To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the consultation paper Proposals to Amend the Statutory Controls for the use of Agricultural Sludge, when the consultees listed in Annexe C of the paper received the paper; and what percentage of the consultees responded. [109992]

The consultation paper on the proposals to amend the statutory controls for the agricultural use of sludge was dispatched on 21 October 2002 to all those individuals and organisations listed at Annexe C of the paper, a total of 220. 32(15 per cent.) of these consultees responded. A further 185 copies were requested from the Defra distribution centre and the paper was also available on the Defra website. The total number of responses received was 63.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the EU Special Accession Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development. [111272]

The EU Special Accession Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development (SAPARD) is available to the 10 EU new member states and candidate countries from central and eastern Europe¹. Its objectives are similar to those of the rural development programmes in the 15 existing member states.The programme has provided a valuable opportunity to the candidates in the practical application of rural development policies and EU financial systems. The accreditation process for the newly established Paying Agencies in particular has enabled them to experience and satisfy EU audit procedures.Defra Ministers and officials have taken every opportunity to urge the applicants to make full use of the funds available. Defra is a strong supporter of rural development programmes as a mechanism for supporting rural and farming areas and very much welcomes this chance for the candidates to benefit from these systems in advance of their membership. Although we have not commissioned any specific assessment of the progress of SAPARD expenditure, my officials attend meetings of the European Commission Regulatory Committee, which reviews and approves the programmes of the countries concerned.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many furnaces fuelled from animal carcases and animal byproducts are operational in (a) the North West of England and (b) England. [111161]

We are not aware of any furnaces fuelled from animal carcases and unprocessed animal byproducts.Prior to the introduction of the EU Animal By-Products Regulation on 1 May 2003, the Department was not responsible for the approval of animal carcase incinerators, with the exception of incinerators which dispose of Specified Risk Material. However, a central register of operators currently approved to operate specified risk material incinerators indicates that as at 1 May 2003 there were 306 approved incinerators in Great Britain. Strictly speaking these are not fuelled by animal carcases or unprocessed animal by-products. They use gas/oil as fuel to provide the heat to burn the carcases.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the EU Animal By-products Regulation will apply to the burial of (a) domestic cattle, (b) domestic pigs, (c) domestic sheep, (d) domestic poultry, (e) goats, (f) llamas, (g) ostriches, (h) members of the equine family, (i) dogs, (j) cats, (k) hamsters, (1) gerbils, (m) rabbits, (n) guinea pigs, (o) rodents, (p) farmed fish, (q) domestic fish and (r) wild animals killed on the road; and what advice the Department has given to owners of these animals. [111352]

The carcases, or parts of carcases, of wild animals are exempt from the scope of the Regulation unless they are thought to be diseased or are used to produce game trophies.The Regulation allows member states to apply for various derogations regarding the disposal of animal by-products, and, among others, we have applied for the derogation to permit the burial of dead pet animals.The definition of a pet animal given within the Regulation is: any animal belonging to species normally nourished and kept, but not consumed, by humans for purposes other than farming. Therefore, species such as cattle, sheep, pigs, goats and poultry etc would fall out-with this definition and would require disposal by an approved route other than burial.The situation with regard to equines is complicated. Although it can be argued that humans within the UK do not consume members of the equine family, the UK does export horses/ponies which may be used for human consumption. Under a strict interpretation the EU Regulation would, therefore, ban the burial of pet equines but we would expect local authorities, who enforce the legislation, to deal with such cases on an individual basis.Although no specific advice has been provided to pet owners, information on the disposal of animal carcases is available on the Defra website, at http:// www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/by-prods/default.htm., and from local Defra Animal Health Offices.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what advice she has given to Wiltshire county council about the disposal of TB infected badger carcases; [111396](2) what advice she has given to local authorities in parts of the country where badgers may be infected with TB on the testing, collection and disposal of badger carcases. [111394]

The EU Animal By-Products Regulation, which applied in member states from 1 May, requires, among other things, that wild animals suspected of being infected with diseases communicable to humans and animals, such as bovine TB, are disposed of at an approved plant using one of the following methods:

incineration;

rendering followed by incineration; or

pressure rendering followed by landfill

Trading Standards, who enforce the Regulation, have received guidance notes and training on the new rules. In addition, information on the disposal of animal carcases is available on the Defra website, at http://www.defra.gov. uk/animalh/by-prods/default.htm., and from local Defra Animal Health Offices.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the materials by type that will be included through her Department's national subscription collection and disposal scheme for fallen livestock under the Animal By-Products Regulation. [111116]

Assuming that the scheme is viable, we would envisage that it would apply to the collection and disposal of carcases of all types of farmed livestock on agricultural holdings.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to ensure that schemes to collect animal carcases from farms will not result in the spread of disease. [111185]

Animal By-Products legislation already controls the collection, storage and transportation of animal by-products, including animal carcases, it also requires records to be kept of any consignment of animal by-products to assist in the auditing and traceability of this material.However, we would expect that only those collectors who follow biosecurity procedures yet to be agreed would be allowed to participate in a national carcase collection service.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 10 April 2003, Official Report, column 364W, on fallen stock, if she will list the alternative processes that the Commission is considering for approval; and what the timetable is for the consultation process. [111408]

On the basis of information submitted, the Scientific Steering Committee (SSC) adopted an "Opinion on six alternative methods for safe disposal of animal by-products" on 10 to 11 April 2003. According to this Opinion, five methods are regarded as safe for the disposal or use of Category 2 and 3 animal by-products. These five methods are:

• high pressure high temperature hydrolysis;
• high pressure hydrolysis biogas process;
• biodiesel Production;
• Brookes gasification system; and
• combustion of Tallow in a thermal boiler.

