the other, mainly policy, functions of the Department, which will be considered as appropriate as the extent of the NIO's future role becomes clearer.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the use of smart card technology in his Department and in the areas for which it is responsible; and what discussions he has had with private companies about the use of smart card technology within his Department. [50484]

Electronic access control systems, many of which operate by smart cards, are extensively used in all premises occupied by my Department. Suppliers in the private sector are consulted as necessary.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will make a statement on the recovery of Scotland's rural economy from last year's outbreak of foot and mouth disease. [41471]

2002 will continue to present challenges but I am confident that the FMD recovery measures implemented by the Scottish Executive and the sympathetic approach of the Inland Revenue and Customs and Excise will help the rural economy in Scotland withstand the effects of the outbreak.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans she has to combat child poverty in Scotland; and if she will make a statement. [45671]

We are making good progress in tackling child poverty although we acknowledge that much still needs to be done. Full details of the measures taken, and the results achieved, can be found in the Government's annual report on tackling poverty. "Opportunity for All" and the Scottish Executive's annual Social Justice report, "A Scotland where everyone matters".Tackling child poverty in Scotland requires action from both Government and the Scottish Executive. The "Opportunity for All" report highlights five headline indicators of child poverty: low income, worklessness, health inequalities, educational attainment and housing. Health, education and housing are devolved matters for the Executive. The Government have taken direct action in the areas it is responsible for. On income, for example, the working families tax credit benefits over 119,000 families in Scotland. And we are currently reforming the tax credits system, to improve it further. On worklessness, we have, for example, invested in the new deal: the new deal for lone parents has helped around 14,500 people into employment.The Government have taken a number of other measures which help reduce child poverty including the national minimum wage; action on personal indebtedness and family-friendly employment measures to help people stay in work and meet family commitments. Tackling child poverty is, and will remain, one of our top priorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps she has taken to represent Scottish interests to the DTLR on the current strikes by train drivers. [46349]

I have regular discussions with DTLR Ministers on a wide range of matters.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans she has to introduce proposals to amend the Scotland Act 1998. [47650]

I have nothing to add to the reply I gave the hon. Member on 14 March, Official Report, column 1205W.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans she has for the construction of an airport runway on St. Helena; and if she will make a statement. [51479]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 21 March, Official Report, column 472W. Further discussions are expected to take place over the coming months.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid her Department plans to make available to Angola in the next five years. [51298]

We are planning to spend some £4 million on humanitarian support and urban poverty reduction in Angola in the current financial year. Spending plans for subsequent years are not yet firm, but are likely to amount to at least as much as the current figure.Following my right hon. Friend's visit to Angola earlier this month and the positive recent developments in the Angolan peace process we are also examining the potential for a specific DFID contribution to assist in building Government capacity in support of envisaged programmes with the IMF and World bank, particularly in the area of the demobilisation of fighters and transparent financial management.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the timetable is for implementation of the Millennium Declaration; what steps have been taken to set interim targets for 2005 and 2010; and if she will make a statement. [51922]

The Millennium Development Goals have a deadline of 2015 in most cases. (Eliminating gender disparity in primary and secondary education has a 2005 deadline and improving the lives of slum dwellers is a 2020 target.) Individual developing countries are being encouraged to set and monitor country-relevant interim targets within their poverty reduction strategies. DFID's PSAs/SDAs set targets based on the MDGs for the period up to 2006. Analysis of progress towards these targets is set out in DFID's Departmental Report 2002, which will be published on 24 April. Plans for the implementation of the Millennium Declaration are set out in the UN Secretary General's report "Road map towards the implementation of the UN Millennium Declaration". The UN will report annually on global progress and indicate whether we are on track to meet the goals. As well as setting development targets, the Millennium Declaration renews the commitment of member states to the fundamental principles of the UN, including freedom, equality, tolerance, human rights, peace and security and respect for the environment; and emphasises the needs of Africa and the need to strengthen the UN.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with drug companies to ensure that their products are made available to third world countries cheaply. [52145]

The Working Group on Access to Medicines, which I chair, brings together UK Government, the pharmaceuticals industry and others to look at options for bringing about widespread, sustainable and predictable differential pricing of medicines at reduced prices for the poor in third world countries. The Group has met twice and made good progress in identifying the best ways to address under-investment in research and development for diseases affecting the poor. The third meeting will discuss donations, pricing and affordability issues. The Group is scheduled to complete its work and report back to the Prime Minister in July.In addition we have committed over £1 billion since 1997 to strengthening developing countries' health systems, building their capacity both to deliver medicines to the poor and to make effective choices about the selection and use of drugs.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid was given by her Department to Zimbabwe in the last year for which figures are available. [51537]