The Commission will now analyse the SSC opinion and present a proposal approving the five methods listed above to the next Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health.On the basis of the SSC opinion, member states can allow the use of the methods listed for the disposal or use of Category 2 and 3 animal by-products, pending their approval by the Commission, provided that:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of emissions from furnaces fuelled from animal carcases and animal by-products. [111590]

No assessment has been made of emissions from furnaces fuelled from animal carcases and animal by-products. However, Defra commissioned an independent report to measure and review atmospheric emissions from small carcase incinerators, which was published in August 2002. This is available on the Defra website at: http://www2.defra.gov. uk/research/project_data/Default.asp under Project Code WA0806.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice her Department has given to those who undertake pest control on disposing of (a) foxes, (b) rodents and (c) mustelids. [111349]

The Animal By-Product Regulation, which applied in member states from 1 May, does not apply to foxes, rodents, mustelids or other wildlife. With regard to rodents, for those killed by rodenticides the Statutory Conditions of Use for each product will stipulate the method of carcass disposal. These conditions are set by either the Health and Safety Executive or the Pesticides Safety Directorate. Typically, the conditions require that rodent carcases are either burnt or buried. These conditions must be strictly adhered to. Defra has not given specific disposal. advice for foxes and mustelids, but recommends that normal good practice is followed. Anyone requiring advice on appropriate disposal methods should contact their local authority.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what regulations will apply to the burial of pets from 30 April; and what information on burial she has provided for pet owners. [111351]

The Animal By-Products Regulation allows member states to apply for various derogations regarding the disposal of animal by-products, and, among others, we have applied for the derogation to permit the burial of dead pet animals.Although no specific information has been provided to pet owners, information is available on the Defra website at the following address: http://www.defra.gov.uk!animalh/by-prods/default.htm.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what response she has made to the OECD Initiative on Biological Resources Centres; and what resources have been committed to the achievement in the UK of the objectives of the initiative. [107922]

[holding answer 9 April 2003]: The Government supports the broad objective of the OECD initiative on Biological Resource Centres, which is to seek to ensure the conservation of biological resources and associated information in an efficient and effective way through the creation of a global network of biological resource centres like seed banks or culture collections, and, through such a network, to provide improved access to biological resources of an appropriate quality to bona fide users in the fields of life sciences and biotechnology. Proposals on how this might be achieved are still under discussion in the OECD. Officials from my Department are actively involved in those talks.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what is owed to Mr. and Mrs. T. McCoy of Dartmouth in relation to their 2001 bovine claim; and what the reasons are for the delay in payment, with reference to her Department's letter to the hon. Member for Totnes of 15 March 2003. ref 179375/JW. [111859]

As stated in the letter of 15 March 2003, all Mr. And Mrs. McCoy's bovine claims for 2001 have been paid, and there are not outstanding payments.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects the new rights of access under Part 1 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 to commence in the Central Southern Region. [111247]

I announced in November last year that the new right for the public to walk on mountain, moor, heath, down and registered common land will be rolled out on a region by region basis. This will give walkers the right to walk in open countryside and on registered common land as early as possible, rather than having to wait for the mapping process to be completed for the whole country. I intend to open the first two regions to public access during the summer of 2004. These are the south east and central southern England.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list, broken down by Act, the criminal offences created in legislation sponsored by her Department and its predecessors since 1997. [110988]

A number of criminal offences have been created in primary legislation, sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and its predecessor Departments, since 1997. The following list contains only legislation concerning policy areas now administered by Defra. The Plant Varieties Act 1997 (c. 66) created two new criminal offences. The Food Standards Act 1999 (c. 28) created eight new criminal offences. The Fur Farming (Prohibition) Act 2000 (c. 33) created four new criminal offences. The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (c. 37) created 22 new criminal offences. The Animal Health 2002 Act (c. 42) created 14 new criminal offences.No comprehensive records are kept by the Department of offences created in secondary legislation, and the cost of searching the many instruments in force for which the Department has responsibility would be disproportionate.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list events at which her Department and each agency and non-departmental public body for which her Department is responsible have exhibited in each of the last three years, stating for each (a) the purpose of exhibiting, (b) the cost of exhibiting and (c) the number of staff attending for the exhibition. [107626]

The following is a list of the events at which attendance or an exhibit were commissioned centrally by Defra as part of the Department's publicity programme. This covers the period since the Department's inception in June 2001. The events were commissioned at a cost of £0.5 million in 2001–02 and £1.2 million in 2002–03 to Defra's central publicity budget.The number of staff attending each event is not available and the information for each agency and non-departmental body for which Defra is responsible could be collated only at a disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Government procurement policy on timber includes timber used on and in the construction of Government building projects; and if she will make a statement. [111033]

The Government procurement policy on timber applies to all wood and products made from wood used in performing Government contracts. Thai includes the wood used temporarily during construction works as well as wood fixed as part of a finished structure. The Office of Government Commerce reminded Government Departments of this policy in November 2002,and particular attention was drawn to construction projects as follows:

"Under the Achieving Excellence agenda, Departments are encouraged to improve the design quality, sustainability, health and safety and client management of their supply chains for their construction projects".

"Managers must, in addition, make themselves aware of the commitment made by the UK Government in July 2000 that all Departments and their agencies should actively seek to procure their timber and timber products from legal and sustainably managed sources".

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what expenditure has been incurred by her (a) Department, (b) agencies and (c) non-departmental bodies in 2002 on (i) opinion polling, (ii) focus groups and (iii) other forms of market research; and if she will list the surveys commissioned and the purpose of each. [106259]

The expenditure on external market research which has been recorded centrally by Defra in 2002/03 was £354,000.The list of the surveys is:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the expected saving to public funds from the private finance initiative schemes due to become operational in 2003. [105716]

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury (Mr. Boateng) on 10 April 2003, Official Report, column 400W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of CAP Pillar Two funding. [111273]

The effectiveness of CAP Pillar Two funding in England is being assessed in several ways. The Mid-term Evaluation of the England Rural Development Programme (ERDP) is currently in progress and aims to assess the implementation and impact of the Programme since its inception in 2000 to present. The evaluation will be completed in December 2003 and its findings will be reported to the European Commission. Similar evaluations are being produced on rural development programmes in other parts of the UK and in the other member states.There are also a number of recently completed or ongoing studies on individual ERDP schemes and other reviews that will touch on the effectiveness of the Programme as a whole. The studies on individual ERDP schemes include a major review of agri-environment schemes, a Hill Farming Allowance review and reviews of the Farm Woodland Premium and Woodland Grant Schemes. With regard to project based schemes, an economic evaluation of the Processing and Marketing Grant scheme is in progress and various aspects of the impact the Rural Enterprise Scheme are being examined.Outside of these internal reviews and studies, Defra officials assess the effectiveness of CAP Pillar Two funding by analysing reports from other organisations and by using internal management information.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress the Department has made towards the aim in the White Paper, "Your Region, Your Choice", of assessing the balance of staff between the centre and the regions in terms of effective policy design and implementation; and what examples there have been since the publication of the White Paper of the Department deciding between locating new streams of work (a) in and (b) outside London and the south-east. [108570]

Defra is making considerable progress towards the aims set out in the White Paper, "Your Region, Your Choice", and Ministers have repeatedly stressed the importance of regional delivery and regional partnerships. For example:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the pollutants regarded as volatile organic compounds; and if she will make a statement on the health risks associated with the pollutants regarded as volatile organic compounds. [111139]

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) include a very wide range of individual substances, such as hydrocarbons (for example benzene and toluene), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), halocarbons and oxygenates. Hydrocarbon VOCs are usually grouped into methane and other non-methane VOCs. Non-methane VOCs are emitted to air as combustion products, as vapour arising from handling or use of petroleum distillates, solvents or chemicals, and from numerous other sources. The emissions of the 50 most significant non-methane VOCs in the UK (in terms of mass emissions), together with time trends and a spatially disaggregated map of all sources are published annually in the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory, available at www.naei.org.uk.Some VOCs are harmful to human health, including benzene, PAHs and 1,3-butadiene. Benzene can cause leukaemia, if exposure is maintained over a long period of time. There are several hundred different forms of PAH, and sources can be both natural and man-made. Several of these PAHs can cause lung cancer. Sources of 1,3-butadiene include the manufacturing of synthetic rubbers, petrol driven vehicles and cigarette smoke. 1,3-butadiene exposure probably causes lymphomas or leukaemias. Other volatile organic compounds may, at high concentrations, affect the central nervous system (e.g. chloroform), cause liver damage (e.g. carbon tetrachloride) or show irritant effects (e.g. aldehydes). These effects will not necessarily be relevant at environmental levels of exposure.VOCs also contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone that can impair lung function and cause irritation to the respiratory tract. Ozone has also been associated with increases in respiratory hospital admissions and deaths in those already ill with respiratory disease.Total emissions of methane and non-methane VOCs have reduced significantly in England since the late 1980s, particularly those from traffic and industrial processes, and are expected to continue to do so. The UK met the requirements of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution's 1991 Geneva Protocol, which required a 30 per cent. reduction in VOC emissions by 1999 using 1988 as a basis. The EU National Emission Ceilings Directive has set a further target of a reduction to 1200kT VOC annual emissions by 2010. Latest projections suggest the UK will meet this target. The Air Quality Strategy includes objectives for ambient levels of benzene, PAHs and 1,3-butadiene to protect human health. Latest monitoring indicates that we have already met the Air Quality Strategy objectives for some of these pollutants at most sites in the UK and that levels are generally declining for all these pollutants.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the work being carried out with the support of her Department on Partners for Water and Sanitation. [111857]

Since its inception in 2001, Partners for Water and Sanitation (PAWS) has brought together a forum of partners from Government, civil society and the private sector. The aim has been to contribute to the Millennium Development Goal for Water and the equivalent target for sanitation agreed at the World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg in 2002.PAWS currently focuses on three countries—South Africa, Uganda and Nigeria. The current position in each of the partner countries is as follows.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether it is her policy that the Water Service regulator, in determining the charges that water companies can make to their customers, should take account of the need for these companies to rectify flooding problems which do not necessarily involve direct ingress of water or sewage into people's homes. [112099]