The Department for International Development provided assistance worth £16 million for Zimbabwe in 2001–02, focused on humanitarian relief including HIV/AIDS programmes.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the humanitarian situation within Palestinian refugee camps; what assistance her Department provides to the refugee camps; and if she intends to increase aid to the refugee camps. [48966]

[pursuant to Clare Short's reply, 15 April 2002, column 730W]: I apologise for the error contained in my right hon. Friend's reply. The answer should read:We have steadily increased our financial and technical support to UNRWA, from £6 million in 1997 to £25 million in 2001 in response to the rising needs.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if the £20 million investment into Wembley National Stadium in addition to the £120 million Lottery grant, will be exclusively to fund transport and infrastructure improvement in the Brent area with no other Treasury moneys being made available to this project. [46190]

Subject to the Football Association and Wembley National Stadium Limited meeting the conditions I set out to the House on 19 December 2001, Official Report, columns 291–93, it is the Government's intention to make up to £20 million available for non-stadium infrastructure improvements. The current intention is that the Government's grant would repay funds spent by WNSL arising from its agreement with the London borough of Brent pursuant to section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to contribute towards a number of specified infrastructure projects in the Brent area including improvements to stations, roads and public amenities in the area.The London Development Agency (LDA) has decided to commit up to £21 million to the National Stadium project subject to certain conditions. Any LDA funding will be subject to Treasury approval and will be conditional on the Football Association and WNSL meeting the Government's conditions which I set out on 19 December.In addition, I would draw my hon. Friend's attention to the announcement my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions made in response to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Brent, North on 12 March 2002, and which appeared on 19 March 2002,

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the replacement of the directors of the Wembley Board. [52136]

The Football Association announced on 11 April a new board of Wembley National Stadium Ltd. The FA wished to move from a `representative' board of 12 to a smaller board of seven which contained the core skills of construction/capital project management; finance and marketing. My officials continue to co-operate closely with the FA and Sport England as the FA and WNSL work to address the issues I set out to the House on 19 December 2001, Official Report, columns 291–93.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with the Independent Television Commission concerning ITV Digital's entry into administration. [50709]

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with the Independent Television Commission concerning ITV Digital's entry into administration. [50669]

The Independent Television Commission has kept me closely informed about the regulatory implications of ITV Digital's decision to place the company into administration.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the impact of ITV Digital's collapse on plans for digital television take-up in the UK. [50666]

Section 33 of the Broadcasting Act 1996 places a duty on my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to keep under review the development of digital television, the availability of existing analogue services in digital form and the possession of digital receiving equipment, in order to decide when analogue services might be switched off. This review is being carried out and the results will be published in due course. The review will of course take account of the eventual outcome of the current administration of ITV Digital.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the films funded by the Film Council for which (a) members of staff and (b) members of the board of the Council have received an on-screen credit, stating for each (i) the nature of and (ii) the reason for the credit. [51078]

[holding answer 18 April 2002]: The following table details the films funded by the Film Council (since 1 April 2000) for which members of staff have received an on-screen credit. It is normal practice in the film industry to provide on-screen credits which reflect the work undertaken by the various partners.No member of the board has received an on-screen credit through their membership of the board of the Film Council. However, some Film Council board members are employed by, or are directors of, the three lottery film franchise companies—DNA, the Film Consortium and

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much Sports Action Zone money has been spent in the Workington constituency since the initiation of the scheme; and on what projects. [51267]

The Needs Assessment and Action Plan for the West Cumbria and Barrow Sport Action Zone identifies a range of projects which are priorities for the zone. The following relate specifically to the Workington constituency:Pathe Pictures Ltd. They may be credited by virtue of that role on relevant franchise films. Those titles have not been listed in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her estimate is of (a) the number and (b) the percentage of households in the United Kingdom that (i) receive and (ii) can receive digital television by (A) digital terrestrial, (B) digital satellite, (C) digital cable and (D) other means. [51071]

The information available is as follows:(A) Digital television take up

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what assessment she has made of the likelihood of digital television transmission reaching homes that are not receiving analogue reception in North Devon; and if she will make a statement; [51779](2) what efforts have been made to encourage digital television switchover in areas that do not receive analogue television reception. [51780]

The Digital Television Action Plan, posted on www.digitaltelevision.gov.uk on 20 December, sets out a series of actions for Government and stakeholders to promote digital television and to prepare for switchover. We began a consultation on 11 December 2001 seeking views on the basis on which we should plan the use of spectrum once analogue transmissions cease, including what level of coverage would be required by terrestrial television for public service broadcasting and for pay-tv services. The consultation closed on 5 April 2002 and we are considering the responses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many and what proportion of homes in North Devon, and what proportion of total geographical area in North Devon, were unable to receive (a) digital terrestrial, (b) digital satellite, (c) cable and (d) none of those television signals in each of the past seven years; and if she will make a statement. [51776]