In setting price limits for sewerage undertakers, the Director General of Water Services takes account of companies' sewer flooding programmes. In the initial Guidance issued to the Director General in January 2003, the Secretary of State, made clear that there would need to be an increase in the rate at which companies rectify sewer flooding problems if companies are to get on top of the situation.The Secretary of State also welcomed the findings of the consultation carried out by Ofwat in the paper, "Flooding from Sewers", particularly the proposal that the worst cases of external sewer flooding should be included in sewerage undertakers' programmes. This should help to ensure that many more customers than at present benefit from sewer flooding prevention schemes.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proposals he has to finance the Global Health Fund. [111893]

The Department for International Development has committed $200 million to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria over five years.In addition, the Treasury is seeking international support to establish the International Finance Facility, which will raise $50 billion annually to fund the Millennium Development Goals. This money would be disbursed in the form of concessional loans and grants, including debt relief.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what further measures he is taking to reform industrial and provident society law. [111897]

The Government recognise the important contribution industrial and provident societies can make to the economy and are currently progressing a range of initiatives to support the sector.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress the UK is making towards the target of contributing 0.7 per cent. of national income to aid for the developing world. [111899]

The Government remain fully committed to reaching the UN target for official development assistance (oda) of 0.7 per cent. of Gross National Income. In the 2002 Spending Review the Government set out their spending plans for the next three years up to 2005–06 and have made substantial increases to the aid budget. The UK's level of official development assistance reached 0.32 per cent. in 2001 and will reach 0.40 per cent. by 2005–06, up from 0.26 per cent. in 1997.Aid effectiveness is also important as well as aid volumes. The Government are committed to redirecting their development assistance budget to the poorest countries, particularly those with effective governments pursuing high growth and pro-poor economic and social policies. By 2005–06, 90 per cent. of DfID's bilateral budget will be spent in low-income countries, where research tells us it is most effective. In addition, the Government have untied all their aid as from 1 April 2001.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of applications for (a) working tax credit and (b) working families tax credit were submitted either incomplete or with errors preventing correct assessment. [111900]

Claims for Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit are made together, on one form, leading to a single calculation if claimants qualify for both. By 28 April, over 4 million claims to the new tax credits had been received and around 3.2 million awards were already being paid or had been set up for payment. The Inland Revenue was working through the remaining claims as quickly as possible. Where necessary, the Revenue contacts claimants to ask for any outstanding information or to follow up any queries about the claim.The number of claims for Working Families Tax Credit that were initially incomplete is not available. The priority is to identify and correct errors where possible and get claims into payment.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the reasons are for the recent unavailability of the working tax credit helpline; and if he will make a statement. [105263]

In recent weeks the number of callers has exceeded the capacity of the helpline and some have not been able to get through on their first call. One of the facts that the helpline has consistently had to confirm is that the earliest date for the (monthly) payment is 28 April. To meet the demand, we have, over the last six weeks, increased the resource allocated to handling telephone calls to maximise the number of calls the helpline can answer.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what action he is taking to ensure that take-up of tax credits is not adversely affected by the initial administrative problems; [110856](2) what action he is taking to relieve the impact of the problems encountered when administering tax credits in the Redcar constituency. [110855]

I refer my hon. Friend to the statement I made in the House on 28 April 2003, Official Report, column 53W.Over 4 million claims have already been made for the Child and Working Tax Credit. The publicity campaign to encourage claims from families who may be entitled to tax credits will continue.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how much has been spent on publicising the emergency payments system for tax credits; and if he will list the media being used to publicise the emergency payments system; [111384](2) how many households have received money under the emergency payment system for tax credits; and what the total value of such payments is. [111385]

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many interim payments of child tax credit have been paid by each Inland Revenue office. [111835]

The Inland Revenue already had standing procedures to enable interim payments of tax credits to be paid, in cases where such payments are necessary. As I said to the House on 28 April 2003, by the end of last week 3.2 million families had their tax credits in payment in the normal way and remaining cases were being processed as quickly as possible. In the vast majority of cases, therefore, special arrangements for payment are not necessary.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Inland Revenue will publish a code of practice on overpayment of tax credits. [111386]

The Inland Revenue will publish a code of practice on recovery of overpaid tax credits later this year.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many applications for (a) child tax credit and (b) working tax credit are waiting to be processed. [111390]

Claims for Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit are made together, on one form, leading to a single calculation if claimants qualify for both. By 28 April, over 4 million claims to the new tax credits had been received and around 3.2 million awards were already being paid or had been set up for payment. The Inland Revenue was working through the remaining claims as quickly as possible, where necessary contacting claimants for outstanding information.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many households who submitted application forms before 31 January are yet to receive payments of (a) child tax credit and (b) working tax credit; how many payments of (i) child tax credit and (ii) working tax credit are overdue; and what the total value is of overdue payments of (A) child tax credit and (B) working tax credit; [111393](2) how many households who have applied for

About 2.7 million claims for child tax credit and working tax credit were received by the end of January 2003.Awards are already being paid except in the small proportion of cases where further information is needed to make a decision on the claim. In these cases the Inland Revenue should already have been in touch with claimants to ask for that further information.About a third of all claims processed so far have opted for weekly payment.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the progress of discussions with the EU to reduce VAT on home safety products. [111901]

Discussions on the EU provisions for reduced rates of VAT will follow publication of proposals for such a review by the European Commission. We will consider the position of home safety products and other goods and services for which we have received similar representations as part of that review.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the impact of the sterling exchange rate on demand for British manufactures. [111902]

A full assessment of the prospects for manufacturing can be found in Chapter B of this year's Financial Statement and Budget Report (HC 500), a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, What discussions he had in advance of the Budget with the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry regarding new taxes and regulations imposed on small businesses. [111903]

The Chancellor meets regularly with my right hon. Friend, at which time he discusses a full range of relevant issues, including the Government's success at reducing the corporate tax burden on companies and introducing such reforms as a R&D tax credit and improvements to the capital gains tax regime.

To ask the Chancellor of Exchequer, what representations he received from the Federation of Small Businesses in advance of the Budget regarding his policies on corporate tax and regulation. [111905]

In advance of the Budget the Government received representations from a number of organisations, including the Federation of Small Business.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent steps he has taken to promote the International Finance Facility. [111904]

The Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Treasury continue to promote the IFF through all relevant national and international fora.In addition to positive discussions at recent G7 Finance Ministers' meetings and the Spring Meetings of the IMF and World Bank, the Chancellor and his officials continue to discuss the proposal with nongovernmental organisations, faith and community groups and the business community—both nationally and internationally.I also raised this with fellow Ministers from Members States of the OECD at a meeting in Paris last week.

To ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of reduction in commodity prices on the HIPC initiative. [111906]

The UK believes that where countries have had to contend with external shocks—such as sharp falls in the price of key export commodities—we should be generous in providing additional debt relief to promote a lasting exit from unsustainable debt.Moreover, the UK is seeking agreement that this additional debt relief or topping-up that HIPCs can receive when completing the HIPC initiative should exclude additional bilateral voluntary debt relief, to ensure fairer burden sharing between creditors and provide truly additional relief to HIPCs. This important change in the rules could provide a further US $1 billion in debt relief.The Government also believes we must be much more cautious about the forecasts we use to calculate debt sustainability. Optimistic assumptions about future growth and exports often do not reflect the reality many countries face—and unnecessarily restrict the amount of debt relief we can provide.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 15 January 2003, Official Report, columns 661–62W, on Capita, if he will give the (a) start and finish date, (b) value, (c) evaluation mechanism for successful delivery and (d) penalty charges for failure to deliver for each contract; whether penalty charges have been incurred; what the service level agreements were; what the contract numbers were; and if he will make a statement. [97334]

It has been drawn to my attention that there were errors in my earlier answers about Capita of 13 March 2002, Official Report, column 1113W, and 15 January 2003, Official Report, column 662W. I apologise for this earlier inaccuracy, which I very much regret.The following information is given separately in respect of each of the Chancellor's Departments.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the terms of reference and timescale are for the review of the effectiveness of the national child care strategy in ensuring an adequate supply of affordable child care, as indicated in the Budget Statement. [111761]

We will announce details in due course. The review will involve dialogue with family and parent groups and voluntary organisations.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list, broken down by Act, the criminal offences created in legislation sponsored by his Department since 1997. [112111]

Under section 38 of the Bank of England Act 1998, it is a criminal offence to fail to provide information, or to provide false or misleading information, to the Bank of England. Improper disclosure of information received in the exercise of functions conferred by the Bank of England Act 1998 is a criminal offence under Schedule 7 to that Act.The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 created the following criminal offences:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on progress at the Spring Meeting of the IMF on the introduction of the legal framework of the sovereign debt restructuring mechanism. [110038]

At the Spring Meeting of the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) on 12 April, ministers discussed the report of the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund on a Statutory Sovereign Debt Restructuring Mechanism. The conclusion of that discussion is set out in the IMFC communique released on 12 April as:

"The Committee welcomes the work of the IMF in developing a concrete proposal for a statutory sovereign debt restructuring mechanism (SDRM) and expresses its appreciation for the IMF management and staffs efforts. The extensive analysis and consultation undertaken in developing the proposal have served to promote better understanding of the issues to be addressed in bringing about orderly resolution of crises. The Managing Director's report sets out the current position. The Committee, while recognizing that it is not feasible now to move forward to establish the SDRM, agrees that work should continue on issues raised in its development that are of general relevance to the orderly resolution of financial crises. These issues include inter-creditor equity considerations, enhancing transparency and disclosure, and aggregation issues. The IMF will report on progress at the Committee's next meeting."

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the population of working age was in work in each of the last 30 years. [110689]

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

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the schemes which have been allocated funding from the £25 million earmarked following the 2002 Spending Review over three years starting in 2003–04 for services delivered in partnership with the voluntary sector to help parents improve their parenting skills. [111861]

A consultation document discussing the Government's proposed approach to the £25 million Parenting Fund will be published shortly.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to alter the rate of insurance premium tax. [112418]

The Government's taxation plans are announced in my right hon. Friend's annual Budget.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what economic terms he plans to set out regarding the repayment of Iraq's debt to the UK; and if he will make a statement; [111811]

The UK supports a full assessment by the IMF and the World Bank of Iraq's economic potential, needs and obligations. In the light of that assessment the UK will seek a fair and sustainable solution to Iraq's debt, including to the UK, at the Paris Club of official creditors.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will review the rules which reduce the amount of UK grants and funds awarded to the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council when it gains additional EU funding. [111376]