The information can be provided only in the form requested at disproportionate cost. However, estimates of coverage of digital television services in North Devon, provided by the Independent Television Commission are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many homes are unable to receive analogue television signals in north Devon; and if she will make a statement. [51777]

I understand from the Independent Television Commission (ITC) that around 2,000 homes in north Devon may experience difficulty in receiving good quality analogue signals. However, the ITC also advise that, depending on the quality of individual aerial installations, reception is often possible in areas where signal strengths are low, though a degradation in picture quality may be noticeable.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to improve (a) television and (b) radio reception in north Devon; and if she will make a statement. [51778]

The provision of television and radio services in the UK is a matter for the BBC, the Independent Television Commission, the Radio Authority and the commercial broadcasters to determine, subject to spectrum availability.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) if she will make a statement on UK Sport's inquiry into matters relating to the life ban on participation in athletics imposed on Mr. Paul Edwards; [51420](2) if she will have discussions with UK Athletics and King's college, London, on co-operation with UK Sport's inquiry into matters relating to the life ban on participation in athletics imposed on Mr. Paul Edwards. [51419]

[holding answer 19 April 2002]: UK Sport is the lead agency for the Government's anti-doping programme. Its Chairman Sir Rodney Walker has met Mr. Paul Edwards and his advisers to hear his concerns regarding his life ban on participation in athletics. This resulted from a second positive drug test, which was the subject of an independent review of the evidence, a disciplinary hearing chaired by an independent QC and an appeal hearing also chaired by a QC. UK Sport are seeking further information and views from the parties concerned. It would not be appropriate for Ministers to intervene in individual doping cases.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will take measures to ensure that UK Sport has sufficient powers to conduct inquiries into previous rulings on the alleged use of performance-enhancing substances. [51418]

[holding answer 19 April 2002]: UK Sport is the lead agency for the Government's anti-doping programme. The National Anti-Doping Policy, recently launched by UK Sport, sets out standardised procedures to ensure that governing bodies of sport have consistent, transparent and accountable anti-doping procedures. The National Anti-Doping Policy has clearly defined independent review, disciplinary and appeal processes built into it.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what recent representations she has received concerning the licensing of premises for public entertainment; and if she will make a statement; [51752](2) what plans she has to change the law on the licensing of premises for public entertainment, with regard to the number of performers allowed to perform at unlicensed premises. [51753]

I have received a number of representations recently from hon. Members on behalf of their constituents and from performers of live music calling for the abolition of the exemption which provides for up to two musicians to perform live in public houses without a public entertainment licence. These include a number of similar letters sent to me as part of a campaign. I have also received representations arguing that all live music should be exempt from licensing, that some licence fees are excessive, that some conditions attached by local authorities are disproportionate and that the current licensing regime deters spontaneous singing in public houses.Our plans for the modernisation of the licensing regimes were set out clearly in the White Paper "Time for Reform" (Cm. 4696) published on 10 April 2000. We proposed that the current exemption from public entertainment licensing that allows two musicians to perform live in premises licensed for the sale of alcohol should end. This is because one or two live musicians using powerful microphones and amplifiers can make more noise and so generate more nuisance for local residents than three without. Alcohol and public entertainment licensing will be integrated into a single scheme. This would remove at a stroke a considerable amount of existing red tape and reduce the licensing costs which currently deter many venues from providing live music and dancing. The reforms will be implemented by means of primary legislation to be brought forward as soon as parliamentary time permits.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many complaints were registered against her Department and its predecessor Departments in (a) 1990 to 1996 and (b) 1997 to 2002; how many are current; and what proportion were (i) taken up and (ii) upheld by the parliamentary ombudsman in those periods. [51584]

[holding answer 22 April 2002]: The information on complaints received for the periods requested in (a) and (b) is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. There is one current complaint. The number of complaints (i) taken up and (ii) upheld by the parliamentary ombudsman is contained in the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration's annual reports for the periods specified, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will publish the statistics compiled by the DCMS monitoring group on playing field sales on the number of applications reported to the group for the disposal of playing fields over the past two years. [51920]

Data on playing field sales are not available. The Playing Field Monitoring Group will shortly be publishing combined figures for (a) applications from schools submitted to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills for the disposal or change of use of school playing fields (which are already published monthly), and (b) figures from Sport England giving details of planning applications affecting playing fields which have been referred to them as statutory consultee (which are already published quarterly), along with (c) relevant data from the Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions.

To ask the Prime Minister what the cost in 2001–02 was of the pay increase to staff in his Office; and what the cost of the forthcoming increase will be in 2002–03. [50408]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office on 22 April 2002, at column 91W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many vacant head teacher posts there were in (a) primary schools, (b) secondary schools, (c) special schools and (d) all schools, expressed as a percentage of the total number of head teachers, in each year since 1997 broken down by local education authority. [48259]