[holding answer 7 May 2003]: Government policy is that UK public spending financed from the EC Budget is subject to normal public sector budgeting rules. This reflects the fact that UK taxpayers have an interest in spending on programmes funded from the EC Budget being spent in a way which is consistent with national priorities.Departments have therefore in general needed budgetary cover for spending funded from the EC Budget, including spending on research and development. To improve incentives, however, a recent review has resulted in changes to the public sector budgeting rules, so that from 2003–04 departments which receive income from the EC Budget for commercially- or competitively-let research contracts will be able to offset half of their income from qualifying programmes against spending within their departmental expenditure limit.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what evaluations he has made on the benefit to low income families of measures to promote savings. [112094]

The Government recognise the importance of saving and assets in providing security in times of adversity; independence and opportunity throughout life; and comfort in retirement. The Government's saving strategy is focused on:

improving the environment for saving, with macroeconomic stability and an efficient and well-regulated market in financial services;

creating the right incentives for saving by ensuring that the tax and benefit system does not unfairly penalise savers and by assisting those on low incomes;

empowering individuals with financial information, improved access to advice, and simpler and easier to understand savings products; and

developing saving products suitable for each stage in a person's life cycle. As the scale of saving increases, proceeds from one product may be rolled into the next, helping people to progress up the savings ladder.

A number of Government policies are promoting saving among lower income groups. For example, ISAs have helped to make saving simple for ordinary investors to understand. One in five ISA holders are from lower income groups compared with one in seven who had either a TESSA or PEP. The Saving Gateway is aimed at low-income individuals and offers a transparent incentive to save through a government-funded match. The Saving Gateway is currently being piloted and independent evaluation will assess its effect on saving behaviour. The Government are also committed to strengthening the saving habit of future generations. The Child Trust Fund will ensure all children born from September 2002 have an account set up for them into which an initial Government endowment of £250 will be paid. Children from the poorest families will receive an endowment of £500.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the further consultations he is to have with business concerning stamp duty on lease contracts, as referred to in paragraph 5.90 of the 2003 Budget (HC 500). [110238]

The lease duty consultation after Budget 2002 was very helpful in informing the proposed new lease duty structure, which incorporates many consultees' views. The Chancellor announced in Budget 2003 that he is happy for further consultation to take place on the proposed new structure. In order to facilitate this, a time-limited regulatory power has been incorporated in Finance Bill 2003 to allow a suitable alternative proposal to be put in place for the implementation of Stamp Duty Land Tax in December 2003. However, any alternative will only replace the current proposals if it can be shown to be a better way of achieving the same objectives. The Inland Revenue will convene further discussions shortly with representative organisations and with businesses who have expressed a particular interest in the proposals.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps her Department is taking to address the issue of age discrimination. [109454]

The DTI is strongly and actively committed to diversity in its workforce. Age restrictions do not apply to DTI job advertisements or to selection criteria. We have adopted, or had already met, the recommendations in the Cabinet Office's Winning the Generation Game report and will continue to embed age diversity in all policies and processes as part of diversity mainstreaming. This includes from August 2002 giving all staff in the DTI below the Senior Civil Service the option of continuing to work to age 65.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what actions have been taken to amend the London Anti-Dumping Convention for the North Sea Region to enable carbon sequestration to take place in the geological formation following the extraction of gas and oil. [110455]

DTI, Defra, and FCO are jointly examining the London Dumping Convention 1972, the 1996 Protocol to that Convention, and the 1992 OSPAR Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North East Atlantic to assess their compatibility with the storage of carbon dioxide in subsea geological formations. The outcome will be summarised in the DTI Report of the Feasibility of CO2 Capture and Storage in the UK, expected early summer 2003. The Government intends to raise the issue of such storage before the appropriate forums under these Conventions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking to ensure broadband is made available to all those living in Shropshire. [111660]

UK imports of goods from sub-Saharan Africa1 (£ million)
SITC Division	Commodity group2	2000	Year to February 2003	Change	Perecentage change
02	Dairy products and birds' eggs	1.3	5.3	4.0	318.8
03	Fish, (not marine mammals), crustaceans, molluscs, and aquatic invertebrates and preparations thereof	93.9	130.9	37.0	39.4
04	Cereals and cereal preparations	0.3	0.7	0.4	114.7
05	Vegetables and fruit	301.6	375.9	74.3	24.7
06	Sugar, sugar preparations and honey	167.3	219.2	51.8	31.0
07	Coffee, tea, cocoa, spices and manufactures thereof	241.7	304.2	62.5	25.9
08	Feeding stuff for animals not including unmilled cereals	2.0	2.6	0.5	24.9
09	Miscellaneous edible products and preparations	2.7	3.7	0.9	34.2
11	Beverages	81.7	123.2	41.6	50.9
12	Tobacco and tobacco manufacturers	50.8	61.3	10.5	20.7
21	Hides, skins and furskins, raw	7.9	9.9	1.9	24.6
22	Oil seeds and oleaginous fruit	5.2	7.6	2.4	46.3
27	Crude fertilisers other than those of division 56 and crude minerals (excluding coal, petroleum and precious stones)	41.8	48.8	7.0	16.7
29	Crude animal and vegetable materials	28.3	40.0	11.7	41.4

We expect to spend 1 billion over three years to 2006 to help bring broadband to primary and secondary schools, GPs, primary care Trusts and Strategic Health Authorities. We are also developing strategies to aggregate public sector demand to reinforce the case for wider community access to broadband.I was pleased to see reports that Shropshire has provided broadband connection to all its 22 Libraries in February this year with support from the People Network Initiative, supported by the New Opportunities Fund.Through the £30 million Broadband Fund, my Department also supports satellite trials through the Remote Area Broadband Inclusion Trial (RABBIT). Shropshire receives support through this Trial, directed at giving rural SMEs experience of broadband.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she intends to reply to the letter to him dated 31 March from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Ms K. Grant. [111592]

I apologise for the delay in replying to my right hon. Friend's letter. It was not readily evident that my right hon. Friend's constituent raised issues that are within my Department's responsibility.However, I have now decided that they are for my Department and I will reply as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in what products imports from sub-Saharan Africa have grown since the implementation of the Everything but Arms agreement; by what margin; and if she will make a statement. [110768]

According to information published by HM Customs and Excise, the value of UK imports from sub-Saharan Africa increased, from 2000 to the year ending February 2003, in 36 out of 64 commodity groups. The value of UK imports and the percentage change, for those commodities that showed an increase, are given in the following table:

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to introduce a bill that will remove Crown Immunity from liability under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. [111196]

I have been asked to reply.The Government will seek a legislative opportunity, when parliamentary time allows, to remove Crown immunity from statutory health and safety enforcement.In the meantime the Health and Safety Executive continues to enforce health and safety requirements in Crown bodies and applies the Crown censure procedure, where but for Crown immunity, prosecution would have been justified.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many contracts have been awarded related to the reconstruction of Iraq; of those, how many have been awarded to (a) US and (b) UK companies; what the total value is of contracts awarded: and what percentage have gone to (i) US and (ii) UK companies. [111130]

[holding answer 6 May 2003]: The US Government has let a number of contracts to US firms, mainly through US AID and the US Army Corps of Engineers. Information on these contracts is available on the Trade Partners UK website, with full details on US Government websites, including US AID. The main US AID reconstruction contract was awarded to Bechtel on 17 April. We are supporting efforts by UK companies to win sub-contracts but companies are not obliged to inform us if and when they win contracts.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to undertake a review of the work of the Medical Research Council following the report of the Science and Technology Committee published on 24 March, HC132. [111246]

The MRC is highly renowned around the world for its track record in promoting excellent medical research. We currently have no plans to carry out a review of the MRC following the Select Committee report. We are however reviewing the Select Committee's report and we will make a detailed response during May.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will review the arrangement whereby the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council has its income from UK grants and funds reduced when it gains additional EU funding. [111375]

[holding answer 7 May 2003]: UK public spending financed from the EU's Budget is subject to normal public sector budgeting rules. This reflects the fact that UK taxpayers have an interest in spending on programmes funded from the EU's Budget being spent in a way which is consistent with national priorities.Departments and their sponsored bodies, including PPARC, have therefore in general needed budgetary cover for spending funded from the EU's Budget, including spending on research and development. To improve incentives, however, a recent review has resulted in changes to the public sector budgeting rules, so that from 2003–04 departments and their sponsored bodies including PPARC which receive income from the EU's Budget for commercially- or competitively-let research contracts will be able to offset half of their income from qualifying programmes against spending within their departmental expenditure limit.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many staff were employed by (a) the Radiocommunications Agency and (b) Oftel in each of the last five years; and what the annual budget was in each of those years in each case. [108937]

Radiocommunications Agency
Year ended 31 March	Staff employed (average)	Staff costs £000
1998	509	15,653
1999	492	16,380
2000	502	16,256
2001	535	17,786
2002	573	20,101

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will take steps to support businesses operated or owned by people of Chinese origin which deal directly with the public, with specified reference to (a) restaurants and (b) shops, to combat the effect of public concern over the issue of SARS; and if she will make a statement. [111785]

[holding answer 7 May 2003]: The Government are striving to combat the effects of SARS, taking the steps described to the House by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health on 28 April 2003, Official Report, colums 38–41.

To ask the Minister for Women what steps she is taking to ensure that Iraqi women play a full part in the leadership of Iraq. [110339]

The UK Government is a strong supporter of UN Security Council Resolution 1,325 which emphasises the importance of the inclusion of women into all aspects of post conflict reconstruction and peace operations, and strongly supports its effective implementation in post conflict Iraq. As Minister for Women I am extremely concerned that Iraqi women play a full role in the reconstruction and leadership of their country. Together with colleagues across Government I am taking several initiatives to fulfil this aim, these include:

An ongoing dialogue with Iraqi women exiles,

Awareness raising within the Office for Reconstruction and Development (ORHA) on the importance of promoting the involvement of women in all aspects of the reconstruction of Iraq,

Nomination of female participants at meetings to discuss the Interim Iraqi Administration (IIA),

Active encouragement of UK NGOs in this process,

Use of Freedom TV to encourage Iraqi women to participate in reconstruction, Plans for a women's conference to feed into the creation of the IIA,

Secondment of a UK government gender equality expert to work in ORHA.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many acknowledgement letters and cards were dispatched by his Department in each year since 1997 for which figures are available; and what the estimated average cost was per letter and card. [111869]

The information is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list, broken down by Act, the criminal offences created in legislation sponsored by his Department and its predecessors since 1997. [111787]

The Social Security Administration (Fraud) Act 1997 created six new offences—involving failure to report material changes of circumstances and making false statements. These offences were re-enacted in modified form in the Social Security (Fraud) Act 2001. S.5 of the 1997 Act created a further offence of failure to comply with a requirement to produce documents and information required under the Social Security Administration Act 1992.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what studies he is conducting into whether potential loss of disability living allowance inhibits potential returners to work. [110735]

Disability Living Allowance (DLA) provides a contribution towards the extra costs that severely disabled people face as a result of their disabilities, and entitlement is based solely on a person's need for personal care and/or their walking difficulties. DLA is payable to people both in and out of work, and therefore does not disincentivise recipients wishing to take up work.We recognise that, for many disabled people, work is made possible through receiving additional support and we make no assumptions that the severity of a person's disability has changed simply because they are undertaking work. Decision makers receive specific guidance that awards of DLA should only be altered where a person's care or mobility needs have changed.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) where peripatetic employment action team advisers are present in Newcastle upon Tyne; how regularly they use these locations; and if he will estimate the number of users at each location; [103427](2) what internal estimates of working age employment rates in each ward of the City of Newcastle upon Tyne informed the selection of wards for employment action team status. [103428]

Information on the outreach locations used by the Newcastle Action Team for Jobs, how regularly they are used, and their average number of customers is in the table.

Ward/Outreach location	Number of days per week action team advisers attend the location	Average number of customers attending per week
Walker
B & Q car park1	1	6
Walker Library	2	10
East2Work Shop, Shields Rd	2	16
Byker
East End Library	1	4
East2Work shop, Byker	2	19
Brinkburn Centre	1	5
Morrisons1	1	10
Monkchester
Roman Avenue1	1	7
Walker Library	1	6
East2Work	3	20
West City
Ron Eager Centre	0.5	5
ESOL, Nelson Street	0.5	2
Angela Centre	1	6
City Jobcentre Plus	2	10
Cruddas Park Library	1	8
Anchor Programme Centre, Market St	0.5	3
City Library	2	9
CSV Training	0.5	5
Elswick
Workfinder Office, Benwell	1	3
Computer Gym	1	5
Civic Centre	4
Elswick Pool	1	3
Westgate College	1	3
Action4Employment	1	4
Benwell
Workfinder Office, Benwell	1.5	12
Cornerstones	1	7
St Josephs Refugee Group	1	5
John Martey Centre	1	4
Newcastle College1	1	6
Benwell Library	1	8
West Road Jobcentre Plus	1	15
Scotswood
Workfinder Office, Benwell	1	6
Community cafe	0.5	4
West Road Jobcentre Plus	0.5	5
Valley View Nursery	0.5	3
Scotswood Support Centre	0.5	9
Woolsington
Newbiggin Hall Library	1	10
Gala Fields	2	11
Roycroft Centre	0.5	10
Detached Youth Project	0.5	8
Newbiggin Hall Shops1	1	5

Ward/Outreach location	Number of days per week action team advisers attend the location	Average number of customers attending per week
Fawdon
Park View Sports Centre	1	5
Fawdon Community Centre	2	12
Peacock Pub Car Park1	1	3
Fawdon Library	1	5
Kenton
Cowgate Leisure Centre	1	8
St Cuthbert's Church	0.5	3
Montague Library	1	6
Kenton Library	1	6
1Mobile unit

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list (a) the names, titles and grades of the officials who sit on the EU advisory committee on social security for migrant workers, (b) the number of times, and the dates, on which it has met since January 2002, (c) the agenda items it has considered since January 2002, (d) the decisions it has made since January 2002 and (e) the means used to communicate the decisions to the House. [110289]

Detailed information concerning the membership of the Committee is published in the Official Journal of the EU.The Advisory Committee on Social Security for Migrant Workers has met on only one occasion since January 2002, that being on 2 October 2002.On the agenda for that meeting were the Chairman's report on changes to Community legislation, a report on the work of the Administrative Commission by its Chairman, a report on the decisions of the European Court of Justice since the previous meeting, a report on the implementation of the EU/Swiss Agreement on Free Movement of Persons, a proposed amendment of a Recommendation of the Administrative Commission of 12 December 1984, a report on developments in the Technical Commission and a report on the state of play in the process of enlargement of the EU.The Committee has no power to make formal decisions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the names, titles and grades of the officials who sit on the EU advisory committee on equal opportunities for women and men, the number of times and the dates on which it has met since January 2002, the agenda items it has considered since January 2002, the decisions it has made since January 2002 and the means used to communicate these decisions to the House. [110504]

I have been asked to reply.An official from the Women and Equality Unit at the DTI attends the EU Advisory Committee on Equal Opportunities for women and men. An official from the Equal Opportunities Commission also attends, as does an official from the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.The EU advisory committee has met three times since January 2002. It convened on 20 February; 19 June; and 9–10 October.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list (a) the names, titles and grades of the officials who sit on the EU technical committee for the implementation of regulations concerning the free movement and employment of workers, (b) the number of times, and the dates, on which it has met since January 2002, (c) the agenda items it has considered since January 2002, (d) the decisions it has made since January 2002 and (e) the means used to communicate the decisions to the House. [110535]

The officials who attend Technical Commission are the Senior Executive Officer Manager and an Executive Officer from the International Pension Centre, together with a specialist from the Department's IT provider.Since January 2002, meetings have been held on 5–6 March 2002; 4 June 2002; 24–25 September 2002; 3 December 2002 and 5–6 March 2003.Agenda Items considered were: